B34N

I bought a Redcat Volcano EPX around 7 years ago. I ran it a few times and once it went through a little puddle and stopped working. I put it on a shelf intending to get around to fixing it but then kids came into the picture. The time has finally come to get it running again. I tried to do some basic troubleshooting and would like to get consensus before ordering parts.

When the Volcano originally failed the ESC wouldn't light up. When I plugged it back on after all these years the ESC did light up and the motor controlling the wheels moved back and forth for a few seconds and then the ESC LED light shut off. Now the light does not come back on. I did hook the battery directly up to the motor and it ran. What I don't know is if the radio is bad as well. Is there a way to test the radio out?

I suspect it is the ESC as the version (SP-03018) in mine doesn't look to be waterproof at all. Actually, I'm surprised that the design would allow for the electronics to get wet and fail. Did Redcat ever address the non-waterproof units?

Any thoughts on what else i should investigate? Does I need to buy a Redcat brand ESC or are there other lower cost options?

B34N

I bought a Hobbywing WP-1040-BRUSHED 60A Waterproof Brushed ESC &6V/2A BEC for RC Car P0O4 off of eBay with hopes that it'll solve my issue. Seller is a few town over so I'll have it fairly soon. With luck it'll work without too many issues. I saw some ~$40 ESCs with brushless motors and was tempted but to be honest, I don't need the speed and I was concerned that going super low cost brushless could cause more issues than good....but I'm still open to thoughts.

krokodyl

That esc should be ok aslong as the amp rating on your original esc is 60 or lower.

To test the radio, simply hook everything up as you normally would, and see if the steering works. You could also take the rx out, and see if the light is solid.

A $40 brushless system? Are you sure that it is for a 1/10 monser truck. You can get cheap 1/18 setups for $40. I wouldn't bother with brushless on that truck though. A decent system will cost more than the brushed version of the truck. I'm pretty sure that the volcano does not hold up well to brushless power (dogbone issues).

You should also check your battery... 7 years on the shelf is alot, and it may no longer be able to even move your truck.

Hubert

B34N

Thank you for the response. I'll stay away from brushless for this truck. If I get into the hobby I'll go with a higher end foundation instead of upgrading my entry level unit.

RustyUs

That ESC linked above will do just fine. It's a lot better than what Redcat wants for the exact same thing.

B34N

I got the ESC today but the battery connector is different. I never thought that about the connectors.

I have what I believe are Tamiya connectors on my two batteries, my charger and the old ESC. The new ESC is XT60.

I could just cut and wire the connector off of the old ESC and be up and running but I'm not sure that is the best option if I need new batteries or want to upgrade my charger. Are Tamiya connectors a thing of the past? Should I be moving to XT60 or would banana make more sense?

seedygreenute

The easiest way is to buy a new tamiya connector and solder it to the ESC .
You could buy or make an adaptor as a temporary fix ( just as much work as changing the ESC plug ) .

seedygreenute

The easiest way is to buy a new tamiya connector and solder it to the ESC .
You could buy or make an adaptor as a temporary fix ( just as much work as changing the ESC plug ) .

seedygreenute

Plenty of batteries out there with tamiya connectors , but yes , they are a bit old school now. There are better connectors out there , XT60 , Deans or even Traxxas for example