Electronic Speed Controllers ESC
ESC & Motor Choice
Because of the many different types and sizes of RC cars, and the big range of different products available, choosing a suitable electronic speed control (ESC) and motor for your car can be a challenge. If you’re thinking about buying a new ESC and/or motor, the thing first on your mind is often speed, but there are numerous things to take into account, so here we’ll go through the basic things you need to know.
ESC
Starting with the speed control, the choice is very much dependent on what motor you plan to run, as the ESC and motor need to be compatible between each other. Basic things to consider is first if the ESC needs to be for brushed or brushless motors. For most uses today you’ll be looking at a brushless ESC, however, you then need to pay attention to if it is for sensored or sensorless motors, or if it can handle both types.
Finally you also need to check that it can handle the type of battery voltage and motor specs you have in mind. ESC’s typically have some sort of motor limit (in kv or turns), which you need to adhere to. If the ESC specifications says that the motor limit is 8.5T on a 2S battery, then you must use a motor with 8.5 turns or more. If a kv rating is used, then you need to choose a motor with a lower kv value than the limit.
Other ESC related factors to take into consideration include the size of the ESC, making sure it fits properly into your car. Additionally, some ESC’s are waterproof or protected, while most are not, so you also need to consider if this is a feature you need.
A more expensive ESC will usually give you better control, more features and adjustability, as well as better overall quality and lifetime.
Motors
With motors, the first thing to check is the actual size and measurements, as there are various motor sizes available for different types of cars. The car specs usually specify what size of motor the car is designed for, so do check this before making a choice if you are unsure.
What’s perhaps still the most common motor size used in RC cars, is often called “540”. These are used in many lighter 1/10 cars, while larger “550” or “1/8” sized motors are often used in heavier 1/10 vehicles and 1/8 scale cars. Brushless motors in this size are today often “4-pole” motors. Smaller motors (like 370 or 380) are used in some smaller cars, while large scale cars use even larger motors.
In addition to differences in length and diameter of the actual motor, there are also differences in motor shaft diameter. The most common shaft size is 3,175mm (1/8”), while many larger motors use a 5mm shaft. The shaft diameter directly influences on the selection of gears available.
The mounting hole positions in each motor are also depending on its size, so because of all these factors, it’s very important to check what motor fits your car.
Another thing to decide on is brushless or brushed, but with the development in brushless technology over the past 15 years, in most cases this is no longer a factor to spend much time considering. Unless you use your car in some very specific class or conditions, we’ll almost always recommend a brushless setup. Do remember though, that if you are changing from a brushed to a brushless motor, you will also have to get a brushless ESC.
Brushless motors are available sensored or sensorless, the difference being that the sensored motors have sensors inside the motor that register the position of the rotor. The sensored motors are more responsive from low rpm and give a more precise feel, and is therefore used more in competition than the sensorless motors. The sensorless motors are simpler and usually more affordable, and often used in RTR’s and for more general hobby use.
Again, it's important to remember that motor and ESC needs to be compatible. Some ESC's can only power sensorless motors, while other only work with sensored motors.
The power of a motor is usually indicated in “kv” or “turns”, or both. A motor’s kv refers to its rpm per volt of electricity. This means that a 3000Kv motor will spin at 25200rpm at 8.4V (3000 x 8.4 = 25200). Turns are often used in place of kv to indicate power on 540 size motors, especially 1/10 competition motors. The turn number, like 8.5T or 13.5T, refers to the number of times the wire in the motor is wrapped around the stator. To make it simple - the fewer the turns, the more power the motor produces.
With all these turns and kv’s, it’s important to remember that different cars require different things, and it’s not only about rpm’s. The larger and heavier a car is, the more important it will be to have enough torque, meaning that for a heavy 1/8 vehicle, a low kv but high torque motor will often be the better choice.
With any motor choice, it is vitally important to have the right gearing. So if you’re planning to change to a significantly different motor from what you have been running, always remember to change the gearing at the same time, following the motor manufacturer recommendation to start with.
Going to a higher power motor will also shorten runtime on one charge, and produce more heat.
