Fried ESC and BEC

[HuckinHavoc]

Well today I preformed a major screw up. The magic smoke escaped from my CC BEC and my CC Phoenix Ice Lite 50A ESC. I am starting to put BECs on all of my planes because I have started using digital Savox servos with a Spektrum RX. Without the BEC the Spektrum RX wants to brown out so I am getting around that by using an external BEC. This is only the second one I have hooked up.

I basically soldered the BEC battery leads onto the ESC battery leads. I hooked my motor up to it so I could check the rotation of the motor. I then plugged a 3s battery in, but I forgot to plug the servo extension wires into my RX first.

I am not sure if not plugging the servo leads from the BEC and ESC into the RX is what made them fry or if it was my wiring. I am thinking that it was probably not plugging them into the RX but I do not undestand why that would make them fry. Here is some pictures of my wiring in case that is the problem.

 

[SnowDog]

Sorry to hear you got the magic smoke. On most ESC's if you are hooking up a BEC and it already has an internal BEC, you need to disconnect the middle wire from the plug before you connect the plug to the throttle slot on you RX. Otherwise, you've got power from the ESC's BEC and the external PEC, and that could be the cause of your problem.

I use external BEC's as well, but on my larger 50-60" planes and therefore the ESC I use does not have a built-in BEC...they are the OPTO variety, so I don't have to worry about disabling/disconnecting the built in BEC of the ESC.

 

[HuckinHavoc]

Hey Snowdog, thanks for the reply. I didnt have either one plugged into my RX at the time. I applied bat power to them and the smoked. Is that because I didnt disable the internal BEC first? I wired up an Airboss ESC about the same way without disabling the internal BEC (I did pull the red wire) and it worked fine.

I am basically trying to figure out if I smoked them because I didn't have them tied into my RX when I applied bat power?

 

[gyro]

Hey Snowdog, thanks for the reply. I didnt have either one plugged into my RX at the time. I applied bat power to them and the smoked. Is that because I didnt disable the internal BEC first? I wired up an Airboss ESC about the same way without disabling the internal BEC (I did pull the red wire) and it worked fine.

I am basically trying to figure out if I smoked them because I didn't have them tied into my RX when I applied bat power?

Not plugging in the rx wire is not a cause for failure. It has nothing to do with your issue.

Unfortunately, I had an identical experience with a castle ice 100 and a BEC pro about 5 months ago.
http://www.3drcforums.com/showthread.php?p=19058#post19058

I'd get your receipt and send them to castle. They should be familiar with the issue, and replace for free.

 

[joshgluck]

Not plugging in the rx wire is not a cause for failure. It has nothing to do with your issue.

Unfortunately, I had an identical experience with a castle ice 100 and a BEC pro about 5 months ago.
http://www.3drcforums.com/showthread.php?p=19058#post19058

I'd get your receipt and send them to castle. They should be familiar with the issue, and replace for free.

Gary - That's not my nearly new bec pro is it. ;-)


I can't tell from the pic but it does look like you have a positive from the esc connected to the bec as well as the positive from the battery itself. What is the red connector on the out put side of the bec? Is that a splice?

 

[gyro]

Gary - That's not my nearly new bec pro is it. ;-)


I can't tell from the pic but it does look like you have a positive from the esc connected to the bec as well as the positive from the battery itself. What is the red connector on the out put side of the bec? Is that a splice?

Yours was not that one

From what i can see in the pics above, all is connected properly.
The BEC and ESC rx wires are taped together (the ESC wire has an extension attached).

 

[Capt.Roll]

Well today I preformed a major screw up. The magic smoke escaped from my CC BEC and my CC Phoenix Ice Lite 50A ESC. I am starting to put BECs on all of my planes because I have started using digital Savox servos with a Spektrum RX. Without the BEC the Spektrum RX wants to brown out so I am getting around that by using an external BEC. This is only the second one I have hooked up.

I basically soldered the BEC battery leads onto the ESC battery leads. I hooked my motor up to it so I could check the rotation of the motor. I then plugged a 3s battery in, but I forgot to plug the servo extension wires into my RX first.

I am not sure if not plugging the servo leads from the BEC and ESC into the RX is what made them fry or if it was my wiring. I am thinking that it was probably not plugging them into the RX but I do not undestand why that would make them fry. Here is some pictures of my wiring in case that is the problem.

View attachment 9030

Is that a Power Pole connector on the ESC? It looks to be color coded red/black.

I've not used them before but usually the red connector would go to the red lead on the ESC and the black connector would be attached to the black lead on the ESC? Is the connector on the battery the same? Red to black and black to red? Seems confusing............but then I'm easily confused. :facepalm:

I use EC3 and EC5 connectors, they have positive/negative polarity and I solder the red battery and ESC lead to the (+) and the black battery and ESC lead to the (-).

 

[gyro]

Is that a Power Pole connector on the ESC? It looks to be color coded red/black.

I've not used them before but usually the red connector would go to the red lead on the ESC and the black connector would be attached to the black lead on the ESC? Is the connector on the battery the same? Red to black and black to red? Seems confusing............but then I'm easily confused. :facepalm:

I use EC3 and EC5 connectors, they have positive/negative polarity and I solder the red battery and ESC lead to the (+) and the black battery and ESC lead to the (-).

Good eye Rex, I missed that also, I was just looking at the BEC and ESC splice.

 

[Capt.Roll]

Well, if HuckinHavoc has the red PowerPole connector on the positive lead of his 3S battery and the black connector to the black lead..........end of story. I'm not sure that many BEC's and ESC's have protection from getting the polarity reversed.

Another thing that helps me is to match up the color of shrink tube to the wire........especially on the red and black. I never put black shrink tube on a red lead......maybe white, green, blue, etc.

 

[SnowDog]

Well, if HuckinHavoc has the red PowerPole connector on the positive lead of his 3S battery and the black connector to the black lead..........end of story. I'm not sure that many BEC's and ESC's have protection from getting the polarity reversed.

Another thing that helps me is to match up the color of shrink tube to the wire........especially on the red and black. I never put black shrink tube on a red lead......maybe white, green, blue, etc.

Whoops...totally missed that...good catch cap!