TheSteve Converter (Low and High Speed) Pinout
 

Hi all.


Using the diagrams and parts list at WowHobbies.com, I have successfully re-wired my Walkera 4#3B helicopter's circuitry for a brushless main motor and brushless tail motor. The motors successfully speed up and slow down as I move the throttle/tail lever on my transmitter.

Now, I want to unsolder and reconnect the wiring in a neat, bullet-proofed fashion by using a PC board. However, anyone who has performed this brushless upgrade knows how fragile the wires on TheSteve converters are.

In case I should break one of the wires to the point where it is too short to use, I was thinking it must be possible to simply solder my own wire to the pins on theSteve converter chip.

So, the big question is this. Does anyone have the pinout diagram of both the low speed and high spead TheSteve converter chips? I need to know which color wire goes to which pin.


Thanks in advance for any information that you give me.


-Z

RE: TheSteve Converter (Low and High Speed) Pinout
 

how hard was it to do the brushless conversion? Whats the part list for it? I'm sick of replaing main stock motors, thanks in advance

RE: TheSteve Converter (Low and High Speed) Pinout
 

Hi HeliStyle.


Here is the parts list for full brushless:

http://wowhobbies.com/1cellwakera43b...partslist.aspx


Please note that the Deans plugs are listed, but I ended up not using them, so I wasted a little money. Perhaps I can find a use for them.

With $10 in shipping, the total parts list should cost you about $145, if you get the more expensive electronic speed controllers. I did not get the "eBay" speed controller, as the parts list implies that the more expensive electronic speed controller is more reliable.

The wiring for the brushless conversion will require, in my opinion, good soldering skills. Please don't let my assessment scare off people new to soldering. However, I say that it requires good soldering skills, as some of the soldering is quite intricate. For example, the yellow wires of the two TheSteve converters must be soldered to two chips on 4#3B's 4in1 board. These chips are smaller than a cooked rice grain, and the pin to which you solder the wire is smaller than that. Even with the narrowest pencil point soldering iron from Radio Shack, the soldering presented a challenge. It required a very steady yet quick hand. With chips these small, the heat from the soldering iron can easily destroy them if you leave the iron on the chip pins too long. Basically, the solder that you will use to connect the wire to these chips should come from the small bead of solder used to tin your soldering gun tip. Then, just a quick tap (1 second maximum) on top of the wire while it is pressed against the pin, and it it soldered.

Luckily, if you connect all the common wires together, there are only four wire points to solder on the board. Those are the positive and negative battery terminals, and the two chips.

Also, I will say that you need good wire manipulation skills, as the wires on the converters are extremely small and fragile. I tried stripping a wire with my fingernails, and ended up breaking the wire, thus making it shorter. Ugh! For the remaining wires, I stripped them by carefully using a fingernail clip. The safest way to strip them would be to use a wire stripper. Even still, the wires are extremely thin and fragile.

Finally, you will need to have access to a fine bit drill, as you must widen the diameter of the hole of the pinion gear from the original main motor. You must do this, as the diameter of the brushless motor shaft is slightly bigger than the stock motor shaft.

I got my assembly inspiration for the upgrade from the following YouTube.com video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FyJB...eature=related


As I have not flown my helicopter in weeks, I am eager to just finish this project. I too got tired of burning out motors. I burned out a brand new motor in one day.


However, if Walkera comes out with a metal upgrade to their 4G3 full collective pitch helicopter, I will have another opportunity to complete another full brushless project. For that one, I will take step-by-step pictures of my work and post them here. For now, I will simply post pictures of the finished project.


If you still want to do the brushless upgrade, and you are unsure of your own skills, perhaps you could pay someone a small fee to do the work for you. Even with a small fee of $50 or whatever, that still beats burning up motors. At burning up a motor a day, and each motor costs $5, I would be spending $150 a month to fly this helicopter. Therefore, it made sense to spend the money and go full brushless.


Well, that's enough for now. If you need help, please reply to this post, and I will be glad to assist you in any practical way that I can.


Take care.


-Z

RE: TheSteve Converter (Low and High Speed) Pinout
 

thanks so much for the write up and taking the time to do it, I will be doing this brushless conversion soon, since im sooo sick of the stock motors. Have you flown it with the brushless motor and how is it all around?

RE: TheSteve Converter (Low and High Speed) Pinout
 

I added up only about 75 dollars all together for the upgrade with shipping

RE: TheSteve Converter (Low and High Speed) Pinout
 

Feigao 10,430kv motor 22.99+The steve converter 13.99+screws for motor 2.99+ ebay esc 10.99+ shipping 10.00= $61 dollars

RE: TheSteve Converter (Low and High Speed) Pinout
 

Hi HeliStyle.


