general question about esc
 

i have an esc that had a loose connection on one of the connectors that went to the motor. it was so loose that almost everytime i landed from a jump, i had to plug it back in. after i was done bashing for the day, i drove the buggy back towards me and the esc started sputtering and then let out smoke.

is it possible that the loose connection was the cause of the smoke?

Maybe the connector touched one of the other connectors or naked wires, which would short out the system (I *THINK*). this is why it's so important to tape up/heatwrap the wires and make sure the connectors are a tight fit.

If this isn't possible and the wire just jumped out and didn't hit any other wires, then it's something else. The motor would just shut down.

I would say it was causing too much resistance and possibly the esc was overworked by trying to supply to that motor lead. Or overheated since the motor never took the load off that lead and the power stayed with the esc. The power has to go somewhere right, if there is a minimal connection on the motor, the esc still thinks it is there, whether or not the connection lets the watts pass through or not is another thing. If any of that makes sense.

I have been straight soldering all my motor joints lately. Saves a weakpoint. I recommend it. Unfortunately I can't on the one MMM I have, but i shortened the wires to eliminate slop.

yeah, that makes alot of sense...dam..i knew i should have fixed that f'ing plug before i went out today.

thanks Reno. :yes:

thanks to DJ for his reply too.

loosing one of the three cables can seriously damage while the esc. not good at all; bad connectors are a problem too, but the reason for the magic smoke was the cable that got off. that causes massive amp peaks.

you're right about that. i had another esc that had a cable unplug during a hard bashing session and it sounded like a stripped gear. after further inspection, it was the motor trying to start as power was being applied. it really sounded pretty violent. the next pack, it let out smoke. i just didn't catch it in time. now i know what to look for and i heatshrink all my plugs together now.