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My connectors melted, could it damage my rc car electronics?

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My connectors melted, could it damage my rc car electronics?

Old 08-21-2016, 07:30 AM
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Kingfish3r1
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Default My connectors melted, could it damage my rc car electronics?

Hello!
Im new to Rc Universe and I'm glad to be part of the group!

Recently I bought a Traxxas Bandit with a brushless system used from Craigslist, it works really well. It's set up with an 120 A 3s compatible ESC and a 3650 5200 KV motor. It was running on a 6-cell 3000 MAH Venom NIMH pack.

I was warned about the low performing Tamiya connectors on the car and to switch to Deans Ultra, so I ordered a set.
The connectors haven't came in the mail yet so I thought the Tamiyas should hold at least until then. But a day later I took the car out and ran it for around 10-15 minutes until it stopped in its tracks. I ran to open the shell and found that the connectors were melted together and super hot. (I sniffed the electronics and nothing smelled burnt) I waited until I could try to pull them off but it was no use. So I turned the car off and grabbed some scissors and cut the esc wire off the connector. There was a small spark.

Could melting the connectors have damaged the esc, motor or receiver in any way? Or the fact that I had to remove the battery by cutting the wire?
I never saw any smoke, or smelled anything burnt...
I can't test anything until the Deans connectors come in
Old 08-21-2016, 07:42 AM
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orzowei69
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You are lucky that it was a NiMh battery. By cutting both battery wires at the same time with a scissor you created a shortcircuit. A Lipo battery can explode if you do this.
Regarding your worry about the esc, only the heat generated at the molten connectors could have affected it. This is very unlikely to happen although esc wires are thick and are very good heat transmitters.
Old 08-21-2016, 08:24 AM
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collector1231
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Yeah, you may have shorted the ESC as well. Only way to tell is to try it with the new connectors.
Old 08-21-2016, 08:46 AM
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Kingfish3r1
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The battery wires were not cut at the same time. A small spark happened when I cut each wire. Hopefully the esc is alright
Old 08-21-2016, 08:56 AM
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flyinwalenda
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The previous owner probably tried to crimp the tamiya connector on instead of soldering and did a lousy job. The increased resistance caused excessive heat which melted the connector.
Cutting both wires at once was a bad move and you won't know if you damaged the esc until you install the deans connector/plug.
Old 08-21-2016, 09:56 AM
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Kingfish3r1
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Hey guys, the wires were NOT cut together lol
They were cut one at a time
Old 08-22-2016, 06:45 AM
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EXT2Rob
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You're probably alright. This is exactly why Tamiya plugs should be banned from the hobby, and I don't understand why they and a couple other well known manufacturers continue to use them in this day and age. 😫 Yes, in certain cases those plugs are sufficient. Small low power systems. But anything more up to date than a brushed motor system is going to melt those damn things. I hate them.
Old 08-22-2016, 11:23 AM
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Originally Posted by EXT2Rob
You're probably alright. This is exactly why Tamiya plugs should be banned from the hobby, and I don't understand why they and a couple other well known manufacturers continue to use them in this day and age.  Yes, in certain cases those plugs are sufficient. Small low power systems. But anything more up to date than a brushed motor system is going to melt those damn things. I hate them.
I've had a brushed motor melt the damn things like 6 years ago

But based on what the OP said I doubt the battery, or ESC are damaged.
Old 09-08-2016, 04:38 PM
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zephar123
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Hmm fact you got a spark after cutting the wires individually to me. Makes me think the connectors melted enough where they were connecting slightly together. You may need a new ESC, the rest of the electronics should be ok. Please update us on how it goes and I hope for the best for you on it. =).

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