Oops! This really sucks!

[josh9mille]

I was trying to remove my MMM from my buggy so i could take it apart to get some gravel out of it. After loosening it from the double sided tape with a screwdriver i just grabbed it and kinda pulled it away from the ecs mount and what was left of the double sided tape. Well i guess it was still attached pretty well because it came apart leaving the base of the esc still stuck to the mount and i had the bulk of the MMM in my hand. Since it came apart like that it ripped the all 3 of the reciever wires off of the control board, solder and all. Kinda looks like a bad solder job maybe? I can see where the wires used to be but can not see what they would have been soldered to. Do you think this is a warranty issue or am i stuck paying to get it fixed? Isnt a solder joint supposed to be stronger than the wire? I honestly didnt use much force for this to happen.

[JERRY2KONE]

I would think from the looks of those photos showing water damage that it will be out of pocket. It also raises an interesting issue about suceptability of water getting into the bottom of the case and shorting out the board. Those wires do look like a cold solder problem also, but it is difficult to tell with all of that dirt clinging to everything. Thanks for sharing those pics.

[BrianG]

I don't think it was a cold solder joint because if you look carefully, the PCB traces were torn off. I don't know why they'd be loose; usually only heating the pads up a lot over time loosens the bond between the traces and PCB. From an repair/engineer standpoint, that damage looks like your typical case where the user applied a lot of force to get the case open, and came loose all of a sudden tearing the wires off the PCB. CC will have to be the one to make the call whether it is a warranty issue or not, but I suspect you'll have to pay the out-of-warranty cost on this one.

As far as the water issue goes, the case obviously isn't designed to be waterproof at all. The are holes for the rx wires, heatsink, motor/power wires, and the area where the case tabs are.

[JERRY2KONE]

Yea Brian-G I knew that. What I was trying to say is that it brings to light for a lot of people that running anywhere near water is a bad idea for this ESC. Without seeing that most would not know. what would be your best guess as to what anyone could use to protect the ESC from water damage? I have read about dipping them in some kind of protectant, but is that really a good idea?

[Thomas Porfert]

The solder connections didn't fail from what I'm seeing, the solder pads lifted from the board. If you've had it less than a year and can provide a copy of the receipt, it may be covered under warranty. It takes quite a bit of force to rip the solder pads out of the board, but when the case isn't helping hold the wires in place and you yank on those wires, it can rip the solder pads off. It will be up to the repair department and the date of purchase. If it is over a year old, you cannot provide a receipt or the repair department deems it non-warranty, it will cost $70.00 to get it replaced. The $70.00 will get you a new ESC, a new one year warranty and includes shipping back to you.

Thomas Porfert
Tech Support
Castle Creations

[JERRY2KONE]

Considering the circumstances I would have to say that is a pretty good deal anyway you slice it. CC really is a leader in customer service in my book.

Try doing that with a Maxamps Lipo and see what you get???

[josh9mille]

I dont have a paper reciept, just the paypal reciept that i saved to my paypal account. This ESC was part of a traxxas power up kit that i got with a brushed E-Revo on ebay. Everything was NIB and unopened when I got it.

But yes it went through a small puddle on accident but nothing ever happened, i put many lipo packs through it since then and only wanted to open it to get some gravel out.

The warranty seems WAY more than fair and i would not have any problem paying the 70 bucks to have it replaced/fixed, I just wanted to see what you guys thought first.

[JERRY2KONE]

Originally Posted by josh9mille

i dont have a paper reciept, just the paypal reciept that i saved to my paypal account. This esc was part of a traxxas power up kit that i got with a brushed e-revo on ebay. Everything was nib and unopened when i got it.

But yes it went through a small puddle on accident but nothing ever happened, i put many lipo packs through it since then and only wanted to open it to get some gravel out.

The warranty seems way more than fair and i would not have any problem paying the 70 bucks to have it replaced/fixed, i just wanted to see what you guys thought first.

problem solved, right?

[brainanator]

pretty sure your paypal invoice works as a receipt. At least that is what I sent in with my motor when it broke, got a new one on warranty.

[josh9mille]

Originally Posted by brainanator

pretty sure your paypal invoice works as a receipt. At least that is what I sent in with my motor when it broke, got a new one on warranty.

Yeah thats why i saved it, in case i needed to print it out. Im pretty sure it wont be covered under warranty since i ripped the wires and the traces right off the board. I just thought it was the solder that came off.

Man that is great service. It sounds better everytime I hear it. $70 and you get a new ESC with 12 month warranty. How can you beat that? Gotta love Castle.