HW Max4 - "fire safe circuitry?"... On my first run with my new esc... You know how the story goes, read on

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RCSteve

Well-Known Member
Messages
86
Location
Sacramento, CA
So I just installed my new Hobbywing Max4 combo in my Primal RC Raminator with a Johnny Crash Racing brushless conversion and put the first charge into it. Everything was going amazingly, so much so it was scary to drive in my backyard, I was doing wheelies on command. Then I gave the throttle another hit and a one foot tall jet flame came out of my esc and burned for a good 10 seconds. I have never had an ESC do that! Did HW rebrand some old Castle esc?

Luckily it didn't melt anything and my batteries & QS8s are still good. How is hobbywings warranty? I bought this on the black friday deal so it should still be within 90 days of purchase.
 

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You should.be fine man. Things happen but hobbywing is pretty damn reliable. I had that setup on my dbxle 2.0 and it was a monster.
 
HB is one of the best ones for electric, as said also it will be covered as long as it was from an authorized retailer. I'd also not just assume it was that, but go over everything really good to be sure it wasn't fault of your own
 
Your reference to Castle mad me laugh. We had a few in helicopters that...lets just say.. demanded emergency "hot" 🔥 auto rotations in lol. That was a bad time for castle. If I remember correctly, it was in the power capacitors, as they had us add some to some of the ESCs...man that was a while ago.

Hobbywing has great service. Biggest issue you will have is patience to be running again after you saw a 80# plus rig pulling wheelies all day.
 
Before I sent it back I did some digging and found out it was my fault my ESC burnt because one of my set screws on the motor adapter starting backing out and rubbed against the aluminum. I disclosed this to HW before I sent it back.

Today I got word from HW!

Hobbywing come through for me and hooked me up! I'm stoked and that is why you always buy from a licensed dealer or in this case Hobbywing Direct. Thanks again Hobbywing! Below is the response.


Ezrun: MAX4 ESC
  • MOSFETs are confirmed burned.
  • PCB was overheated
  • The ESC is completely burned, Capacitor(s) is burst/burned.
Based on the inspection, the ESC was clearly damaged due to external factors. Since we can not control the usage or how the ESC was installed, we can't inform the exact source of the issue. However, the root issue was not caused by manufacturing defective parts or flaws in the design. Possible root issues are outlined below to help you investigate further as required.
  • Improper power input (reverse polarity, overvoltage, irregular current (i), etc)
  • Motor out of sync (Bridged)
  • Excessive amp draw (Over geared, too many runs without cooling, improper burnout, cold soldering, etc.)

Although your returned product does not meet Hobbywing warranty terms and conditions, we would like to offer you a reduced fee of $0 (a retail price of $449.99).- Goodwill replacement.


Thank you!
 

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Good on them. Thats some service there.
I know, great service! I had to post that they responded. You have to support the right hobby companies that are willing to take care of there customers, even if it is not their fault and the driver/builder was an idiot.

If you're honest it can work out in your favor. We all hear BS but taking ownership of problems, even if it is yours, is always the best.

I am very thankful to them and that’s why I’ll buy more Hobbywing products in the future!
 
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