Cap pack wiring?

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
The Bean

The Bean

Very Active Member
Messages
5,621
Reaction score
3,481
Points
498
Location
Weert, NL
Arrma RC's
  1. Notorious
I wanted to get my Noto running again, and saw that somehow I managed to rip out this wire from the cap pack. Am I supposed to solder the black wire next to the red one, or to the other end?

1000044625.webp

Photo for reference
 
Heard they relieve some load from batteries. No real-world benefits, then?
 
They reduce ripple voltage for the ESC and help keep the other components from 🔥. The internal Fets do not take kindly to overvoltage. The capacitors filter out the switching spikes and reduce inductance on the wires to help keep things in check.

On the Firma 150 though, comparison was made to the old BLX185 (which don't have the extra pack) and it seems the additional cap pack was an added capacitance bonus to the old design. Why? Not sure, maybe because they tweaked the design or just wanted the ESC to be more robust. I have seen people run without that pack with no issues.

Me, I would trim the wires a little and re-solder both the "-" and the "+". It does look like the wire broke off on the left side. I think that PCB is just split down the middle for the positive and negative. DC caps are polarity sensitive, don't hook them up backwards. :cool:
 
RCbuzz said:
Me, I would trim the wires a little and re-solder both the "-" and the "+".
Click to expand...
Definitely a good idea, given that the red wire's shielding is already splitting. I'll relocate the cap pack somewhere where it won't be flopping around as much

How much energy is actually stored in these caps? Do I need to discharge them, and if so, how can that be done safely?
 
Last edited:
Very little energy, they are there more for filtering and ▲V. If you are concerned you can discharge them using a resistor. https://www.wikihow.com/Discharge-a-Capacitor

I also like to take a dab of hot glue (or shoe goo) and put it over the soldered area where the wire connects to the PCB (Printed Circuit Board). It keeps the wire from moving back and forth breaking the connections there. Better to have the wires flex where there is insulation (vs. bare wire).
 

RC Builds

Back
Top