Electric speed controllers (ESC)??? :confused:

[kreat1ve]

Hi,

I'm a bit new to radio control equipment so forgive me for this newbie question but what does the esc mean when it says 25amps or 5 amps or 2amps etc.

I figured it had something to do with the voltage range that it could take but im not 100% sure of this. :D

[Dave Robelen]

Hi,
Actually the amps rating is the maximum current you can draw through the ESC in question. Frequently, the motor vendors will haave some sort of information on the maximum current the motor might draw under load. The key is to use an ESC with a rating greater than this value. Pretty much all of the ESC devices also have a maximum voltage rating, but that is normally plenty high, and typically stated in the literare sheet. It may also be given as the maximum number of cells that can be used. You can get some useful information from these websites, www.hobby-lobby.com and www.northeastsailplanes.com
Happy hunting, Dave

[kreat1ve]

If there is a maximum woltage rating, then is there a minimum

[Dave Robelen]

Hi,
That is quite true. it will vary from one ESC to another, and is adjustable in some. The idea is to shut the drive motor down before the battery is completely used up to leave some power for the controls to land the airplane. You may already know this, but the ESC has another circuit, the BEC (battery eliminator circuit) that allows the receiver and servos to get a steady 5V power regardless of the voltage of the battery. For example, if you had an ESC that was designed for seven cells, the full charge voltage of the battery would be 8.4 volts, and the ESC would shut the motor down at between 7.7V and 7.0V where the battery is nearly discharged to save power for landing.
Cheers, Dave