As demonstrated by Foil, the new US brand with their eFoil,
fitting the ESC inside the pod tube opens up new exciting horizons in terms of compacity due to cooling efficiency plus overall electrical wiring simplifications.
So, I thought it was time to list the ESC’s that are small enough to fit into a 65mm tube.
1 - The first to date about to be finalised : @nickw1881 ESC being 108 long x 55 or 61 (diagonal) x 28mm thick
3- @Peter ESC, still in development. Any (fresh) news Peter ?
List to be updated. Please show how you mount these small babies in their tubes with an ESC in the fore part. You will notice that 22 months ago, a motor plus gearbox in the same tube was the state of the art. If, by end of 2019, we can have a working solution of ESC + motor in the same pod, that would be a big step towards efficiency and simplicity.
If we suppose that Foil as a well developed and truly waterproof pod…
Maybe, can’t say if it’s a minor or major con, @nickw1881 what do you think ?
Above the fuselage is a quite protected area imho, the biggest danger would probably come from a rider foot applying pressure on the tube … was it that frequent so far with ESC inside the board…
A unique 3mm OD grey thermo sleeve through the mast is extremely resilient for me, with 2 or 3 thin cables through it.
It’s not only what is inside the mast I think, imagine the new board cabling for a DiYer or for a school replacing the battery 5 to 7 times a day. Among those boards, which one seems the most user friendly ?
Above the fuselage is not protected at all from floating logs. They will pretty much hit the mast mount perfectly. trust me I’ve hit one. And at 30kph it’s not like you can turn fast enough.
Board cabling will be simple regardless, when you switch the battery it’s always 2 cables…
Hi @SoEFoil, I have many good news, will post soon the full setup and ideas😉 .
Regarding ESC position, i prefer an aluminium case on the base plate containing the controller. Putting it down to the motor means, in my opinion, a high degree of customization, which might be too much effort for a DIY build.
@Jezza : Agreed + less sophisticated battery in Peter’s case as well.
@Peter, best of both world, another point for the ESC above mast plate, not only ESC waterproofness is easier to achieve than in the motor pod, but less complexity at battery level is wishable as it can fall on the ground. Here only one RX module per hydrofoil instead of one per battery case. In addition to Fliteboard, Plurato Sailfin and PwrFoil have adopted this design too. Here the Plurato solution with their interesting foolproof connector inside their tiny battery case…
Aluminum in water will always be the temperature of the water, no matter how much energy is passing through. Having the aluminum baseplate soaked in water means the esc can push much more power than it could do in air. If you’re used to seeing the temperature rise at a certain slope on VESC tool, putting the ESC on a brick of aluminum in an ice water bath is funny to see.
Jezza has a very good point about the risk of water getting into the pod. Putting ESC in the pod is going to require a manufactured pod with good tolerances and machine made-components. It is something only corporations with resources can afford to do right. The most important thing is the bulkhead passthrough: A piece of UHMWPE molded around some solid brass pins with solder cups on both sides, bonded to the case with Reltek Bondit B45.
So for DIY, I agree it is best to put the ESC above the water unless you have a lathe or 4th axis mill in your house and are very good with it, and like extra complications.
Received by mail from SiliXcon support team:
"Price list for SC 840 - Variant 24dxa0840-C00_JEF01-A10BC – Without mating connectors (other variants on demand)
Sample 370 EUR then 333 EUR for 2-10 pieces then 315€…11 to 30pieces, …
was it that frequent so far with ESC inside the board…
