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Andrewcrofts

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Arrma RC's
  1. Senton 6s
I hope the forum can throw a little light on my problem. I've searched the other threads and there are so many different opinions it's confusing me now...

My issue is this...

Arrma Kraton V3 with the tactic radio system fitted from stock. Out playing in the snow with my son this evening and all was good until the car slowed down as if the battery had dropped into low voltage. No worries I thought, I'll swap it even though the run time was less than usual which I put down to the cold. Swapped the battery out and got a constant red flashing led on the ESC with no throttle or steering. Took the truck in doors to warm up a little, swapped the TX batteries just in case and tried a different battery. Still no joy, same light and nothing else. I have removed the ESC and stripped the fan off to check for damage to the wires etc but all appears fine. The receiver box was dry when opened up so I doubt its water ingress in there. When I switch the power on to the ESC with the program button pressed, it will go into reset but doesn't seem to do anything else and the red light is back. It will go into program mode and cycle through the different settings from the reset button. The motor is 'twitching as it should when in this mode and its giving the auditable beeps. There is no light on the reciever but its so long since I've been in the box I don't remember if there should be one on or not. I've tried to re-bind it, but again nothing.

I have so far read it could be several different things including the BEC which has gone down, the power switch which could be faulty, the motor and servo could have blown together (which i doubt very much) and one guy said to hit the ESC with a wrench on the bottom to free something inside!

As you can imagine, I'm very frustrated and at a loss what to do next. I have never had a fault with my rug since I purchased it years ago so this has baffled me as its been in rivers, wet grass and deep mud in the past without issue. Have I bricked the ESC? If so, will a newer one go straight on the truck? Could it be the reciever thats popped and not sending/recieving a signal?

The ESC is currently on the radiator drying out overnight incase its let any water in, but I'm not holding out that this will sort it.
Any ideas or clues as to what could be the problem would be greatly recieved.

On the same note, my sons Big Rock which he was running at the same time was fine until he hot indoors and it showed the exact same problem.....spooky or what!!
Thanks in advance and keep safe out there, these are serious times we are in.😜
 
I had a similar issue with my BLX185 after 1 year of ownership - single flashing green light, although I don't think my failure was related to getting it wet as far as I know (it failed after a long, dusty summer). Single red flash light is LVC... flashing green light is thermal protection.

Mine just suddenly died when my battery voltage dipped (was running a voltage alarm), and suddenly no throttle response. It also killed the receiver, so I'm guessing there was a surge on the BEC circuit. Replaced the receiver and it seemed to be working fine. However, after a few packs, it went into some mode where it flashed green 4 times (which I recovered), but now stops after 10-30 seconds and indicates a thermal shutdown... even if the vehicle is just sitting idle (but turned on).

Horizon warrantied the ESC, but I'm not too thrilled at the prospect of having to buy a new one each year, so I'm hoping I just got unlucky with a bad batch.
 
I had a similar issue with my BLX185 after 1 year of ownership - single flashing green light, although I don't think my failure was related to getting it wet as far as I know (it failed after a long, dusty summer). Single red flash light is LVC... flashing green light is thermal protection.

Mine just suddenly died when my battery voltage dipped (was running a voltage alarm), and suddenly no throttle response. It also killed the receiver, so I'm guessing there was a surge on the BEC circuit. Replaced the receiver and it seemed to be working fine. However, after a few packs, it went into some mode where it flashed green 4 times (which I recovered), but now stops after 10-30 seconds and indicates a thermal shutdown... even if the vehicle is just sitting idle (but turned on).

Horizon warrantied the ESC, but I'm not too thrilled at the prospect of having to buy a new one each year, so I'm hoping I just got unlucky with a bad batch.
Thanks for that, at least I know its LVC now. Not had chance to swap the reciever yet but that's next on my list to do...
Keep safe.
 
Red blinking ESC means that the RX is not talking to the TX.

Unplug the servo and see if it acts normal. Many reported these symptoms with a bad servo.

Bang that friend over the head who suggested the 'hammer on ESC method', use a fluffy pillow on his head though ;)
There is nothing loose in an ESC that can be cured.

My guess, either servo or running in water/snow finally got to your ESC, RC is also a possibility. If you have spare components swap them out.

Might try a simple rebind as well, without servo plugged in.
 
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Red blinking ESC means that the RX is not talking to the TX.

Unplug the servo and see if it acts normal. Many reported these symptoms with a bad servo.

