Rx8 Review/testing/mmm comparison

[brushlessboy16]

First impressions:

-As I open up my wonderful package from the folks down at rc-monster, the first thing I notice is How compact the esc is. its like a Mamba monster that got a tummy tuck.

-tolerances on the case around the miscelaneous plugs, posts, and buttons is very good- not alot of gaps or anything of that nature

-I really liked seeing the grommet on the wires leading out of the esc, nice feature to prevent chaffing.

- The next thing I noticed wat that (at least to me) the rx8 was noticeably lighter. good for a small car or just a light setup.


Setup and arming

- Wire denotations (+,-) for battery and (A,B,C) are marked on the case of the controller at the base of the post. very simple to figure out. My only qualm is that the Solder posts need to have a larger crevice- 10ga wire barely fit- and seems to be becoming the standard among 8th scale vehicles.


-After I double and tripple checked the connections to check for reversed polarity, cold joints and any possible shorts. When I was sure the esc was ready, I flipped the switch. Nothing. I fiddled with the Mode and INc Button until I got something to light up(because i neglected to read the manual) Then I finally broke down and read the manual to find out how to calibrate it the right way. Finally got it setup then realized i had about 100% drag brake, the wrong lipo cutoff, and some other things off.


this has to be one of the best features of this- Factory reset- so if a user botches his settings- a few clicks and it is set back to original

-On a side note, once you leard the Programming method the Onboard tuning- not by transmitter but actually on the esc is the bomb diggity.

It is a whole lot simpler than the MMM's manual programing. Each tunable setting (drag brake, timing, cutoff, motor type etc) has its on Led to signal that you are currently tuning that specific function. then once that is chosen your choices are presented to you via LED display. Very nice.


More on the actual test run later on- its pissing rain.

Tekin Hotwire

What to say about the tekin hotwire... besides that YOU DONT NEED IT! 90% of all the settings are tunable from the esc. The only thing you gain with the usb dongle is the ability to make custom throttle curves, custom voltage cutoffs, and things of that nature. The UI (user interface) is a bit overdone... To the point of confusion- Tone it down a bit and maybe lower the price... 30 dollars is steep.




And now for the pictures.









More to come. Track testing it this sunday

[snellemin]

What?!! No nude shots?!!

I like the hand though..

[brushlessboy16]

No nude shots because im not risking screwing the thing up..


Did some basic testing out in the driveway in between the raindrops

the startup in sensorless is iffy... sometimes its smooth, sometimes it sits there straining to move.

One thing I did noticed was that it has a very refined-precise feel. As if you were to take take every throttle position imaginable for a MMM and put a half step in between.


The brakes are smooth as a baby's bottom, and i think the esc has ABS?

I couldnt get the brakes to lock even on wet pavement.

More to come.

[snellemin]

Yes the default brakes are awesome.

[eovnu87435ds]

(from ben)

Didnt make an hour of track time.
started cutting in and out- then finally it stopped entirely.'

Led still work, bec still works


Im not happy.

[BL_RV0]

I think you should be placed in the guiness book of world records for person to kill most ESCs in a 30 day period...

Originally Posted by eovnu87435ds

(from ben)

Didnt make an hour of track time.
started cutting in and out- then finally it stopped entirely.'

Led still work, bec still works


Im not happy.

Would i be right in assuming this comment came from "brushlessboy"?

When you say "cutting out" - was it turning everything off - even steering??

There is some 'part' inside of mine (at the bottom) that has come loose, and eventually stopped the esc working all together... It seems that i could press firmly on the bottom of the esc, and it would make contact with this 'part' and the esc would boot up again... but when pressure is taken away, the esc dies again...

I solved this short term yesterday on a small track i was messing on, by adding a small plastic 'block' underneath the esc, and zip tied the crap out of it to keep it held down... it worked for a while, but a few hard landings, and she was dead all together, and a i couldn't get it on again by pressing the bottom of the esc...


I know it was a long intro/explanation - but i was just wondering if this is maybe what has happened to you also?

