Hobbywing1080 Drag Brake Question

[RichardA]

Hi, Advice required please, I have just changed the stock XL5HV ESC for a Hobbywing 1080. I am still running the stock Titan 21T motor and it's probably done about 30-40 hrs now mostly in the dry but on the odd occasion its been up to the windscreen in fresh water / sludgey mud. I've always cleaned it and oiled it afterwards and it seems to run the same as it was new. I bought the 1080 mainly because of the supposedly improved drag brake and improved crawl speed, however it is still creeping down 45 degree slopes and not holding. I haven't changed any of the programmable settings yet but the max. brake force is set at 100%, initial brake force 0%, drag brake 100%, drag brake rate Level 4. Is the creeping caused because the settings need altering, or could it be the motor on the way out or just not very good at drag braking?

 

[amigaman]

The ESC brakes by shorting the motor, so you could try disconnecting the motor wires from the ESC and shorting them.
If the truck still rolls, it's the gearing: you have the fast gear active and/or need to change the pinion & spur to make the car slower.
If it's not rolling on that hill then you have a broken ESC. Or you could try increase the drag rate, but on stopping from faster travel it may make the truck do a flip.

 

[Rinanode]

Good question, Richard. I'm no electronics expert but to amiga's point, one of my rigs is very easy to push along the workbench when the power is off. Another, I need to push down and hard to the point where I fear I might break something. I think you know which will and will not stay put on steep slopes when I take my finger off the trigger. I've gotten used to both behaviours, and appreciate them both for what they are.

As for muck and water, in my experience, you don't have to worry about either, where the 1080 is concerned. Just be careful not to snap off any of the three programming port pins, or you will be forced to modify your settings (if need be) the tedious old fashioned way.

Lastly, muck WILL wreck your motor, so be sure to flush the inside clean using the method of your choice. My motors are non-serviceable, so I unmount them with the leads still connected and run them back and forth in a jar of tap water. Distilled is even better.

+1

 

[RichardA]

Hi guys, thanks for the replies much appreciated.
I tried the 'shorting the motor test' (in low gear - hardly ever use high gear apart from getting to where i'm going) and it does still roll slowly so think the ESC is fine. The gearing in low on the TRX4 is quite low anyway but i can drop the pinion to 9T to try. I suspect it's probably the weight of the truck also, it weighs 13lbs (5.9kg)! I have ordered the budget holmes hobby trailmaster sport 21T and also a couple of cheap chinese motors (a Surpass 5 slot 27T and a 20T -$12 each) to try and see if different motors behave differently.
Also, thanks for the tip to clean the motor using distilled water, as I understand it I just drop the motor into a cup of distilled water and run it forwards and backwards for a short while, then presumably run it for 5 mins out of the water to dry it out?

 

[hobbyjumper]

Yup, except I don't run it to dry it out. I just put a drop of light oil on the commutator end. Look for bits of crap floating in the water before you dump it, and feel good about yourself.

Also, thanks for the tip to clean the motor using distilled water, as I understand it I just drop the motor into a cup of distilled water and run it forwards and backwards for a short while, then presumably run it for 5 mins out of the water to dry it out?