RC Electric Power Systems Simply Explained (ESC, BEC, LIPO, Brushless etc)

[@ronaldkondler5792]

Great info!! Invaluable for me! My compliments, Sir!! Good Show!! I have been into electronics since I was 8 years old but never ventured into the RC world before now. Terms like "BEC", "PPM"...etc are now understood! My thanks to you for the invaluable info that you added to my knowledge bank!!

[@Painless360]

Glad you found this useful, it was mmatrix00's idea. Thanks for the positive feedback, makes the time spent making these worthwhile.

[@Appalling68]

Just found this video doing a search on KZbin for "ESC" and "BEC" because I was scratching my head on what a BEC is. I'm new to RC (I'm an old rocketeer) and just getting into quads. THANK YOU so much for this video...it was freakin spot on!

[@chau6810]

Thanks helping me understand how to choose electrical components. I've searched for a tutorial like this a long time, because other videos just explain you what the components do and not how to choose them. :)

[@Painless360]

Check out the other basics videos in the "introduction to remote control" playlist for more basics explained..

[@zeeborutherford147]

I have watched many many vids in prep for my quad build and this is just perfect! Thanks for taking the time to do this. It helps newbies like me out so so much

[@larrycavanaugh9371]

Thank you for doing this video. I started into the RC Heli hobby about a month ago. This is exactly what I needed to get my head around how they work.

[@JamesManimal]

this is the EXACT video i was looking for. I will be donating. thanks man. i literally cannot thank you enough.

[@Painless360]

Glad it helped, thanks for the comment. There are lots of other 'basics' videos in the 'Introduction to Remote Control' series too.. Best of luck!

[@JamesManimal]

@@Painless360 You should see my desk now. after a year im FINALLY getting the hang of it! wish i hadsomone to film me fly! i'm getting much better

[@MrCody7006]

Excellent lesson! Everything you need to know with no bull. Spot on.

[@Painless360]

Thank you, always nice to hear that I've helped another hobbyist. Happy flying!

[@frankloy2701]

Thank you for an excellent video with great graphics. I am starting to understand how the whole electrical system works in my airplane.

[@Painless360]

Thanks for the comment, glad it made sense! Happy flying!

[@crawlhardrc7852]

Great info. Never knew the internal esc bec is what made it run hotter or contributed to the heat

[@danreynolds8028]

EXCELLENT VIDEO! So clearly explained. Now I understand RC electrical systems.

[@Painless360]

Wonderful - check out the other videos in the 'Introduction to Remote control' for more of the basics..

[@radukapu]

Very very well made video. I've been building heli for some time but really enjoyed the video and wish it was available when i was learning about rc electronics!

[@Painless360]

Thanks for the comment. Happy flying!

[@livinggood5545]

I subscribed, you are educating me, I am learning...... I thank you for explaining. I will seriously try to understand all of this as much as I can. lol I have always been interested in these rc system. You sound like a rc guru to me. Thank you so much for sharing your videos.

[@Painless360]

Glad they are interesting. The videos on the channel are arranged into easy to use playlists so I'd start with the 'Introduction to Remote Control' for starters.. Best of luck with it! :D

[@livinggood5545]

Will do, I will start at the beginning.

[@kenmercermusic]

Excellently explained, thanks very much!

[@daffindogtown]

Great and very informative in a way I can understand as a newbie.

[@micnolmadtube]

Some of the cheaper brushless motors on ebay are listed with turns.. does that translate to the brushed world or is it just a sales gimmick? I have a 1:18 scale road car which I am converting to brushless. I think I used to run 24T or 27T motors for torque or speed. I have seen an 18T brushless with 12amp/5200kv. What would that translate to in a brushed motor? Torque or speed? Or are the brushless just so superior that any brushless for RC cars will just smash any brushed setup?

[@Painless360]

Great question see my other video 'Brushless motor numbers explained' for the answer and why. Hope this helps. Happy flying!

[@micnolmadtube]

I have seen it so I understand the amp/kv thing. What I don't know is whether a 12amp/5200kv motor is for torque or speed..

[@Painless360]

This is touched on in that other video at 2:49. (Generally) The lower the number of turns in a motor the faster the speed. The higher the number of turns the stronger the magnetic field so the stronger the 'pull' or torque. The shape of the motor, stator/rotor setup and quality of the motor all affect the results. The amps (and watts) in the specs give you an idea about how powerful the motor is and the KV shows you how fast the motor will turn. You need to decide on what you need the motor to do and go from there. If you need more help my Helpout channel is available. Happy flying!

[@CHIBA280CRV]

Fantastic job, excellent explanation thank you sir..

