matt1977

Hello,

I know that there are ESC's designed specifically for brushed motors, and there are ESC's designed specifically for brushless motors. And, there are even ESC's that will work for both...


My question is,

Will an ESC designed for a LiPo battery work with a Nicad or NimH battery?

Or are there ESC's designed specifically for LiPO's because of the voltage difference, . (3.7V vs 1.2V), and the fact that LiPos must have a low cut off to prevent damaging the battery.



I guess my questions is, can an ESC made for a LiPO battery be used with a NiCad or Nihm battery?

ozrcboy

Hi Matt,

Seems you pretty much know the answer to your question. Yes - it is about LVC (Low Voltage Cutout).

To protect your LiPos your ESC should shutdown the motor when there is around 3.2v/cell left. With NiMh/NiCad it is safe to run them down to just about any voltage. Instead, the power is cut to ensure that enough power remains to drive the servos.

If you use them carefully a non "LiPo" ESC could be used safely by just making sure you land well inside the endurance of the battery.

Dsegal

> And, there are even ESC's that will work for both... <

That seems an unlikely device.

matt1977

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXJJG0


I think it's kinda weird too. Not sure why you would need the capability to do both, unless you just wanted to switch it around in different planes or something.

Dsegal

That is not an aircraft ESC. It has a 200 amp rating (good for arc welding) and reverse. Seen anyone flying in reverse lately? (G)

pdm52956

My Feedback: (1)

Electrifly SS-45D is the ESC I have in my Electristar. It will handle Nicd, Nimh and Lipo. At least I know it will do the Mimh and Lipo.

Paul

-pkh-

My Feedback: (2)

There are many ESCs with programmable LVC voltages, the Castle Creations Phoenix line of ESCs is one example. The capability to do both NiMH and LiPo is there so guys running either battery type can buy the ESC and use it. It's also nice to have the programmable LVC so you can reuse an ESC in another plane, or upgrade an existing plane from NiMH to LiPo.

matt1977

Thanks for the replies guy! It's nice to have helpful people on the forums.

I wonder how long it will take before NiMH and NiCad's are obsolete dinosaurs...

5 years you think?

Sir Raleigh

Actually I have, but it wasn't done with a reversible ESC but with a variable pitch prop.