I am very new at this game and this thread so have patience please.
My 14 yo son had $100.00 burning a hole in his pocket and bought a sig Rascal trainer. Anyway, as it turns out it is to complicated for him so dad takes over(ME). Being always up for a challenge I take over. This kit came packaged with a speed 400 and gear box. Cool I thought, the motor is handled now what else do I need? Naturally this is after I've got many hours assem. this badboy that I find out what else I need to get it in the air.
Anyway to make a long story short, I got everything hooked up and working perfectly. i put the prop on and was going to break the engine in alittle and it is turning backwards. In retrospect I can see why because of how it is geared. So in my frustration and obsession to fly I thought the motor wasn't wired right because of another thread that said they(motor) can be marked wrong.
Huge Mistake!!! The speed controller lets out the prettiest red smoke! Wrong motor or am I just to stupid for my own good?
Any help would really be GREAT.
It's to late to be saved because I'm already addicted to this sport and there is no turning back and I have'nt even gotten off the ground.

If the motor was running backwards you should simply reverse the connections to it. It sounds like you shorted the two wires together when you tried this, and stuffed too much current through the controller as a result.

Incidentally, a Rascal might be too much to handle for the first few flights so I would recommend you get the help of an expert at your local club.

Welcome to the hobby, and good luck!

-David C.

Stupid question #1- By "backwards", what do you mean? Not knowing how long you've been in the hobby, I don't want to assume.

The propeller will be turning counter clockwise when it's operating correctly (although, now that I'm thinking about it, I'm assuming here that it's the same as glo powered motors).

Anyway, the easy test is to put a prop on it and see if it "pulls" when you rev it.

Good luck, I'm sure someone else will chime in here shortly.

Mike

You don't say what size your colorful ESC is (or was) but to give a little margin of safety you may consider at least a 20amp ESC. You may get by with a 10amp but with the gear box it may push the limit. Another thing, you may want to put a fuse in the motor lead, one like the little plug-in for a car will work good and size it to the ESC capacity. As far as the motor is concerned, just swap the leads on the motor (not the battery). Speed 400's (Graupner) have neutral timing so it makes no difference which way they turn. Motor breakin - some say to hook up the motor to a couple 'c' or 'd' batteries and do the breakin in a glass of water, to float the brush residue away and stop the arcing, running the motor until the batteries die. Keep changing the water until it remains clear. Problem is you need to dry the motor and relube the bearings with a good oil, like clock oil that won't solidify. The other method is esentially the same with 'c' or 'd' batteries and run it until the batteries die without the water. This keeps the motor from over reving and lets it run cool. The point is to let the brushs wear to the communtator before you decide to let'er rip. You can do a search on the forum about "speed 400 motor breakin" and get lots of info there. Electrics are full of surprises and mysteries. Good Luck!!

I know double D##n sure that the wires weren't touching anything and it took off across the floor backwards(without wings) when I nailed the throttle. Whats up with that? I really appreciate the feedback.
GG

Tippie thanks for the input.
I did reverse the wires on the motor and not the battery and the ESC is a C20 Great Plains. I'm not being difficult but that is the way it is. The fuse is a good idea. Thanks
GG

If you reversed the wires on the motor it will run backwards. Unless you are in universe with different laws of physics!

Keep at it. It will work in the end!

Good luck!

-DC

David, Paola Kansas is a different kind of place to live and I do live in the country but I do believe the universe is the same. The Law of Murphy does tend to dominate in this neck of the woods.
I am obviously overlooking something. My main question is. Can you reverse the polarity on these motors without letting the smoke out of a $50 ESC every time?
GG

Was there a diode on the back of the motor? It usually is a small black cylinder with a silver or white band on one end.

If it is there, that is what cooked your ESC. The end with the band always has to connected to the positive wire of the ESC.

An example picture can be seen here:

http://www.teamnovak.com/How_to/schottky/Schtky.htm

Paolo Kansas would be fine. Now, Los Angeles, where I am, is definitely in a different universe!

Anyway . . Yes, it should be possible to avoid smoke coming out of a $50 ESC every time you switch it on - even in LA; and you know how strange the smoke can be there!

You can't however avoid it if you try to swap the polarity on its way into the ESC - only on the way out to the motor.

The problem can only be caused by 2 possibilities - either the wiring is wrong or there is too much current. The former can only be put right by connecting it up properly, the latter by making sure the voltage does not exceed the designed figure, or avoiding the motor stalling.

DC

Thanks FlatFour
It looks pretty obvious from your link what happened. I didn't think to remove the diode before I switched the polarity. It all makes a lot more sense now.
This is a great site and many thanks for all of your input.
I've been sucked into the realm of RC and will be back.
GG

Well, all us exspurts (drip under pressure) have suggestions and you are probably now ready for "the funny farm". Anyway, it sounds like you have to look to the motor hook-up to solve the problem. OK, on the 20amp great plains ESC, sometimes they are undersized so just wanted to confirm that. The Great Planes ESC I have used a Schottky diode so that may be possibility, and a FMA ESC I just bought has one also. So, if you do reverse the leads to the motor you also need to swap diode around to put the band end on the positive (+) lead of the motor. Oops, another post came in while I was typing this one. (same answer). From my experience, the more you get into this hobby, the dumber you become and if you continue you will become infantile, but don't give up.

Tippie
I read the link from flatfour and it made a lot of sense. There was also a blurb in there about using more than one.
Ever tried it? Just seeing if i can get more hang time or if it even makes any difference and should just leave well enough alone. Will probably know tomorrow evening as the parts are due then.
See if I can set the diningroom table on fire. I'm getting to like the smell of charred insulation. I guess when I start to babble in my sleep about ESC's it will be time to take a break.

The Schottky diode isn't mentioned with some ESC suppliers. The reason for the diode is to prevent the "back EMF (electro-motive force)" which in other terms is the electric power generated by the motor. The motor, even though it provides labor is also a generator in a small form. Somehow that affects the ESC (not an electrial engineer), the system will operate without the Schottky diode, its just that the mfr's feel is protects the ESC from electrical spikes and in their words "makes the ESC more efficient and run cooler". Since the diode is provided with the ESC I use it. I also noted the use of two diodes and I need to take more smarter pills to know the effects of using two diodes. The only thing I can think of is that perhaps if you are turning a large non-folding prop there may be some motors that "free wheel/pin wheel" and generate excessive voltage back into the ESC. May be a problem with large motors also. In any case the Schottky will not hurt the operation of an ESC (unless it isn't installed correctly, HA), and actually it is a benefit for longer life. 'Nothing like the smell of an electrical fire in the morning.'

Tippie
Thanks for the great info and feedback. Helps me understand a little better. I expected my new parts to be here when I got home but naturally they are NOT. UPS is good for playing serious mind games. Nothing to do now but sit in the corner and sob.
Thanks for the info.
GG