Max 6 caps overheating faster, any fixes?

[sumguy75]

I've had my Max6 for a little over a year, probably put close to 100 packs through it. Cannot seem to avoid thermal cutoff when I bash lately. Running it my Talion with a 4092 Hobbystar 1480kv with 19/46 gearing on 6s with Backflip LPs. Basicially a lot of dirt bashing at high speeds, no jumping. Previously the only heat issues I had was motor getting too hot. Went to double 40mm fans and dropped from a 21t to a 19t pinion and now the motor doesn't exceed 150, usually in the 130s-140s. The esc is usually in the 120s except the cap packs go to the 180s and cause thermal shutdown. All 3 caps are usually within 5 degrees of each other.

I can make it over halfway through a 6000mah 6s battery before it cuts off. I cool it down to below 90 and try again but the second cutoff happens much faster. Any fixes for this? Would adding a cap pack could keep it cool? Extra fan on the caps? Anything else?

 

[Dan B.]

I've had my Max6 for a little over a year, probably put close to 100 packs through it. Cannot seem to avoid thermal cutoff when I bash lately. Running it my Talion with a 4092 Hobbystar 1480kv with 19/46 gearing on 6s with Backflip LPs. Basicially a lot of dirt bashing at high speeds, no jumping. Previously the only heat issues I had was motor getting too hot. Went to double 40mm fans and dropped from a 21t to a 19t pinion and now the motor doesn't exceed 150, usually in the 130s-140s. The esc is usually in the 120s except the cap packs go to the 180s and cause thermal shutdown. All 3 caps are usually within 5 degrees of each other.

I can make it over halfway through a 6000mah 6s battery before it cuts off. I cool it down to below 90 and try again but the second cutoff happens much faster. Any fixes for this? Would adding a cap pack could keep it cool? Anything else?

Subbed. I do know that caps degrade over time and fail, but I wouldn’t necessarily think that would cause a Max6 to temp out. Perhaps it’s an amp cut, and not a temp cut? Bashing is a lot of on again/off again throttle and brakes, though. Maybe harder on the caps, always charging/discharging to avoid spikes, maybe?
I hope someone chimes in with more experience on this.

 

[Lennart]

I've had my Max6 for a little over a year, probably put close to 100 packs through it. Cannot seem to avoid thermal cutoff when I bash lately. Running it my Talion with a 4092 Hobbystar 1480kv with 19/46 gearing on 6s with Backflip LPs. Basicially a lot of dirt bashing at high speeds, no jumping. Previously the only heat issues I had was motor getting too hot. Went to double 40mm fans and dropped from a 21t to a 19t pinion and now the motor doesn't exceed 150, usually in the 130s-140s. The esc is usually in the 120s except the cap packs go to the 180s and cause thermal shutdown. All 3 caps are usually within 5 degrees of each other.

I can make it over halfway through a 6000mah 6s battery before it cuts off. I cool it down to below 90 and try again but the second cutoff happens much faster. Any fixes for this? Would adding a cap pack could keep it cool? Extra fan on the caps? Anything else?

I think caps wear out over time... And I think adding caps will make the 3 on board run cooler.

you can read about hot capacitors here
https://oscarliang.com/capacitors-mini-quad/#Capacitor-Gets-Hot-After-Flight
you could just add a fan or 35v low esr capacitors (should be better for the electronics) to keep them cool

 

[SrC]

I've had my Max6 for a little over a year, probably put close to 100 packs through it. Cannot seem to avoid thermal cutoff when I bash lately. Running it my Talion with a 4092 Hobbystar 1480kv with 19/46 gearing on 6s with Backflip LPs. Basicially a lot of dirt bashing at high speeds, no jumping. Previously the only heat issues I had was motor getting too hot. Went to double 40mm fans and dropped from a 21t to a 19t pinion and now the motor doesn't exceed 150, usually in the 130s-140s. The esc is usually in the 120s except the cap packs go to the 180s and cause thermal shutdown. All 3 caps are usually within 5 degrees of each other.

I can make it over halfway through a 6000mah 6s battery before it cuts off. I cool it down to below 90 and try again but the second cutoff happens much faster. Any fixes for this? Would adding a cap pack could keep it cool? Extra fan on the caps? Anything else?

