Esc what is brake

By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn more. JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. How to program an ESC - Brakes. Thread starter sdabiker Start date Oct 2, Tags broken esc program prop propeller.

I have noticed that each time the "guys" fly without landing gear they never break a prop. How do they do it? Do they have a programmed ESC with a brake or just something that keeps the prop stopped in the same position. I would like to learn. Anyone that can help would be appreciated. Jaxx Posted a thousand or more times Oct 2, Yes, programmable ESCs have a "brake" function that can be turned on and off. It is used to stop the prop when there is no throttle input.

If the aircraft is moving fast enough, the prop may still move a bit, but the brake will slow it down considerably, if it doesn't stop it completely. Now this will not guarantee you won't break props.

I still break props with this featue enabled. In my opinion, the easiest way to enable this feature is with a programming card. Your Tx can be used as well, but you have to listen to a series of beeps to identify and enable the specific functions. Last edited: Oct 2, Craftydan Hostage Taker of Quads Staff member.

Oct 2, Gentle word of warning. There is no universal ESC programming card. ESC programing cards are designed by product line. Proceede with caution and refer to the ESC's user manual for compatibility with programming cards or instructions on how to program it through your radio it's a pain, but it works.

If the prop is stopped exactly when one of the blades is pointing towards the ground, it'll break. In all other cases, the prop is allowed to spin in either direction to clear the nose for impact. With the brake on the ESC shorts out the motor windings so the motor becomes a generator so resists rotation but it still has to rotate to create any resistance. I would agree that just setting the brake will not prevent breakage but as long as the blade comes to rest reasonably past vertical it should be ok.

The brake feature is often required with folding props as surprisingly they are quite likely to continue to windmill even with the power off. Craftydan said:. Oct 3, Jaxx said:. I've just learned something new. I had no idea this was the case.

I will have to start paying closer attention to the ESC manual. Thanks for the tip Dan! Stay fun The question is whether a rotating prop is more likely to get broken than a stationary one.

With the brake off the prop will be wind milling so if a blade touches the ground before it reaches bottom dead centre there is a good chance the prop will break. If the brake is on and the prop is stationary with the blade before bottom dead centre there is a chance the blade will be pushed back out of the way as even with the brake on there is little or no resistance to small movements. I would agree that if the blade is stopped close to bottom dead centre the prop is most likely to get broken.

Of course if you can see the prop is vertical and you have time, you can always give a very short blip of power to try to get the prop to stop at a different position. I have actually done this with my non folding prop belly landers. I seem to have bad luck with motor braking enabled and belly landings taking out my prop.

What are the odds of seeing your prop stop vertically, bumping the throttle only to see it stop vertically again?

That happened to me last weekend. As part of a series of articles looking into the jargon of the RC world, we attempt to explain what a drag brake is, explain the basics of how they work, show what they can be used for and provide an example of how they can be configured. A drag brake could be considered a control aide. Available on most midrange and above speed controllers, drag brakes are useful in many different situations. Some racers enable the drag brake on their road car chassis to help improve turn-in , when cornering on twisty tracks.

They are ideal for avoiding penalties from rolling back in crawling competition that allow their use. Drag brakes are a function of the electronic speed controller and thus are configured on said ESC. This is typically achieved in one of two ways:. For greater refinement, look to programmable electronic speed controllers for more precise adjustment. An optional programming card can connect to the pins alongside the heatsink that can make this process a lot easier. Note that there are limitations to the power and holding capability of the drag brake.

The weight of the vehicle, the drivetrain it only affects driven wheels the strength of the motor magnets and the overall condition of the motor. Modes can be adjusted via the EZ-set button and do not require a programming card. We are expanding our range of electronic speed controllers all the time, browse them on our site here.

This is part of a series of primer articles introducing RC terms. Interested in learning more? Read our introduction to transmitters , our battery introduction , a brief explanation of brushless RC cars , explanation on charging batteries , what is an ESC , alongside plenty of other tutorial articles. If you found this article helpful, or more importantly, noticed any errors, please leave a comment below.

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