Topic: Mtronics Marine Speed Controller -getting it working (Read 11957 times)

Little Speedy · « **on:** July 28, 2007, 07:45:00 pm »

Hello,
I have recently purchased the above speed controller (Marine 15A model) and cannot get it to work with my Futaba RC. When all is connected up I just get a red light on the speed controller. On pushing the little button, nothing happens -the light stays on red and the speed controller refuses to work.

I do admit to having a 35 MHZ RC system and wondered if this could be the source of the problem? Do these marine speed controllers only work with 40MHz RC systems?

Many thanks for any help you can give me.

Richard

catengineman · « **Reply #1 on:** July 28, 2007, 08:10:23 pm »

Hi Little Speedy.

Sounds like no signal from the receiver and that is why the red LED is on solid
Check the pin config into your receiver is correct
Swap a channel and try again

Richard,

malcolmfrary · « **Reply #2 on:** July 28, 2007, 08:26:58 pm »

Assuming that the transmitter is working and providing a signal for the receiver to chew on, how soon in the procedure after switching the controller on are you pressing the red button? It doesn't take long before the computer decides that it knows best.

Ghost in the shell · « **Reply #3 on:** July 28, 2007, 08:35:22 pm »

mtronics esc's should give a rapid flash of green and red when they find a singnal, this happens for about 5 to 10 seconds before you get a steady red and green light.

a steady red can be down to the fact that there is no signal being detected by the esc. this can be either your rx and tx being on different frequencies or your rx plug installed back to front. check your Futaba plug to see which side your signal wire should be on, (white) and install your esc plug with the same orientation. the metal tabs on the top of the plug should face the same direction cos not even I know the colour code for mtronics except that red is live wire

Robert Davies · « **Reply #4 on:** July 28, 2007, 11:05:58 pm »

'Red light only' means no signal received from he TX....

You DO have the TX switched on?

Else, does the RX have power?

Else have you plugged the ESC in the right way round? Brown wire = Black, Orange wire = White.

-Rob

OMK · « **Reply #5 on:** July 29, 2007, 01:45:31 am »

Quote from: Little Speedy on July 28, 2007, 07:45:00 pm

On pushing the little button, nothing happens -the light stays on red and...

Welcome to the quirky world of model boat electrizmo, amigo.
It might be that you've shoved the wrong polarity up somewhere. A permanent 'on' LED is usually indicitive of something gone belly-up.
Keep your eye on the 'How to' pages....

w3bby · « **Reply #6 on:** July 29, 2007, 10:11:16 am »

Welcome Little Speedy

Whilst everyone else hits the speed control question I will handle the radio question...if you are UK based then 35Mhz is ONLY for aircraft by law.
http://www.ukrcc.org/index.html
You should NOT use your radio for a boat or car, the potential for a serious accident is too obvious to ignore.

Little Speedy · « **Reply #7 on:** July 29, 2007, 11:23:37 am »

Thanks everyone for your help but nothing has worked so i have decided to get a replacement.Thanks again i will tell you if the new one works.THANKS :)

Ghost in the shell · « **Reply #8 on:** July 29, 2007, 07:15:56 pm »

Quote from: w3bby on July 29, 2007, 10:11:16 am

Welcome Little Speedy
Whilst everyone else hits the speed control question I will handle the radio question...if you are UK based then 35Mhz is ONLY for aircraft by law.
http://www.ukrcc.org/index.html
You should NOT use your radio for a boat or car, the potential for a serious accident is too obvious to ignore.

its surface modellers that use air frequencies that give RCers a bad name.

justice would be someone RC plane dive bombing a surface model that has been operating on air dedicated frequency, and the owner of said plane beating the crap out of the surface guy.

Little Speedy · « **Reply #9 on:** July 30, 2007, 06:12:37 pm »

I was only testing the boat with that freqency because i dont have any aa batterys for my 40hmz.So i used my 35 because it was rechargable! Sorry that i didn't say that first off.

