Mamba Failure

racer34v · #1 04-03-2007, 09:22 PM

Hey, I have a mamba 5700 combo i bought new and put it in my b4, it was great for 10 - 15 packs and now the rotor locks but if you move the wires where they go into the can it works for a lap or two (oval) and then will start to glitch again as though its switching forward/ reverse at a high rate.

Any chance the wires are damaged in the can?

Something i should look into or just send it in?

ElectricThunder · #2 04-03-2007, 09:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by racer34v

Hey, I have a mamba 5700 combo i bought new and put it in my b4, it was great for 10 - 15 packs and now the rotor locks but if you move the wires where they go into the can it works for a lap or two (oval) and then will start to glitch again as though its switching forward/ reverse at a high rate.

Any chance the wires are damaged in the can?

Something i should look into or just send it in?

Maybe some of the wires in the can are shorting out, and when you wiggle them, they are no longer touching. I'd say send it in to Castle. They'll probably replace the entire thing.

mopowa · #3 04-04-2007, 03:37 PM

I had the same thing happen, i thought it was the wires coming from the can or in the can but as it turned out it was a bad bullet connector. Try and losing the connectors worked for me.(it does not void warranty this is what castle told me to do) hope this helps.

Joe Ford · #4 04-04-2007, 10:02 PM

mopowa is 100% correct...removing the connectors will NOT void the warranty and is actually the preferred method for the motor to ESC connection. I never use gold connectors...just one more potential failure/problem point. Cut them as short as you want/can. The shorter they are the less noise the system produces, the better the back EMF signal, the less resistance in the system, and the more output. If removing the connectors doesn't work for you let me know and I'll get a new one out to you with a pre-paid envelope to send that one back to us since you just bought it.

GSMnow · #5 04-09-2007, 04:20 PM

I noticed when I installed my new Mamba Max 5700 that the connectors on the motor wires felt a bit loose. One of them is very tight and feels how I expect it to. The other two and firm to push in, but then they spin fairly easy. They seem to be staying cool, but I have only run 5 packs through it so far. If they give me any trouble I was thinking of switching to Power Pole connectors for the motor wires. I use Deans Ultra plug for the battery end, but they don't have a 3 pin.

kufman · #6 04-09-2007, 06:06 PM

Power Poles aren't the best connectors for motors. They disconnect easily in the event of a crash which can cause controller damage. They are also not rated for a lot of current, 30A if I remember correctly. Just my opinion. I used to use them all the time on my battery connections because they were easy to put together in series for running my boats on 12 cells. I had to start taping them for use in my touring cars to prevent lost races due to lost connection.

GSMnow · #7 04-09-2007, 07:13 PM

I thought about using 2 deans connectors. One wired the way it would be for brushed reversing, and the other picking up the third wire. It is a little wasteful but works. But when I looked at the tech specs, the power poles are very close on resistance. I think they are better than the bananas that came on the Mamba motor.

chilledoutuk · #8 04-09-2007, 08:25 PM

the banana connections on my mamba max are as tight as a ducks butt.

In my opinion powerpoles are awful connections that don't last and are a pain in the ass to solder and assemble in comparison to banana plugs and heatshrink.

I would also like to add that decent tight fitting bannana plugs are incredibly low loss and unless you have a mixture of different makes the fit is normally very tight as is my pre soldered mamba max connections.

GSMnow · #9 04-10-2007, 12:28 AM

One of the three bananas on my Mamba Max is a great fit. If they were all like that I would never think of changing them. Another one is fair, but still turns easy, and the third is quite loose. Though I will admit it didn't get even warm to the touch while racing, so I am not changing it yet. I use Deans Ultra for all my batteries and I think they are great. The Power Poles spec about the same, but are a little thinner where the current goes from wire to contact. I can pick up power poles at a store near my work and they carry many colors making it convenient. The 30 amp constant rated size claims just 0.0006 ohms. My IB4200 packs (some of the best ratings I have seen)have an internal resistance of 0.0014 ohms per cell x 6 or 0.0084 ohms for the pack, or 14 times as much. At 100 amps the connector resistance would result in 0.06 volts of loss and 6 watts of heat. The battery pack under those same 100 amps will be dropping 0.84 volts and cooking to the tune of 84 watts. This is why packs get hot trying to push a hot brushless setup. A good soldering iron is 25 watts. Of course the battery pack has alot more surface area to dissipate the heat.

AE_racer38 · #10 04-10-2007, 12:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Ford

mopowa is 100% correct...removing the connectors will NOT void the warranty and is actually the preferred method for the motor to ESC connection. I never use gold connectors...just one more potential failure/problem point. Cut them as short as you want/can. The shorter they are the less noise the system produces, the better the back EMF signal, the less resistance in the system, and the more output. If removing the connectors doesn't work for you let me know and I'll get a new one out to you with a pre-paid envelope to send that one back to us since you just bought it.

Joe, if one was to hardwire the motor to esc wires, how would one go about that? Just remove connectors, and solder the wire ends together, or....? The reason i'm asking is because i thought we weren't supposed to remove the wires from the motor.

racer34v · #11 04-10-2007, 08:08 AM

Thanks for the input everyone, I havent had time to solder and try again, It very well could be the cause of the problem due to its severe intermittance, Its installed ina b4 and i run the wires through the rear shock tower so when i move the wires at the can input it also moves them at the bullet connectors.

Joe- Its input like that that makes mamba #1 in my book, keep up the great customer service!!

I will let you know what i find

THanks
Alan

Joe Ford · #12 04-11-2007, 12:55 AM

AE...yes, simply remove the gold connectors from the motor to ESC connection and solder the wires together. Shorten the wires on our motors all you'd like (or the ESC)...if you re-read p.7 of the User Manual it states...

"If you choose to direct solder or to shorten the motor wires, you may
do so on the Castle Creations CM36 motors only. DO NOT CUT any
part of the wire length from any other motor, regardless of brand
or type. In most cases, only the last 1/4 inch or so of most motor wires
are able to be soldered . If they are clipped shorter, the motor will not run
properly, or may not run at all. You may also void the warranty of that motor.
If the motor is supplied with connectors you do not want to use, then make
sure to unsolder the original motor connectors from the wires - do not cut
them off."

Alan...I'll be out of town until Tuesday at the 1/18th indoor offroad NATS in Enfield, CT...just so you know.