How to Solder an ESC to a Motor - Remote Controlled Vehicles

[@TheRCNetwork]

Thanks for the great comments! The HD is awesome. It runs a bit cooler, seems smoother and has some extra torque over the 4600. I liked it so much, I bought 2!

[@FeeneyFam1]

thanks so much. soldering is the bane of my existence. just can't seem to get it right, but after watching this, I think I now know several things I have been doing wrong.

[@TheRCNetwork]

+Ryan Feeney Three keys to soldering: 1. TrakPower soldering iron 2. Lead based solder 3. Lots and Lots of practice!

[@FeeneyFam1]

+The RCNetwork How much does flux come into the picture? -Ive heard others swear by it, but I didn't see it here.

[@TheRCNetwork]

+Ryan Feeney I use a solder with a flux core. Plenty for what we're doing

[@johnnydavis8489]

I ordered my TK-950 today. Thank you for your great reviews and builds. Greetings from South Carolina !

[@kman16jr]

Man your vids are so imformative,im definately going to recommend people to your channel,keep up the awesome videos man!

[@nevertolatetorc8948]

Thanks for a great video tutorial. I needed to learn how to solder my new motor and ESC so I go to your channel first and hit your search button and whalla I learn how to do it. Even if it is from 4 years ago it is like yesterday to me. Thank you.

[@TheRCNetwork]

Glad to help....This was one of my first detailed tutorials....Thanks again for watching!

[@steveg3593]

Great video, as your usually are. I have my 1st Tekin setup coming for my new Mugen MBX-7T ECO Truggy I'm putting together and now I feel much more confident about the soldering and install. Thanks!

[@TheRCNetwork]

Nice! The Tekin stuff is worlds better than most on the market. Glad to help out

[@Hotrodclint]

You're making me want ship my truck to you and let you solder it up! I cannot wait to take out my rx8 gen2/pro4hd setup for a test drive too.

[@rcmaniac-basherrc]

Thanks for putting this Video up. Thats what makes your Channel so Awesome - You listen to suggestions.

[@TheRCNetwork]

Thanks for the great comments! Welcome to the RCNetwork!

[@rcmaniac-basherrc]

That's what makes your Channel so Awesome. I do the same and reply to all my Subscribers right away. Keep em coming!

[@TheRCNetwork]

Good tip on the switch, I haven't had an issue, but just like having the switch in a position to whee I can get to it with the body on. Also, thanks for the idea on the horn. I ended up not using the TLR22 and just using the stock for now. I have an email into the Tekno Team to see what's working.

[@TheRCNetwork]

This Trak Power TK-950 has made solding FUN!

[@TheRCNetwork]

Thanks, I appreciate the great comments!

[@TheRCNetwork]

I ran the SCTE for about a year. I did every possible upgrade to the truck including MIP, KH, Bump, TLR, etc. It is a great truck, but has it's weaknesses (like every truck). Losi never intended for people to race the SCTE as it was just a bash truck (not having the TLR name). With the 2.0, they addressed the weight, weight biasand gave it the needed upgrades in the pack. Still there's issues with the driveline wobble and the steering. to be cont...

[@TheRCNetwork]

The 950 makes soldering fun! Thanks again!

[@TheRCNetwork]

That's Randy Pike, Team Tekin Manager, and I went over the same tip in my video

[@a-1430]

Hi, new to the rc game well the big game lol, nice video I watch all your videos since I started in the rc game and yours is my favorite for information! Also from watch your channel I went out and bought a mt410 for Christmas. Thanks man keep up the good work.👍😃

[@TheRCNetwork]

Nice! The MT410 is amazing! Great choice

[@nighthawkj30A4]

I bought my Tekin RSX Pro and new weller soldering station. Going to solder it up this weekend.

[@TheRCNetwork]

Goode deal! Happy soldering!

