Know Better About ESC From 5 Perspectives

Electronic speed control (ESC), which an be divided into brushless motor electronic speed controls and brush motor electronic speed controls, is an indispensable part of the FPV. The following are some basic knowledge about brushless motor electronic speed controls, which is widely uesd compared with  brush motor electronic speed controls, from five perspectives in order to have a better view ahout it.

know better about ESC from 5 perspective

What is the function of  ESC?

• Brushless motor powering

The brushless motors are often powered by 3-phase AC power from the Brushless Electronic speed control systems, such as a variable frequency drive (VFD). In comparison to standard brushed motors, these types of motors are more popular because of their strength, efficiency, light weight, and durability. In comparison to brushed motor controllers, BLDC motor controllers are quite complex.

• Speed controlling

Since this motor’s speed can be altered by altering the voltage on its armature, various speed controllers are required. This type of motor requires a variety of operating guidelines, such as the ability to modify the motor speed by altering the timing of pulses for current supplied to the various motor wingings.

• Battery Eliminate Circuit

Most of the components of the FPV, such as motors, flight control and so on, whose working voltage are the 5-6V, need power supply, while most of the model with the battery voltage is 7.4V (2S) or so. If the  receiver is directly powered with such a high voltage, it will certainly be ruined.

Therefore, the battery voltage needs to be reduced to about 5V in order to come into use. Since the Electronic Speed Control is connected to the battery, it is a good idea to integrate the buck regulator function into the Electronic Speed Control, which is the so-called Electronic Speed Control with BEC (Battery Eliminate Circuit). The ESC with BEC can be directly for the receiver and other power supply.

What do the parameters of ESC mean?

• continuous output current

The maximum input current of the motor cannot be greater than the current that the ESC can output continuously, otherwise it will ruin the Electronic speed control. For example, the motor needs 18A current under full throttle, matching the Electronic speed control continuous output current to be greater than 18A. Taking into account the safety of margin, it is recommended to provide the current which is more than 30%.

18A is recommended to choose 25A-30A continuous output current ESC. If the continuous output current is too high, ESC can not be fully used. Besides, the higher the continuous output current, the more expensive and heavier the ESC.

• Input voltage

the voltage range of the ESC normal operation is not only indicated by the voltage range directly written, but also by the number of battery sections, such as 2-6S lithium batteries, or 5-18 NiMH / NiCd batteries. For instance, the input voltage of MEPS MINI SZ45A 6S 4IN1 ESC For FPV Drones is 3-6S. Ensure that the ESC is within the effective working voltage range when in use.

• BEC output

There are output voltage and matching currents, such as 5.25V/6V, continuous output 7A, and instantaneous output 15A, in addition to the BEC support ESC being printed on the linear or switching. Programming the Electronic Speed Control alters the output voltage.

• Weight

Some company may lab the weight of the ESC with or without wire consciously in order to calculate the total weight more accurately. For example, the weight of the MEPS SPACE SZ60A 6S 4-IN-1 FPV Drone ESC is 9.5g.

Know Better About Brushless ESC From 5 Perspectives

What are the types of  ESC?

• Four-in-one ESChe types of brushless ESC

Each motor of the Multi-axis aircraft need an ESC which has a power input, power output, signal line three groups of lines. The more axes it is, the more lines it will exit, which not only cause wiring trouble but also increase the weight. Four-in-one Electronic speed control set the multiple Electronic Speed Control together and gather the power input into only one group (such as four-axis, can save 6 power input lines and 12 pairs of 24 banana plugs), which can simplify wiring, reduce the plug and weight.

Advantages: easy to install, more stable performance

Disadvantages: the price is higher. If damaged, you have to remove the entire Electronic Speed Control board

• Monoblock ESC

Advantages: It is cheap to repair.

Disadvantages: wiring/installation is more troublesome. The wind resistance of the arm becomes high, and the impact resistance is weak .

How to set the throttle travel  of  ESC?

The motor speed is 0 when the throttle lever is pushed to the lowest, and the motor reaches the highest speed when the throttle is the highest. You must reset the ESC throttle range before using the system for the first time or after changing the remote control. Otherwise, the motor might be spinning even when the throttle lever is at its lowest setting, or it might be running at its maximum speed even when the throttle is not pushed all the way up. Especially for multi-axis aircraft, if the throttle range is not set, the inconsistencies of motor speed may not fly.

Different manufacturers of electronic speed control adjust the throttle range method is different, roughly first open the remote control, pull the throttle to the lowest, then electronic speed control connected to the battery, and so prompt a certain regular sound, the throttle pushed to the highest, to complete the adjustment process.

What is the programming of  ESC?

The majority of Electronic speed controls offer parameter change, or so-called programming, in order to improve Electronic Speed Control performance. Support programming items typically include:

• Brake adjustments: When the throttle is closed without a brake, the motor continues to rotate due to inertia. When the throttle is closed after opening, the motor abruptly comes to a stop. No braking and various brake speeds (extremely rapid, very slow, etc.) can be set via the Electronic Speed Control.
• Battery type: Li-ion or NiMH batteries are recommended for better performance based on battery knowledge.
• Low voltage protection: When the battery is monitored to be below a certain voltage, the Electronic speed control will do the action, such as reducing the power or cutting off the output immediately, to avoid over discharging the battery.
•  Low voltage value setting: choose the battery voltage that causes the voltage protector to take action. To prevent over-discharge and increase battery life, it is advised to adjust this number to optimum battery protection.
• The number of lithium battery sections：It can be manually specified or configured to automatically determine the number of sections. In order to increase safety when the voltage is low, it is advised to manually set the number of battery sections.
  

  Know Better About ESC From 5 Perspectives

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