What is this BS Castle is feeding this customer?
 

Patrick,

Are you guys really telling folks this info? How about an explanation either way?

http://www.rctech.net/forum/showpost...postcount=6279

Quoted from RCtech.net:

"Well I finally got a hold of CC today and they said the same thing as RURC has been saying, although I still find this hard to believe. They said MaxAmps batteries are not sufficient for use with the MMM. I tried to explain my points about the complete drain of my battery and how I used it for quite a while on the street. He said the battery probably messed up a cap and the ESC then decided to fail. He said the frayed wire hitting the heat sink is not a problem also.

They will only provided the standard repair terms through there website and the wait will be about 3-4 weeks since they are out of stock. He explained that Neu or Flightpower (Enerland) would be the best bet for batteries, due to the newer cells in them. Honestly, I did not expect this response. I thought I would be treated with a bit more priority at least and they ruled out any other factor besides the battery. He also stated that they have had a less than 1% failure rate, which is hard to believe since more than that use MaxAmps.

Since he told me not to use that battery again, I called MaxAmps and they said the same thing, "Do not use our batteries with the MMM". They would also not honor any warranty since I bought it from ImpactRC. They suggested I call them, but I have the feeling I will hear the same thing.

You'd think CC would have said something previously on the forums about this, since MaxAmps is such a popular brand.

I hate to say it, but RURC seems to be correct, although next time he can be a bit more tactful in his posts. I will be moving to my original MM so I can use my batteries. I still don't know if I should chance using the one that puffed. I mostly went back to it's original shape.

EXPENSIVE LESSON LEARNED: DO NOT USE MAXAMPS PACKS WITH THE MMM!!!

I hope that I at least save a few people from the frustrations I have had."

Ooh, is it due to the cells or the current draw (20c etc.)?
Wish I knew this before I ordered 3 new batteries

Weird, both cc amd maxamps are saying not to use maxamps batts with a MMM?

I understand that he batteries may not be able to keep up, but all I can see happening is that the lvc trips. What else could happen? Excessive heat due to resistance?

Best bet???? WTF?:no:

I sure hope Castle clears this up ASAP! I just spent several hundred dollars on new packs. All 25C packs and Enderland cells. If these are not worthy of the MMM, then what is?

Personally, I think someone isn't telling the whole story. The truth is that if a MM ran the system before, changing to a MMM with the same motor and battery setup will change nothing. The motor will draw the same current as before and the battery will see the same load as before, neglecting any minute changes for the resistance of the FET's that have changed between ESC's.

I am with linc this does not make sense.

I am sure that the 25c enerland packs will do fine.

That's the way I see it as well, it would be like upgrading from the Mamba 25 to the Mamba Max on an 1/18 scale wouldn't it?

Makes sense to me. I can understand if people are now overloading maxamps packs, I have done that with a 7xl and a mm, so no suprise there. But if the maxamps packs worked with a mm, I see no reason that they would not when just changing the esc to the MMM.

My thoughts exactly.

Interesting and a shame if true I was hoping to run 6s 4200mah 2p packs that are about a year old :( on my LSP 1515 2.5D / MMM....

So all 5 or 6 MMM's that have failed have been running Maxamp packs?

So does the Maxamp batteries kill the MMM? Becuase wouldn't the MMM still work if you connect it to the computer?

I wouldn't get to worked up about this before Patrick has a chance to respond. We all know how reliable and complete information on the internet is. :sarcastic:

Something definitely is not being told here.

Well, I know DickyT for one, was running a TrueRC pack... and I am sure not everyone ran a Max Amps pack.

What a valuable lesson......Don't use MaxAmps packs....As big of a product the MMM is this could spell disaster for MaxAmps

performance wise the True RC packs are comparable to MaxAmps

NaHHHHHH........ someone is trying to make fire for the two companies..I dont believe this,I have no problems running my MM on 4 s lipo on my OLD maxamps 8000 mah with 14-15C rating

Is it april's fool or something? This makes no sense electrically. As mentioned before if the batts were getting loaded too much, then the lvc would trip.

True RC 5s 8000mah, batteries never even got warm.

It seems like someone is trying to stir the pot.

It sure doesn't make any sense, I would think if this were the case, Castle would have had warnings included in their packaging and the info would be all over the boards.

seems a bit odd especially on the day maxamps is having a 1 day only free 3 year/300 cycle warranty sale...still glad I didnt buy any lol

I got an email today about that....I saw the 3yr/300cycle sale in the subject line and never read the email, I promptly deleted the junk

That was different. His BEC probably died.

This is the MMM is supposedly killing the cheaper batteries.

So has anyone called CC to confirm this or has only 1 person posted in on RCTECH.net?

i was using a 5s 8000mah truerc lipo as well...nothing even got warm b/c i didn't run it that long...maybe at the most 2min. WOT form standstill....then a few speed runs...I used the ESC brakes and everything worked fine....truggy stopped after I punched it from a rolling reverse to WOT...no smoke....no plastic burning smell.....no binding in the drive train it free rolls like a champ....all of my electronics we're barely warm to the touch...the biggest problem was that the castlelink wouldn't recognize the monster.... :neutral: ..i doubt its the lipos...but IDK i'm not the expert here..:wink:....i'[m sure patrick and bernie will get to the bottom of this esp when all the dead monsters arrive.....