[@kostasvniarchos1995]

Excellent information. I should like to ask please if in my Albatross Hu-16 (in the manual it says for a 30C battery) can I use a 15C battery that I already have ? Thanks very much.

[@Painless360]

It depends on what battery size it recommends - you need a battery that can comfortably supply the needed current... If you halve the mAh rating you need to double the 'C' rating to get the same current output..

[@ronogator7059]

And tried to run the motor without going thru a reciever and transmitter and using a three cell 11.1 volts was a big mistake for me the motor started smoking got it unpluged quickly hope fully know damage, the motor still turns, thanks for the great info, you are great teacher, I have read theLast two hrs all your treads thanks again Col. Ronald

[@Painless360]

Looks like you've left a few comments overnight so let me answer it here - You need an ESC to run a brushed motor. A brushless motor works completely differently from a DC bushed motor. The ESC does two things, send a high frequency pulse to the phases of the brushless motor in turn to rotate it and also monitor the position of the motors through the pulses coming back from the other two non active phases as the magnets pass them. If you want to connect the motor to a battery directly then you need a DC motor.. Hope that helps.

[@michaelwilkinson8158]

excellent informative the bit I was looking for was all three leads to motor are black and I was concerned about configuration. Apart from reversing any connect will do. Thanks for that

[@Bigsbeee]

So good to have found this..many thanks it's superb info..thank you

[@TonyBraun]

Awesome explanation, great effort!

[@minamcvinnie4629]

6:20 it says "Higher rated ESCs don't normally include an internal ESC" during the discussion on BECs. Did you mean to say they don't include an internal BEC?

[@FDV12]

Why so few veiws??? Excellent theaory of operation video. Subsribed!!!

[@Painless360]

Thank you for the comment. I've always wondered why this one wasn't picked up more - maybe I'll change the title! Happy flying!

[@lokiamir5029]

Thank you. Explaining so well. Thank you very much

[@chasjm21]

These videos are a god send - thank you. I'm building my first balsa glider (4x9gram servos 3 channel) which hopefully will be less than 750grams & without a motor, therefore can I omit an esc & just use a bec?

[@Painless360]

Exactly. See my videos where I built a dlg. Best of luck!

[@deongouws8801]

Im for many years involved in rc nitro planes. Very new to electric wanna convert my float plane to electric so now i know what i need Thx

[@darkhorse2reign]

Great simple clear and short thanks!

[@ragnarok1992]

very nice video thank you very much! so you just multiply the mili amps capacity times the C rating to determine how many amps my battery is providing?

[@Painless360]

Yes. That gives you the maximum amp rating. Happy flying!

[@786free1]

Thanks, that was very useful. If the lipo with the same set up was 10c rating instead of 20c would the lipo still be ok but just not provide max power or would the lipo get damaged?

[@Painless360]

If you try and pull more current than the battery is rated for then at best you'll get a hefty voltage drop and worst damage the battery. Always make sure that the battery can provide more current than the SSC.. best of luck

[@786free1]

@@Painless360 thanks. I replaced a 8 inch prop with a 10 inch prop using the same lipo and the lipo has stopped working. I'm guessing that the bigger prop must've drawn too much current out of the lipo and has damaged it? However saying that if the esc is 15amps and the lipo is 20c then shouldn't the esc have prevented the lipo from pulling any more than 20amps?

[@puma509]

very well done, thanks so much.. I know you did this a while back and things might, or might not have changed by then. A video on the radio Rx would be very nice along the same style as this one. Again Thank you.

[@Painless360]

Puma Hi, thanks for the feedback - all of the detail on the video is still current as it is one of the fundamental building blocks of the hobby.The idea of explain how modern RC radios and RC receivers work is an interesting one, I could cover binding, failsafes, PWM, how the Rx 'talks' to the ESC/Control board/Servo, PWM vs. PPM and how the channels relate to the controls on the radio.That sort of thing or have I missed what you mean?

[@puma509]

spot on...

[@Painless360]

Puma Good news - new video on the channel that you may like ;)

[@vyshnav5013]

hi, i noticed there are multiple wires from the esc. One connects to the battery, one to the motor and as you explained if the BEC isn't inbuilt then one to the bec, but how does it connect to the servo ? is it through the bec ?

[@Painless360]

We have lots of videos on the power systems of models in the 'Introduction to Remote Control' series. Should help you get a good grasp of the basics. Best of luck!

[@ronogator7059]

Direction of theRotor. Please tell me where does theESC unit go in the jet thanks

[@jalpa9642]

Lee; I'm confused.... in the wiring diagram you show the battery, the esc, the bec, wires and a motor. There is also another wire/connector on the bottom side of the esc, looks to be Red & Black (+5VDC &-5VDC) "to Receiver" is this the BEC..? I thought the 3-wire Red, White, & Black went to the Flight Controller...? By the way, my SimonK ESC's, BEC's by Hobbypower are Linear ESC'S which I understood from your video that all 3 wires can plug into 1-4 of Flight Controller since I'm using the Pixhawk Power Module....right..?

