MGM Compro 16016 - NEED HELP

[MikeyLikesItSI]

Ok i decided to do some more testing with my 16016 that i thought for sure was no good. I just supplied 10 volts through an external power supply and it powered a known working servo just fine. What do you think caused it to burn out the 2 servo's on the truck though? I'm going to hook it back up and eventually get a UBEC and run a battery pack for now with the BEC on the controller disabbled

[BrianG]

Two servos under load will draw far more current than one turning nothing. IMO, until ESCs start integrating switching BECs, it's a good idea to run a UBEC on anything over 7-8 cells, especially when running multiple servos.

I really don't know why it fried the servos though. Usually, when a linear regulator is overloaded, it shuts down. Some receivers can take higher voltages than most servos. Spektrum receivers, for instance, can take 9.6v according to the manufacturer (IIRC).

[MikeyLikesItSI]

I also thought that that the integrated BEC was fused and would protect against short or near short circuit (over loaded). I'm assuming something went wrong and it supplied the servo's with well over 5v's.

I'm waiting on some new servo's from tower, i guess i better order the UBEC from mike because the external battery pack looks really ugly hangin off the front shock tower :-)

[BrianG]

I've never seen a fuse anywhere; the regulator ICs usually use some type of current-limiting circuit. But, if the input voltage is too high and/or current draw is too much too fast, it could malfunction I guess. Maybe it was a thermal issue. Some of it depends on the regulator used. Is it an IC rated for 3A, or a cheaper/smaller/easier obtained regulator with a simple pass transistor? Without taking it apart it is hard to tell exactly what happened and why.

I just got an email from Mike (the guy is tireless!). He says that he sent in all of his stock over a year ago for the upgrades, so even if I got one of the old stock, it has been upgraded.

He also had some more advise on setup, but unbeknownst to him, I've already tried it. My esc is FUBAR.

The Compro is supposed to have an IC that can pump out 4A at 5V. I didn't take a chance and ran a bec from the get go.

I wonder if that could be affecting the programming.

[glassdoctor]

Hmmm.... my Mtroniks has bad glitchy/coggy crap happen when I use a ubec with it. Maybe that is part of the problem....

[BrianG]

Maybe the internal BEC needs a load? How about putting a 220 ohm resistor across the internal BEC and see how it reacts? That will draw ~23mA, which isn't enought to heat it up, but enough to load it a little. Then, still use a UBEC...

[glassdoctor]

I need to contact Mtroniks and ask them why it doesn't like bypassing the internal bec and see what they say about a fix...

The funny thing is that I smoked it before and it was the bec that was the weak link...

[MetalMan]

I actually burnt out the BEC chip in my MGM Compro 12012. It was being fed by 16v, and it just overheated, and burnt out. It smoked a servo and damaged the receiver, because it now puts out the full battery votltage to the receiver. Since this happened, I've been using an external receiver/servo power source, and the MGM has been working just fine.

[captain harlock]

How about tearing out the red wire of the receiver's connector and use an external bec, instead?

That might help.

I really do not depend on the bec of the brushless controllers that much.

[glassdoctor]

I did pull the red wire when I used the ubec on the Mtroniks. Wierd but it didnt like it.

[BrianG]

Like I said before, try loading the internal BEC with a resistor. It might simply not like having too little of a load. Usually, using a minimum load is a switching supply issue, but who knows what MGM uses for their BEC...

I would try programming my Compro using the internal bec, but after the experiences that others have had, I'm afraid too. As it is, I'm contemplating having to get another ESC, but if I had to get a new Spektrum receiver and JR Z9000T servo too, I think I'd hang it up for a while.

[captain harlock]

So, does that mean your MGM is not good?

I've paid a damn $450 for my MGM and I'm afraid it will fail me as much as yours did.