Another component for my upcoming 85mm brushless build - the Racerstar 12A 4in1 that I have received from Banggood.
You can buy it here: https://goo.gl/H2WJ35

I have already used its smaller brother - the RS 4in1 6A esc and while it is still alive, another unit has ended its life by releasing the magic smoke caused by a combination of too heavy props and snow sticking onto components

This time I have decided to use 12A, because it’s just 0.5g heavier and only a bit more expensive.



Those integrated 4in1 Racerstar ESCs use BB2 chip so are able to run Blheli_S with Dshot600 and are rated for 12A with 17A peak using 2-4s lipo packs. They are using a standard 20x20mm mounting hole pattern. The holes themself are M3, but we have already learned that standard M3 spacers and nuts won’t fit perfectly - the components are packed too close to properly screw them in. Luckily, those ESCs arrive with a set of smaller nylon standoffs and there is enough of them to comfortably build the ESC-FC-top plate stack.



Wire for your lipo is already soldered onto the unit and it also arrives with two sets of signal wiring - one very short with small plugs on both ends. Second one is a longer breakout set with standard dupont plugs on one end.

Racerstar has also prepared a pretty standard 2-page BlHeli manual that is packed inside the bag.

The difference between 6A and 12A:

As stated before, the 12A version is a bit heavier at 5g, 6A weighted 4.48 (with no wires, my 6A had a bit of solder), so I’d say that 0.5g difference is negligible, taking greater Amp capabilities into account. It also uses 4 bigger gate drivers instead of circuits built from separate components (in 6A). Two more (bigger) capacitors on the underside are used to keep up with more possible noise from higher number of cells we can use.

12A version has no 5V regulator, while the 6A has one rated at 0.5A. This is not an issue, since most micro FCs we use on 2-3S have one anyway.

This product presents the same “issue” that 6A had - we have motors marked with numbers in all 4 corners and those markings are not the same that Clean/Betaflight uses - two of them need to be switched. This pattern resembles raceflights clockwise 1234 motor mixer. User needs to pay attention on wire order while soldering wires into the FC.





Pros:

• Small form factor
  
• Full set of standoffs is provided in the package
  
• Dshot600 ready
  

Cons:

• Doesn’t accept standard sized standoffs/nuts despite having M3 mounting holes
  
• User needs to be extra careful of the motor order
  

That is all I can say about it now as I didn’t put it on the build yet. The smaller brother - 6A version was performing great. I have the same expectations from this unit

I have already written about FC for this build:

• Mini acro F4
  

Incoming:

• Racerstar 1103B 10000kv motors
  
• Entire 85mm brushless build
  

"I have already used its smaller brother - the RS 4in1 6A esc and while it is still alive, another unit has ended its life by releasing the magic smoke caused by a combination of too heavy props and snow sticking onto components"
i wonder... whose could it be... too heavy prop + snow... let me guess

(22-Apr-2017, 06:28 PM)Grisha0 Wrote: i wonder... whose could it be... too heavy prop + snow... let me guess

no need for guessing. I have tested mine on those props. They feel waaaaay too heavy in flight  Will check amperage soon

Interesting. This 4-in-1 would appear to be a copy of the Cicada 4-in-1.





The only difference I see is a few slightly larger ceramic capacitors.

The Cicada ESC is rated at 10A constant and 15A burst and for 2S - 3S. The output FETs on my Cicada have 7208S as the part number. Can you see what they are on the RacerStar?

They most probably are rebrands of cicadas, just like other RS series ESCs.

Fets are the same

(23-Apr-2017, 06:42 PM)KonradS Wrote: They most probably are rebrands of cicadas, just like other RS series ESCs.

Fets are the same

Thanks for checking which FETs are used. I wonder if the 4S rating that Banggood give them is wishful thinking or if the 3S rating when sold as the Cicada brand is merely conservative...

What battery will you be using in your build?

(23-Apr-2017, 11:28 PM)unseen Wrote: Thanks for checking which FETs are used. I wonder if the 4S rating that Banggood give them is wishful thinking or if the 3S rating when sold as the Cicada brand is merely conservative...

What battery will you be using in your build?

If I were to believe the Internet, those fets are rated for up to 30v so yeah, probably Cicadas are conservative. Some ESCs are able to hold to much more than they arevrated for. For example XM20A are rated for 4s and many guus are using them on 5s. Yesterday I have tried my Raptor 390s (also 4s) on 5s and they also kept up.

I use 2s 350mah Giant Power packs from bg on my other build, will reuse them here.

Has anyone dared to run the Cicada 10A at 4S?
Also, apparently there are two versions of the FETs, Q1 and Q2.. Q1 being rated at 12A, Q2 rated at 16A. Can someone please check the exact type on the racerstar and cicada?

(27-Aug-2017, 04:31 PM)Arakon Wrote: Has anyone dared to run the Cicada 10A at 4S?
Also, apparently there are two versions of the FETs, Q1 and Q2.. Q1 being rated at 12A, Q2 rated at 16A. Can someone please check the exact type on the racerstar and cicada?

I only run mine on 3S. My Cicada has

BGPAA
FDMC
7208S

Written on the FETs. No Q1 or Q2.

Nevermind, I'm an idiot. I misread the datasheet, it has 2 independant channels on the same FET, one handles 12, one 16A.
So yeah, max rating of these is 30V/12A.