ESC Phoenixtech 100A SBEC 6-18NC/2-6Lipo gone POP!!!!

[Graham Lawrie]

TOTAL DOWNER!!!

Had started powering up my 600 today and going through the setup. Everything looked ok. I conected the motor and got a shudder at the start of spool up. Everything had been turning free, so it was a surprise to see the shudder at the motor/gear end. I spooled down , checked it out by hand ans everything spun free. Spooled up the second time and there was a pop and flash.

I started stripping down and could find nothing that smelt or was black. On removing the SBEC i probed the heat shring at the capasitors and one was slack, the source of the pop and flash found!!

1. Any ideas as to what caused this(i know me)
2. Suitable replacement suggestions/where to buy.
3. How to prevent same happening again

no flying till spares arrive.

As always any help suggestions most welcome

 

[Lee]

Take a licture of the wires from motor to ESC for us. Did you shrink tube the motor wires?

 

[Lee]

If it is just the capacitor blown, then you could solder a new one in. Knowing the ESC is new, i would check the motor, but i know it was working before, cause i tested it on my 600 to make sure before sending it to you, and was using the same ESC. Very strange???? We will need to do some investigation.

 

[Graham Lawrie]

If it is just the capacitor blown, then you could solder a new one in. Knowing the ESC is new, i would check the motor, but i know it was working before, cause i tested it on my 600 to make sure before sending it to you, and was using the same ESC. Very strange???? We will need to do some investigation.

I will load up pictures

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More to follow

 

[Lee]

Well hopefully when we do find the problem, there may be no other damage than the cap blowing, and you can solder a new one on.

 

[coolgabsi]

I will load up pictures

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<img src="http://www.rc-help.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5125"/> More to follow

I would say vibration fatigue or something... Probably was cracking and caused low current flow so the shudder and then the joint got hot and it popped ... May be!


Solution hot glue on the capacitors and parts hanging out..

Fly safe!! have fun!

 

[Lee]

Gaba this is a brand new ESC straight out of the packet. Could be a bad solder joint on the new esc?

 

[Lee]

If it was a polarised Cap, maybe they soldered it in the wrong way.

 

[coolgabsi]

If it was a polarised Cap, maybe they soldered it in the wrong way.

Ahhh true hmmmmmmmm

Fly safe!! have fun!

 

[Graham Lawrie]

Not possible to refit,glue. I will buy a couple of new ones and try re-soldering. They have what looks like a negative symbol on one side. My money is on the motor at the moment. Can the set up be wired so as to cause this?

 

[coolgabsi]

<img src="http://www.rc-help.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5127"/><img src="http://www.rc-help.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5128"/><img src="http://www.rc-help.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5129"/>

Not possible to refit,glue. I will buy a couple of new ones and try re-soldering. They have what looks like a negative symbol on one side. My money is on the motor at the moment. Can the set up be wired so as to cause this?

I meant on the new ones hot glue for structural support if that was a cause or could be a cause

But like lee said its new .. So... That's just a preventive measure

Fly safe!! have fun!

 

[Graham Lawrie]

If it was a polarised Cap, maybe they soldered it in the wrong way.

Looks like they are sided i am assuming the gold label to one side with - on it is negative? The - side is to the opposite side of the label . So as you look at the controller, battery leads are on the left hand side with the capasitors below, with the positive side to the top near the leads.

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I would say vibration fatigue or something... Probably was cracking and caused low current flow so the shudder and then the joint got hot and it popped ... May be!


Solution hot glue on the capacitors and parts hanging out..

Fly safe!! have fun!

I like the sound of this Gaba So it is possible all the movement of fitting etc could have caused me to damage the capacitor connection causing a heat source? So do i just cover the ends in hot glue to give them support at the join end and not the hole capacitor?

 

[BOKI]

Graham Lawrie; Sorry see you had problems but it never got up in the air ! So that would have been a crash! Wish I could help you but just new at all this! Dave

 

[Graham Lawrie]

Thanks Dave, all part of the fun I think Gaba may have something. It is possible i have disturbed the capacitors, even broke a leg on one with the fitting and movement, this in turn may have weakened or broken a leg and it would have given a heat source and extra load on the other capacitor blowing it and the one left in place on one leg may have been the original fault caused by me Thats my theory, i could be wrong?

 

[coolgabsi]

Yeah you can put hot glue between the capacitors and where they connect to the circuit .. That would help you give them a little structural integrity.

But I wouldn't rule out what lee said that the capacitor was reversed

There anything that could have by change shorted it? And popped it? Like a hanging wire... Static....? Something?

Fly safe!! have fun!

 

[Lee]

Could the motor cause a Cap to fail Gaba?

 

[coolgabsi]

well it could only if it was sticking.. the only way to find out is spool up on bench .. and if the motor caused this it probably friend the elctronics inside too as we are talking lareg induction currents backing into the esc for some reason. but before any of that happens, these thing have high current cutoffs. Should have caused it..

Whats different (in specs) in what you had before this, to what this is as you said this is a new one.

 

[Lee]

If you remember, i had the phoenixtech ESC on my 600 for over a year before going to 8S. I was also running the Phoenixtech motor. When a got this Align motor, i plugged it into my ESC on my 600 and ran it up with no issues. The ESC Graham has now, is the same as i had only brand new. So i don't know what happened. Hes going to test it at work tomorrow. So lets see what comes up.