steve8091

Hi everyone - this is my first post on this forum. I am an absolute noob: I have a Losi Mini T and a Duratrax Vendetta ST, both of which were purchased about 6 or 7 years ago. We played with them a bit back then, and I've recently rediscovered them. I picked up some new batteries (the old ones didn't hold much of a charge anymore), and I started running them around. I noticed that the Duratrax Vendetta ESC would get very hot, even after running the car for a short time. This morning, I ran it for a bit longer, in slightly damp conditions (not raining, but the ground was a bit wet). I'm not sure if it was going to fail anyway (as it did tend to get hot), if the dampness did it, if it was the new battery, or if it was a failure to calibrate it (again, I know very little about the hobby), but after about 5 minutes of running, it started smoking. I was able to pull the top off, and I watched as the ESC smoked, sparked, crackled, and eventually it blew out.

I'm interested in getting a replacement, as well as getting some ideas as to what happened, so the replacement doesn't blow immediately. I strongly suspect it was the wetness, but I want to make sure that this is correct, and that it's not somehow improperly sized. The motor, which I believe is original, is a VR3. The ESC is marked 'ESC7500' and 'DTXM1265'. I poked around a bit online, and the original ESC doesn't seem to be available anywhere. I saw a few posts here and there on various message boards, but of course those are all long gone. Ideally I'd like to get a plug-and-play replacement (one that isn't terribly fancy or expensive), and was looking for some help. Thank you all in advance!

RustyUs

Any soldering skills?

Trying to find an ESC with the right connectors on it is the biggest concern.

I think this one would probably fit the bill, but is a bit over priced IMO. But if you want something with no fuss....It's all I can think of that would possibly work in your case.
New Duratrax ESC Speed Control with Reverse DTXM1270

RustyUs

The damp conditions is probably a good guess to your misfortune. If you are getting extreme heat, maybe drop down a couple of teeth on the pinion gear. Doing maintenance on the RC should be performed periodically for optimum performance. Making sure driveline is in good condition with bearings that are up to snuff.

steve8091

Many thanks for the reply. After some more poking around, I read about a few others who blew that ESC with the VR3 motor as well, so I'm thinking that it may have been that or the moisture, or a combination of the two.

I do have basic soldering skills; I'm also good with crimp connectors, though I'm not sure whether using these is common practice. It looks like there are some more affordable options out there if I'm willing to swap connectors, such as the DTXM1200, but I'm really unclear about specs, physical dimensions, and how much these are 'plug and play'. My hope is that I can simply pop the connectors off of the old and crimp to the new? Any suggestions for a solid and cheap ESC in that case? Not looking to break the bank, but I'd like it up and running reliably.

RustyUs

Hobbywing - Quicrun 1625 Brushed Esc (1/18, 1/16) eBay
https://www.hobbywingdirect.com/prod...iant=749237717

steve8091

Perfect! I found the Hobbywing units as I was searching, but wasn't sure which one was best for my application. I've got one on the way...thanks again!