180F's is rather high for caps. 130F at most, give or take, with all my caps at most. And I consider that high enough. Are you running an Aux cap pack? Might want to consider that as a try. And like stated above post, Caps don't last forever, unfortunately. It's also possible the Max6 is just tired by now. IDK. ESC's don't last forever.
100 plus runs is some good mileage there , especially if pushed hard. ESC's go thru hell and back. Some last longer than others. But they just don't last forever.
Try a new Aux Cap pack, evaluate from there, see what happens, and just keep rolling until...... What I would do.
Have you tried 8s with that 1480kv 4092 motor before?
1480kv seems a bit too low of a kv, possibly borderline for 6s running. I could be wrong. What first came to my mind at least.

 

[Garcbomber]

Are you sure it’s not a degraded Lipo cell causing LVC or high resistance in battery to esc/motor connections? Check all bearings and the drivetrain for excessive drag.

I would upgrade the esc fan regardless. I also have run thermal protection at the higher setting 257* on a max 8 application, but a 4092 talion should not create that much draw heat to thermal a Max 6.

 

[SrC]

+1
You think 1480kv is better suited for 8s packs? I think with 6s packs, it may be borderline. 6s may be struggling with 1480kv. And 92mm long can motors have much torque.

 

[RCbuzz]

100 Packs! Awesome! That is some mileage and I bet the caps are tired.

Ripple voltage and current puts wear and tear on the caps and causes heat.

I would definitely try an external cap pack and see if that helps out.

You might see more mileage out of that esc yet .

 

[jkflow]

You shouldn't have any heat issues on your motor with a 1480kV to be honest.
I always had thermal shutdown with my Max6, regardless of fan or motor, never liked that ESC.
Yes, caps degrade and especially if they run hot.
Add some caps in parallel, i.e. add a cap pack, that is the only thing that will help you with those temps.

Make sure you are diagnosing your shutdown correctly, look at the LED blink code.

I assume you have checked your bearings for any binding.

 

[slick2500]

Not sure if it helps but Hobbywing will give you $50 off a new esc if you send the old one back in. Could get yourself a Max6 G2

 

[sumguy75]

Its the green single blinking led, so definitely thermal.

Are you sure it’s not a degraded Lipo cell causing LVC or high resistance in battery to esc/motor connections? Check all bearings and the drivetrain for excessive drag.

I would upgrade the esc fan regardless. I also have run thermal protection at the higher setting 257* on a max 8 application, but a 4092 talion should not create that much draw heat to thermal a Max 6.

This might be something to look at. I have a 6s pack that one cell has required charging at a slow rate to keep it near balanced. Also a little suspicious of the other 6s battery positive connector, the factory soldering job by Hoovo looks a little suspect to me. Its a newer battery that I haven't run much, will be replacing the connector today. Will run it with a new connector on the new battery tomorrow, that should help me rule out battery issues first. If that doesn't help I'll try adding a cap pack to see how it does.
Didn't know enough about motors when I bought the 4092 or I would have gotten the next higher kv. Next time rcjuice has a sale I want to grab the 1780kv 4092.

Had no idea HW offers $50 for sending the old esc back in, if the cap pack doesn't help enough, that's the route I'll go for a new Max6.

 

[slick2500]

Its the green single blinking led, so definitely thermal.

This might be something to look at. I have a 6s pack that one cell has required charging at a slow rate to keep it near balanced. Also a little suspicious of the other 6s battery positive connector, the factory soldering job by Hoovo looks a little suspect to me. Its a newer battery that I haven't run much, will be replacing the connector today. Will run it with a new connector on the new battery tomorrow, that should help me rule out battery issues first. If that doesn't help I'll try adding a cap pack to see how it does.
Didn't know enough about motors when I bought the 4092 or I would have gotten the next higher kv. Next time rcjuice has a sale I want to grab the 1780kv 4092.

Had no idea HW offers $50 for sending the old esc back in, if the cap pack doesn't help enough, that's the route I'll go for a new Max6.

Castle does the same thing. It does depend on what esc too, they won't give you $50 off if you send in a 16BL30.