Tekin Q & A technical ?'s and support

[Randy P.]

Hey guys,

Just wanted to offer up any technical information you may be looking for. I would like to introduct myself as well. My name is Randy Pike. I'm the Tekin Team Manager. We've recently had an influx of boat interest and from a few recomendations have been asked to come to this site and offer any help we can.

We're going to ask as many if not more questions than we answer I'm sure. We're also here to learn from you guys. Boats offer a very unique load to speed controllers as you already know. We have a brand new line of esc's that can handle huge loads with great efficiency. We have both brushed and brushless esc's that have already won some National titles and set some speed records.

So, if you have any questions feel free to ask.

 

[jayt]

Welcome Randy, I am sure that the members here will relish the opportunity to learn from - and perhaps teach - an R/C industry leader. To start off, perhaps you could give us some Tekin product recommendations for a hypothetical FE boat. How about a 25" long monoplane running a 2S1P/5000mAh pack, one for five to ten minutes of sport running at ca. 30 mph, and another for 2 minute maximum effort oval racing? Thanks Randy.

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[Randy P.]

Hey,

What type of motor do you use in that application? Are you guys running brushed or brushless?

The Battery power isn't an issue but knowing the type of motor load will help me make my recomendation. We have great esc's for both applicatoins.

So for brushed I'd recomend the FX Pro. For Brushless the R1 or RS line. But knowing the power requirements will help me.

Thanks,

 

[jayt]

Sorry Randy, BL motors. Most of us are not familiar with your products and how they fit in with what we are used to using. We are more interested in sensorless motors/ESCs as they would be usable with the equipment we already have. Note that boat power requirements are much different than in cars or planes - we can't "coast" once we hit our desired speed, water drag is high and it takes plenty of power just to maintain speed. Most car and plane ESC makers are astounded by the spike loads that many boat setups impose on initial acceleration - they tell me it is like nothing they have ever seen. Most boats are direct drive. The most vulnerable drive component we have is the ESC.

The sport boat might pull 40-60 amps average, normal motor weight is around 8-10oz for a 2-pole, 540 diameter, Kv ca. 2500 rpm

The race boat might pull 90-130 apms average, motors usually weigh 10-13 oz., Kv ca. 3500 rpm.

Hope this is enough. Thanks Randy.

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[Randy P.]

Yeah we're aware of the "unique" loads that boats pose on us. We're looking into this for that very reason. Our R1pro or Rspro in Brushless mode can handle 208amps per phase in ideal conditions. Extra heat, biding components can all add to this. We obviously need to keep the unit at an acceptable temperature as well.

We're working on an aluminum lower case that will help reduce heat on the unit greatly. Water cooling may be an option as well.

Do you guys always water cool your escs? Or do you use fans or other means to keep 'em cool?

 

[Valet]

water cool

Yeah we're aware of the "unique" loads that boats pose on us. We're looking into this for that very reason. Our R1pro or Rspro in Brushless mode can handle 208amps per phase in ideal conditions. Extra heat, biding components can all add to this. We obviously need to keep the unit at an acceptable temperature as well.
We're working on an aluminum lower case that will help reduce heat on the unit greatly. Water cooling may be an option as well.

Do you guys always water cool your escs? Or do you use fans or other means to keep 'em cool?

 

[jayt]

Actually we use both methods. Most ESCs with water cooling are very inefficient in drawing away heat, although most users like it because it "seems" like it should be better. The main advantage of the water cooling plates on some ESCs is simply the addition of thermal mass. In boats with enough internal hull volume (monos and cats) fan cooling works better, at least for run times under 2-3 minutes. The best air cooling is to have it directed across the FETs themselves rather than an indirect heatsink with a long path to the FETs. I did this with the earlier Castle Barracudas and it worked very well with a 25mm fan. In hulls with small air volumes like riggers and some hydros, air cooling doesn't work as well for obvious reasons.

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