[@TheRCNetwork]

The Tekno was designed to race. It has been bred from their 1/8th scale, so many parts of the driveline are from the EB48. The steering is rock solid (there's ZERO play!!) and the drive line is as straight as an arrow. The Tekno also needs no upgrades out of the box. It really was a night and day difference, at least for me. with box stock set up, at my local track, I took a second off my lap times on my first outing. The only negative on the Tekno is that it's heavy (mine's at 6.85lbs)...

[@JDsSportsRoom]

Great video like your channel and recently subscribed. The sponge is ok for the tip you just need to start tinning it. Always have a little bit of solder on your tip, before you solder a joint wipe tip on brush then add a little bit of solder to each side of your tip, makes soldering the joint easier also. Then its real important to put a good amount of solder on your tip when your done and shutting it off. Your tip is discolored and will ruin quickly because its being exposed to oxygen, tinning it will protect it and when u swipe it on your sponge it should be a shiny silver, thanks for the great videos man.

[@TheRCNetwork]

Thanks JD! Yeah, I have, since this video figured out about tinning the tip prior to storing it. Although I still use the sponge for cleaning, I am in the market for a good "tip cleaner". That sounded bad....lol

[@DeRock401]

I get it. I do too but how do you clean them THAT good. Do you rinse them with water or something? I use air and wet rags. I'm not waterproof besides what I plastidip,

[@TheRCNetwork]

I mostly run my rigs on clay, so they stay pretty cleAn. Otherwise, air compressor and clean me down with a rag

[@stansumibcay]

Sounds good, thanks for the info. It makes sense so here I come Tekno

[@IMPORTKILLR187]

Oh yeah my solder I been fluctuating between bernzomatic elec. 60/40 rosin core leaded and bernzomatic elec. Rosin core silver bearing. Both seem to work good but the leaded seems to work better with the flux I'm assuming. I find about 760° to 800° temperature seems best for those heavy duty food plated solder pads as they do pull heat from the iron fast like I mentioned earlier post...just makn sure I'm not overheating. I know quicker the better to not desolder mosfets or whatever off the pcb. I'm wondering if keeping hot iron on too long is what ruined my first esc or would you say 80° timing was the culprit. And the dumb thing was it was early spring kinda cool out esc was machined out of billet aluminum which def. seemed to keep esc very cool never once got not even room temperature..the motor hit mild room temp. My other builds run telemetry or dynamite temp monitoring systems so no temp gun yet but I can feel with fingers to know if its overheating. I'm guessing the over timing but I would think it would overheat which I have my motor and esc temp cutoff set to lowest 180°. Brother I greatly appreciate you takn time to read all this..I know its alot but at $120 for the little esc's I'd really hate to buy a 3rd all in 1 season. 1 more thing! Aren't cold solder joint kinda dull in color to where a solid joint is shiny like new silver? Thanks again man

[@TheRCNetwork]

I've heard great things about the TenShock motors. The RX8 and 1258tg's are my staple SCT items! Let me know if there's any other questions. Also, since you alreay have a SCTE, the bodies (for the most part) and wheels will fit the Tekno!

[@frankiec5570]

What temperature did you have it set at when soldering this?

[@TheRCNetwork]

800 degrees

[@Rjjs31]

could you recommend a starter solder kit. I am going to be doing my first soldering of a motor/ esc. I don't need anything expensive because I won't be doing much soldering but I don't want something that won't get the job done.

[@TheRCNetwork]

+RC Action As much as I would like to recommend a lower priced soldering iron, I would be doing a dis-service to you. I experimented with several (4 in total) Weller sub $40 irons and it all proved to be mediocre at best before they just burnt out ans stopped working....and I was just like you, didn't solder that much. Since picking up the TrakPower in this video (about $70 on sale) my technique has improved and it's almost fun to solder. It really helps having the right equipment. If this is a once in a lifetime soldering job - check with your local hobby shop, mine does quick jobs for $5

[@jacobhamameh2818]

Nice video! I was thinking about getting that motor and esc for my losi ten scte 4x4 on a 2s lipo but was wondering if I should get the 3500kv or the 4300kv motor?

