Stock ESC Question

[P_J]

I'm looking at a used E-Maxx that has a "Super E-Truck mtroniks sonic 3 speed control" installed on it. The owner stated the original Traxxas EVX fried in the first two months of ownership, and was told by the LHS that this was common with the E-Maxx.

Has anyone else had problems with the stock ESC on the E-maxx with normal wear & tear? Is the mtroniks sonic 3 speed control a good replacement?

Any comments appreciated.

[TexasSP]

It is not a common problem. When the EVX fries it is due to misuse. Had the previous owner sent it in it would have been fixed under warranty for free unless it was water damage or some other problem caused by the owner. The great thing about Traxxas is that they have awesome customer support, you can send in any EVX out of warranty and have it fixed for $20 or worst case $45 if there is water damage.

The mtroniks is supposed to be a decent ESC and is waterproof, however it is only good for up to 12 cells where as the EVX can take 14 cells. The tell tale sign I take about the mtroniks ESC is that it is no longer made. When I had an interest in one, I emailed them several times with spec questions and never got straight or complete answers. They were polite however.

[grinch92]

My evx fried after 3 runs out of the box.
It's at traxxas right now, getting looked at.
I bought an Emaxx for reliability, i'm a little dissapointed now.

[DZL PWR]

I question the reliability of the EVX on 7 cells, especially when you are talking about 3000's (+) amp packs. Mine used to get really hot with the 7's (GP3300). I did this until I melted a set of Tamiya plugs together. I quit using the 7's, and it has been perfect ever since. A couple years ago, when everyone was just running 7 cell 1800's or 2400's it probably was fine.

[superman0604]

For me the evx has proven to be very reliable. I have been using them for a couple years now and never had one fail.

DZL PWR's statement is true though, even geared correctly it does tend to get quite hot after running a gp3300 or higher mah battery through it.

[P_J]

For me the evx has proven to be very reliable. I have been using them for a couple years now and never had one fail.

DZL PWR's statement is true though, even geared correctly it does tend to get quite hot after running a gp3300 or higher mah battery through it.

Does that mean the 3700 mah batts I'm using for my Villain EX will cook the EVX if I use them in a Maxx?

[superman0604]

You can run that. Just watch your temperatures.

[TexasSP]

I have run 7 cell packs 2400, 3300, and 3800 since I bought my EVX and never had a problem until I overgeared the truck. Yes things get hot but that's what high amp elctronics do. I also do not run the truck pack after pack without a cool down period. Now, if you are running 7 cell packs and are driving in tall or thick grass a lot, I can see the EVX failing easily as it is being overworked and needs to be geared down.

The EVX is a quality ESC and if well taken care of will last a long time. Like anything there are going to be bad ones in the batch but Traxxas more than holds up there end in the customer service department. In fact you will be hard pressed to find anyone in the RC vehicle industry that can come close to matching it.

[P_J]

Thanks for restoring my confidance in the Traxxas products! I've had nothing but positive experiences... Just want to keep it that way!

I'm not one to drive them till they drop. If the truck sees more than 2-3 runs a month, I'd be surprised. Most of it's life will be spent torn apart on the workbench! One set of batteries, and a single charger should keep me from overheating things!

[cjtamu]

I did this until I melted a set of Tamiya plugs together.

There's your problem right there. Those things have so much resistance. They get hot in a ST with a 20T motor. I can't imagine running 7 cell packs with them.

[1bigemaxx]

ditto on the stock plugs
put some deans on there!

[DZL PWR]

Deans are already done! We all had to learn one way or another.
I didnt mean to scare anyone away from the new batteries, you can run them if you keep an eye on things. Just need to remember that the EVX was developed when the biggest batteries were in the 1800 range (might have been a few 2400's around, but not many).

Superman: I just came up from trying to get mine finished. Gotta look and see where you mounted your reciever. Its the last electronic item I have left to put on. I'd like to find a cover for mine. I seem to remmeber someone on Monster that found a cover made by some other mfgr that fit and looked really nice.

[cjtamu]

Just need to remember that the EVX was developed when the biggest batteries were in the 1800 range (might have been a few 2400's around, but not many).

Ya know, this brings up something I've been wondering about. When the 3000's first came out, the big drawback was they didn't have the punch of the 2400's. The GP 3300's finally solved that problem, but I didn't think they had any more punch than good 2400's. I haven't run the 3600 to 4200's yet, but I bet if you compared numbers from good 2400's the voltage, IR, etc. wouldn't be drastically different. The biggest difference is runtime. I wonder if the heat issues are a function of the fact that you can now buy batteries that provide twice as much runtime as those available when the speedo was designed.

DZL, post up if you find a nice Rx cover. I just got my used E-maxx a couple days ago, and that was one of the first things I noticed. I can always use a vinyl one, but those are so cheesy looking.