SCX24 ESC Blinking Red, No Power to Motor

[Timotheus]

All,
Just bought a SCX24 (yellow Jeep) and my son didn't get through the first battery before the vehicle just stopped. I have steering and lights, but no power, AND, the ESC is blinking red. My boy is majorly bummed. We decided to go hobby-grade because the cheap RC stuff kept breaking on us. So I spent tons more to get quality, and I cant even get that.

And, oh yeah, I tried to charge the battery to see if it just hit low voltage cut off and it I get the blinky red lights on the charger, ugh.

Your thoughts on the blinking ESC? Motor, probably?

 

[MintBobcat]

I'm a newbie, but here are some guesses:
1. The battery when it arrived was probably at a storage charge, meaning it had some charge, but not a full charge for running.
2. The USB battery charger that comes with it (I'm assuming you got an Axial?) is supposedly crap. Also LiPo batteries (assuming you are using LiPo...maybe you aren't?) can be dangerous, so it would be worth it to watch some videos on LiPo batteries and charging. It will help your batteries last longer and prevent them from catching on fire.
3. Have two batteries. One charged and ready to run. The other then can charge. We seem to be getting about 1.5 hours of run time and about 1+ hour to charge with our charger.
4. Buy a better charger than the USB one the Jeep came with. We got the following from Horizon Hobby, but you can certainly get fancier/better:
-- Adapter: IC3 Battery / JST PH2.0 Device SPMXCA309
-- LiPo Charge Protection Bag, Small DYN1400
-- Passport P1 mini-AC Input Balance Charger/Discharger DYNC3015
-- 7.4v 350mAh 2S LiPo Battery: PH 2.0 DYNB0012 (extra battery)

 

[Mr_Wolf_Is_Innocent]

Battery low warning on esc, charge it up as above.


Element Sendero 1/10. Crawler/Trailer,scale Apocalypse.
TRX4 Sport 1/10. Go everywhere no holds barred Build.
Scx24 crc. Crawler 1/24.
Wltoys a212. Shortcourse 1/24.
Wltoys k969. Drifty 1/28

 

[Natedog]

Battery low warning on esc, charge it up as above.

x2, but best first upgrade is an adjustable AC/DC peak charger and make/buy an adapter plug to charge it. "thumbsup"

 

[SF RC24]

Congratualations on your new hobby grade RC. It does not sound as though you have a problem with your SCX24. You should get plenty of run time on a fully charged LiPo. Unlike AA batteries, LiPo's are not shipped fully charged for safety reasons. LiPo's should only be fully charged when you are about to use them as they can catch fire. Keeping fully charged Lipo's in storage will also kill the life of a LiPo. The first sign of a receiver going into LVC mode (low voltage cutoff) is Power to lights and servo but does not drive. The second sign is the flashing light on the receiver. The third sign, the flashing red light on your charger, which indicates it is charging. Green means it is charged, as indicated in your manual. Charge the battery and get a spare.

As for the charger. You don't really need to upgrade to a more expensive charger for these trucks. If you do, you would need to probably make your own lead or adapter, but I dont think I would worry about it unless you decide to get more hobby grade RC's. If you had a 1/10 scale car with say a 5000mAh battery or maybe a higher cell count, then you defintiely need a better charger with a higher wattage rating. However, as labeled on this battery, the max charge is 0.35 amps, this battery would only peak at 3 watts. By comparison, a 5000mAh 2s Lipo could peak at 42 watts as it nears full charge. A standard 50watt charger can charge that type of battery in a decent time. A USB charger would have to drop to such a loww amp at full charge that it would take forever to top off. But this batteries 3 watts max is not a problem. Most USB fast chargers are rated around 5-10 watts. Just get a spare battery or two to charge while you use the others. But do yourself a favor. Get a LiPo charge bag to charge in. And I'd suggest a cheap ammo box to keep Lipo batteries in. Just cut out the seals in the corners to help vent the box. Even when done properly, Lipo's can fail and catch fire.

Good luck and enjoy!

 

[Timotheus]

Thanks for all the replies.

I bought a new charger and things have been good with the Jeep. But, today with a fresh charge the motor doesn't want to do much. I get no power from a standstill, but if I pick the truck up and help give the wheels a bit of encouragement then I get some drive. I can put it on the ground while the wheels are spinning and it will continue moving, but if I stop and give it power again, it wont do a thing power wise. I have power to the steering servo and LED's. I need to take a voltage reading on the battery to see if it is the culprit, but I dont think so because I don't believe I'm hitting LVC. I hope it's the motor because they are cheap. And I sincerely hope this isn't just the "experience" of owning this product.