[@TheRCNetwork]

+Jacob H Either way, you'll be limited to 2s lipo. The 4300 will have the speed you'll probably want on 2s. The 3500 will be a bit slower, but have more torque

[@humblerc841]

nice job man, that looks really clean.

[@TheRCNetwork]

humble rc Thanks Humble!

[@rider1388]

Wow that is some sick soldering skills

[@TheRcworld101]

what is a good voltage cut of to run on a tekin rx8 gen2 paired with a pro4 4,600kv and using 2s lipos????

[@rcflyer805]

As always very nice video . Thanks RCN keep up the good work.

[@TheRCNetwork]

Thanks RCFlyer! Probably one of favorite videos!

[@TheRCNetwork]

Thanks DirtFan! You'll like the HD. It's super smooth

[@MarcoL144]

Smacked that sub button, very crisp content just the way I like it.

[@TheRCNetwork]

Thanks Marx! I appreciate it!

[@TheRCNetwork]

I've only ran the RX8 gen 2/Pro4HD once so far. I'll get a couple more runs on it and tweak the setting to get a decent amnount of info

[@jayamer9605]

Great Job +XtremeRC! What is the make/model of your antenna post and where did you get it from?

[@TheRCNetwork]

Yeah, I caught that later when I found the supplement for the hotwire adapter. When I did this video, I threw it on pretty quick to finish off the video.

[@stansumibcay]

Great video, you make that look so easy, very good camera work and very informative. How do you like that Tekin HD? Waiting to pull the trigger on one.

[@mitropoulosilias]

i have a nitro 1/8 raminator monster truck (team losi). Any recommendation to make it electric? (it has 26 or 28 nitro engine)

[@IMPORTKILLR187]

And yeah the lead solder does seem to flow better. I noticed the silver bearing has a higher flash point..

[@stansumibcay]

Tough question here. How much better is the SCT410 than the SCTE1.0? Been running the SCTE for a long time and have been debating on switching, is it worth it in your opinion?

[@TheRCNetwork]

No problem! And I do respond to every question/comment! I have asked so many questions in the past to the big three and have never received a response

[@KEITHDROBINSON-d2w]

Press bind on receiver while pluging it in, then hold bind on transmitter while turning it on is the procedure i have for it, im binding fs2a to i6 as well. I cant even get the light to come on

[@TheRCNetwork]

Interesting

[@TheRCNetwork]

I thought that initially, but with end point adjustments, it never gets touched

[@TheRCNetwork]

Nope. It looks like in the video, but I hadn't set the servo yet and I also changed the horn as well.

[@TheRCNetwork]

Yep, I started doing that too!

[@evanhizon8112]

I mostly do model railroading. Most soldering irons I bought were very horrible. (Those battery powered ones and those cheapo Homedepot weller ones) Do you recommend this soldering station, the TrakPower TK-950 for use with model railroading?

[@TheRCNetwork]

I definitely recommend this station. Trak Power also has a digital model called the TK955 which has a display of the temperature vs a dial like the 950. I'm not sure how intricate model railroading is, but I can easily solder 20g wire with this up to 10g

[@evanhizon8112]

I'm mostly going to solder 30-32g wire, modifying PCB boards, fixing broken wires, and mostly soldering 30-32g wire to PCB boards and speakers.

[@ad4life90]

What is the recommended temp to use to solder your rc? Is 500 to low? The solder I'm using is 67/32

[@TheRCNetwork]

Adrian Raymundo I'm def not a professional solderer (is that a word??) but I usually set mine at 700 or so

[@humblerc841]

don't mean to stalk you, but i'm warming up to soldering the rx8/t8 on my mt 410. i've been an alarm tech for the last 20 years, but i've always hated soldering. i think it's the cheap iron thing. l just got the tk955 so we'll start with battery connectors and take it ftom there.

