snow - im confused
11-29-2007, 10:24 PM
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snow - im confused
im getting mixed messages about snow and brushless systems..some say it wont hurt it and others say it will kill it. last year i waterproofed my esc and reciever on my stampede and just completly sunk it in the snow..dried it off with a hair dryer after every run and it was fine. now that was with a novak rooster and a 17 turn with a futaba reciever..now i have a spektrum in my stampede and a mamba max 5700.
tonight it was snowing and my dad took his truck out but didnt want to risk anything. i just couldnt pass up the opportunity and i drove my truck until the battery was dead. there was about 1/8" of snow on the ground. i was doing donuts in the driveway and was doing speed runs in the street with powder shooting up behind my truck. i was probably hitting 45mph. after about 10 minutes the battery was almost dead and i drove my truck to the front door. as soon as i picked it up, the wheel fell off. the wheel nut loosened up and fell off while i was doing donuts and the axle pin fell out. so i looked over the truck and nothing was wet at all..it was as if i had never even driven it.
so my question is..are brushless motors ok in snow? my motor gets up to about 145 degrees so the snow will probably just melt right off. im probably not gonna drive it in anything deeper than 1/4" so yeah..just wondering..
tonight it was snowing and my dad took his truck out but didnt want to risk anything. i just couldnt pass up the opportunity and i drove my truck until the battery was dead. there was about 1/8" of snow on the ground. i was doing donuts in the driveway and was doing speed runs in the street with powder shooting up behind my truck. i was probably hitting 45mph. after about 10 minutes the battery was almost dead and i drove my truck to the front door. as soon as i picked it up, the wheel fell off. the wheel nut loosened up and fell off while i was doing donuts and the axle pin fell out. so i looked over the truck and nothing was wet at all..it was as if i had never even driven it.
so my question is..are brushless motors ok in snow? my motor gets up to about 145 degrees so the snow will probably just melt right off. im probably not gonna drive it in anything deeper than 1/4" so yeah..just wondering..
11-29-2007, 10:28 PM
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RE: snow - im confused
ORIGINAL: aircruiser
im getting mixed messages about snow and brushless systems..some say it wont hurt it and others say it will kill it. last year i waterproofed my esc and reciever on my stampede and just completly sunk it in the snow..dried it off with a hair dryer after every run and it was fine. now that was with a novak rooster and a 17 turn with a futaba reciever..now i have a spektrum in my stampede and a mamba max 5700.
tonight it was snowing and my dad took his truck out but didnt want to risk anything. i just couldnt pass up the opportunity and i drove my truck until the battery was dead. there was about 1/8" of snow on the ground. i was doing donuts in the driveway and was doing speed runs in the street with powder shooting up behind my truck. i was probably hitting 45mph. after about 10 minutes the battery was almost dead and i drove my truck to the front door. as soon as i picked it up, the wheel fell off. the wheel nut loosened up and fell off while i was doing donuts and the axle pin fell out. so i looked over the truck and nothing was wet at all..it was as if i had never even driven it.
so my question is..are brushless motors ok in snow? my motor gets up to about 145 degrees so the snow will probably just melt right off. im probably not gonna drive it in anything deeper than 1/4" so yeah..just wondering..
im getting mixed messages about snow and brushless systems..some say it wont hurt it and others say it will kill it. last year i waterproofed my esc and reciever on my stampede and just completly sunk it in the snow..dried it off with a hair dryer after every run and it was fine. now that was with a novak rooster and a 17 turn with a futaba reciever..now i have a spektrum in my stampede and a mamba max 5700.
tonight it was snowing and my dad took his truck out but didnt want to risk anything. i just couldnt pass up the opportunity and i drove my truck until the battery was dead. there was about 1/8" of snow on the ground. i was doing donuts in the driveway and was doing speed runs in the street with powder shooting up behind my truck. i was probably hitting 45mph. after about 10 minutes the battery was almost dead and i drove my truck to the front door. as soon as i picked it up, the wheel fell off. the wheel nut loosened up and fell off while i was doing donuts and the axle pin fell out. so i looked over the truck and nothing was wet at all..it was as if i had never even driven it.
so my question is..are brushless motors ok in snow? my motor gets up to about 145 degrees so the snow will probably just melt right off. im probably not gonna drive it in anything deeper than 1/4" so yeah..just wondering..
11-30-2007, 12:24 AM
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RE: snow - im confused
Most BL motors cannot get wet internally, but brushed motors don't mind though your bearings might rust if you don't oil them.
The only thing you really can't get wet if not sealed is the Rx, ESC, then motor if it's BL.
The only thing you really can't get wet if not sealed is the Rx, ESC, then motor if it's BL.
11-30-2007, 09:06 AM
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RE: snow - im confused
thats my only hang up on bl(that and the cost) is that bl and water dont mix. i have a pede with a 15t540 and plan to run it all winter, got skiis and paddle tires for it. but everything iv read about bl says that they cant go through water. granted, 1/4 inch of snow aint going to get much water on the motor but it might not take much. with the money you have in it, you dont want to find out how much water it takes to kill a bl motor.
