Selecting A Brushed Speed Controller - ESC Terms to Know & Features To Look For - Holmes Hobbies
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- Опубліковано 8 лют 2025
- The days of having to search through tons of brushed speed controllers to find the right one for you is behind us. The brushed ESC selection is much smaller nowadays which makes selection a bit easier, but you still be armed with the knowledge on what to look for. And of course you've come to the right place to find answers. John Holmes of Holmes Hobbies takes a look at some popular ESC's he has experience with and tells you what you should look for when picking a speed control for your trail truck, crawler, basher or other RC rig.
Want more RC Basics type videos? Let us know the topic in the comments!
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HOLMES HOBBIES BR XL - bit.ly/2VT7w1K
HOLMES HOBBIES BR Mini- bit.ly/2B86K8z
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What i generally look for in an ESC is the "hobbywing" writing on the case 😂
I'm still pretty new to r.c stuff so I just call it the thingamajiger that hooks up to the whatchmacallit and makes the doodad go
Great answer 💯 🤣😂
Not even close. The confuser makes the pixies dance, then it starts choochin'.
@@matthewchin6454 ahaha i see a fellow man of culture
Bro bin into rc years I still use the same terminology as you 😂 🤣
John,
I admire your marketing approach; that being that you don't push your products so hard that it singles out everything else. I love that you're values are set on quality and personal experiences with the client. Maybe this is why we don't see your stuff in RTRs? All that brown nosing out of the way, I only want to buy motors from HH from this point on. Keep up the great leadership level action sir. 👍
I appreciate that! I aim to have the channel be for information and not marketing.
Same John. I spend so much time watching your videos! Still with all I know, I learn stuff from you. Will be picking up a snub nose for my lcg build. I want the weight savings of the snub nose but I'm not a fan of the outrunner screech. Do you offer any of your own ESC with a silent (kinda like blheli or silent assassin) tune?
Hello, I have a RC car with a crystal 5 (RX) 26.740. The controller is missing. What controller can I buy, those programmable ones that I can use with this car? The car brand is Nikko, probably a 10 year old car, but I don't want the OEM controller, I would like to buy a better quality one. Can I remove the board and add a ESC and a receiver and salvage the motor and servo?
In Portugal the ESC is also known by Variator, there you go!
I'm running a hobbywing 1080 in a trx4 sport. Holme Trailmaster motor and a arrma notorious steering servo. At 7.4v the servo really does perform. Great videos brotha 👌🏽✊🏾💯
Obrigado!
*You'd have to pry my BR-XL from my cold Dead Fingers!!!*
Seriously. It's an ESC that does EVERYTHING I ask of it. My Servos are in the 310-332oz. in. range, and I have yet to feel the need for a BEC!! 😎👍👍
That's not to say I never will. I only run 2S. Sure, I'd love to go 3S... But my non Budget of a Disabled Veteran will never let me..... It's my Cross to bear. Someday I'll be able to.
John, I've always been a fan of your Products!! Mainly because you put thought and Pride into them. And they're just damn good Products.
I've mentioned often, I'm a HUGE Fan of your TorqueMaster Pro, 30 Turn Handwound Motor. Just enough Torque and Speed when I need it! I'm not a Pro Comp Crawler... but that could change. I'm just really happy with what I've got! 😊
Carmine 💥⛽
Thank you for your service sir!
Remember the Tyco Typhoon? I lost one of those in a river. Had to be atleast 25 years ago. There was a shallow crossing roughly 150 yards down stream. Used to lose basketballs and other things, run down stream through the woods and be standing in the river waiting on them. The Typhoon went out of range of the transmitter and stopped responding. But that day the river was faster than I was, by the time I got to the crossing it was already passing by.
Works quite well. Thanks for the video. 🙂
That HW1080 seems to work great for me. I have it on my cheap Everest 10 and take it through the creek in my front yard all the time. And yes I have had to kick off my shoes to rescue a few time. Being down south does make this possible 10 months out of the year. Have a great day
Dude, love your products and love your videos. You are the Bob Ross of R/C’s.
i said same thing month ago! lol awesome somebody else see's it aswell to funny
holy shit i never saw it until you opened my eyes for me bro but you so nailed it with that one.