[@hollywoodjack2950]

I'm not sure if I missed it, but at what temp you have your TK 950 set at ? I'm trying to solder my wires to my RX8 Gen 3 but I'm having some trouble, the terminals on the gen 3 is more like a horseshoe than open like your gen 2 . I'm also using the tk 950. Thanks in advance man... great channel .

[@TheRCNetwork]

800 degrees. Make sure you tin both items first and then add some fresh solder to the tip of your iron as you melt the two together

[@SpecThompsonTV]

Thats some clean soldering for sure!

[@adampetten1009]

does the servo arm hit the wires? i soldered mine with the rx8 180 degrees

[@DatBoi-rh4bk]

Hey I was wondering. My local hobbyshop has a LRP high power soldering station for sale would you recomend it?

[@TheRCNetwork]

Yeah, it's a decent iron....go for it!

[@DatBoi-rh4bk]

The RCNetwork what would you say is a professional one because I'm doing soldering as a profession in school

[@TheRCNetwork]

In the world of RC and hobbyist, The top rated irons are Hakko and then Trak Power. LRP is mostly sold in Europe - but looking at the specs of the LRP, it's pretty nice. You will do fine with any of them.....They all have adjustable temp which is the most important...The LRP is by far the most expensive at $200+ The TP goes for about $80ish and the Hakko 888 is about $100. The Hakko 951 is in the LRP range of over $200

[@DatBoi-rh4bk]

+The RCNetwork okay thanks

[@dirtfan4v]

Great instructional video! Just got my Tekin HD..thanks.

[@Bluepanther80]

What do i go when i get too much solder on the esc tab and i cant get it to roll off holding it upside down and heating it.

[@TheRCNetwork]

They sell a solder wicker - it's basically mesh steel tube that sucks the solder up. I've never used it....but have been tempted to buy it. Like you said, if I have too much solder, I usually tip the post/item I'm soldering and lightly flick the heated solder on to my work station.....do this at your own risk away from body parts!

[@feralshe-male6858]

What temp do you set your trakpower to? I'm about to solder an rx8 and was curious as to where you set your temp on your soldering iron. Thanks, btw love the videos.

[@TheRCNetwork]

750....seems to be the right temp

[@feralshe-male6858]

Thanks Rich!

[@alokbapatla5656]

What's the ideal temperature to set the iron to?

[@TheRCNetwork]

I usually set to 750 degrees F

[@neugentmf]

Do you ever use any liquid flux?

[@TheRCNetwork]

Nope, but I believe the solder I use has a flux core.

[@neugentmf]

The RCNetwork OK. Also, thanks for the great videos from one of you subscribers! Keep em coming!!

[@madstoppie]

great video Rich!

[@weathdone]

just so you mnow your fan is plugged in backwards. I just found out with mine when i first bought my tekin rx8 and 2000kv T8 motor. It has to be plugged in where the black wire is on the side where the motor sensor wire is yours is backwards and your fan will never come on.

[@BeadsbyNicole]

Nice video! I will use it as a guide for my Tekno....

[@TheRCNetwork]

+Sunbear415 Thanks for watching, Sun Bear!

[@scottjohnson7774]

Get yourself a brass tip cleaner ! That tip is filthy it should always look bright and shiny A clean tip= faster solder time and less chance of damaging the PCB under those post

[@TheRCNetwork]

Already got one since this video, but thanks for checking it out

[@gothicmetal05]

a wet sponge or a wet paper towels works just as good

[@kga5150]

Hey, How come you guys in the USA/Canada say 'sodder' not 'solder'. Whats with ignoring the 'L' ????

[@TheRCNetwork]

I guess it's an american thing! lol not sure.

[@joegomez187]

What solder did you use?

[@TheRCNetwork]

This stuff: bit.ly/2WUTJuF

[@ViceVersaMusik1]

What tool brand are you using?

