John Tee Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 Hi. Tonight I had to adjust the servo centres on a new electric glider and removed the prop as advised elsewhere and was busy adjusting the neutrals when the ESC started smoking and the foam fus started to melt. One u/s ESC. I got the battery disconnected quickly before too much damage. I can only assume (not being a regular electric flyer) that this happened because for extra safety I also disconnected the motor wires as I was only working on the servos. Luckily it was only a cheapy ESC (Emax 18Amp) but a lesson learnt. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Hargreaves - Moderator Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Sounds strange John.....I don't know for definite but I wouldn't expect the ESC to melt just because it wasn't connected to the motor..... Sounds more like a faulty ESC to me.....good job it didn't happen in the air or you'd have lost the model too most likely..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Skilbeck Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Just a thought, there wasn't a possibility of two of the motor wires shorting out was there. I usually disconnect the ESC servo cable when I'm setting up servos and use a separate Rx battery for safety. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Tee Posted June 22, 2012 Author Share Posted June 22, 2012 Hi again, I only assumed due to lack of knowledge that it was because I had disconnected the motor wires to make access easier, as the motor is above the wing and the leads relatively short. I don't think the cables shorted but it is possible. I had added extra coloured heat shink tube to 2 of the cables as they were all black and you have to disconnect them to take off the wing, to be sure the motor rotated the right way next time. They were tucked down in the fus so may have touched. It looks a very cheap and cheerful ESC andf one of the motor wires actually came off when it started smoking. I have put it down to a new experience and replace it with a spare Eflight ESC I had. Thanks for your thoughts. I have a lot to learn about electric flight and won't give up on I/C for the forseeable future. 40 years I/C - 3 years electrics. John Edited By John Tee on 22/06/2012 14:07:00 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Member Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 [This posting has been removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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