All I can say is better take your "hip waders" with you if you head over to the 1/8th scale conversion thread on RCT...... its getting deep...... :lol:

Just got this off RCTECH
The CC tech support guy said the MaxAmps 4s2p packs are made with old cells, technology wise. He said if they were 4s1p they might work. He said that the MaxAmps 4p 5000 packs were better than the 6000 packs, but he pretty much said your taking your chances using MaxAmps packs with the MMM.

I've got ocean front property in Nevada if any one is interested in the chance of a LIFE TIME?? :yipi::party:

Just pm me...

:lol: I cant even write this with a straight face.. :lol:

I agree with everyone who thinks this reeks of bull. And how the hell would using maxamps packs kill the MMM? And furthermore, why would maxamps shoot themselves in the foot by stating their batteries do not work with one of the most anticipated ESCs of the past few years? That's business suicide for higher voltage packs IMO. It's like saying "Well...our products really are THAT crappy, so we don't suggest you use them for certain things. You can get buy with a bare minimum setup, but if you want to go big, go with someone else please!"

Yup....something is amiss! This info also comes from RCtech...so I'm not suprised that it's odd (there seems to be a need for "hip waders" as jfruge said over at RCtech anyway).

Will a 4s1p 20C Polyquest (Enerland) pack be ok with the MMM, Neu 1515 1/Y/F in a Losi 8-T? Do we HAVE to run a 25C pack?

Just to add here:

One of Monsters was killed with a Neu (Enerland god-like cells, lol) pack, so how do we link that to the "blame it on maxamps" answer?

Thing is... the ones that died have simply shut off. No smoke, no heat, no cogging, nothing. And it's happening too quickly imo, to be a blown caps. And it's not a blown FET either. (no cogging, no smoke, no burnt smell)

These are dead in the brain, not the power board. Maybe there is some weird battery-induced thing going on here... but right now it's ALL wild speculation.

I posted this over there, but it adds to this conversation just as well.

Something else I dont get while reading the Mamba Monster page at the CC site.

How can they rate this for 18 cel NiMH or 6 cell lipo? I dont know of any NiMH cell that can deliver bursts over 125A and maitain 75A continuous.



Here are the specs copied and pasted from the CC site.

Retail Price: Mamba Monster ESC: $199.00

Cells: 18 NiCad/NiMH 6s LiPo
Continuous: More than you can handle!
Resistance: 0.0003 ohms per phase
Brake: Proportional with adjustable curve
Reversible: Yes - with lockout
Low Voltage Cutoff: Programmable
Size: ESC: 2.2" x 1.9" x 1.4"

Weight w/wires: ESC: TBD
Connector Type: 6.5mm bullet


If it was the batteries killing these things they certainly couldnt rate it for NiMH and NiCD cells then. There is no way they can hold the voltage of even crappy lipos.

Good point

You guys dont need to worry on what other websites are saying, Castle creations and Maxamps are two businesses that are really flourishing and expanding and the more they get popular, the MORE INTRIGUES they are going to get in many other forms for other people wants to pull them down it is called "CRAB MENTALITY"

This is BS.

The Quality of the Battery affects how much power the ESC is able to feed the motor. That's all.

The firmware of the ESC knows what to do with voltage drops. That's the job of the LVC function.

I aggree with the NIMH use statement.

Let's say the Lipo packs are only capable of giving up 40 amps Max. Let's say these are Generic and way over rated.

But let's put this and the MMM with a very big motor and gear the setup for 100mph.

A setup like this would overload the amp capability of the batteries.

The ESC would not run the motor the way it should perform because it would be on the lvc all the time.

Heat is a tattle tale sign of what component is being pushed too hard.

The Packs would quickly get hot and probably puff some cells, if not all the cells.

The ESC doesn't care what batteries are used, as long as the voltage is within specs. The ESC is going to deliver whatever amperage is available for it to work with.

Could that be why I got an e-mail from MaxAmps about a free 3yr/300 warranty?

So, MA packs are killing MMMs. Hmmm, sounds a bit odd. Like someone said, they don't seem to popping caps or FETs, just something on the controller board.

I agree with others: What works on the MM should work on the MMM, electrically speaking. If the appropriate cells for the application are selected, things should be fine. Yeah, excessive current draw should trip the LVC and/or overheat/puff the cells quicker.

Could it be something related to the AC ripple on the power line not being filtered enough for the BEC's liking?

Could it be something slightly wrong with the FET switching where both legs of the H-bridge are switched on at the same time for like a micro second? That would short out the pack for a VERY brief time, yet not damage the FETs because of the short time. True, this is unlikely, but this whole thing sounds odd.

Even if this is true; with any new release, there's bound to be issues to iron out. Even in extended testing, it's very difficult to test every possible scenario and setup out there. Before people start pointing fingers, we should hear direct for MA or CC to see what exactly is going on with the failures.

Good point Brain,

I have a feeling that CC will wait to test/inspect the faulty units before posting any info. It would just be specualtion anyway, so it really does not help anything.

I'd like them to address why they are telling folks that MA batteries are suddenly inadequate to use when they were fine in the same setups with a MM. Granted, the first post I made was second hand information from the poster on rctech, we really deserve an explanation either way. With the information posted on public forums, inaccurate news/information travels fast so I'm hoping Patrick will peek in this thread and put it to rest.