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Hobbywing OTA Programmer HW30850400
Hobbywing
MSRP: £44.99Now: £42.74Was: £44.99Additional Information - HOBBYWING OTA PROGRAMMERThe Hobbywing OTA Programmer is a module which connects via Bluetooth communication technology for transferring data between your ESC and a smart device (Android/IOS phone, tablet etc). It makes wireless...HW30850400MSRP: £44.99Now: £42.74Was: £44.99 -
Hobbywing Quicrun WP 1080 G2 Brushed Speed Control HW30120202 Adj Drag Brake
Hobbywing
MSRP: £49.99Now: £44.99Was: £49.99Additional Information - HOBBYWING QUICRUN WP 1080 G2 BRUSHED SPEED CONTROL The first "Real Car Mode" ESC from Hobbywing is an exciting release and features four running modes and a real time drag break adjustment. In the Real Car mode the direction of...HW30120202MSRP: £49.99Now: £44.99Was: £49.99 -
Hobbywing Multifunction V2 LCD Program Box HW30502001 Brusless field card
Hobbywing
RRP £29.99Additional Information - HOBBYWING MULTIFUNCTION V2 LCD PROGRAM BOXThe Hobbywing multifunction program box is for programming Hobbywing brushless ESC's. The friendly LCD interface makes ESC programming easy and quick. With a PC you can upgrade ESC...HW30502001RRP £29.99 -
Hobbywing Quicrun 10Bl120 Sensored Brushless Esc (120A) HW30125000 120 amp
Hobbywing
RRP £49.99Additional Information - Easy OperationThis ESC is specially designed for beginners and intermediate modelers; it not only carries forward the outstanding quality of HOBBYWING products but simplifies the operation.Compact Design & SD/SL Dual Mode...HW30125000RRP £49.99 -
Hobbywing Quicrun 0880 Dual Motor Brushed Esc (80A) Wproof HW30120301 80 amp
Hobbywing
RRP £39.99Additional Information - Specifications Cont./Peak Current: 80A/400A Input Voltage: 2-4S LiPo/5-12 Cell NiMH BEC: Output6V@4A (Switch-mode) Wires & Connectors Input Wires: Red-16AWG-150mmx1 / Black-16AWG-150mmx1 Output Wires: Blue-16AWG-100mmx2 /...HW30120301RRP £39.99 -
Castle Link V3 USB Adaptor CC011-0119-00 Castle Creations Programming to setup
Castle Creations
MSRP: £29.99Now: £28.49Was: £29.99Additional Information - Program your Castle brushless ESCs and accessories on your Windows® PC with the Castle Link USB programming kit.Set up of programmable options with point and click easeView your current program settingsAir users can customize...CC011-0119-00MSRP: £29.99Now: £28.49Was: £29.99 -
CC BEC 2.0 - 14A Voltage Regulator, 50V Max CC010-0154-00 Castle Creations 14amp
Castle Creations
RRP £49.99Additional Information - This is the Castle Creations BEC 2.0 BEC Voltage Regulator. The CC BEC 2.0 features heavy duty, dual output wires that will provide clean power to sensitive radio equipment. Castle Link2 can be used to set the output from 4.75 to...CC010-0154-00RRP £49.99 -
Outcry III WEATERPROOF ESC Z-E0113 RC4WD Crawler 2-3S LiPo NiMH BEC 320Amp
RC4WD
MSRP: £52.49RRP £46.99Additional Information - Outcry III Waterproof ESCThis new Outcry II Waterproof ESC features great characteristics for scale trail driving, making it the perfect choice for any scale build!Specifications:Input Voltage: 2-3S Lipo/5-9 Cells NiMHAdvanced...Z-E0113MSRP: £52.49RRP £46.99 -
Hobbywing Quicrun-WP-16BL30 Waterproof Brushless Sensorless ESC HW30110000 RC
Hobbywing
MSRP: £29.99Now: £26.99Was: £27.99Additional Information - HOBBYWING QUICRUN-WP-16BL30 WATERPROOF 30A BRUSHLESS SENSORLESS ESC The QuicRun WP 16BL30 brushless sensorless ESC is specially designed for new beginners and intermediate modelers. This speed controller is applicable to...HW30110000MSRP: £29.99Now: £26.99Was: £27.99 -
Castle Creations Field Link Portable Programmer Programming Card CC6300 Setup
Castle Creations
MSRP: £44.99RRP £37.50Additional Information - Programs your controllers without a computer (mostly). Works as a standard Castle Link USB adapter with your computer. Sometimes you need to make a change in the programming of a Castle controller and you just don't happen to...CC6300MSRP: £44.99RRP £37.50 -
JDModel Earth Digger 4200XL Excavator Earth Dozer Brushed ESC RC4WD VVV-S0011
RC4WD
MSRP: £56.99RRP £39.99Additional Information - Earth Digger 4200XL Brushed ESC Specifications:Input voltage: 7.4-11.1V (3S Lipo)Build in 2A 5V BECBuildin FaisafeContinous current: 40AWhat's Included:1x Earth Digger 4200XL Brushed ESCNotes:Each Earth Digger uses 3 brushed...VVV-S0011MSRP: £56.99RRP £39.99 -
Earth Digger 4200XL High Voltage Brushless ESC 60amp RC4WD VVV-S0009 Excavator
RC4WD
MSRP: £70.99RRP £49.99Additional Information - Earth Digger 4200XL High Voltage Brushless ESC Specifications:Input: 6.4-22.2V (6S lipo)Current limit: 60AWith 5A 5V BEC72mm x 34mm x 13mmLipo Cut-offWarranty period: 30 daysWhat's Included:1x Earth Digger 4200XL High Voltage...VVV-S0009MSRP: £70.99RRP £49.99 -
Small Electronic Rocker Dig 11 MOA Crawler Disconnect System RC4WD Z-E0028
RC4WD
MSRP: £55.49RRP £47.49Additional Information - 1x Electronic Rocker Dig II This is the new Rocker Dig II. it provides a much stronger brake the first version. This has the same features as the first which include F&R Dig with a push of your radios control. This small...Z-E0028MSRP: £55.49RRP £47.49 -
WARN RC4WD Wired Winch Control Unit for 9.5cti Scaler winch wires inc Z-S1089 RC
RC4WD
MSRP: £41.99RRP £34.99Additional Information - RC4WD Wired Winch Control UnitThis is the wired Winch Control Unit offered to allow operation function from your radio and receiver. This will allow you to control a winch with your remotes third channel. Specifications:Receiver ...Z-S1089MSRP: £41.99RRP £34.99