Ghost in the shell · « **Reply #10 on:** July 30, 2007, 06:25:21 pm »

just be very careful when using your radio equipment

colin-stevens · « **Reply #11 on:** August 01, 2007, 09:43:53 am »

i have had trouble with thwe mtroniks myself. damned things keep quitting on me. no idea why, the are not underated for the job i have been using them on. seem to be ok, turn off but when i turn on again they no longer work. good thing about mtroniks is you can take them back and get a replacement. although when you get through 4 in 3 months the shop gets a little peeved. dont beleive i am not doing something stupid. maybe i am, but read and reread the destuctions and cant see anything. any one else had this problem, or is it just me. me and modern technology do not get on!

Subculture · « **Reply #12 on:** August 01, 2007, 10:22:14 am »

I use these Thor ESC's-

http://scaleship.de/shop/category_11/Fahrtregler.html?sessid=PqYOnJwpLnM1FPH4rGTV7tEKRGgEtX5sZfAbR3DVEeRIR4fGNFfEOnLssO2qLlbT&shop_param=cid%3D11%26

They're tiny little controllers, but take decent current- upto 15 A which is enough for most small to medium scale models. They also have a wide voltage range.

They come in lower amperage ratings, and these can get really tiny.

Andy

Sub driver · « **Reply #13 on:** August 01, 2007, 11:16:43 am »

:) Never had any probs with any Mtroniks speedos and I have a lot of them some right from the beginings ( they still work ) in just about all my boats ( and I have some big uns ) they all work great, even one speedo on 2 motors, One thing I have noted is that people will keep pressing that button, the Viper range is preset at the factory to run on most modern radio systems and you do not need to muck about with it, only if the full forward / reverse etc is way off then you can reset it but normally they are ok .
If you do press the button and move the stick you alter the neutral / brake points etc and it doesn't work correctly. You can get it back to normal again by resetting it but you have to connect it to the battery at the same time as switching it on AND pressing that button, it says in the blurb press within 2 seconds but in my experience of sorting other ones out for folk at shows etc you have to press it virtually immeadiately when powering it up then follow instructions.

Hope this is of use to someone / anyone.

Daryl · « **Reply #14 on:** August 01, 2007, 01:03:43 pm »

I have noticed that Mtroniks have tweaked their design. I have had a couple stop working for no reason, several people in our club has had the same. I am begining to loose faith in them, they used to be ultra reliable.

Daryl

FullLeatherJacket · « **Reply #15 on:** August 01, 2007, 05:28:14 pm »

It's a real shame that there are no other electronic speed controllers on the market, isn'it? ::)

I've just repaired one of ours that's been in service since 1997. Customer confessed to wiring it up back'ards > New FETs > Good as new > £10 > Happy customer.

Works for him.

FLJ

Ghost in the shell · « **Reply #16 on:** August 01, 2007, 05:31:21 pm »

Quote from: FullLeatherJacket on August 01, 2007, 05:28:14 pm

It's a real shame that there are no other electronic speed controllers on the market, isn'it? ::)

I've just repaired one of ours that's been in service since 1997. Customer confessed to wiring it up back'ards > New FETs > Good as new > £10 > Happy customer.

Works for him.

FLJ

I use a Proboat Tornado 50 in the najade, :) 50amp rating. there was a bad batch of these in 2005 but I have had no trouble with mine

Stan · « **Reply #17 on:** August 01, 2007, 06:39:29 pm »

:) :)Hi Mayhem members

I have a 1/12 midwest lobster fishing boat. About 8 years ago I purchased a very early MTroniks speed controller. This has a very large button in the centre for setting up. This unit has been powering my model since then without any problems at all. It would seem that the new range of vipers are factory set and should need no further work on them, see comments from sub driver. I have tried many speed controllers over the years, some with fantastic claims on current they will stand but your domestic ring main in your house is 30 amps and the cable is 2.5 mm in diameter. Some controllers claim current up to 100 amps and beyond. Should you wish to go above 12 volts then the Electronize speed controller will go up to 24 volts. When buying a speed controller check continuous current draw not the peak figure i.e continuous 45 amps, peak or surge 100 amps. The latter will be for a very short duration then the controller may well burn out

Daryl · « **Reply #18 on:** August 01, 2007, 09:45:44 pm »

We prefer Action ESC's unlike the mtroniks ones we had we have never had a problem with any Action equipment.