Another great video, John! One thing that you did not bring up, the freewheeling function on the HW1080. It's item 15 in the programming menu Its default setting is disabled, but if you enable it, you can set your drag brake high enough to hold you on a steep incline and use the throttle to drive down the incline, without run a way truck syndrome. My typical setup is a HW1080 with a HH 13t Crawlmaster, on 3s. I pretty much only run 2 servos. The Savox 1230 and a Reefs 422HD. I've ran them with a BEC and without. Even without the BEC, I've never had a brown out and power and speed seem to be the same. Both of those servos have a stall load of 5A and I believe the 1080 has a 6A peak, according to a HW rep I spoke with. I'm sure for longevity, a BEC would be a good option.
Interesting video. For my RC boats, I use ESC's with a minimum of 50% extra current handling capacity. For example, a motor that may pull a max of 60A, I will use an ESC rated at 90A minimum. Peace of mind comes at price, but at it works for me.
I have the Hobbywing 2 in 1 Fusion SE. The internal BEC is switchable from 6V-7.4V and it works great for me, though you would need to run 3s to maintain consistent voltage when running on the 7.4V setting. Found that out when I swapped to a telemetry capable radio on my TRX4.
You my brother are a fountain of RC knowledge👍🤙
Until recently I was running the stock ae-5 esc 3s 35 turn with no issues on a 12+ lbs rig. I’m currently upgrading it with 12v servo, hobbywing 1080 and 13 turn 5 slot motor.
Found this video when i was looking at the Hobbywing 1080, my TRX4 is 9 days old, and has fried the Traxxas ESC already.
Love your video very informative.... Kind of new to rcing and was given a monster truck looks to be around 8th scale and want to up grade and this video of all that i seen lol is the best and now i can finish KONG as i call him... Thank you again love it👋👋👋👋👋👋✌✌✌✌🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
I run the 1080 ESC with a 36kg servos lights and whinch works fine even with the 550 crawl master pro it's a fantastic set up easy to program it's what I have in all my crawlers rigs
I have the quick run 1080. I have it programmed for 6V bec. I run a 35kg servo and it runs it along with my 6V servo winch and dig micro servo just fine. My rigs are trail trucks and not specifically rock crawlers although I do take them in creeks often.
I’ve used the mamba micro x and mmp for brushed and they both worked amazing
I love the 24 scale iguana ESC. The Bluetooth allows me to draw my own throttle curve which is the big game changer.
I have the holmes hobbies esc that you are showing in the video (great esc),i also bought a 30 turn brushed motor it stopped working I sent it back for warranty work,when I got ti back I put it back in my bomber and used it for about a half hour then the commontater came apart ,I just gave up on it
You check the heat while running ? Bombers are pretty dang hard on 540 brushed motors if not geared just right. I would be willing to trade towards a 550.
HolmesHobbies I know they are lol!I put a two speed in it for that reason,I only use it for crawling,I love the power of your motors.I would be willing to do that!! how do we go about it ? Thanks for replying that’s very respectable of you
HolmesHobbies the motor only get mildly warm I constantly check that while I’m running it, I am presently running a 45 turn integy motorwith no issues
@@rccrawler76 Such a slow turn motor would be more apt to not overheat. Especially with a two speed! That is likely why the 30t didn't last.
@@rccrawler76 send a message to warranty@ . Since it's likely the two speed that caused it, maybe we split the speed that you are currently running and try a 27t 550 Trailmaster. Let Justin know in email I would like to send you one.
As always , very informative video! And I learned a couple things about servo power etc.. thanks to man with the LONGEST SCREWDRIVER 😆😆😆😆😆
I’ve been running a Sidewinder 3 with a external BEC with no problem at all but I’m ordering the Torquemaster BR-XL next Friday. For my Scx-10 and Crawlmaster Sport brushed motor
I’ve ran a Tekin T-35 Heavy Duty motor the last couple years and it’s time to change up a few things
Im running the quicrun crawler ESC with a Savox sv-1270tg servo H.H. trail master sport 27t and a winch and haven't had no lack of power but I'm not exactly sure how many oz of torque that servo has it was just on sale at my LHS and the guy recommend it so I went with it haven't had no issue I like the ESC just because the program card makes it easy to tune on the trail and play around with settings
What battery connection does it come with deans or what?