[@Painless360]

The BEC in the diagram is inside the ESC and supplies the 5v to everything else via the red and black wires..

[@jalpa9642]

@@Painless360 You show the BEC going to the Receiver RX then on a quadcopter there's 4-ESC's, 1 for each Motor. If I hook the BEC to the Receiver, what do I connect to the flight controller for let's say the ESC for Motor 1 has the BEC, it hooked to the receiver, how does flight controller get its signal for motor 1.....? If that makes any sense..?

[@SINGING_FOR_JESUS]

if i used a separate lipo just to power my leds would i use one of the ubec switches to limit the current to the leds? i would i still have to install resistors in the light circuit its self?

[@Painless360]

+David Dobson the switch will do nothing to limit the current.. If you're using an led that needs a different voltage than the one it's connected to the you'll need a resistor.. Best of luck

[@pitchlink8314]

Hi There, Thanks for the video. You mention the +10% rule for sizing the battery and ESC to the motor. In theory would the battery only have to be 20% more than the motor can draw? ie: I have a motor that can draw 4 amps and an ESC rated to 8 amps, does the battery have to be 8 amps +10% or is a battery that can supply 5 amps sufficient (4+20%)? Sorry if this is a dumb question or is unclear.

[@Painless360]

+Pitch link Not a dumb question at all. The object of the video is to get a builder used to having more capacity in the elements of the power system as you move from the motor to the battery. That way you will never be running the ESC and LIPO at more then they can conformably handle and they will perform batter and last linger. Best of luck!

[@craig6444]

Thanks for a VERY informative video! I learned a LOT here :-)

[@_maxx91]

How I can buy plastic gear for ornithopter

[@maxrosenblum4187]

Great Video! Thanks so much! I notice you have noise filters on the ubec. Is there a good rule of thumb for how to minimize noise in the system as a whole?

[@Painless360]

+Max Rosenblum You can but I don't use them anymore and reply on sensible routing of the cables and twisting to help reduce noise.

[@maxrosenblum4187]

Thanks! I'm starting to fly drones and with all these components squeezed together (mag, autopilot, esc's, gps, receiver, etc) I'm wondering if there isn't noise interference I should be concerned about.

[@loleeloleelol]

does every motor have to be connected to a separate battery pack? For example if i want to make a hovercraft with 2 brushless motors running separately.

[@Painless360]

No. See our videos on quad building.. Best of luck.

[@loleeloleelol]

Painless360 thanks!

[@randomstuff-wg6nj]

ok so the bec chnges the volts to safe but on my esc it says 5v\1a im gonna run a brushless motor that can handle 3s\11v. but will the bec just give 5v to the motor?

[@Painless360]

You shouldn't use a battery Eliminator circuit to run a brushless motor. A bec is there to provide a steady 5 volts for those electronics like flight controllers, GPS units and radio receivers that need it. See the other videos in the introduction to a remote control series for more information on how power systems work..

[@randomstuff-wg6nj]

will this work ? or do You know a esc that can work with the motor Max Amps: 37A(4600KV) the battery is 7.4v 1200mah 25c the esc is this : 35A Brushless ESC Electronic Speed Controller with 5V/1A BEC for 1/14 1/16 RC Car the motor :Racerstar 2440 Motor Brushless Waterproof Sensorless servo: Emax ES3104 Analog Mini Servo The transmitter and receiver :Original AUSTAR AX5S 2.4G 3CH AFHS the battery :7.4v 25c 1200mah

[@Painless360]

Please watch the power of videos in the 'Introduction to remote control' playlist here on the channel. Sounds like you're quite new to this, and covering the basics in these videos will help you understand it a little bit better. Best of luck..

[@randomstuff-wg6nj]

u got a link ? yeah im new to hobby grade. but i have had allot of toygrades!

[@danielmira1390]

Wow, great video!

[@TrickShots4Real]

What size wire do you typically use on your multirotors? And which do you suggest: ESCs with BEC or ESCs without BEC and a separate UBEC to power an AMP 2.6? Thanks.

[@Painless360]

That really depends on the models and what I have in the spares bin. A lot of PDBs now come with wire to connect the battery so I usually use that..

[@stevem7868-y4l]

Im late to this party, but i found this vid invaluable in dealing with the black art of Lipos etc

[@Painless360]

Thanks for the comnent, this may be a 'older' video but the information still relevant and correct. See kzbin.info/aero/PLYsWjANuAm4q82JUkfUwRQddkXEmqQN0X for more tips!

