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Smoked an ESC after changing to 4S
#1
I have been flying my DIY Martian frame for a few months now and have been using 3S batteries to get used to it.  After feeling confident enough to change to 4S (more power) i flew a pack at a local park.  WOW!  What a difference!
Anyway, I had been doing some sharp turns and flips and was bringing her in for a landing after about 5 minutes of flying.  I had just enough battery to do one more flip so I punched the throttle from about 3 feet off the ground and at about 10 feet my video feed spun (indicating something bad just happened) and it crashed (not hard) into the soft grass.  I killed the motors quick smart and took off my goggle just in time to see a puff on magic smoke.  I had fried number 2 ESC and as it turned out, the FC also.
The motors are 3-4s Sunny-Sky R2205 2300KV and the ESC's are Aikon BLheli-S 20a, also 3-4s compatible.

I read this https://oscarliang.com/esc-on-fire-burn-smoke/ and decided to ask Oscar and the group what might have happened.

I have included a screen shot of my PID's and FYI, I am running Oneshot 125 for the ESC/Motor Protacol in Beatflight.  Unfortunately I only figured out how to configure Black Box today.  I had it set to record on a UART instead of internal flash so I don't have any data to share. 

I replaced the FC (Airbot F3) and the dead ESC and ran through 6 x 3s packs again this morning without a hiccup.  I'm a bit scared to run the 4s packs until I figure out what's going on.
I'm not expecting a definite answer here, that would be impossible, but rather an idea of what to look for.
   
Thanks in advance

Aussie
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#2
Hi Aussie,

I doubt very much the change to 4S lipo would be the direct cause for esc failure (blow up). some ESC's are fickle and will have a meltdown if a motor gets stuck and a full punch of throttle surges the esc and the motor is not turning properly.."poof". Could be just that the esc touched the frame, rubbed through the heatshrink.

As you said, a 100% definative answer is pretty hard given all the variables.

Could also be a bad case of Bad Luck.
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[-] The following 1 user Likes BigglesFPV's post:
  • Aussie In AZ
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#3
I did some more research and read in a few places that the PID's are usually lower when flying 4s. Could my D gain be too high for 4s? (see pic in the original post)

Aussie
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#4
Nah, sounds more like just bad luck to me.
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#5
Yep, ESCs are the most fickle of all components. I had mine set up nicely and ready for PID tuning yesterday, but decided to first soft mount the motors and shorten the ESC wires. I armed it when I was done and #3 motor wouldn't spin up. after trading motors and ESCs it was obvious that the ESC was dead. So it didn't happen when flying or changing settings, it just decided to quit. When ordering ESCs, I always get a couple extras.
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#6
(01-May-2017, 01:40 PM)RENOV8R Wrote: Yep, ESCs are the most fickle of all components.  I had mine set up nicely and ready for PID tuning yesterday, but decided to first soft mount the motors and shorten the ESC wires.  I armed it when I was done and #3 motor wouldn't spin up.  after trading motors and ESCs it was obvious that the ESC was dead.  So it didn't happen when flying or changing settings, it just decided to quit.  When ordering ESCs, I always get a couple extras.

I also, fortunately,  had extras.  You can't fly without them some times.

Thanks for everyone's ideas.  She flew brilliantly yesterday with 3s so this weekend I think I'll give the 4s another shot.  I now have BB turned on and configured correctly.......I think Smile
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