Your total sounds about right if you are upgrading only the main motor to a brushless motor. My total came from the parts required to upgrade both the main motor and the tail motor. If you are intending to upgrade both motors to brushless, your total seems extremely low. To upgrade the tail motor to brushless, you will need the brushless 2g tail motor, another speed controller, the TheSteve high-speed converter, and screws. You may want to recheck your parts list.

I have never flown a brushless helicopter before. However, once I get my upgrade conversion completed, I will let you know.


Take care.

-Z

RE: TheSteve Converter (Low and High Speed) Pinout
 

yeah I was only adding up the main motor, I have no problems with my tail motor at all only on 2nd stock tail motor out of over 200 flights, so I would only be upgrading the main motor. Couldn't you just use a cold solder iron and not have to worry about the heat issue with soldering?

RE: TheSteve Converter (Low and High Speed) Pinout
 

Hi HeliStyle.


Yes, I guess you could use a cold-heat soldering iron, as long as the tip is small enough to do the work. I have never used one, and have always used a traditional soldering iron. For this project, I had to get a new one that has a pencil point tip so that I could solder within the extremely small spaces.

Do they make cold-heat soldering irons with pencil point tips?


Take care.

-Z

RE: TheSteve Converter (Low and High Speed) Pinout
 

no clue if they do, I just thought that cold soldering iron would be ideal for the project, but my luck is that they don't make them with a pencil tip lol Once you get everything done please give us a review on what you think about everything. Its not bad I put a order in already from rotorfever for main stock motors or else I would have bought a brushless main motor conversion, all well next time it will be brushless. Only thing I'm kinda worried about with the brushless setup is crashing and breaking something since there is more electronics on the helicopter

RE: TheSteve Converter (Low and High Speed) Pinout
 

Hi HeliStyle.


As far as breaking the additional stuff in the helicopter, I personally don't think you have to worry about that. I say this because the electronics are covered by the canopy and are somewhat protected. I would imagine my rotor blades, tail boom, or metal head gettin broken before any of the additional electronics get broken.

I'm sorry that you invested money on additional brushed motors. If it is any consolation, I believe that the same motor is used within the 4G3 full collective pitch helicopter from Walkera. Once I master the fixed pitch 4#3B, I will be getting a 4G3. I will immediately upgrade it to brushless. Bye the way, the same brushless parts can be used to upgrade the 4G3.


As far as the original purpose for creating this thread, I believe I found the answer on YouTube. Basically, in one of the related vidoes from the link I posted, the author cuts off the black covering on both the high and low speed converters. When he did this, he flipped over one of the converters. It is basically an i.c. chip. The video is clear enough to figure out the pinout. Problem solved.

However, I will continue this thread so that I can update you on my progress. Seems like we're the only two in it.


Take care.

-Z

RE: TheSteve Converter (Low and High Speed) Pinout
 

yeah, we are the only two on this site thats really into the brushless, on rcgroups the brushless conversion thread is like 200 pages deep lol, I will also be getting a 4g3 once I can do everything with the 4#3b, Can you post some pictures of your work when you get a chance. I really want to go brushless but money is tight right now for me. The only thing that worries me also is the soldering, Im pretty good with it but on small scale stuff like this I can see it being difficult to do.

RE: TheSteve Converter (Low and High Speed) Pinout
 

Hi HeliStyle.


I most certainly will post some pictures of my completed work.

Last night, I just shortened and re-soldered all of my connections. I was quite "worried" this time around, as the wires on the converters were already short. If I broke a wire while trying to remove the plastic from it, the game would have been over. Luckily everything went well. I connected the battery, and the board lit up and binded to the transmitter. Then, I confirmed that the brushless upgrade was successful by touching each motor's three leads to their respective speed controller. In moving the throttle/yaw control lever, both motors spun up and spun down normally.

Tonight, I must solder three-prong adapters to the main motor so that I can simply plug it into its speed controller. Then, I must run wire through the new tail boom and solder up the new tail motor to these wires. After that, I am done.

I should definitely be flying on Friday night or earlier.


Until then, take care.

-Z

RE: TheSteve Converter (Low and High Speed) Pinout
 

sounds like it coming along nicely, can't wait to hear a review on the finished product

RE: TheSteve Converter (Low and High Speed) Pinout
 

I'm glad my videos inspire ideas in others, I am working on a prototype PCB for the mounting of the esc's etc, and I am attempting to loose more weight by introducing a 4.6g outrunner, hopefully the weight will be down to 50g - 51g all up. I am just waiting on the PCB prototype to arrive but they closed for Christmas / New Years and wont be back till the 15th January so I cant see the finished product being on youtube till end of January.... man what a long wait.....

Anyhow the more ideas and images / videos that we all produce the better and slimmer our designs become...

Regards
Elias

RE: TheSteve Converter (Low and High Speed) Pinout
 

Hey guys,
Thought I'd just tell you that others are also following with interest. Keep up the good work!
;)
Peter