11-30-2007, 09:45 PM
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RE: snow - im confused
It is not to bad to make sure the can is sealed. You can even loosely pull a shower cap, bag, or balloon over it. So long as the neo magnets inside don't get wet you'll be just fine.
J.
J.
12-10-2007, 03:36 PM
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RE: snow - im confused
I mainly fly planes and helis, but I am considering getting an E-buggy, I know thats beside the point but just to let you know where I am coming from. I have dunked a brushless styker (plane w/inrunner BL Motor) into about 3 ft. of water at wot. The Esc Burned but the motor was fine as well as the batt. All I needed to do was dry it and put some light machine oil on the bearings and it was good to go again. It did not lose any performance. Also if you look into the plane forums at all almost all of the guys who fly e-powered pontoon planes use brushless setups. What is the main argument against exposing a brushless motor to water? The only thing I thought one needed to worry about was properly drying the motor and oiling the bearings. Heres an entire thread of guys who fly e-powerd seaplanes talking about getting there BL motors wet.
[link]http://www.wattflyer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=823[/link]
[link]http://www.wattflyer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=823[/link]
12-16-2007, 08:48 PM
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RE: snow - im confused
I had heard all the stories/Myths about BL and water don't mix also but it didn't make sense since I know that they are used in boats alot. So I went to the boat forum and asked about it. The response I got was it is not a problem for a BL to get wet as long as you properly dry and oil it when you are done. The biggest worry is rust and that can be prevented with proper maintence.
So between what the boat guys and the E-Powered Seaplane guys (both very experienced with water) say I think This Myth is Busted [>:]
So between what the boat guys and the E-Powered Seaplane guys (both very experienced with water) say I think This Myth is Busted [>:]
12-16-2007, 09:55 PM
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RE: snow - im confused
In my opinion, water + electrical equipment (especially expensive equipment like a brushless setup) = a risk I don't want to take. What I did wast got a micro-T to kill time inside with. 
I haven't done it this winter, but last winter I lugged a bunch of rocks in my basement, and set up an indoor course for my crawler
I haven't done it this winter, but last winter I lugged a bunch of rocks in my basement, and set up an indoor course for my crawler
12-16-2007, 11:09 PM
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RE: snow - im confused
I don't get to drive in any thing but snow here in the mountains. I've never had any brushless problems in the snow. I have a Novak XBR 8.5, and I've had the MM5700 both packed in snow after bashing. Its never caused any motor or ESC problems for me yet.
12-18-2007, 11:48 AM
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RE: snow - im confused
hah thats what i did. i got ballons on everything includeing the deans plug and battery pack the thing could probly be underwater for a few before water gets pushed into the ballons. so wet grass is nouthing. member presure pushes water into were u dont want to. dont submerge it. but flinging water isnt a problem if its balloned[8D] i dont got a BL so i dont have a hudge motor problem but yeah.
12-18-2007, 12:26 PM
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RE: snow - im confused
There was a video a while back of Castle demonstrating the 1/18 Mamba system's water resistance by dunking the entire motor and esc in a bucket of water and running it. I don't remember if the video was on Castle's site or youtube. Either way, it demonstrated the fact that the motor didn't car one iota about the water, and that their esc is sufficiently sealed to run under water. I can see no reason that a brushless motor would be bothered by water other than salt rusting the bearings. The windings are insulated and probably epoxy coated, the magnets don't care about water, and there's nothing else in there except the bearings and rotor shaft. As long as those are flushed out afterward, should be no issue. ESC is another story. Water needs to be kept out of that to prevent shorting.
12-18-2007, 04:55 PM
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RE: snow - im confused
Just wrap all the electrics up with electrical tape
when i drive in the snow, the motor just steams, thats it =]
Still runs perfecto.
when i drive in the snow, the motor just steams, thats it =]
Still runs perfecto.
12-18-2007, 07:11 PM
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RE: snow - im confused
Only reason its could be bad for them, when go u flying into a snow bank with a 150 degree motor, cooling it off suddenly with a bunch of snow could be a no-no and crack the magnets.
12-18-2007, 11:08 PM
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RE: snow - im confused
you can also wrap with layers of tin foil if your woried about that it will hold some heat and let it cool more internaly than externaly to eliments (snow)[8D]
12-19-2007, 11:50 PM
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RE: snow - im confused
I just put some black electrical tape around the seams on my mamba motor. I run it all over the snow. It seems fine after about 5 runs... I just make sure to let it dry off COMPLETELY after every run. the snow might not get into the cracks when it is snow but when it melts it can cause some damage, so I just make sure it evaporates too to make sure the electronics will be OK for the next run. I just let it sit in the tub overnight to let it dry. Plus waterproof the rest of the electronics also...