[@stevem7868-y4l]

@@Painless360 thanks!

[@maheshwaranparamasivan5177]

Thank You !! Got so much information from your videos and subscribed to your channel. I have one question, how does the receiver send information to the esc to control speed of the motor?

[@Painless360]

Check out the other newer videos - kzbin.info/www/bejne/roGnlGmoa9OFirc The control can be done using any one of a number of different protocols..

[@MTgrower]

Does every motor need its own ESC? I'm curious about these new in wheel motors from Tidnab Innovations. If you got four in wheel motors, do you need four ESCs?

[@Painless360]

+Jacob Selman Yes it does. Best if luck with the project!

[@agrxdrowflow958]

Brilliant!

[@Painless360]

Thank you!

[@DanialStreetFighter]

I want to know does the ESC regulate voltage from the power supply. The nominal voltage for my motor is 14.8 V and I plan to run it using a 3S 11.1V 2200 mAh 25C. My main concern is will the ESC provide this amount of voltage continuously or as the battery is consumed the voltage supplied to the motor will decrease.

[@Painless360]

+Danial Waleed The ESC supplies the battery voltage to the motor, the only 'voltage changes' it makes is to provide the 5v that the flight electronics (servos, receives and flight controllers) that the model has. See my other videos on ESCs for more detail. Hope they help..

[@glorious_help]

AMAZING... THANKS A LOT. VERY USEFUL.

[@vanradosevich4249]

Great video. If I use two ESC's, can I drive more than 5 digital servos? If so, how?

[@Painless360]

Please check out my video all about that. Google something like 'servos painless360' to find it. Should help.. Best of luck!

[@WanAniqChannel]

what if i upgrade my rc excavator, using standard servo motor on the market and what BEC ESC and BATTERY should i use for making little bit faster in terms of moving the boom and arm for the exavator. thanks, im waiting your reply.

[@Painless360]

See my videos on servos and RC power systems. It depends on how many servos you have and how much current they need... best of luck

[@dwikawidyantama8693]

what's the difference between a power module and a BEC? what it does and how to choose them for specific quads? Many thanks.

[@Painless360]

Dwika Widyantama Both do the same job - provide the electronics with a steady +5v or (6v). A power module is usually a little more complex than a UBEC and includes the extra circuitry that can provide battery and current monitoring by the flight controller. Hope this makes sense.

[@dingalarm]

Thanks :-) Very well explained. What is the importance / relevance of having a wide vs narrow supply voltage range for a receiver (e.g. 4.5V to 10V vs. 4.5V to 6V), since I understand that a BEC usually provides 5V or 6V for the receiver, flight controller & servos anyway ?

[@Painless360]

To support servos that work on higher voltages without complicated additional wiring.. Happy flying

[@dingalarm]

@@Painless360 Thanks for the clarification 👍😀

[@ronogator7059]

Painless do you think the motors are still ok since they started to smoke

[@Painless360]

I'd be very careful with any motor that smoked. The smoke is the effect of excessive heat in the windings inside the motor as they are designed to be fed with very high frequency AC voltage/current not sustained DC, as you connected it. The smoke is actually the very thin coating of lacquer that insulated the winding wires burning. Personally I'd junk it and get a new one. See the 'Introduction to Remote Control' series for our videos on the basics. Best of luck!

[@micnolmadtube]

Best explanation on the subject I have found on YT! Thank you so much Painless :D One thing I didn't quite get was how to find the best size BEC. Do I add all servo amps together or do I take the average or the highest rated or...?

[@Painless360]

You add all the servo and other amps together and get a BEC that is rated for slightly more than that number. Hope this helps!

[@micnolmadtube]

Sure does! Thanks for the help :)

[@moneysignjesus]

So I want to implement this to a rc car that uses 4 AA batteries. Can I use that exact setup(lipo, esc, brushless motor) and have no problem with the car malfunctioning? I'm new to rcs and this helped but idk if I can do this to a rc car with 4 AA batteries

[@moneysignjesus]

I'm trying to use a 1/14 Lamborghini huracán made by maisto

[@Painless360]

+Jesus Bills No idea, should do if you can find a motor that will fit... Best of luck!

[@moneysignjesus]

+Painless360 thanks and I did

[@amosy8345]

Do I need a Bec to run X2 23kg servos in my brushless Emaxx? Cause I can't seem to make them work and maybe that's because I need a Bec?

[@Painless360]

Most servos need 5v to run so you need to supply them with that somehow. I'd look at use a BEC with at least an amp more than you'd normally use to handle a few servos with ease.. Best of luck!

