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[tigman]

Hi I'm new to this forum and have just aquired a part built large model of a battle ship. It came with 4 scews (opposite pitch either side) powered by 4 motors and 4 speed controllers so I have a couple of questions. 1) Is it OK to connect 4 controllers to one reciever using Y leads. 2) I have looked at the wiring diagram of 2 batteries  to feed two esc's in parallel and it seems that a double up of this  controlled by one reciever would work if 1) is possible.

[Roger in France]

There are several "electrical experts" in the Forum (I am not one!). Therefore I am confident you will soon have a helpful response.

If not send a personal message to Full Leather Jacket who contributes regularly to the Forum. He is a trader in electrical components ("Action Electronics" see the Forum "Traders Directory") and always very ready to help.

Roger in France.

[John W E]

Hi there Tigman

There is no problem and actually it would be the correct way to have four ESCs for four motors.  Connecting the four ESCs (electronic speed controllers) via 'Y' leads together into one channel may only cause one problem - the running time for the power supply for your RX.  Depending again upon the type of ESCs you are using.   I am basing my calculations on either Electronize or ACTion speed controllers.   These speed controllers use an energised relay.   This relay is what may cause the shortness of time you will be able to run your model.    This is based on the fact that you will be using or running a 700mAh power-pack to feed your RX.  In an ideal world, one of your ESCs could have a BEC (batter eliminator) this BEC would take its supply power from your main motor batteries and supply the RX with the correct voltage.  This would overcome the shortness of run time by using a NiCad pack.

The other option you have is pairing your 4 motors off - 2 port - 2 starboard - and feeding these motors via 1 ESC each; these ESCs would be linked together with a 'Y' lead into a single channel of your RX.  The only problem here, would be, your power handling capacity of the electronic speed controller must be capable of handling the 2 motors at maximum amps.   So, in other words, if the 2 motors are drawing in a total of 10 amps - 5 amps per motor - your ESC must be rated slightly over this - say at 15 amps.  This would be to cater for any unforeseen mishaps - weeds becoming entangled around the props and so forth

I have included a couple of scribbles.  Hope this is of some help.

aye
john e
bluebird

[FullLeatherJacket]

I wonder if you could give us a bit more information, please? Ref the model, how big is "large" (length x beam)? What type of motors are they - do they have any markings? What voltage and capacity of battery/batteries is/are installed? What type of speed controllers are fitted? Do you have a 2-channel radio or a multi-channel set? And most important of all......how big is your budget??!!
If you can take some photos of the innards and post them on the forum than we might be able to identify the various bits and pieces and carry on from there.
FLJ
 

[tigman]

Hi guy's thanks for the response. I suppose my main concern really was wether or not the signal from the reciever would be strong enough to be split between 4 esc's. I'm not sure why it was chosen to use 4 esc's I personally would probably have gone for 2, 1 port 1 starboard. the motors are quite large and draw 25amps each the esc's are sized to suit. Can't take photo's as the ship is not here yet. If as John has said its OK to use the 4 esc,s on Y leads it would save having to buy more esc,s.

Thanks  guy's

[Shipmate60]

tigman,
It might be a real pain to set them all up working together though.
Must be some model using 4 x 25 amp motors though.

Bob

[John W E]

Hello there Tigman

Concerning the actual strength of the RX signal to your ESCs, in theory, we could fit 6 - 8 electronic speed controllers (ESCs) to one channel and the signal would not weaken.  It is a low voltage, pulse-signal - it does no more than transmit a message.

Think about it, we have 8 x 12 channel transmitters - all operating servos - and a servo will draw more current than an ESC - because we are driving a motor on the servo.

What must be taken into account, is that each speed controller must be supplied by an independent main battery.  So, it prevents the scenario of feeding 2 or 4 motors from one battery.  Doing it this way will eliminate the possibility of 1 motor starting up first, this being the 1 with the least resistance or friction, followed by the next motor of least resistance.  This way you get all motors starting together and within reasonable range and speed of one another.

Food for thought there.

