Quark VS. MGM?
 

Ok, I would really like to know some people's thoughts on these two ESC's. Specifically for my given situation. Does anyone have experience with both of them to compare? My setup is in a CRT and my motor is the 2700kv Neu 1515 and my battery is a 4s Flightpower 25C 5000. What do you guys think is the best ESC and why? Thanks!

They both have there weakness's. It just depends which problems bother you the least. With the Quark, you'll have to do the heat mod, since it seems to have a problem overheating and it can't run 6s, if you ever plan to in the future.

The MGM runs stone cold from what I have heard, however it also has a problem with the braking/reverse from what people are saying. However, since you are racing, you may not want the reverse or it may not be allowed, so then it doesn't really matter for you. Mike should be getting the programing stuff in the store very soon, so you can program the ESC on the computer similarly as you program the MM ESC.

My only thought would be with the hi kv motor you have, you may pull lots of amps. This will be esp challenging for the Q125. I might feel safer going w/ the larger MGMs, but that's just my guess.

Have you ran the motor at all? Or just waiting for an ESC? Curious on the performance you got out of it.

Just a side question, not to hijack the thread, but does anyone know if Quark changed anything in their design to prevent the electronics from detaching from the case, or do they use the same thermal tape? I got mine early 2006 and it came loose after about 3 months. I think plugging the side holes a bit better might prevent the fine dirt and dust from ruining the tape, which is what appeared to happen in mine.

I have them both.


The new MGMs are really nice. I like them alot. It runs alot cooler than the Quark. USB programing is really sweet. You can change all of the programable ESC prameters with it easy as pie. However, dont put to much positive on the USB programing thing. Its nice at first, but once you get it set where you like it you pretty much dont touch it any more so the USB programing thing really isnt that big of a deal IMO. But the thing that the USB does do, that is a big deal IMO, is the ESC actually has a basic data recorder built in it which is really nice to have. It records the Peak Amp draw, the Voltage of the battery when it was unplugged, the Max Motor RPM, and the max temp of the ESC. Damn good info to have and you dont even need an outside device to collect it. Also the fact that it has a built in Switching BEC for up to 6s lipo is huge IMO. One less thing to wire. Gotta love that.

Now the bad... The reverse/brake thing is annoying, but at least it alot better than MGM used to be. It only does it a very low speeds so its not going to damage anything like if it did it at high speeds. I wound up disableing reverse to eliminate the problem just cuz it bugged me. I really didnt use reverse anyway. The other thing is the shape of the ESC is rather hard to mount well IMO. The flat bottomed, hard case of the Quark is very easy. The MGM with heat sinks on both sides takes more creativity, but that little thing is worth it to get the extra heat sink.

There are extras needed to purchase with both the get the most out of them. The Quark NEEDS a heatsink at a minimum to run well, and many need to be taken apart and heat moded. The MGM needs a special USB data cable to program it via USB and use the data recording feature. Neither one is a very expensive item, but they are extras you will buy on top of the base price.

If I were to buy another ESC I would for sure go for the MGM again. But thats just my opinion. They are both still very good ESCs, and I have both in service right now. Its just a matter of what minor issues are more tolerable to you and th Quark heat just pisses me off.

Forgot one important point. Quark Service is top notch. I have a friend of mine that has fried 5 of the Quarks (he really pushes them). This is bad, BUT... Quark has also replaced it every time for FREE under warantee in less than 2 weeks every time. They have excellent customer service. MGM on the other hand I hear my be dodgy, I dont have any first hand experience with them so I can't comment personally, but from what I have heard from others, there is room for improvement from MGM.

Thanks for the info jhautz. The MGM sounds very, very nice. I think I'll have to add it to my endless list of to-buy things. I never though any ESC would come with the feature to record the highest RPM, temp, amp draw, etc. Very nice touch in my opinion.

as with jhautz, I also have both and would get the Mgm if I had to buy another esc now. The reverse issue still exist but doesn't bother me because I run all my esc's in forward only. It also runs much cooler then the quark and doesn't need an external bec.

I can't comment on the usb features thought because I am waiting for mike to get them in stock.

I have a quark & have yet to do the heat mod, All I have done is I run the 30mm fan heatsink...mounted vertical to the rear ext. on the chassis and then have the quark mounted to it...and I run (2) 5vdc 30mm fans and it keeps real cool, and has zero issues with heat...to date....
like in the pic....
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...s/DSCF0297.jpg

Yeah, after a while the thermal pad starts getting loose and can thermal. Since the FETs are no longer touching the case, the case feels quite cool. It's best to measure the PCB near the motor wires.

Well guys, I really appreciate the info so far. Although I'm not sure if it's helping me or making it more difficult :)

Anyway, I have run this system and it works great but I had been running it with my MM ESC. It's been acting funny lately and it started getting me nervous so I pulled it. I'm not sure what kind of amp draw I'm getting and I guess that's my biggest unknown for this whole deal.

On top of all of this, there are 3 Quarks on ebay this week and no MGM's available. Plus, I have no idea when they will be in. One of the guys on the forum has the 8s MGM 160 amp version that he'll sell me, but I don't need that. If anything, I think I would need the newest 160 for $275 or maybe the 224 for $375. But again, Mike is out of stock and I can't find out when they'll be in.

Just keep in mind that the Quark and MM use the same exact FET parts and the same number of them. So, disregarding the PCB traces and physical layout, they really should be rated the same; either 100A or 125A.

Good point Brian. Well, heck, now I'm thinking the MGM 224 is the ticket. Now I just need to see if I can find out when they'll be available. I've been sending Mike PM's for the last two weeks with no reply. Anyone else have any insight on them? Or, does anyone have better response from Mike and care to ask him for me?

I would think the 160 should be more than enough, especially since MGMs tend to stay cooler...

You think? Even with my higher kv motor (2700)? I know the MGM can pull a 200 amp spike for 5 seconds, but I just get nervous with my past experience of a company saying they have certain specs and then not performing.