Bro i absolutely love your sense of humor 👍🏻💯
The "John Holmes' of esc's and electric motors 3rd leg and hands down lmao. On a more serious note don't take this guy's info to a grain of salt bc HE DEFINITELY KNOWS HIS SHIT..dudes wicked smart. He will get you where you need to be.
Hello my friend, First of all i want to tell you that I am a fan of all your articles, servo, motor, esc, etc... and I equip all my crawlers with your equipment. Could you help me with some explanation for programming my mini dual brushed esc please? thanks
I have a monster beetle And The Brat RC cars what speed control would you put nam are used to use the super rooster and I used to put I hopped up motor in my super blackfoots and king Blackfoot please comment back thank you very much for this video
I built a WPL c24 truck all Metal upgrades put about $230 in it and ran a esc out of my Traxxas Bigfoot for about a month worked excellent
Just getting into crawling and loving your channel. Soaking in all the info. Just bought a Holmes SVH800 for a belly dragger build I’m planning. Direct power seems the way to go for the high power servos.
Ive heard about your products before and after seein another youtuber talking about both your 540 trailmaster and the hw1080 i had to go for both since i was building a custom axial scale crawler and i have to say im very pleased with your motor. So pleased i got another one along with the same esc. But your informative discussion about servos did spark interest since i haven't any idea of what to go for till now. Thanks for the info and pinpointing me in the right direction for servos.
Watched an ae5 crap out and take off over the side of a 30 ft quarry wall into a swimming hole.he fished it out with rope and the claw of a hammer. I had a 1060 running reefs 422 at 6v. Had no issues running 3s.
I eliminated the need for a BEC with the Holmes BLS SHV500v2 Brushless 12V. Runs directly off the battery.
I am running the Hobbywing 1080 with the bec set to 6.0v in my TRX-4 for the diff lock and shift servos. I have an external BEC dedicated solely to the steering servo. The reason for this set up is because experience has shown that the shift and diff lock servos don't appreciate 7.4v and have shown dramatically shorter life.
My rig is a gen 8. I love playing in the water and was wondering if i should even try going brushless?
I like the idea of more torque.
Your the man! That's why i ask.
Well, brushless is nice but also more money to destroy if you don't clean and dry after water. I'm personally to lazy to dunk my $100 motors. I use the $20 trailmaster sports for water.
@@HolmesHobbies cool.
thank you. I respect your opinion greatly.
When I first started crawling I was using HW1040’s and 1060’s. When HW introduced the 1080 it became my go to. The card adjustability of the HW1080 gave me the options I wanted to adjust my crawler my way. Recently, I’ve made the switch to the Reedy SC480X. It also has a tuning card but offers less tuning options than a HW1080. The primary reason for the switch was price. The SC480X is $21.99 from Associated. The tuning card is $10. In my case, I have 24 of these in trucks. If I need more tuning g that what the Reedy offers, I swap to a HW1080.
Are the reedy speed controls doing good for you on 3s, with external BEC...? What additional options does the 1080 provide?
@@isaiahfurrow7414 the 1080 has options like max forward force, max reverse, max brake, initial brake, drag brake and drag brake rate. Much more fine tuning. I run the Reedy with it's internal BEC. It's rated at 7.4V/5A.
Absolutely love the 550 12t crawl master pro on my new Bronco with a 9t pinion gear. It's amazing!!
Which ESC is best for RC Dumper Truck.
Hey john!! I regards to the quicrun 1080 esc. I run 4ws with no external bec. I have the 25kg annimos servos front and rear and it does wonderful. Never had an issue with brown outs or anything. Very happy with it. It has a setting for bec 1 is 6.0v and 2 is 7.4v. I have it set on 2 for more power to my servos and it seems to perform great.
I have 4 fxr's and love them. I have only 1 bec and it is because I am running a pig of a savox in her. I only ran savox for a while until recently. I know am trying the market, yours will be next john, but for now I grabbed a 3brothersrc G12, and just ordered a reefs 555.
Still using a old school esc in my 1/10 Tamiya VeeDub Beetle. hi-tec mosfet from around 1996.
Thanks!!
Where did you buy that screwdriver?