Bang that friend over the head who suggested the 'hammer on ESC method', use a fluffy pillow on his head though ;)
There is nothing loose in an ESC that can be cured.

My guess, either servo or running in water/snow finally got to your ESC, RC is also a possibility. If you have spare components swap them out.

Might try a simple rebind as well, without servo plugged in.
Thanks for that, I'll give it a try when I finally finish work. I have spare servo's and rc system kicking about so hopefully I can get away without shelling out for a new ESC. If it turns out to be the ESC to be dead, can you recommend a good replacement? I've looked at the max8 which seem reasonable for the money but I don't want to be having to swapping it out on a regular basis...
 
Thanks for that, I'll give it a try when I finally finish work. I have spare servo's and rc system kicking about so hopefully I can get away without shelling out for a new ESC. If it turns out to be the ESC to be dead, can you recommend a good replacement? I've looked at the max8 which seem reasonable for the money but I don't want to be having to swapping it out on a regular basis...
If you're on a budget, you may be interested in this discussion https://www.arrmaforum.com/threads/esc-opinion-knock-off-or-real-deal.32075/
 
If you're on a budget, you may be interested in this discussion https://www.arrmaforum.com/threads/esc-opinion-knock-off-or-real-deal.32075/
Interesting post..... I'm not sure I'd be 100% confident though. There is far too much knock off stuff available these days. At least if you shop at the LHS you have the backing of being able to return it if it develops a fault whilst under warranty. But then again it's twice the price so maybe the risk might outway the extra cost.....food for thought I suppose. I'm hoping its not the ESC in the first instance then I won't have to worry about fakes and cost......fingers crossed.
 
Interesting post..... I'm not sure I'd be 100% confident though. There is far too much knock off stuff available these days. At least if you shop at the LHS you have the backing of being able to return it if it develops a fault whilst under warranty. But then again it's twice the price so maybe the risk might outway the extra cost.....food for thought I suppose. I'm hoping its not the ESC in the first instance then I won't have to worry about fakes and cost......fingers crossed.
I thought so too, but a number of users have done the same and claim they have had no issues (apparently they are the same design, made with the same parts). For $50 CAD for a max10 (upgrading a mega to 3S), I figure it was worth a try
 
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You should be aware of JennyRC if you are on a budget or in general.

https://jennysrc.com/
I have used jennys before but being based in the UK it can work out fairly expensive after shipping and import taxes etc have been added. I'm not aware of any UK resellers like jennys who break and sell the parts, but if anyone knows different let me know so I can check them out.
 
There are kit breakers in the UK as well, no idea you were living on an island :p
SMax8 is the equivalent Hobbywing i.e. you have the same just pay more and a couple program options you most likely will never use.
Max6 gives you the potential to run 8S, if you ever desire to gear up.
Honestly, stock ESC is underrated and deserves more credit.
 
Thanks for that, and actually I do live on an island!!🤣 I've only ever really used my local shop or mail order for bits as I've broken them but never needed that much after my initial upgrades from new.
As for the truck......
I've had chance to get it on the bench again and try some of the suggestions made on here. Luckily I had a spare reciever for my FS nb4 which I use on the crawlers so tried that and its worked a treat!!
When I first connected everything up the rig stuttered a little but after a couple of seconds at very low throttle it all settled nicely. By fitting the NB4 I now also have the expo settings and all the other goodies it offers so a bit of a bonus really.
Thanks to all who have given me the help they have, it's very much appreciated.
On a similar note, we checked my son's reciever too and that had the same issue so he is hunting down a tactic unit to keep it stock. Lesson learnt, don't play in the snow without sealing the reciever box first!
Cheers and keep safe....
 
Thanks for that, and actually I do live on an island!!🤣 I've only ever really used my local shop or mail order for bits as I've broken them but never needed that much after my initial upgrades from new.
As for the truck......
I've had chance to get it on the bench again and try some of the suggestions made on here. Luckily I had a spare reciever for my FS nb4 which I use on the crawlers so tried that and its worked a treat!!
When I first connected everything up the rig stuttered a little but after a couple of seconds at very low throttle it all settled nicely. By fitting the NB4 I now also have the expo settings and all the other goodies it offers so a bit of a bonus really.
Thanks to all who have given me the help they have, it's very much appreciated.
On a similar note, we checked my son's reciever too and that had the same issue so he is hunting down a tactic unit to keep it stock. Lesson learnt, don't play in the snow without sealing the reciever box first!
Cheers and keep safe....
Glad you sorted it out! This really is the best forum on the internets!
 
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