Help With Swappable electronics. (ESC)

Carter110

Junior Member
Hello, I am new to scratch built R.C. I was building the Nutball and when I plug in the battery the motor beebs and twitches a little but after that it doesn't respond to throttle changes. The servos are working perfectly. I think it's the ESC but I don't know how to fix it. Is it a problem with arming the ESC or setting it up? Any help would be appreciated. (Suppo ESC if that helps)
 

FDS

Elite member
Check you have the throttle plug in the right port on the receiver. It will initialise if plugged into the bind port but won’t throttle up. Also check the plug orientation.
 

d8veh

Elite member
The ESC needs to see a zero throttle signal before it'll give power, so it won't work if your throttle trim is too high, if your throttle signal is reversed or if your stick isn't in the zero position. Some transmitters or models are setup with a throttle disable switch too.

Also, the ESC has low voltage controls. It won't give power to the motor if the battery voltage is too low, which means that if it's set to 3S, which is often the default, and you use a 2S battery, the voltage will be too low for it. Usually,the number of beeps after connection show how many number of cells it's set for.
 
  • Like
Reactions: FDS

FDS

Elite member
What is the most common way to fix the ESC programming if it’s set to 3s and you want to run 2s? None of my ESC’s came with any programming or audio warning documentation.
 

kdobson83

Well-known member
I'd imagine the esc needs to be calibrated. Turn your transmitter on, push throttle all the way up. Plug your battery in, when the motor finishes beeping, move the trottle stick back down to zero throttle.
 

Carter110

Junior Member
Update: I tried a different esc and ran into the same problem so I'm not sure what the problem is. I tried most of these suggestions and they didn't seem to change anything but I may have done them wrong. The Motor beeps only a couple times as soon as I plug in the battery. I believe that the ESC is connected to the receiver correctly nothing works if I change the orientation of the plug. It's in the power port on the Receiver (It is definitely in the bind port because my receiver actually has a bind button instead). Could it be the way my motor is connected to the ESC?
 

DamoRC

Elite member
Mentor
Details would help particularly to establish the correct port on the receiver and the calibration protocol for the ESC.

Can you provide make and model numbers for your transmitter, receiver, and ESC. Also confirm if you are using 2S or 3S batteries. In sure we'll get to the bottom of this.
 

Carter110

Junior Member
Details would help particularly to establish the correct port on the receiver and the calibration protocol for the ESC.

Can you provide make and model numbers for your transmitter, receiver, and ESC. Also confirm if you are using 2S or 3S batteries. In sure we'll get to the bottom of this.

I'm using a Suppo 20A ESC, Spectrum AR410 receiver, Spectrum DXe transmitter, and I've been using a 2 cell E-flite 7.4V 2150mAh battery however I also have a 3 cell battery that's a little more powerful that should also work
 

Paracodespoder

Elite member
Just found this,
C0B2CC3D-8FD4-448D-B3A0-25CFE0B411AE.png

Looks like you need to change the cell type if you haven’t already.
 

Carter110

Junior Member
I didn't do that yet but I fixed it. I had the ESC plugged into battery on the receiver but it needed to be plugged into port 1/ data. Thanks for the help though.
 

Merv

Site Moderator
Staff member
. It's in the power port on the Receiver (It is definitely in the bind port because my receiver actually has a bind button instead).
Im not sure if I understood this statement. Are you saying the ESC is plugged into the power port?
 

d8veh

Elite member
I didn't do that yet but I fixed it. I had the ESC plugged into battery on the receiver but it needed to be plugged into port 1/ data. Thanks for the help though.
You still need to program the ESC correctly to avoid your plane falling out of the sky, so it's best to followi the instructions.
 
  • Like
Reactions: FDS
I had the same problem but when I try to calibrate the esc It played a very long series of beeps before and after I moved the stick to the low position and did not calibrated .
 
Last edited:

FDS

Elite member
You put the ESC into programming mode. The beeps are the options menu. You would need to try again.
 

FDS

Elite member
We can’t get the FT ones here. I use Hobbywing Skywalker or Hobbyking Plush esc’s. You will have to search for the manual for yours. I never bother trying to program them, my usual ones come all set up, I just do the stick calibration routine then it’s done. I am lazy. Send yours back if you got it from the FT store or buy another, then you won’t have to spend hours finding the manual online and working it out. I prefer to fly than waste time ESC programming!
 
M

MCNC

Guest
I had a similar issue once. The fix (for me) was calibration. I have a spectrum dx6 and had to first go into settings and reverse my throttle so full up was off. Then follow the calibration steps, then go back and un-reverse my throttle. I found that tip on a Google search, did not bother to try to figure out why.