Aye
John e
bluebird

[tigman]

Thanks Bluebird sorry for the late response, so 4 ESC's are OK. When you say "each speed controller must be supplied by an independent battery" I assume you mean each motor and ESC is fed by its own battery and the esc uses the BEC. If so would this mean that the battery for each motor/esc could run out at different times?
Sorry if I come accross a bit dumb but I'm used to aircraft 1 motor 1 ESC.

Thanks for your time.

[John W E]

Hi ya Tigman

As far as the BEC you only need one BEC to supply the power, for all of your ESCs and also the rest of your servos.  As far as one battery, one motor, one speed controller is concerned and them running out at different times; as long as at the beginning all the batteries are of equal voltage and amperage e.g. 6 volt/8 amps say, they should all run out approximately at the same time, or you wouldn't be able to see much difference in their times.

aye
john e
bluebird

[tigman]

Thanks again bluebird I think I have some idea where I am now, But If I get stuck I'll know where to come .

Great Forum, good responses.

Thanks

[malcolmfrary]

In the case of high power motors, one battery per ESC is the safe idea, but with low power motors, as long as the total power that can be taken is within what the battery AND ITS WIRING can handle, one battery is OK.  A distribution panel is a good idea in this case, preferably with ne fuse per ESC.

[Ghost in the shell]

Hi I'm new to this forum and have just aquired a part built large model of a battle ship. It came with 4 scews (opposite pitch either side) powered by 4 motors and 4 speed controllers so I have a couple of questions. 1) Is it OK to connect 4 controllers to one reciever using Y leads. 2) I have looked at the wiring diagram of 2 batteries  to feed two esc's in parallel and it seems that a double up of this  controlled by one reciever would work if 1) is possible.

sounds like something American, (iowa, maybe) or the Yamato.  I have the Yamato and what I have done, is use 2esc's and 4 motors.  running off 1 battery.

to make the loom, I used a terminal strip.
1/ take feed FROM battery and put it in the terminal strip, (centre is good)
2/ remove tamiya plugs from esc.  join the RED wire of each, solder together and mate with the RED wire of the battery feed using the terminal strip.
3/ join black wires from esc together and mate to the BLACK wire of the battery feed using the terminal strip.

this will form a Y-lead for the power.
4/then take the YELLOW wires, cut off the plug and bare wire and screw down intot he terminal blocks.
5/take the BLUE wires and cut off the plugs and bare the wires, screw down into the terminal blocks.

you shoulld go YELLOW BLUE BLACK RED BLUE YELLOW .

motors have a + and a - tab, and it is usually marked with a spot by one of the terminals.

6/ take two motors, and solder a brown or yellow wire to the side with the spot
7 take two more motors, solder a brown or yellow wire to the side WITHOUT the spot
8 on the terminals that are left solder a BLUE wire.

9 take the blue wires off one pair of motors (spot positive), and pair up with a speed controller blue wire
10 take the blue wires off the other pair (spot negative) and pair up with a speed controller blue wire.  this will have the negative side done. 

11 the spot positive pair, mate up its denoted positive wire to the yellow wire of the corresponding esc.
12 the spot negative pair, mate up its denoted positive wire to its corressponding esc.

this is now done and should look like the pics.

those other two esc's, save em, use in another boat

[Ghost in the shell]

if your esc's have a built in Battery Elimination Circuit, REMOVE the red (middle) wire from the 3-core servo lead off one of the esc units

[John W E]

hi ya there Ghosty

I hope you take this the right way - but - if you read the complete posts - you will find the gentleman in question with the four motors and the ESCs - cannot run the 4 motors off 2 ESCs due to the fact each motor draws 25 amps.   If you add 2 motors together, if gives you the double amperage of 50 amps which is above the total handling capacity of one of his speed controllers.

aye
john
bluebird

[Ghost in the shell]

surely someone does a 75A esc?

[malcolmfrary]

Reading carefully, it came with four motors and four ESCs, so no worries in that department. 
It would help a lot if we knew what ship it is a model of, and what scale, then what motors are actually fitted, and what voltage are they working off?