What ESC for the Dune

[watdazit]

I was going to fit a JR Hawk 100 Amp OPTO I had already to my new Dune but no way will it fit between the frames and it is clumsy looking if I hang it on the ouside. So I am seeking advice as to what ESC's are other people are using. Searches come up with Kontronics and I did not particularly wanted to go to that expense. I have tried one before on a heli and I could never figure out the governor.

[nismoflip]

I'm running a Jive 80hv on my Dune. I've read the problems with Castles but I've personally never had any issues with them. On my Logo 600, I've ran a Castle 85hv, 110hv, and 120hv all with good success. I've also ran a Turnigy K-Force 120A ESC, again with good results. I fly big air and mild aerobatics FYI. If you're a smack 3D guy maybe someone else can chime in with their experiences.

BTW I've seen some really good deals on second hand Jives lately especially with the Jive Pros out.

[trillian]

On my helis I don't mind having an ESC stuck on the outside somewhere and I'm actually not too wild about having an ESC lodged securely inside the frames. The Dune is the only exception and really only because I got the special heatsink that fits so neatly in the Dune frames (Jive 80HV).

The good thing about the Dune is there's lots of space under the canopy, I have even seen a Kosmik fitted on a Dune and you cannot do it the same way with the Faifa surprisingly.

I know the Kontroniks are expensive and I was actually sharing a Jive 80 between a couple helis and was sharing a Kosmik between two helis. The Kontroniks have a unique feature that makes this practical in that they do not need any motor-specific settings to be programmed in. Since then I got a couple more so I no longer need to share but at the time I basically justified the cost by selling off several other ESCs.

Anyway, on the Dune I'd just mount the ESC of your choice on the right side and put a buffer pack or backup device in the opening on the left side. I'm not too bothered about how it looks under the canopy but mine looks brill on the left as all you see is the heatsink but then I had to hang the buffer pack on the right side, so it's swings and roundabouts.

[wadders248]

The best option is the Jive, as that's what it's designed for, there's even a tasty Kasama heat sink just for the Jive. I use the old Jive 80HV on my stock Dune, though would use the 120HV Pro, as the amp limits seem to be lower.

Or as Trillian says, just put it on the side... Scorpion 120a and Kosmik

[jiminator]

There is a good write-up in the Kon forum(in the stickies) on how to program a Jive. I followed it when I first programmed my Jive 120 and it worked perfectly. Only thing i didn't know was that I needed to start at midstick with the throttle hold on. Whoops! Ruined a new set of Radix 710's.

I use a Jive 80hv on my Dune.

[RiazP]

Have a look at the Jeti range, they can be made to fit with a little filing

[watdazit]

Originally Posted by RiazP

Have a look at the Jeti range, they can be made to fit with a little filing

I couldn't find any information if the any of the Jeti range have a governor mode.

[watdazit]

Originally Posted by jiminator

There is a good write-up in the Kon forum(in the stickies) on how to program a Jive. I followed it when I first programmed my Jive 120 and it worked perfectly. Only thing i didn't know was that I needed to start at midstick with the throttle hold on. Whoops! Ruined a new set of Radix 710's.

I use a Jive 80hv on my Dune.

When I bought a Jive to use on a Furion 6 I was absolutely confused by the manual. I even asked another club member who was using one to help with setting up and I think he was as confused as I was. I did later visit the sticky on the Kontronic forum and yes it did help but it was sheer luck if any of the programming I did was successful. The ESC seemed to limit my max governed headspeed to 1900rpm and nothing I did would get it up to the 2100rpm I was looking for. Someone said it was probably caused by the batteries I was using so I went out and spent $400 on two "quality" 5S batteries. This did not help so I went back to a Castle Creation Ice where programming was simple using a computer and governed headspeeds were as I programmed within 100rpm. It's probably my geriatric age of 72 which makes me reticent to want to go down the Jive programming path again.

[jiminator]

The manual definitely confused me too. Have 4 Kontroniks now and programming them has become easy. It did take few times just going thru the steps to get my 50 year old mind around it though. Funny, I have never had any problems getting the gov set up right it was just starting with throttle at midstick with throttle hold on that got me. All my previous heli experience was with nitro so it was a bit of a transition. First Kontronik equipped heli was a TDR. Talk about jumping into the deep end of the pool!

Not trying to talk you into one of these ESC's just relating my experience. Jim

[Oat Insane]

Been using Jive 120 since day one without any problem, the fit just perfect. Yes, it is a bit more expensive than others but it worth it and it would last you for long long time. For the programing just so easy.

[watdazit]

That's how I would like my installation to look like. Very neat.

[jiminator]

@watdazit, on page 2 of this forum there's a thread I did called "a coupla Dune questions". There are some pictures of my Dune as well as a few other Dune owners ships there showing ESC placements. If you haven't already seen it check it out. Jim

[Smoggie]

I'm using the YEP 80HV. It's VERY compact and fits easily between the frames with room to spare. So far it's been faultless, it's got active freewheel so runs cool.

You certainly would struggle to find a cheaper option that fits so well:

[watdazit]

Thanks guys for the info, Grumpy old man's installation looks neat but I would take a lot of convincing to go for an HK ESC on a Kasama. Maybe some might think my concerns are unwarranted but there you, it's a choice. I think I will end up fitting the 100 amp JR Hawk.

FYI the Talon 120 will fit between the frames but is too high to fit between the battery tray and supports below. I think this is a shame because the huge BEC would be nice.

[Smoggie]

Cheap doesn't necessarily mean bad quality, they are almost all made in China anyway!. I've got dozens of flight on mine and it's never missed a beat.
The YEP ESC's are clones of the excellent YGE ESC, so if you wanted to spend more money you could put in the equivilant YGE ESC, that would be the YGE 90HV: http://www.yge.de/artikel.php?search=yge90hv

Both the YEP and the YGE are OPTO, so you would need a seperate power source for the radio and servos. I went HV powered by a 2s LiPo.

[watdazit]

I tried the JR Propo Hawk 100 but the transitions from Normal to Idle up 1 and 2 were so fierce I was concerned I would be stripping the main gear. I have fitted a CC Edge 80HV and found if you remove the labels it just squeezes between the frames and then a heatsink can be fitted through the hole in the frame.

[TheKingPhisher]

I'm waiting for the Hobbywing 80A HV V3 for use in my Dune build.

[trillian]

Originally Posted by TheKingPhisher

I'm waiting for the Hobbywing 80A HV V3 for use in my Dune build.

I have two of the Hobbywing 70HVs and they have been excellent, the only downside being the need for a separate BEC. I had a YEP 120 for a little while in a Rave ENV and it also worked very well.

[watdazit]

Certainly the Hobbywing 60 I have on an Atom 500 transitions nicely through the Idle ups. The Hawk however, no matter what setting I had on the soft start and acceleration would have soon ripped through the gears. Anyway the Dune now has the Edge and I will not have to worry about the gears or fitting any other ESC.