Daryl

Sub driver · « **Reply #19 on:** August 02, 2007, 07:53:55 am »

:) Is that the Royal we then ???

You will find what you are happy with and thats fine if it suits you, On the other hand I have had a couple of speedos with problems, moderated doesn't mean that they are any worse or better than anyone elses out there. It just goes to show no matter what you get from where ever there may well be probs,. I here are loads of makes of speedos out there, Action, futaba , robbe , mtroniks, electronize etc, etc, just to name but a few.

The most important thing is to obtain a good quality motor suitable for the purpose you are putting it to, test it, find its amperage and match the controller of you choice to it and you will have a long and happy relationship. Stick a cheap obscure motor that you know nothing about, without any testing and you may well find your speedo goes up in smoke. Seen that happen a few times then unfortunately its "all Who evers speedos" fault

sheerline · « **Reply #20 on:** August 02, 2007, 10:13:18 am »

Make sure you have the correct motor.. you need to check the maximum stall current before deciding which esc to use. You should also ensure adequate suppression since glitching of the radio will cause the motor to glitch. The currents in the motor circuit will go way beyond the normal stall current under these conditions due to the fact the glitching will cause high start currents in the motor circuit and exceed the maximum amperage rating of the esc.
We fit M/Troniks to our subs and always fit a unit which is well overspecified so it will handle these high line currents should glitching ever occur. Normally, we send these esc's out with kits and normally they just keep going. The new viper range has a 1.5A B.E.C. installed within the encapsulation and this has proved adequate for the task but if you don't follow good installation practice and get the unit too hot for the above reasons, the bec will cut out and leave you with a dead radio until it cools down again.
Just throwing my experience in the pot here.. hope it helps.
Chris

Peter Fitness · « **Reply #21 on:** August 04, 2007, 02:02:19 am »

I have 4 Mtronics Viper 15 ESCs, and have never had a problem. They are waterproof, easy to set up, reasonably priced, and I have found them very reliable.
Peter.

Ghost in the shell · « **Reply #22 on:** August 04, 2007, 05:34:35 pm »

Quote from: peterfitness on August 04, 2007, 02:02:19 am

I have 4 Mtronics Viper 15 ESCs, and have never had a problem. They are waterproof, easy to set up, reasonably priced, and I have found them very reliable.
Peter.

well the waterproofness has been tested on 3 of my viper 15's when the ship they were in rolled over and went under thanks to a nudge off a hovercraft. once the rx had dried it went back to use in the speed boat and the vipers stayed in the ship. work fine

Sub driver · « **Reply #23 on:** August 05, 2007, 07:15:35 pm »

WHY have I been Moderated ?????
please inform me, NO ONE else has been moderated when they have been complaining of a certain manufacturers speedos not working ???

That manufacturers name is all over these posts, and yet NOT been moderated out ?????

All I did was to state a FACT about 2 I had and then I tactfully put it...stating that this did not detract from ANY manufacturer products or quality

If we are to have a conversation on here this is not the way to go.

Don't think I will waste my time in the future unless the moderation is Equally applied...One very fed up ex-poster. ???

colin-stevens · « **Reply #24 on:** August 05, 2007, 08:56:38 pm »

er, has Sheerline been moderated? cant see it here.

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Author Topic: Mtronics Marine Speed Controller -getting it working (Read 11957 times)

Little Speedy

catengineman

Robert Davies

OMK

Little Speedy

Little Speedy

Daryl

FullLeatherJacket

Daryl