[@TheRCNetwork]

The needle nose and stripers are Green Lee

[@DARKSCOPE001]

very nice video thanks because Im thinking about getting a rs Gen2 soon and was unsure how the solder posts worked. If i may critique your video just a bit your soldering tip is filthy. do you never clean it? it always seems to me that if my soldering tips aren't that nice shiny silver color I wont get good heat transfer. anyways Thanks again for the video and good luck.

[@TheRCNetwork]

Thanks for watching Scott. Yeah, I need to get a good tip cleaner for my TK-950. The wet sponge thing just doesn't get it right.

[@DARKSCOPE001]

The RCNetwork Yea Ive always been a 20 dollar weller kind of guy. Granted i just bought a new 40 watt Iron because according to weller mine is "obsolete" and no longer made. but this new one gets so hot it burns the tips up. But back when I was soldering more when I would direct wire my brushed motors I would use a container of general purpose flux (not plumbing flux) and then wipe the tip off on a copper dish scrubber. or you can buy the nice tip cleaners that come in a container for a bit more money. but the idea is that there is minimal heat loss cleaning your tip this way so you get a better result. Either way thanks for the upload I enjoyed watching it. Your soldering still came out great. better than most of mine :D

[@XtremeRemoteControl]

Good vid I use the same soldering station it's AWESOME!

[@TheRCNetwork]

XtremeRC I just picked up the TK-955 digital station. unboxing and review out next week!

[@XtremeRemoteControl]

ohhh fancy! hhaha

[@benpayneford]

what solder do you use or recommend? 60/40 or what?

[@TheRCNetwork]

The one in the video is great. In fact, I just finished that roll and bought the exact same version. Nice and thin and very smooth!

[@TheRCNetwork]

No problem!

[@TheRCNetwork]

When you go into the Hotwire App, you can set it at 2s Lipo. There is also a customer voltage setting if you want to tweak it down a couple of tenths, but be careful

[@nolimeplease]

Just an opinion... But that would've looked sic if you turned around the esc and ran shorter (and cleaner) wires. But all the same great vid already know how to solder, just checking out your pro4hd. Thanks for sharing!

[@TheRCNetwork]

Thanks No Lime! I originally was going to run short wires, but it woulda looked like a pretzel since abc was opposite to the motor. Thanks for watching.

[@rexrunner]

The RCNetwork so then just reverse the settings in the esc. same thing

[@TheBobby73]

justin credible it's sensored motor

[@RCForcesSK]

Cant wait to comparison

[@TTrahRXPXBaNsHeE]

hey, are you on rcshortcourse? i have my build thread under Travis' Tekno SCT410, check me out there......i do have my preferences with the way you've routed your RX8 compared to the wires facing the motor side and looping your wires, having the wires in a very fragile place with the servo horn isn't the best of ideas under hard hits, full turns, greater possibility of the horn shorting out on the posts or if your servo strips out, ect......also, i know this is off subject but on you mylaps transponder, the case you screwed it to has an indention for the wire to pass thru on the backside by the antenna if you want to clean up the wiring while also making the transponder easier accessible when getting to you receiver unit... thought i'd give you a heads up there as well. lastly, i would look into screwing the rx8 down, over time the tape might give you trouble putting you in a bigger bind than going the longer route first and for all. i'd add the kyosho gel while your at it for longevity of ESC

[@TheRCNetwork]

+TTrahRXPXBaNsHeE Hey Travis, Yes, I am on RC ShortCourse, but after hundreds of posts and many, many comments and helping people out, I just couldn't take "Eric" anymore (I'm sure you know the Tekno hater....) Since this video, I have switched the wires around a bit - You can see how I routed them in my new EB48.3: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hqS1dWqVhqaNqM0

[@TheRCNetwork]

Thanks SpecTV!

[@2000acuracer]

ewww.. lol. I would've had the motor wires shot up from the ESC then straight across the ESC to the motor. I know its an old vid but I just saw it :) .. Anyway thanks for all the quality and well lit vids I enjoy watching them. Also, any chance of doing a video on the new Exotek chassis kit for D413?? Thanks again.

