RC Bashers

So recently I called up Traxxas warranty about my esc, but they of course said it'd be a $50 repair job. I've had my esc for over a year, & have found cheaper yet better alternatives on the net since then so I thought I'd finally crack the thing open & see what it's all about. And here's what I found:




There's a lake of glue down around the capacitors, there's a line of it behind the motor sensor port that held the receiver wire in place, and there's just globs of it all over other parts of the chip.....that's not a very intricate setup!

Cant say if its good or bad I dont pop open cases much but probaly on par with most anything else, traxxas is suppose to be pretty decent stuff really. For having it over a year $50 bones aint bad compared to new pricing man. That water I see to?

nope thats not water, thats the glue they used.

thats actually a epoxy sealant they use. you can actually go to just about any hardware store and buy it. a friend on another forum had a nice write up on how he did his castle esc.

they also glued in the lid pegs so i nearly ripped the lid apart just gettin it off. whatever happened to that liquid tape stuff? thats at least easier to get off.

well, thats exactly how you waterproof an ESC. you make it swim in glue, or some sort of inert substance. jb weld would do the same thing. so would liquid electrical tape.

the look might no be pretty, but that really is how it is supposed to be. these types of devices, when used to their max, probably don't have as long a life as you would think. you can turn a Mamba Max into a waterproof one the same way.
but that will void their warranty.

i think you did an ok thing by getting the hong kong stuff, but they are not waterproof. so i guess you could have gotten a new traxxas on for the cost of the replacement. castle will do the same thing. its kinda a cool deal. buy a full price one once, and then pay $50 for replacement for life. not a bad idea.

you can still get 3-4 hong kong ones for the price of a new one. and they work great, and have an awesome field programmer.

i also couldnt have posted this much in the chat box

i havent got the hong kong stuff yet, thats just what im thinkin of next.

ok, i thought you bought it already. my bad!

Like to see the how to on sealing mambas

I once had mine apart too. I lost the on / off button on one. What I did was told them it was a recent present from a relative and didn't have the reciept. Fixxed it for free. Then said the new one would not be repaired or replaced if returned with a Non Traxxas plug on it. I turned it back in with MY Deans plug on it. I asked for the plug back and they refused.But what can you do. I also scooped a spare off FleeBay for $34 just to make the race since Traxxas decided to keep mine for 8/9 weeks.Hope the deal works out for you KN.

traxxas has to corner the market for some reason dont they.

how's that?

Yeah, I sent in a VXL system that I bought off of RCU (and told them where I got it, no receipt) and they replaced it with a new system at no charge. However, when I had a Sidewinder repaired, CC sent me a new unit and returned my Deans plug in the box. Based on the service I get, I much prefer Castle, because they'll actually talk with you and get done exactly what you are looking for.

i'm just sayin they have to sell their own plugs too.

hey now, soldering isnt so bad lol that is if you dont have a crappy 20W iron like mine.

or are not talented in that way like me!

lol did you buy a walmart soldering iron too?

ive got a homedepot butane one and a 160w gun type from probally the 60-70s

how fast does it run thru butane? i wouldnt wanna keep buyin refills.

I had bought one of those for in the field from radio shack and the dam thing leaks so fill it and use it fast cause the butane wont last long lol. Normal tho it last pretty long and I got a big can for just a few buks. Downside is the heat from the flame in there can get to other stuff so why its for emergencies really, had posted before in chat for chad a $20 station that Bill uses...

id go for anything thats cheap-ish, simple & puts out at least 60W

its not bad i have a large bottle (smaller than a "tall can") and i have yet to empty it had the bad boy about a year use it to heat shrink wrap start the bbq light candles and solder also as a hot knife! its a handy thing just not great for my style of soldering i need to get one of those "extra hands things" that would probably make me proficient at soldering

$3 at harbor freight or splurge like I did for the one with a lighted magnifyer on it lol has a spot for a soldering iron to.

lol who needs a magnifying glass? i got youthful eyes

i have my blind days! might come in handy! haha