I run a Holmes Br-xl on 3s 50c running a team puller 400 and a Tekin T-440 and that esc puts out plenty of power on the big tf2 blazer
Also used to run the 1080 on my vaterra twin hammers abs that worked really well back then but it did not come with the program card then so I can't say for sure what all my settings were.
I've eliminated all my external bec's by using spektrum S6230 servos. 6v max, 311oz-in torque. Amazing servo, I highly recommend them.
Is there anyway you could put a link tocthose servos up?
@@jahmenrcbuildingasone4254 here's the link... www.horizonhobby.com/s6230-digital-surface-servo-spmss6230
I was just thinking of john Holmes when u done the longest screw driver. Hilarious. Still laughing...
The big craze today is using an ESC to control the speed of a trolling motor mounted on a kayak. There are many videos out there using the Hobbywing 880 and a servo tester to control the direction and speed. I purchased the above products to build my own, but the ESC voltage input wires are16 gauge. My trolling motor can draw up to 40 amps, so I am concerned about connecting an 8- or 10-gauge wire to the 16-gauge wire and cranking the motor up to draw those high amps for a period of longer than a few minutes. Is my thinking correct? Thanks for any input.
I'm running a savox 1230sg on one rig and an mks hv777a+ on another with 1080 esc. The 1230 is set at 6v, the mks is set at 7.4v. I'm running a spektrum radio and have not experienced any brown outs. I do prefer an external Bec but the 1080 has proven to be pretty robust.
I like to run the axial ae-5 esc. Works well for my brushed needs.
If we are talking scale, it's an ECU. Today on my scx2 I mean jeep cherokee I replaced the engine, steering box and ecu.
haha, like it
The hobbywing 1080 has a selectable internal BEC 6v or 7.4v, with the program card. More than enough for the servo i use. 17kg servo. PowerHD. I run it in my wraith set up with a 35t heavy-duty tekin motor. Love the hobbywing stuff.
What's a good way to tell if your servo is being underpowered?
Dous it matter if I use a street esc for my crawler motor I wanna get some extra speed of it or do I have to use a crawler esc for my crawler motor
I have a question I just installed the GT Power Pro with built-in esc and Bluetooth lights engine sound Vibration
Well, I can never unsee that intro, thank you
If the bec is only running the receiver, no servo, would the br mini still need an external bec?
Ive been running Power HD WP23 servos with 319oz on your BR XL for around 2 years and on the Hobbywing 1080 for around a year on a SCX10 and SCX10II both on 3s, 1.9 wheels and both trucks are just under 7lbs, the 1080 gets warmer than the BR XL but its still only warm ad no issues.
I have 2 set's of Novak Goat 2s brushless ESC and motor combo running in my Gmade Stealth crawler moa super class back from 2009. And always looking to improve. 🤙🏻🔥😎🔥👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Hi I’m after one for a brushed motor for an electric skateboard the motor is very large what would you think would be best
great info john, thank you. i have the brxl with a 27t torque master pro in my 10.2. it's perfect on 3s. my servo is a hi-tec 7955tg which is right around 300 oz/inch. i use an external bec just to be safe. overall i'm very happy with the electronics, although a may upgrade to a stronger water proof servo.
Which one will handle an 8 turn motor ?
I have a Gen 7-8 one has brush and the 7 is brushless will the esc front the brushed work on the brushless
I like the power of 7.4 volt but having trouble finding a ESE that can handle the power most ESE like 7.2 but don't get the burst like the 7.4 or 2 s batteries.
Going to do a new build, and looking into electronics. Probably going to use a 16t 5slot, not sure which servo, some lights, 3s setup...and maybe 2 extra micro servos if it ends up being the new SCX10 III kit. I am trying to decide which "speedo" to use, between the HW 1080, and the Tekin BXR ... my FXR/55t has been rock solid on 3s(with a BEC) , and a Hitec 333oz/in TG servo, for about 12 years now.
I'm trying the BR Mini at 3s in a 4.6 pound rig. Mainly for friendly comps. Looking forward to testing it out and seeing how it performs!
How did it work.out for you... I just got a truck with the br mini in it without a external bec and it shuts done sometimes on me and the lipo is st 63 percent...