*edit*
I know there is something loose inside, as i think i may have helped pull it apart further than it was when this problem first happened... i unscrewed the case after it first cut out a couple times, but couldn't get the bottom completely off, as there was some 'electrical looking part' that appared to be stuck to the bottom of the esc casing - which is the part i was thinking had come loose... i made it worse by playing with it tho -lol-

[brushlessboy16]

Originally Posted by danhfvcsd

Would i be right in assuming this comment came from "brushlessboy"?

When you say "cutting out" - was it turning everything off - even steering??

There is some 'part' inside of mine (at the bottom) that has come loose, and eventually stopped the esc working all together... It seems that i could press firmly on the bottom of the esc, and it would make contact with this 'part' and the esc would boot up again... but when pressure is taken away, the esc dies again...

I solved this short term yesterday on a small track i was messing on, by adding a small plastic 'block' underneath the esc, and zip tied the crap out of it to keep it held down... it worked for a while, but a few hard landings, and she was dead all together, and a i couldn't get it on again by pressing the bottom of the esc...


I know it was a long intro/explanation - but i was just wondering if this is maybe what has happened to you also?

Yeah its still got BEC, steering and all. just no power.

Ill Look at it tommorow

[brushlessboy16]

I have a good chance dont I...

haha - i just got home and was thinking to myself i had better edit my post, as i remembered reading that the bec and leds were working... no idea why that didnt click earlier, sorry man -lol-

[spcpicard]

I know this isn't my thread, but I will throw in my 2 cents since I know alot of people are deciding between the Rx8 and MMM.

I've owned 3 MMM and 3 Rx8s

So far I have only had 1 MMM go out after 10 months use, the other 2 are still working great. The main thing that I like about the MMonster esc is that they have proven to be very reliable and have handled every sensorless motor that I have used with minimal cogging. I really like how castle is always updating the firmware with new features. BTW the next one I would love to see is adjustable Bec voltage, with the new HV servos out, turning it up to 7.4vlts would be awesome. My 1/8 losi esc was capable of doing this.

Now with the RX8s, the first one I installed poped a cap and smoked when I was trying to calibrate it. The second one worked for one complete race day (3 6min quals, and 1 10min main) The second race it made it threw 2 quals and quit on the main, no smoke no nothing, the servo still worked and all the lights indicated that it was working, just nothing from the motor. I just recieved that one back and havn't installed it again, but I will have it done for the next race in 2 weeks. The 2rd RX8 is powering my 1/10 Losi Comp crawler on 4s and it hasn't missed a beat. The thrid Rx8 stoped working after 2 laps, same thing as the 2nd one, it has been warranteed and hasn't been raced yet. Now when the second one was working it was awesome, the best thing tha I like about it is that when running 6s I didn't even have to use a fan, it never went above 3 leds during quals and never above 4 during the 10min main. All of the MMonsters that I've owned were version 3's so Castle did have time to work out their bugs. Once Tekin works out theirs I am sure it will be awesome, but as of now, most of my vehicles still have MMonsters in them. One thing that I did notice was that Castle definitely has the Rx8 beat in terms of running in sensorless mode, the rx8 has alot more noticable cogging, but that's to be expected since Castle is the king of sensorless brushless motors.

These are my current setups:
E revo, 1512 2.5 neu MMonster 4s
Losi 8ight 1512 3d tekno Neu MMonster 4 or 5s depending on track
Losi 8ight T 2.0 Tekin 1350kv Rx8 6s
Losi Comp Crawler 21.5 Tekin redline with 13mm high torque rotor RX8 on 4s

[brushlessboy16]

Got the esc back from tekin, putting it through its paces (again) on sunday.
will report back

[MindThoughts]

Originally Posted by brushlessboy16

Got the esc back from tekin, putting it through its paces (again) on sunday.
will report back

Hi brushlessboy,

can you please update us on how this ESC has been doing. so far of all the forums I've read about with this ESC and it's malfuctions, it's seems less than ten people have had zero problems, out of over fifty people that have reported sending their Tekin Speed Controls in for service more than three times, and many people sending their Tekin ESC's in between five and Eight times.