[@MegaLuisforever]

hi thanks for this video. I have a 36v motor from a segway, what esc I Need to be able to run this motor?

[@Painless360]

Sorry, that's outside my experience. Best of luck!

[@RoboticSolutionsTECH]

If I give my variable pitch quadcopter or RC Heli negative pitch to make it dive down it s propellers will accelerate in RPM . My question is this, If my RPM exceeds my Throttle setting as a result of autorotational effect as the heli accelerates downward with the aid of gravity, will my heli still be drawing amps and power from the battery? What will happen in this case to my system? Will back emf constantly try to slow down the excessive RPM?

[@Drcalatayud]

Hi Painless360, If my ESC draw 15Amps and the motors says Standard Current : 15-25A Max Current : 30A, so what quantity of amps does the motor and the ESC will draw from the battery? And i have a quadcopter, with 4 ESC and 4 motors, do i have to multiply the current from each, times the quantity of motors to compute the quantity of current (amps) that all the system will draw from the battery? Thanks for your time Painless

[@Painless360]

Fernando Calatayud Zepeda Not sure what you are asking as the setup you mention will not work. The ESC needs to be able to supply at least 20% more amps than the maximum amps the motor will pull... I'd watch the video again and check your calculations/assumptions.. Best of luck.

[@Zeisslermusic]

Now its 2018, but i think its the same today. Hello, my name is Thomas, iam new to Rc. Thanks for the video.

[@panchampatel1]

Hi, I liked your video. I am making a Hexacopter for autonomous flight project for my university. I have 6 ESCs for 6 motors. I know that my ESCs dont have UBEC/BEC inbuilt in them. To solve that do i need 6 separate BECs hooked to each ESCs saperately? or I just need one UBEC hooked to the 5V output pin? In your video there is no information about BEC. What ESC did you use in this drone? Can you please provide the link please? Specifications. We will be using Hixhawk 4 for flight controller. Nvidia Jetson for computing autonomous flight processor. Tarot Brush-less Disc Motor 4108 380KV 6S Hobbywing XRotor Brushless ESC 2-6S 10A 15A 20A 40A SimonK No BEC High Refresh Tarot FY690S Full 6-axis 3K Carbon Fiber Aircraft Frame Slamtec RPLIDAR A1 2D 360 degree 12 meters scanning radius lidar sensor scanner

[@TonyLing]

2:30 - MAH battery rating? Something in the Mega Amp range is on the scale of a small power station

[@Painless360]

+Tony Ling it's milliamp-hours. ;)

[@johncarey8514]

You do a great service!!! Thanks!!! What is the material that the frame of the helicopter is made from, do you know the name?

[@Painless360]

This is an old video now but from what I recall it's a coloured carbon fiber..

[@REMEFish]

In the vid you say to have the 10% safety margin on the ESC and a further 10% safety for the battery. How would you work it out for a multirotor (quad)? 15-20amp motor +10% = 25amp ESC (per motor), would the battery calculation therefore be: 25amp ESC x4 +10%= 110amp battery. Would a 4000mah 30C suffice? Cheers bud!

[@FDV12]

How does the ESC get the signal for motor speed??

[@Painless360]

It's all done through the wire that connects the ESC to the receiver (the one that plugs into the throttle channel). This cable consists of three wires - - The black or brown wire is the ground - The red wire supplies the receiver with power from the BEC in the ESC (usually 5 or 6 volts) - The white (or yellow) wire carries the signal from the receiver back to the ESC for the amount of throttle/power needed The range of the signal that is sent from the receiver on this third wire is normally between 1000 and 2000 (with mid throttle being 1500). As you move the throttle stick on your radio this signal is sent from the radio receiver down the servo lead connected into the throttle connection. The ESC then supplies the appropriate amount of power. This is why you need to 'teach' and ESC the range of the throttle by calibrating it - so that the 'full throttle' on the radio means 'full power' at the ESC. Hope this makes sense - Happy flying!

[@SeismicMedia]

I'm new to electronics and I'm working on building an antweight fighting robot, could I just connect a lipo to a UBEC and then into the receiver? the wheels and flipper will be powered by servos, thanks.

[@Painless360]

+SeismicMedia that would work. Make sure the UBEC is 2amps or more to handle the load. Best of luck!

[@VernonKalugdan]

on a quad, can i use one linear esc bec to power the fc and use the others to power the leds, 5v fpv system, etc? i have emax simon k 12a esc w/ bec. im thinking use one esc in full to power the FC. The other esc I'll wire in the signal and ground wires, then pull the red power wires to my leds and my 5v fpv vtx/camera set. if this works, I should be able to pull ground from anywhere right? pdb or at esc bec wire?

