brushed ESC's- new vs old old tech

[GoMachV]

One thing I haven't seen much talk about is the modern brushed esc technology vs the end of the brushed era high end speed controls. I wonder what the effeciency and "feel" of a modern brushed esc is like vs say a Cyclone or Tempest. It seems like the last hold out for what I would consider a high end brushed esc is possibly Tekin with their FX? Ive been tempted to try the Orca speed control but waiting for v2 stock in the USA. Should I just be reaching into the old bin of electronics for a better speed control or does the new tech level the field a bit?

[Frankentruck]

I have an Orca in my rere Turbo Optima. There are a lot of ESC settings to fiddle with. Frequency, punch, drag, linear, exponential, lunch menu, etc. I just have to know what I want, which is full power all the time. I like dumb older ESCs but the lipo cutoff thing is pushing me to newer ESCs.

I bought a 2nd Orca for my TT02R but haven't installed it yet. That car might really benefit from all the settings to limit my spinouts.

[RogueIV]

I've been trying out a Hobbywing Quicrun 1080 G2 and it's been pretty good so far. It's setup for crawling out of the box but there's a bunch of settings there that make it pretty good for racing too. Pic of my program card sticker to show the settings. It's definitely better than the cheaper 1060 units.

[juicedcoupe]

I have a Holmes that is nice. But if you want more than basic adjustments, you have to buy the Castle Link stuff.

For ease of adjustments, the 1080 is my favorite. Preferably the V1.

I also have some Spektrum esc's that I bought late last year but I haven't had time to really mess with them.

Some of the high-end Tekin brushless models are also brushed compatible. Some other brands may be as well (besides Tamiya).

[scr8p]

The only car I race with a brushed motor is my Manta Ray. I use an LRP QC2 in that.

The Hobbywing seems to be a popular choice. So if I ever need another, I'll probably go that route.

[JosephS]

I have a Holmes that is nice. But if you want more than basic adjustments, you have to buy the Castle Link stuff.

For ease of adjustments, the 1080 is my favorite. Preferably the V1.

I also have some Spektrum esc's that I bought late last year but I haven't had time to really mess with them.

Some of the high-end Tekin brushless models are also brushed compatible. Some other brands may be as well (besides Tamiya).

My personal experience is that the older Novak controllers(super rooster) are 'easier' than the Spektrum I had on brushed equipment. Even after changing settings around, I just didn't feel 'right.' My only other modern brushed controller is a Hobbywing 1060 that just didn't give me any issue.

[juicedcoupe]

My personal experience is that the older Novak controllers(super rooster) are 'easier' than the Spektrum I had on brushed equipment. Even after changing settings around, I just didn't feel 'right.' My only other modern brushed controller is a Hobbywing 1060 that just didn't give me any issue.

Most reversible esc's fall short of a Super Rooster. That thing is a beast. Even the standard Rooster is a great esc. Probably not a fair comparison, considering the price difference (especially with inflation).

My experience has been that many lower amperage modern esc's (40-60 amp) just lack "punch" when used with hotter motors or in heavy load applications. Even the 1060 is known for going into limp mode in some applications.

By the time you get to the heavier 70-80 amp versions, it seems to be a little better. Probably not Super Rooster good but still better.

[Dadio]

Got to agree my Super Rooster just feels better than eny modern brushed ESC but I don't have any high end modern stuff to compare it too .

[GoMachV]

Just for grins I ordered up an Orca, its not the V2 but for $47 including the programmer it seemed like a bargain. Ill order up a 1080 as well, got plenty of 1060s around. Id like to do some experimenting to see how they all compare. There is a part of me thinking the raw power handling and effeciency of a tempest or cyclone would be superior, but at the same time with modern fets (assuming we are still using fets? never see heatsinks anymore...different package?) it makes me wonder if the new stuff is actually better than a 29 year old Novak.

And to clarify- by better I don't just mean the tuning- I mean efficiency, power handling, smoothness, etc. The whole she-bang

[RogueIV]

Just for grins I ordered up an Orca, its not the V2 but for $47 including the programmer it seemed like a bargain. Ill order up a 1080 as well, got plenty of 1060s around. Id like to do some experimenting to see how they all compare. There is a part of me thinking the raw power handling and effeciency of a tempest or cyclone would be superior, but at the same time with modern fets (assuming we are still using fets? never see heatsinks anymore...different package?) it makes me wonder if the new stuff is actually better than a 29 year old Novak.

And to clarify- by better I don't just mean the tuning- I mean efficiency, power handling, smoothness, etc. The whole she-bang

I hear ya, I use the Cyclones and GT7 in a few of my cars, and they are fantastic but also I know they have a finite life, sooner of later something is going to go wrong with them. But also I hate having to swap electronics around constantly since me fleet is ever growing.

For more punch adding a external cap might be helpful too.

[juicedcoupe]

For more punch adding a external cap might be helpful too.

This is the 1060 in my E-GT conversion, with a three cap bank on the battery side. With a 12T 550 motor ( Arrma in the pic, open endbell Spektrum now), it has never had any problems.

I considered a single larger cap like Novak and Tekin used but that one was cheap enough and narrower.

[RCveteran]

I wonder how long before Fusion style ESC / Motors become the thing in cars too. In my yard bashers they work fine in buggies and once I put one in my crawler the days of the "hobbywing 1080 is best" were dead to me

[Dangeruss]

I wonder how long before Fusion style ESC / Motors become the thing in cars too.

Been wondering that for a long time now. They locked everyone into single brand radio gear when everything went 2.4GHz so, why not motors and ESC's too. Or take it one step further and think about an RTR with the ESC's & receiver's built into the motor. Zero wiring. Plug & Play. Forced brand loyalty.

Who? Me? Bitter?

Obviously...

[RCveteran]

Well the motor and esc is already one in all the Hobbywing Fusion. In crawlers they are hands down the winner. I am shocked how smooth they are. The ability for it to hold speed when it encounters obstacles without additional trigger input is very cool for that world. The Fusion SE series is like $80 for a brushless/motor esc that is programmable. Hard to argue with the value.

I also have a Spektrum ESC/Recveiver combo in one of my Axial RTR's as well and frankly it works just fine and is a great idea for 99% of people who don't care. I'd say all 3 in one is inevitable at this point.

But I think first step will be the racce ESC/Motor combo. I have run one in a basher and it does just fine, they just don't make one quite fast enough for racing yet, but they will soon I do believe.

[terry.sc]

I wonder how long before Fusion style ESC / Motors become the thing in cars too. In my yard bashers they work fine in buggies and once I put one in my crawler the days of the "hobbywing 1080 is best" were dead to me

Already been and gone, The Team Orion dDrive https://www.bigsquidrc.com/team-orion-ddrive-2-n-1-brushless-power-system/
Kyosho even sold some RTR models with it built in. Didn't take off, presumably because Team Orion are at premium prices and here's not really a market for them outside of coming with RTRs and no doubt car manufacturers got a better deal for bulk buying from Hobbywing than Orion. You've also got to include the extra length for the motor can in the design.