ericrw Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 I`m wanting to place my ESC on a bed of foam to ensure it is not subject to vibration. The question is which side of the ESC should lie on the foam bed, in respect of keeping it cool ? Eric. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Beeney Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 This is not really a good idea, Eric. Doing things like this might soon cause the ESC to overheat. There won’t be enough vibration to affect it anyway, the trick is to get a nice air flow all around it if you can. Solid state electrical devices are largely unaffected by movement, it’s only when they they contain something like a crystal that is in itself a vibrating device that might be upset by any extraneous motion. Try and keep the whole drive train cool, motor, ESC and battery, if you can. PB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericrw Posted August 9, 2014 Author Share Posted August 9, 2014 Thanks for that Peter, I will place it on a Velcro mat but I would still like to know if there is a correct side to place the Velcro on the ESC . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken anderson. Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 hello Eric-I always mount my esc's with Velcro...keeps them from moving around etc......and was always told to leave the heat sink side out in the open....if fitted. ken Anderson ne..1 Velcro dept. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Beeney Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 If one side of the ESC is flat and one side is a bit bumpy put the Velcro on the bumpy side. But check it straight after a flight to see how hot / warm it is anyway. Most likely will be ok, but if the heat can’t escape quickly enough it starts to build up, this is the dreaded ‘thermal runaway‘ situation. PB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernie Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 Hi, It's important to remember that you need to provide an outlet for the air. It should be larger than the intake area,'cos you'll remember from your science lessons that hot air expands, so there is more off it, needing to escape, and we don't want it circulating around our expensive electrickery ernie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Manuel Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 Just reading this thread and another question occurred to me. Hope nobody minds me jumping on this related band-wagon. The flat side of the ESC is the heat-sink side and should be the side exposed to best air circulation to achieve the best cooling effect. Does anybody bother to cut the heat shrink away from this area to improve the thermal efficiency (let heat out quicker)? I have done it on a few ESCs and am pretty sure it helps. The problem is, the area you want to cut away, is the usual place for the manufacturers label, including ampere rating. Once its cut away, the info has gone forever - and possibly the warranty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john stones 1 - Moderator Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 No Gary I don't, have seen and heard it suggested, but I always wonder...why did the manufacturer shrink wrap it if it needs to be uncovered ? I over esc mine and am careful with prop selection and my stuff don't seem to get any worse than slightly warm Pushy Cat has no cooling holes at all and that's the same. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete B Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 I normally cut away the heatshrink on the cheaper ESC's - why make it work harder than necessary? A felt-tip pen solves the ID problem I also use a UBEC on any model with more that 4 servos, or 4 cells or more - and I cannot recall when I last lost a model to an ESC expiring..... Every little helps, as Tesco would say..... Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Chaddock Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 If you are really worried about cooling you can always replace the flat heat sink with a much more efficient one with 'fingers' that stick out into the air stream. With really efficient cooling fins the ESC can be completely buried. In this case the heat shrink has been cut away and the original flat heat sink replaced but it does require heat conducting grease to be applied and the heat sink to be positively held down on the MOSFETs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barrie Dav 2 Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Pete, wasn't that something to with a bishop and an actress? Something to do with subscriptions to cathedral funds I've always understood......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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