[@Painless360]

That could work. If the BECs are linear then I'd connect all of them and have the benefit of all.. Best of luck!

[@sydneysegovia9722]

ive learnd alot frm ths video thank u

[@Painless360]

+Sydney Segovia see the other videos in the 'Introduction to Remote control' series for more of the basics. Happy flying!

[@gracklefpv8811]

I just bought a durafly dh 100 and it has a bec wire for a receiver and a ESC wire for the receiver So can I plug both of them into my receiver? I have a 6 channel receiver with batt/bind

[@Painless360]

+Grackle FPV if you mean the vampire plane, I have one here. Mine doesn't have those two wires. I did get in touch and ask to Hobbyking support guys. Best of luck

[@dsmithwc04]

I am a huge fan of your channel. Perhaps I'm a bit dense but I can not find any video from you regarding BEC backups. How do you handle redundancy in your planes?

[@Painless360]

There usually isn't a backup in most models... Happy flying

[@ronogator7059]

Wow great info, I have a great question for you. I have a three phase motorl can I run the motor without an ESC. If I understand you correctly all wires from the motor have to go thru aESC. Is there another way to run the motor without going thru a tranmitter. I got the wrong infomation

[@Painless360]

I've answered this on one of your other posts/questions. Hope it helps..

[@popwall4297]

Rono Gator if you don't run it through a speed controller the motors going to run wide open all the time is that what you're looking for

[@popwall4297]

I think that was kind of rude of him not to answer your question even though he had tried to answer it in the past hope you unsubscribed

[@copyandpastification]

hi, i am a newbi , i just got myself a SF t6 with receiver, I would like to build a light weight glider with a brushless motor, what battery do I need for the receiver? or do i need to decide what motor I will be using before buying battery and esc? Thank you

[@Painless360]

Most receivers run on 5v so you'll need a 5v supply. Most of the time these come from the BEC that is inside the ESC. Best of luck!

[@copyandpastification]

thank you

[@vitalijsfescenko5055]

Can I connect 2 motors in series, for example I have 6s battery and 2 3s motors, so I want series connection to divide voltage by 2 for each motor ?

[@Painless360]

You can't do that with brushless motors. Not the way it works I'm afraid..

[@vitalijsfescenko5055]

Thanks, kinda tried to do that, but luckily didn't fry anything.

[@Aubatron]

I'm trying to find a BEC that will work with a 22v 6 cell battery. I need it to power a Boscam 600mw video transmitter rated at 7.4-16v, a Frsky control receiver rating at 3 ~ 16v, and a FPV camera and servos that I have not chosen yet. I'm just a bit worried that I'm going to fry my electronics. What BEC(s) can I use for my plane?

[@Painless360]

You could run the video transmitter from the balance tap of the flight battery and just connect it across 3 of the 6 cells to give you 11.1-12.6 volts to the Tx. Hope this helps.

[@wealdstone_raiayoutubered4838]

Would I be able to use a sensorless motor with a sensored brushless esc

[@Painless360]

+Aaron Fonseca Not sure what you mean..

[@wealdstone_raiayoutubered4838]

On eBay for $26 there is a 120A Sensored Brushless Esc, can I use it with a 3300kv sensorless brushless motor?

[@Painless360]

Not sure, sorry. I'd ask the seller..

[@bobuk5722]

Hi folks. The other obvious thing is the guage of the connecting wires. They act as little low value resistors and if too thin will cause an unnecessary large voltage drop, wasting power, and possibly even overheat and melt the insulation. Check the rating and allow that extra 10%. Even a wire causing a one volt drop will have a significant effect on the performance as the current flowing will also be reduced. It's a particular concern on the motor circuits. Bob.

[@Painless360]

You may be surprised - kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZy1c6KXaN6qr80

[@adrianau4246]

I’ve got a new drone flashlight and it says it’s working current is 12.6v & it’s volt support is 7A-17A what do I need to get this flashlight to work on my 6s drone ? Wired to the battery

[@Painless360]

That is a powerful light. You have the voltage and current backwards in the question so be very careful wiring stuff up if you are new to electronics. kzbin.info/www/bejne/b4aYeXyag5x8oZI covers the basics.. I hope it helps..

[@diggydice9041]

Another well done video on the Basic's of RC Electrical Systems. With an ESC being the "brains over the brawn" how might one be able to determine good quality ESC's over the lesser? I don't know that I would want to save money or to "skimp" for a lesser quality of ESC? A poor quality ESC might cause excessive wear of the motors or just give poor efficiency..... Off to the "battery" video..... lalalalaaah

[@Painless360]

As most ESCs run the same BLheli style firmware it's more down to the quality of the build and components used. Every pilot has favourites but see the quadcopter builds on the channel for the ones that I use..happy flying!