My only guess is, that Tekin has their pro team test these esc's. anyone that has seen a pro RC racer drive on a track knows these are the smoothest, least mistake making drivers in the world. All test should be conducted under Real World Conditions. This means, most people are not pro drivers. Most people crash allot. Most people are extreemly hard on their buggies. I blieve if Tekin has used real world conditions for their testing, this would have removed the element of suprise. Suprise in this case is, The ESC is not ready for mass production. so it seems. I've talked to many people that are so angry and hurt by all the problems these malfunctioning ESC's failing, in all the subtle ways that they do.

Many people say, give Tekin a break, they only are on their first model, while Castle is on Version number three. But why Tekin chose to wait so long to come out with a 1/8th scale ESC is only known by them. The rumor was that Tekin had an ESC in the workings for a very long time, and was refining and perfecting their model so that it would compete with the latest and greatest Castle Creations ESC, ie Mamba Monster. I run the Mamba Monster and the 2650kv castle motor as well. But from the time the First Tekin 1/8th scale ESC was advertised, I've had my eyes on them. I like the look, but looks are not going to do the job. At this point in time, I would like to see Tekin come out with an entirely new design, at least on the inside; ESC. One that truly is the best, strongest, smoothest. But I now run the Mamba Monster and have zero complaints. My Mamba Monster with 2650kv motor is soo smooth, I don't need it to be any smoother. Lighter would be good but I like the durability. and if better durability is a little bit heavier, that so be it. I wish Tekin Luck and truly hope they fix all these problems people are having. I can say I'm glad I don't have to deal with their customer service. I've kept on eye on the RCtech Tekin Thread and a couple of the Tekin customer service peronell were really getting mad at people. at least that was my interpretation of the language used. When I call castle for tech support, I always get well balanced, intelligent; calm gentlemen, or gentlewomen(sales/orders).

I can say if Tekin ever get's their ESC fixed, I wouldn't mind owning one. But no way will I pay that much for an ESC that breaks as often as these do. I've done allot of reading and research on this 1/8th scale Tekin ESC, and it's very very clear that the majority of people that own these, and I'm talking about most of the owners of this product, Are very very upset. One question I have is, if Tekin knows these ESC's are defective, Why do they continue to sell them. And, Why are they not paying for the shipping? And, Why such a short Warranty Period? I know castle offers a 12month warranty with motor and esc. and each additional year warranty if ever needed is a flat fee of 70.oo dollars. Tekin only warranties their ESC's for four months. considering all the complications people are having with this product, I would think that warranty would have already been extended, officially. I wish Tekin luck with their Journey.

PS. Would everyone that had their RX8 Tekin ESC Sent in for repair or replacement please post your experience with Customer service and also what Tekin Said was wrong and if they believe the problem is fixed. Also, did Tekin blame your actions for the malfuctions? Please let us know how your latest RX8 Tekin ESC is working or not working. And if anyone has had to pay for their Tekin to be repaired beyond the 4 month warranty period, how much that fee is or was? Thank you. I look forward to hearing from each and every one of you. I do hope that Tekin will fix these problems soon so I can try one of these ESC's out in my Hyper 9e. Truth is, I would rather not have to deal the Tekin Warranty Support. Maybe Tekin is working on their RX9 or Version 2.

[snellemin]

Word is that Tekin finally found out what the cause was for the failed ESC's. Micro cracks within the board. Some get them and some don't. I have two RX8 and both haven't let me down yet ever since I've own them. It's fair to say that I don't jump my vehicles, but they do see high speed flipovers and crashes.

Warranty period is just there. If you have a problem with your ESC that wasn't caused by you after the warranty period, Tekin will take care of you.

[brushlessboy16]

I have gone through 3, have reverted to the MMM in my truggy and it hasnt cracked in half... sent my last rx8 in waiting for a reply