Castle HV Hydra, but where is the car version!!!! - Page 4 - RC-Monster Forums

Finnster · 01:07 AM

No the MGMs and kontronics and all the others are 1st off airplane controllers, then more specialized race boat controllers. The car function is a bit of an afterthought, which explains much of the poor brake programming (for the MGM).

FWIW, I can drive my car well enough in boat mode, but it does a few weird things, like wind the motor down slowly when you let off the throttle. Makes you feel like you are driving a boat :) On the plus side you can order the ESC as waterproof :) The car market is just poorly supported, planes 1st, then boats it seems. The plane thing I can understand. I have yet to met anyone who drives these crazy HP boats. I've met way more that have driven a RC car. I'm not real sure what you do w/ a 100mph boat either. But whatever.

For the record I meant to say "can't". typing gets a bit cutoff sometimes. Its just a matter of tweeking the program profile for the most part if its a robust enough controller it seems. Now to have a good mounting system and all that is harder in a car w/ all the bumping and crashing.

Anyway, the point of my argument was not that I hate CC or anything. I like what the MM has done for the car market, and I enjoyed mine for over a year before I bought the MGM. They are pushing the rest of the market to be more competitive, else we'd be stuck w/ novaks. The new MMM looks very cool as well.

I am generally annoyed w/ them tho how they do their marketing (as are many many others), but what set me off was the begging comment. That's just arrogant and rude, like they are doing us a favor by selling something we want. Perhaps they are just getting a bit testy over the MMM bashing, maybe he was not happy getting ambushed about car ESCs when he's trying to fire up HC hydra's interest on a boat forum. IDK, but that attitude wears on me really fast.

Finnster · 10.24.2007, 11:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnrobholmes

I certainly wouldn't feel safe selling a 5000w 50 volt controller to a kid, they would probably hurt somebody with the battery or vehicle.

Isn't that pretty much what CC is doing w/ the MMM?

Quote:

1515/1Y (first motor -- others available soon afterwards)
2200Kv
3HP continuous output at 6S Lipo (2400 watts input with cooling)
6HP+ output peak (4800+ watts input)
Continuous operation at up to 125C (external) / 150C (internal) without damage
5mm shaft

lutach · 10.24.2007, 11:41 PM

Good point.

rhylsadar · 10.25.2007, 04:29 AM

hi

i may have overlooked it. but what exactly is the problem with the boat software to use it in a car?
can the brake not just be programmed with the prog cable and the software?

bye
rhylsadar

lutach · 10.25.2007, 04:51 PM

The brake on a boat controller is not like the brake on car controllers. On the boat controllers I have the brake is basically automatic. The brakes on my controllers comes on as soon as I let go of the throttle. All I'm saying is Castle could and should add a car mode to the controller. They already have the software from the Mambas.

johnrobholmes · 10.25.2007, 04:56 PM

I think it would take as much time to adapt the Mamba software to the existing Hydra controllers as it would to just start from scratch. I have talked with them about adapting the mamba max startup to the mamba 25 and the time involved made it very cost prohibitive. As they release more ESCs it will all be compatable, the MMM will have the exact same firmware and control board as the MM.

sikeston34m · 10.25.2007, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnrobholmes

I think it would take as much time to adapt the Mamba software to the existing Hydra controllers as it would to just start from scratch. I have talked with them about adapting the mamba max startup to the mamba 25 and the time involved made it very cost prohibitive. As they release more ESCs it will all be compatable, the MMM will have the exact same firmware and control board as the MM.

I hope they do something to correct problems in operating multi-pole motors. The original MM isn't very good at it. IMO

lutach · 10.25.2007, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnrobholmes

I think it would take as much time to adapt the Mamba software to the existing Hydra controllers as it would to just start from scratch. I have talked with them about adapting the mamba max startup to the mamba 25 and the time involved made it very cost prohibitive. As they release more ESCs it will all be compatable, the MMM will have the exact same firmware and control board as the MM.

In the other forum Joe said that the processor doesnt have the space for a car program. What would Kontronik, Schulze, Actronic and a few other companies that offer all the modes say about this?

johnrobholmes · 10.25.2007, 05:53 PM

They would probably say that there processors have more room for storage of data.

lutach · 10.25.2007, 06:42 PM

If it is the Silicon Lab's C8051 processoer, they have plenty of space. I spoke with my friend from Flextronics Brasil and he said if a controller with the Atmel's ATMEGA8 can stuff all that info in them he can't understand why a far superior processor can't.

What's_nitro? · 07:26 PM

Maybe they have inefficient programs that use a lot more space than they need? Too many sub-routines, maybe?

lutach · 10.25.2007, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by What's_nitro?

Maybe they have inefficient programs that use a lot more space than they need? Too many sub-routines, maybe?

That is what my friend said as well. I have a ESC for my micros that uses a Silicon Labs processor and it has a lot of the features the Mambas have plus a very interesting setting for those A123 cells with 2V cut off. I posted pictures of this controller and manual in another thread.

What's_nitro? · 10.25.2007, 07:48 PM

Being PC programmable, it would be nice to be able to cut out those unused routines, making the whole system run faster since the processor could run through the program at a higher rate. If you needed them back say if you used different batteries, you could go download that routine from CC's website.

lincpimp · 10.25.2007, 08:55 PM

Ok, first off the Hydra does offer the option to remove the brake feature. It is still forward only. Boat controllers have harder startup programmed in than car escs do. Most likely not a problem though.

RC boat guys are crazy, and a 100mph boat is a blast. I haave only driven a boat to about 50mph, and it is alot of fun. More fun that high speed car running cause there is more risk. Plus seeing the boat hull completely out of the water and the prop half in just does it for me.

Now back to the main point:

If you think about it the MMM is a pretty big risk for CC. When they released the MM there were literaly hundreds of rc cars that it could go in. Everyone had some sort of 10th scale electric, and the MM was a bolt in. That is why they sold so many. The price was competitive with the best brushed technology, and it was cheaper and better in every way.

What vehicles are currently available for the MMM to go in? The new Emaxx seems to be the only vehicle that I can think of that could be setup to handle the 6s capability of the MMM. Sure, people will buy it for 1/8 conversions, but there is not a factory ready 1/8 scale anything for the MMM to go in. I am sure that an electric ready 1/8 will be produced, or at least a conversion kit to retrofit an existing nitro vehicle.

I know that most people on this forum will buy a MMM, me included, probably buy a new Emaxx too. But we already know how to handle a semi HV system. Think of how any MM are still being used with stick packs! 90% of the people who bought MM did not even use the pc program feature, and it was included! We are a very small part of the market, plane and boats are bigger, cause they can make more power with electric than any other method. Plus the car market is dominated by nitro, and the people who like nitro("electric sucks, nitro rules, huh huh huh!")

Just saying that we need some dedicated electric 1/8 scale and monster trucks to make ther MMM a success like the MM. My hat is off the CC for actually making this product, that may not be a huge seller, and offering the high quality motor, which was my only problem with the MM system. They are actually making a product for a very specialized market, and hoping that it will cause a big change. No one can say that the MM wasn't responsible for the brushless explosion. Novak made the race system, but CC outfits the basher, and there are many more bashers than racers. Hell, even the crawler crowd have even embraced the MM, there is no more adjustable esc, brushed or brushless, for a crawler.

lutach · 10.25.2007, 10:25 PM

I would have released the HV 60, 120, 180 and 240 systems with boat and car mode instead of the MMM. Castle folks are not thinking ahead in my opinion. Would make complete sense to do it, since they wouldn't need to waste time with the MMM. The 60A version on 12S could put out 2600W+ and the 120A is at 5200W+.