[@johnconrad5487]

I am sure this is just a little miss but it is the KV rating NOT KVA. you had it right in another video from Painless360

[@Neo11199]

Thanks man, very helpful

[@hugoboy971]

Hi ! Im confused about the internal BEC of an ESC. Some are classified as 2a, 3a, 5v/2a. Are 5v/2a and 2a the same ? And how to know if the BEC can work with a receiver ? Thanks !

[@Painless360]

+hugoboy971 Yes, it's the amperage you are looking at. Most will produce 5v but some will also give an option for 6v outputs too.. Best of luck!

[@hugoboy971]

What if there is no voltage placed only the amp ? like : 2a , 3a. What do they mean ?

[@Painless360]

You can't have a current (amps) without a voltage so check the specs. I'd expect they are 5v units..

[@hugoboy971]

Checking items in ebay and it only says the amps not voltage. Some have 5v but some are only amps. thats why im confused

[@hugoboy971]

I've read this in google "It is very common for speed controls to have BECs rated at 2 or 3A. However, what the manufacturers do not tell you is that this rating is only true for an input voltage of 6V." So does it mean that the BECs without volts placed is 6v ?

[@yebai2864]

Hi, I am using pixhawk to configure my quadcopter. If I add a normal servo on pixhawk, how large max current (output current) of external switching BEC I need to choose as the secondary power supply?

[@Painless360]

Depends on how many and what type of servos. Look at the specs for the servo.. I'd normally go for a 4A+ BEC on a fixed wing..

[@yebai2864]

Thanks for your response. Unlikely using a BEC to supply many servo on a fixed wings such as elevator, rudder, aileron. I only use a BEC to supply one similar kind of servo. I chose a 5A max BEC. When you said 4A+, did you mean the maximum current output is 4A? By the way, the link as shown below is the servo I chose. www.amazon.com/Castle-Creations-Bec-Switching-Regulator/dp/B000MXAR12

[@ShehabEllithy]

can I connect any LIPO battery to any ESC. Sry if I am trouble

[@Painless360]

+Shehab Ellithy So long as the ESC is rated for that size of battery - yes.

[@ShehabEllithy]

Thank you

[@tmalanam]

Can i use a UBEC like you showed, on my Fly Sky fs-i6 transmitter ??

[@Painless360]

+talukder Mukit not sure why you'd use that on a transmitter. Do you mean receiver?

[@tmalanam]

No, My tx need 6V, And i have 12v 1c lipo!!! and i think its better to use lipo. 1.5v or 1.2v cells are very quickly lose their voltage. Can i use it ??

[@Painless360]

Sorry, I don't understand. I've never seen a 1C LIPO.. I'd use the batteries specified.. Best of luck!

[@SA-ow9yo]

Can I power 1.5 gram servo from FC 3.3 v onboard bec?

[@Painless360]

No need to post twice. I have answered on the duplicate question.

[@lasmotius]

I connected all the parts what i need to the rc car, but a little after, something burned out. I didnt have this "bec" thing (hadnt even heard about that...) i dont know wich Broke, do you? Should i buy this bec thing? Im beginner on this, making rc car in school :D nice video btw

[@Painless360]

All of the electronics on a normal RC model run at only 5v and the BEC (battery eliminator circuit, called that so you don't need a separate 5v battery too) provides that. If you've wired parts that expect 5v to the main battery then you'll have destroyed them. See the videos in the 'Introduction to Remote Control' series for more of the basics..

[@lasmotius]

Okay, thank a lot :)

[@hakkinen147963]

Should the ESC amp rating be 10% more than the continuous amp rating or the maximum amp rating of the motor? I know you said in the video Max amp rating, but a lot of motors are rated at more than 200A, and there is no ESC that can handle this

[@Painless360]

+dieter leleu Not sure what motors you are looking at with a max amps of 200! The ESC needs to be a little more than the max amps for the battery. i.e. 12Amp motor = 15Amp ESC. Happy flying!

[@hakkinen147963]

+Painless360 Thank you for the reply. Taking the Align 550 Dominator as an example. The kit comes with the 730MX 850KV Motor which is rated at 115A continuous and 195A Peak. The ESC on this unit is the Castle Creations Talon 90. This ESC is rated at 90 amps continuous. So the Continuous rating of the ESC is still below the continuous of the motor.

[@Painless360]

I see - you are looking at Helicopter motors! I'd not use that setup you have - the ESC is no where near powerful enough to supply that motor safely...