[@TheRCNetwork]

Thanks for watching Mike. I wanted to keep everything as low as possible for that chassis....Here's my latest install/soldering video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qYmno6iumNOWrKc As for the Exotek D413 chassis....I'm really happy with the Aluminum +4 Schelle chassis. It really works for where I run and tamed the sketchy-ness of the D413

[@guyrose5594]

What temp do u solder at

[@TheRCNetwork]

800 degrees

[@stansumibcay]

Tekin RX8 Tenshock SC411 4600kv Savox 1258tg is what I like to use, might switch to the Tekin HD though. You get what I mean

[@TheRCNetwork]

Burned it with the soldering iron.............not really! Just some cuts on it that refuse to heal

[@slgordon1]

Great video very informative thanks for posting

[@TheRCNetwork]

stephan gordon Thanks for watching Stephan

[@spookygamer4550]

real nice video thanks it helped a lot.

[@TheRCNetwork]

Thanks Jean-Francois! Glad to help

[@TheRCNetwork]

Thanks Mad!

[@jaredsayrc4947]

I own two emax two 4x4 stampede two 4x4 rustler two 4x4 slash two trx4 blazer two scx10 two trx6 two clod buster two TL01 two erevo two 1/16 erevo and my biggest problem is wire Management

[@TheRCNetwork]

It starts from day one....each RC. I had over 100 RC's in my collection at one point, all were 100% tidy, wiring wise

[@Dat-plati]

Is it waterproof

[@TheRCNetwork]

+Nicholas Hurtado Neither the soldering iron or the Tekin electronics are waterproof. Tekin is known for race electronics, not waterproofness

[@TheRCNetwork]

Thanks rider!

[@s13dmcgovern]

Awesome vid! Im pressing the subscribe button right now

[@bigbob3409]

Great vid Richard. I' hate my cheap 20 dollar iron. Sucks. Thanks 👍

[@aldoyosbel1728397263]

Bill Johnson did u get this one, how do u like it

[@TheRCNetwork]

But if you chose the right electrics, there's no issue!

[@aguilarsergio4323]

nice video!!!

[@TheRCNetwork]

+Sergio Aguilar Thanks Sergio!

[@jacobpollock668]

Thank you

[@gatorjackrc1853]

Damn your voice sounds way different from nowadays on this video

[@TheRCNetwork]

Yeah, it's different these days....10 years older and I actually edit now!

[@DeRock401]

Are these all show cars lol. My cars are NOT that clean.

[@TheRCNetwork]

Nope, not show cars, just like to keep my race trucks clean and neat!

[@mavrickbondi4649]

can you make a hot wiring video

[@TheRCNetwork]

You mean using the Tekin Hot Wire?

[@stansumibcay]

That's true so I think the writing's on the wall as they say. Time to make a move, anyone looking for a SCTE roller??!?

[@evanizle13]

thanks

[@TheRCNetwork]

Thanks for watching!

[@sami3219]

god I want to get into RC but me being an idiot might end up fucking up the soldering

[@dg_rides]

Hi, good video. What welder are using? You wanted one like it. Greetings, I subscribe me :)

[@TheRCNetwork]

In the video, the Trap Power TK-950. Worth EVERY penny at about a $79 street price. I have had several $40 wellers and this out performs them hands down and make soldering much more fun. Check out my unboxing video: The RCNetwork - TrakPower TK-950 Soldering Station

[@hnuta3]

Just tin the tip after cleaning will prolong the lifetime of it !

[@AlexGavProd]

Hahaha i'm using the same tipe of intro!!!

[@TheRCNetwork]

Nice! I've changed mine....god, probably over 8 years ago now

[@ktmbiker3608]

What happened to your finger?

[@unlnownable]

techno!! put a donk on it ha lol

[@billimono2557]

this soldering station is now $110+

[@TheRCNetwork]

Considering I made this video 3-4 years ago, that's not too bad. Here's the upgraded TK955 for the same $109 price: amzn.to/2vc9SvO