Can u get the 1080 with battery and motor connections already installed? I’ve never soldered anything before and don’t want to screw anything up
Will a 1080 be ok with a torquemaster expert 550 27t wanted a br mini but have not been able to catch them in stock
I run the quickrun 1080 on my trx4 sport(moded) and my axial wraith 1.9 . Using the hitec ultra torque servo and servo that came with the sport. I set both esc to 7.4 volt bec and they seem to be pretty good. Haven't had an issue with torque or lack of. My TRX 4 sport is nearing 8 lbs if it hasn't passed that weight already.
I'm running the hobbywing 1080 with a reef RC triple four 444oz servo. Just for extra piece of mind I put a little Savox glitch Buster just to be safe. Speed and torque seem to be on par.
Very new to rc . I'm building a crawler . I started with a 1st Gen rgt . Yup I am . Now I'm doing motor and trans . Did servo and axles . I'm going to stay with the 7.2 v batteries . I have a 550 55t motor. Need to do the esc now . Before I put my body on . What would you recommend ? I would also like to change the radio and reserver too some day . Or is there a package that I could get . Last ? . When does your build stop being what it started ? Not much left of the rgt when I get the body on ..thanks .. I'm also new to the hole you tube stuff . But I do have a couple vids . You should see them . I build stuff . This rc is the next thing I'm building.
hobbywing 1080 is the budget choice still. BRXL is the US made smoother choice
@@HolmesHobbies thank you for getting back with me . This is my new hobby . I build a full size Jeep crawler . Did real good with it . Just can't get around like I used to . ( Disabled ) would you mind if I ask more ?s if the need arises ? There's not a hobby shop near me . I need to start going to swap meets . Thanks again .. real nice of you .
I do my best to reply , but sometimes there is a deluge of comments that bury questions.
Hi, thumbs up for great explanation. but i hv a question. i be been using hobbywing 1060 for 2 different motor. one is 370 27000 rpm and the other one is 370 50000, running on 2s 3000 mah 60c battery. why the high rpm motor is easy to everheating?
Would I need a bec for a reefs triple 4 If I get the BL XL?
Great video! Keep up the informative vids! You are the Master when it comes to XR10/Berg Comp rigs, you are the master, with your brushed motor choices and ESC's. No one competitive in 2.2Pro is running anything else, maybe an FX-r (smashed/de-cased) in some cases... I love my FX-r's though for all brushed scaler applications, price, speed, programable, I do run a BEC on most crawler apps., it's really a must.
Hello I’m new to the rc game and I have a scx24 that just currently fried up and I found out it was the receiver and esc and I’m looking for a replacement but don’t know exactly what I need… Just wondering wear to go because the original is on backorder everywhere thanks
I have gen 8 and I put a hobbywing 1080 in it when the stock one went bad for the second time. Then I put a hobbywing 1080 in it and I took it out for a drive and I loved it. Would defanly buy a nother one.
Hope you can help me, I pulled my old Traxxas villain Iv boat. I plan to upgrade motors with the titan550. Wonder which esc can run both motors (boubleway/dual) and also can run with lipo. I’m new this will be my first time upgrades a rtt rc. Please help!!
I have a 25kg servo in my redcat gen8 and I believe that equals 347oz inches of torque. Stock esc and the servo doesnt feel all that powerful to be honest, is that due to the bec not giving enough volts to be sufficient for my needs?
Can I use a brushed esc (like the ones shown) on a 1/10 on road touring sedan? I have an old hpi rs4 rally (belt driven) chassis I want to revive. I’m not too concern about speed just smooth acceleration, I’m just worried I might snap a drive belt with brushless power since it’s close to impossible to get replacement drive belts for it.
I'm using HW 1080 and a 20kg cm servo. Runs fine with it. Another similar servo is used for winching and it can use both for that short winching and turning moments.
I’m running a hobby wing 880for my dual motor four wheel steering Rockcrawler seems to work pretty good might ruin a BEC once I upgrade the steering servo‘s so they can handle a little more voltage. But this thing seems to handle 3S on twin 550 canyons pretty well
Motor limits. What the lowest motor limit or highest on what voltages. 2s,3s,4s etc. I feel it’s a common issue for heat or burning the esc up. Thanks.
i just lmao ...longest screwdriver xD ....this won the internet
So i have an old (2001 nikko iron eagle) rc car that needs full replacement on the electronics, im just not too sure on what to get. Probably the most difficult thing is that it uses 2 large individual motors for the front and rear wheels and a massive servo for steering system.this has given me a better idea on what i need but i would like your recommendations on this
Hey John why would my esc take off as soon as battery is plugged in. With no throttle.