[@hakkinen147963]

+Painless360 Strange that you say the ESC is no where near powerful enough, cause this is how the kit comes from Align. The ESC end motor is in the box as a complete kit. I am not arguing with you, I am just trying to spec a setup for a build that I am starting, and I am looking at complete kits to se how the manufacturer specs the electronics. And I am not seeing a trend

[@Painless360]

Try it and see, but if you are using an ESC with a lower rating than the motor then that normally spells trouble. I'd check with Align/Vendor myself as not be happy about that..

[@ytchannel2057]

can I use 2200 mah battery for 1000kv motor or is it too heavy

[@Painless360]

+Universal Video see the other videos in the 'Introduction to Remote control ' series as I cover this. It depends on the prop and battery voltage your using, you want over twice the total model weight in thrust ideally..

[@rajnishoap7538]

IS IT SAFE TO USE HIGHER 25 AMP BATTERY FOR 10 AMP MOTOR

[@Painless360]

Should be, the motor only pulls what it needs...

[@rajnishoap7538]

what if esc 30A rated lower than battery of 45 A

[@rathormuslifarm]

hello everyone i want to built quad-copter for that i purchase most of the component but while testing my esc getting fire my quad setup is 1.tarot 650 iron man frame 2.tarot tyi-5008 400kv motor 3.1555 " prop 4.6s 10000mah tato lipo battery 5.30A FVT LittleBee ESC 6.pixhwak please help me sir i very frustrated regarding esc nearly 4 esc get damage.please suggest me proper solution. thank u .

[@Painless360]

No need to post a question twice - I've replied on your first post..

[@ytchannel2057]

Sir I have a 8x4 prop which pulls 15A so which max C battery can I use.i am confused.can I use 30c or 40c or 25c

[@Painless360]

+Universal Video I can't answer that unless you know what battery you will use. You need the capacity of the battery x the c rating to be more than the 15A you need.. hope that helps.

[@digggy]

which lipo do I use for a2212/13t 1000kv

[@Painless360]

See our video on sizing the ESC and battery in the 'Introduction to Remote Control' playlist. That should help..

[@diggydice9041]

10% Rule- A good rule. Outside of the Transmitter needing programed in order to fly, what other of these electronic components needs programmed to operate properly? AND of those which requires special meters/devices to help in that process? I'm sure I'm far advanced to ask these questions but I can see it going that direction fast....lol, these little boards or some of them can be programmed? I don't really want to mess w/ them if I can avoid it but if it's a needed deal I want to know what stuff I'll need? Like the ESC, it's a very smart device but would I need to mess with it? And some of these parts cover each other to a degree? Heck, I'd better go back to the videos before I have an aneurysm? peace

[@ronogator7059]

Painless, you were cut off about your answer to me you were saying you need an ESC to run a brushed motor, I wasAsking about aBrushless motor , can I run the motor without a ESC.

[@Painless360]

See the 'Introduction to Remote Control' series for our videos on the basics. You need an brushes ESC for a brushless motor and a brushed ESC for a brushed motor.. ;)

[@bencrawshaw1227]

Bec usually comes with the ESC.

[@ytchannel2057]

sir I have 1400kv 10t brushless motor and 30a esc. how much C battery should I use 25c or 40c.

[@Painless360]

Depends on the prop you're going to use. Once you know that, look up the amperage the motor will pull with that prop and use a larger ESC. Best of luck!

[@funtimess2995]

Hi, Would you be able to answer the following questions: 1. If I only know the KV of a motor for example 2200KV, how do I determine the maximum watt or AMP the motor will draw to obtain maximum RPM without damaging the motor? A number of motor manufacturers especially in china do not provide all the specs and it becomes very confusing. 2. Lets say a motor draws 20A. Ok I will go and use a 30A ESC with that motor. Now an ESC can be used with 2-4S Lipo. Now how would you determine either to use 2S or 3S or 4S to get the maximum RPM output from the motor? The problem that I am trying to resolve is that if I want to design a complete electrical system from scratch, my assumption is that the motor specs is what determines the ESC needed, than you decide what Lipo you need or are there fault proof formulas that ne be used while designing a system from scratch.

[@Painless360]

See our other videos in the 'Introduction to RC' series for a lot more of the basics. Here is the quick version - 1) KV and amp draw are not related. Look at the Max amps to decide the size of the ESC. 2) The specs on the ESC will tell you what battery sizes it can handle. Best of luck!

[@ernestosaboia]

How do I tell if my ESC is Linear or Switch?

[@Painless360]

The easiest ways to check the manual or listing for it from where you bought it from. Best of luck!

[@tiriciocr7148]

What ESC use?

[@Painless360]

On what model?

[@tiriciocr7148]

@@Painless360 What do you recommend for a brushless 149kv 12s motor?