Model Forum / Radio Controlled / Air Models / September 2006

Hello, I'm new to this group so I hope you will bear with me
concerning an ESC problem.

I just upgraded the paltry 270mah nicad setup in my GWS Slow Stick
park flyer to a LIPO setup and I have a problem.  I replaced my 270
mah nicad pack with a 2-cell LIPO battery pack and I changed the speed
controller from the nicad ICS 100 unit to an ICS 100 Li (see the link
here)

http://www.gws.com.tw/english/product/speedcontroller/100.htm

FYI The standard motor I am using is a GWS EM 300 and this worked fine
with the nicad setup, except for very short flights, hence my change
over to LIPS setup
.
When I connected the LIPO setup everything up, it worked fine for
about 2 minutes.  I ran the motor up to full speed for a few seconds
then I switched everything off.  I tried it again a couple of minutes
later and nothing happened. The new speed controller had died
completely.  No motor and no servo operation.  I checked the voltage
output from the ICS 100 LI and found it was only giving out 0.8V
instead of the normal 5.0V  My Lipo battery is fully charged.

To double check, I re-connected my old ICS100 (non-lipo) ESC  and
everything works fine.  It even worked connected to the LIPO battery.
Steady 5.0V from the BEC, motor and servos all working.  

My problem is this.  Have I possibly blown the ICS 100 LI by using a
300 motor with it?  If so it would seem strange, as the 270 mah nicad
pack ran it fine with the standard ICS 100, and the current output
from both versions of the ICS 100 ESC's is the same (I think 5 amps
continuous, 8 amps max).

Do you think I have a duff ICS 100 LI speed controller or is that fact
that I'm using a 2-cell LIPO with a 300 motor mean that I'm drawing
too much current through the ESC?  Maybe I should upgrade to an ICS
300 LI ESC?
http://www.gws.com.tw/english/product/speedcontroller/300.htm

Any thoughts woudl be MOST appreciated.  I dont want the same thing to
happen with a replacement ICS 100 LI, but if it's just a faulty unit
then maybe I sould take the chance instead of upgrading to an ICS 300
which seems  a little like overkill to me.