collector1231

My Feedback: (1)

I just recently finished up building a Lunchbox and it was working fine. The 2nd battery I go through, the ESC just randomly shuts off, and I get a wisp of smoke, and it smelled of burnt rubber. I unplugged it ASAP,and I am afraid to plug it back in because it might catch fire (and i DO NOT want to have to call the Fire Dept.). Should I try it again? Or should I scrap it? And if I should have to scrap it, is this a good a good ESC? Thanks.

ESC: http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXYGH5&P=7

nitrosportsandrunner

If you see smoke from your ESC, its dead.
Ive never had an ESC smoke and then still work.

They are decent ESC's, im surprised yours burnt up so quick.

Did you use the stock motor and gearing?

BTW, I have 2 of those ESC's which im not using. PM if you want one.

SyCo_VeNoM

the SC-15 I had was a complete piece of crap, and let out the magic smoke on the 2nd run with a 35t motor on it which shouldn't have stressed it at all...

For brushed ESC's I like the XL-5's, and for a RC I know I won't go below 21T the HPI EN-1.

nitrosportsandrunner

I have to agree that the xl5 is a good ESC for the money. Especially the newer version with LVC. I have 2 of them right now, one in my boat and the other in a rock crawler I just got.

Another decent one is the Losi 12t. It can also handle down to a 15t 540, and also has LVC. On top of that it has the normal driving modes as well as a rock crawler mode.

collector1231

My Feedback: (1)

Yes i used the stock motor and gearing, and i'm going to try and plug it in again outside tomorrow. It looked like smoke, if there was any at all coming from it. I'll have an update tomorrow. PEACE!

Hwa224

If you're going to buy a 42 dollar brushed motor, you might as well get a cheap brushless ESC and motor combo. Maybe an EZRun 35a ESC with the 9t Ezrun motor? Should cost less than 80.

collector1231

My Feedback: (1)

I'm not looking to go brushless, with all of the new gears I have to buy. Anybody know a good Brushed ESC that is compatable with the Lunchbox? And thanks on the offer, nitrosportsandrunner, i'll think about it.

The Mad Modder

I guess the newer 104bk's aren't as resilient as the 101bk's were.

For brushed esc's, there aren't really a whole lot of good companies to choose from. Novak xrs was a good inexpensive one, but they have since turned their back on people still using brushed systems. Tekins are good, but expensive. LRP has some good affordable stuff, though.

controlliner

ESC's run on smoke.........When the smoke escapes......they don't work anymore.

nitrosportsandrunner

you will be surprised....the lunchbox can handle a mild brushless system! No need to buy new trans gears.

altho they are plastic, they are tough and also very wide. The width spreads the load out. There are MANY youtube vids of lunchboxes and other similar tamiya models running brushless systems on 2s lipo with no problem.

Granted, the rest of the truck (like the body) will take a beating due to the extra speed. But for the most part it will still hold up well. The biggest problem you would have is keeping the wheels on the ground!

As for a upgrade in brushed form....get the losi 12t esc or the xl-5 and a decent 19t motor. with that kinda combo, youll pop wheelies with ease.

Hwa224

The LB powertrain will handle the brushless power, no problem. It's the body and body mounts you'll need to be careful about. But then again that's not a problem either with good driving. Or just set the end point of the throttle lower so that you give yourself a speed handicap there.

rccrazer

the sc-15 speed control only handles 15t-17t motors. it can handle doubles alright, but thosemust be 15-17. i don't know why. i've smoked several on 27t's and 19t's. so stay within that range. the redcat speed control handles 540 motors down to 23t,and ds, and down to 19t in 550 motors.

The_Shark

just get a tame brushless system like mentioned above, I honestly think manufactures are keeping the prices high on brushed ESC's and decreasing the quality dramatically, not enough people run them anyway.

just get a lower KV setup and program it for soft punch- this will reduce excessive drive-train stress.

I have gone through 6 or 7 brushed esc, but im still on my first brushless, brushed ESC used to only last me a few months at most, with one starting on fire in a week.

rccrazer

brushless is great. but there is no problem with brushed stuff if you take care of it. it's the drivers choice. it's all good. the mini hobbywing motors and speedcontrolw work really well in the lunch box. like these:

http://www.nitrorcx.com/ezrun-brushl...-w35a-esc.html

this was my first bl system. if you want to stay brushed:

http://www.nitrorcx.com/51c00-03018.html

these work great. i run mine months on end. no issues. this is the 03018 speed control from hsp. they work really well and hold up far better than the tamiya's.

collector1231

My Feedback: (1)

Y' know what? It still works OK, but i'm gonna go brushless as soon as I wear down the already-beat Tamiya ESC. Thanks for all of the help guys!! And 1 last question; If i go brushless, will i need a diffrent pinion? If so, what's a good tooth range for a pinion?

thehuntingterminator

I found these while on ebay one day. I bought myself one and am going to review it because it was just unresistable for the price.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/RC-320A-Spee...#ht_4477wt_952

SyCo_VeNoM

hmmm
once you check it out tell me if it has a brake(don't see it mentioned) or if its just forward/reverse cause I need a few cheap ESC's that are just forward reverse with no brake.

thehuntingterminator

No problem. Hopefully I will get around to testing it this week or this weekend. A full review will be up later on http://modelkits.com/

collector1231

My Feedback: (1)

POP! POW! KABLANG!! FIRE!!! That's what I got on my second battery. Looks like i'm going BL. I found the Leopards cheap, and i wonder if the one with 3000KV would be ideal. And if i do, tell me what would be a good pinion size. THANKS!

The_Shark

the leopard esc is a turnigy track star, i own the track star and love it.

start using your stock pinion.

nitrosportsandrunner

If it were my money, id get the ezrun 35amp ESC with 3500kv motor. with that setup...you should be fine using the stock pinion gear.
That system is used in redcats that are 4wd and heavier than the LB, so it will have no problem powering it.
However, its not a crazy powerful system, and if you buy it with the program card you can set the punch control and braking force low to make it easier to drive.

As mentioned before, the body and BODY MOUNTS are the most likely part to be damaged with a brushless setup. I have broken body mounts on just a 15t brushed motor and 2s lipo pack. But if you drive it right, it wont be that bad.

The_Shark

collector, congrats on joining club E.F.A.S (electronic fire and smoke)

nitrosportsandrunner

the 104bk may be a simple, and not very powerful ESC.
But its still worlds ahead of a mechanical speed control!

stoneenforcer

My Feedback: (23)

ive got a mild brushless in my lunchbox and its awesome! I zip it up and down the beach pulling sweet wheelies!!

collector1231

My Feedback: (1)

I joined it before with my XL5. I put a lipo in the wrong polarity into the truck. UGH, stupid mistakes! And thanks, i'll consuder all of the BL system suggestions.