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alternatives:
http://www.robotbits.co.uk/motor-driver ... od_62.html - this would also handle 4 motors
http://www.dimensionengineering.com/Sab ... 2X12RC.htm -unfortunately i don't think you can get this in england at the moment
http://www.roboteq.com/brushed-dc-motor ... oller.html -again can't find in uk
would a sabertooth 10a be usable for 2 motors?
No. Tried that a while back and with additional heatsinking on the unit it still went up in smoke
so this would not be usable?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ESC-15A-RC-Brushe ... 1100332684
No. For several reasons.
- Max input voltage is below 12v (you'll see smoke if you put 12v through it)
- Max current is 15A.....looking at the unit and the size of it and the wiring these are what I like to call hobby amps, not real amps. Basically these cheap chinese knock off speed controllers will give you current handling ratings far higher than they could actually ever deliver. Imagine buying a car and being told it could go 250mph.....brilliant!.....and it cost only 5 grand.....even better!.....except they don't tell you that the test was carried out in a tunnel with a vacuum (no air resistance), ie a situation you would never come across. Extreme example but hopefully it gets the message across.
There are tried and tested speed controllers that have ran in hundreds of machines and been well battle proven. I would highly recommend you buy one of these as you will spend many more hours of pain and cursing as you blow up yet another cheap controller. Spend a bit more cash in the short term and you will save a huge amount over the long term.
ok, which type of 15a electronize esc would i need?
You would require at a minimum two FR15HX controllers (one for each motor) however if you were to buy one FR15HVR and one FR15HX you would be able to provide power to your receiver without the need for an additional battery pack.
The FR15HVR has what is known as a battery eliminator circuit (BEC). A standard radio receiver requires a 4.8V supply to operate. This is obviously a lot lower than the 12v main battery pack you will use to power the rest of the machine. You therefore have three options.
- Buy a second smaller battery pack specifically for the receiver
- Use a speed controller with an integrated BEC
- Use a seperate BEC
The BEC takes the 12V input to the speed controller and is able to, along with controlling the motor, drop the 12v down to 4.8V to also provide a supply to the receiver through the connector that you plug into the receiver (the red, black and white wires coming out the speed controller).
so, basiclly, buy one FR15HVR and one FR15HX?
that's what i would advise. i've used a fair number of controls in featherweights and always come back to the electronize for their ease of use and reliability.
so, about £70 for esc's, and about £50 for transmitor and reciver?