as you can see in the picture, this brand new ESC i just soldered up is showing different RPM's, tried changing around the motors and using new motors, yet motor 2 is always showing a significantly lower RPM than the rest. have i fucked something up...

after looking closely at the ESC, I can see that some of the parts do not seem to be in position, as you can see in the picture, how can this be? is this the cause of the problem?

I can't say what the issue is but that's a sloppy manufacturing process. Those black components look like diodes to me, should be easy enough to test if they have contact with the board. However, with sloppy manufacturing process like that you can wonder what the quality is that that ESC in general. What brand is it?

iFlight Blitz Mini E55 2-6S BLHeli32 4in1 ESC

(22-Jun-2023, 12:03 PM)Dronewhooper Wrote: iFlight Blitz Mini E55 2-6S BLHeli32 4in1 ESC

Your problem is highlighted in red above. Sorry I can't offer any more help but iFlight QC has a history of being flaky and I personally recommend that you stay away from their electronic products. That shoddy manufacturing is almost certainly playing some part in the issues you are experiencing. Contact the vendor and request (demand) a replacement under warranty.