Hi everyone,
I haven’t posted here in a long time. Most of my updates have been on Instagram because work has kept me busy, and more recently I had some health issues. I’m finally getting a bit more time again.
We’ve been using the Flycolor XCross V3 160A ESCs for more than three years. In the beginning they worked flawlessly. Our 6384 120 kV motor with 12S3P Molicell packs delivered the full ~4 kW to the prop, and our DIY E-Devils performed great. We were always impressed by the power.
Last autumn myself (about 90 kg rider weight, 50L, 900-1300 Foils) started getting cutoffs during hard acceleration from a standstill. At first I blamed our aging batteries.
Around the same time BLHeli32 was discontinued, so I bought several newer Flycolor ESCs and programmed them with the Sequre Test Activator app. Unfortunately, the cutoffs became much more frequent and started to get really annoying.
During the winter I switched my new DIY board to a Harrydrive (available from EasyFoil). It’s still a VESC, but much higher quality, with SD logging, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Very promising so far, it runs noticeably hotter, so it has its own challenges, but those seem manageable.
However, we still have three boards running Flycolor ESCs, and I’d really like to keep using them. Titus is pushing his Flycolor always to the limit (65kg 30L small foils 550-700) in crazy stormy conditions (Denmark up to 40+kn). But eh even reports cut off more and more often.
One important thing I discovered is that corroded motor cables can definitely reduce performance. I have now installed two completely news motor rebuilt, fully potted motors with new cables. Performance is noticeably better, but the cutoff problem remains, especially with foils smaller than about 1000 cm².
The boards are still rideable, but if you apply full throttle too early, the ESC instantly cuts out. It immediately recovers, so you can continue riding, but it’s frustrating.
The problem is much less noticeable with 12S4P packs or LiPos, so it seems related to voltage sag.
One interesting observation: our older Flycolor ESCs, which were programmed with the original BLHeli32 software, show this behavior much less often. The newer firmware used with the Securee Test Activator app seems considerably worse in this regard.
My current suspicion is “Low RPM Power Protect”. Since we demand very high torque at very low RPM, I’m wondering whether disabling this feature might solve the problem.
Has anyone tried running “Low RPM Power Protect = OFF”? Any ideas or experience would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Olli & Titus
P.S. The world of foil assist and DIY is becoming more and more connected, and that’s something we really enjoy. We’ve had amazing trips to France, Spain and Portugal, meeting fellow DIY builders and riders along the way.
Titus is starting another trip through southwest Europe next week, and I’ll follow in mid-September.
If you’d like to meet the BEENEE E-Devils, exchange ideas, compare DIY builds, or simply go foiling together, follow us on Instagram:
@b_e_e_n_e_e
@tituz__
Feel free to send us a message. We’d love to meet fellow DIY builders, discover new spots, and get to know the people behind the projects.