Cliff 1959 Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 I have a 4 Max esc which I suspect has a problem in the lead, possibly a break somewhere as the receiver keeps losing power (on the ground thankfully). Has anyone every changed a lead on one of these and how easy was it. I've had no response from 4 Max re repairs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff S Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 I'd be inclined to connect a voltmeter to the lead from the esc and wiggle the lead about to check that it really is the lead that's faulty. If it is, then the easiet thing to do would be to check the pins in the servo-type free socket by taking them out the housing and either fit a new connector yourself or get a club-mate who had a crimp tool to do it for you. If you want to replace the whole lead and its connector then you'll need a decent fine tipped soldering iron. It won't be all difficult to do assuming you know how to solder but a bit of experience and suitable tools will be essentials. Measurement is everthing - the fault could lie with the receiver, so check carefully before doing anything. Geoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Bennett Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 Presumably you've checked the plug that goes into the receiver for loose pins, and the wires for any obvious damage. Can you replicate the power loss by waggling any particular wire in any particular way? If your soldering skills and eyesight are good it's usually quite easy to replace a lead on an ESC, or to re-do a solder joint if that turns out to be the problem. You'll need to remove the shrink wrap from the ESC, and possibly use a magnifying glass to see what's going on, and to effect any repair. I've re-soldered wires on a few ESCs (not 4 Max) and re-used the original shrink wrap but with another layer of clear shrink wrap over it. I did this because I thought the original was also serving as a heat sink (can't remember why I thought that -- possibly because it was thicker than the stuff I've got). A simpler solution might be to get a stand-alone BEC for your receiver, and disable the BEC in the ESC altogether by removing its red wirefrom the receiver plug. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanR Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 Hello Cliff. I just wanted to say that, if you want to communicate with 4Max, the best way may be by telephone. I have telephoned George Worley a few times and have always found him to be very knowledgeable and eager to help. Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff 1959 Posted October 11, 2015 Author Share Posted October 11, 2015 Ok, thanks for the suggestions. I've put a volt meter on the connections and I get 4.8v, with an assistant wiggling everything it stays rock solid! The reason I suspected the unit was because with my Grauper MZ transmitter it intermittently warned me that the receiver voltage was low, the battery which is fairly new, measured 98% charged, (I tried a second battery anyway with no change). I tried removing and reinserting the plug into the receiver a few times with no change, then I tried another esc and all was instantly well. This particular bec is programmable for 5v or 6v, I presume it is set at the 5v setting, hence my 4.8v reading? Would this cause the transmitter to give a 'low voltage' warning? Any suggestions welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Hargreaves - Moderator Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 What sort of model/servos are you flying this ESC with? Might it be that a high load on the servos is dragging down the voltage sufficiently on the BEC to trigger the low voltage warning? Digital servos in a highly active 3D type model can draw a lot of current which will drag down the voltage if the BEC can't supply enough current... Which ESC is it? Does it have a linear or a switch mode BEC? As others have suggested a stand alone regulator might be the easiest fix... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Bennett Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 Posted by Cliff 1959 on 11/10/2015 11:59:51: Ok, thanks for the suggestions. I've put a volt meter on the connections and I get 4.8v, with an assistant wiggling everything it stays rock solid! The reason I suspected the unit was because with my Grauper MZ transmitter it intermittently warned me that the receiver voltage was low, the battery which is fairly new, measured 98% charged, (I tried a second battery anyway with no change). . . . In practice the battery voltage shouldn't affect the output voltage of the BEC, so long it stays a little bit above the BEC's supposed output voltage. I don't think you've said what voltage battery you're using, but even if it's only a 2S LiPo, and it's practically run down (i.e. maybe 7 volts or so), that should be plenty for the BEC to give it's full 5v +/- a little. But, as has been mentioned, even though the BEC is putting out 4.8v at practically no load (just the receiver working), the voltage might nose-dive when the servos start working and demand more amps. It's always possible that you've got a faulty servo that's demanding too many amps, but the fact that everything seems okay with a different ESC indicates that it's the BEC in your first ESC that's faulty -- or it's simply too low powered for your application (you don't say which 4 Max ESC you've got; the fact that it's selectable 5/6v suggests it's at least a 40A ESC with a switching BEC capable of 3A output). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff 1959 Posted October 14, 2015 Author Share Posted October 14, 2015 Posted by Allan Bennett on 11/10/2015 21:57:59: In practice the battery voltage shouldn't affect the output voltage of the BEC, so long it stays a little bit above the BEC's supposed output voltage. I don't think you've said what voltage battery you're using, but even if it's only a 2S LiPo, and it's practically run down (i.e. maybe 7 volts or so), that should be plenty for the BEC to give it's full 5v +/- a little. ------------------------------ My battery is a 3S Lipo and my model is a rudder / elevator high wing trainer type, so no high currants, same result in my two channel electric glider.- ------------------------------- But, as has been mentioned, even though the BEC is putting out 4.8v at practically no load (just the receiver working), the voltage might nose-dive when the servos start working and demand more amps. It's always possible that you've got a faulty servo that's demanding too many amps, but the fact that everything seems okay with a different ESC indicates that it's the BEC in your first ESC that's faulty -- or it's simply too low powered for your application (you don't say which 4 Max ESC you've got; the fact that it's selectable 5/6v suggests it's at least a 40A ESC with a switching BEC capable of 3A output). ------------------------------ The esc is a 45a with a 3a 5/6v programmable bec. I'm beginning to think the esc has a fault. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Bennett Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 Posted by Cliff 1959 on 14/10/2015 20:51:15: . . . The esc is a 45a with a 3a 5/6v programmable bec. I'm beginning to think the esc has a fault. If the ESC still controls the motor okay, you can disable its BEC by pulling the red wire from the plug that goes to the receiver, and then use a stand-alone BEC for receiver and servo power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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