Thanks John. Your video showed me I have no idea of what is going on with the ESC's. I am looking to use it for a trolling motor on a Kayak. I don't know if you are still monitoring this video for comments.
There are several videos out using the HW1080 for 30lb trolling motors. You recommended an external VEC for anything over 300 in lbs? Might you have any suggestions on this matter. The motors are approximately 20-25 amps at full throttle. The PWM's that I have been using are pretty cumbersome don't last more than a season or so. I have purchased 2 HW1080's. I am setting one up for remote control and the other for a wired control w/servo. Any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated.
I think you are on the right track. the hobbywing will heat soak really fast though, so mount it where there is some airflow and use the biggest wires you can. and when testing at first, go up river first so you can float down if it fails!
I'm currently modifying a WLToys RC car to a robot and to me the performance at the lower end (up to 20% throttle) is the most important, because I don't want the robot to go so fast. I noticed that cheap ESC often have very low PWM frequency like just 1kHz, which produces a very loud whine and causes a huge power loss at the lower RPM range. Are there known brushed ESCs that go well past 10kHz PWM so it's not audible at low rpm?
Since I don't know if anything better is available for that, I decided to design my own ESC with 40kHz PWM which should enable an extremely accurate and responsive control with good efficiency at low RPM range.
@@digitalghosts4599 hobbywing 1080 or Holmes torquemaster
@digitalghosts4599 8 to 13k is enough for the inductance of rc motors
I was crawling with my TRX 4 tell off of a 50 foot cliff into a waterfall had to go swimming for it probably 15 feet down
I run separate 6 cell Ni-MH for each esc which happen to be Novak Super Roosters along with 2 - Hi-tec HS-5645MG servos. Since I bought your crawlmaster pro motors & did away with my 66:1 reduction units my 1:6th krawler does not hold. I'm using the smallest pinion which is 11T & I'm looking for a way to hold like it did. What are your recommendations?
I'm also using a non-digital stick radio (which I need stick & at least 4 channel if not 8) I'm not sure if you need to change the radio out. I see a lot has changed since the early days.
Hi want the best esc for 1/6 stuart tank please
I have a question, why do you offer both waterproof and non-waterproof BR Mini Dual ESC’s?
I’m running a quick run 1080 with a savox sw-1212sg and so far haven’t had any issue they claim the servo puts out 600 oz but I doubt those numbers are true
Hey John I have a problem my 1080 esc is overheating i am using it with the trailmaster sport 550 27T thats never happened before so my question is if my savox sc-0352
90.3oz of torque @ 6.5 is bad could it be overheating my esc ???
Do you know a brushed esc that will handle an 8 turn motor that won't break the bank ?
Thanks for another great video. I just received my 1080esc and Holmes crawlmaster sport 12t, for my scx10 II. still waiting on my new soldering iron. But I'm planning on running them on 3s. And I still have the factory tactic servo in place. But we will see how long that lasts since I just added a lot of brass and steel to my rig. Thanks again for the great, relaxing, and informative videos.
Is it necessary to have a ESC on each motor or one ESC can be wire to both motors on the same side of the RC truck? Please and thanks
I use a savox 1210sg with the hobbywing 1080. It has 444oz torque
Are you running a BEC
@@seanhatch4425 no the hobbywing 1080 has a 7.4v internal bec
Can I use a 1/10 esc with a 1/16 motor
I want to run two 550 40000 rpm electric motors. With 3s batteries what you think??
Amazing video! Question, I am fairly new to the hobby, I have a Redcat Danchee Ridgerock as my first crawler. I want to upgrade the esc so I can use a radiolink controller. I bought the 880 dual motor esc, but the plugs are 4mm bullet coming out, however, the motor connections on the motors for the Ridgerock (380 I think?) are jst plugs and much smaller wire. Is it safe to connect them given the wire size difference? What would you recommend? Please advise 🙏