dkshema
rrProfessor
Location: Cedar Rapids, IA
| It's hard to say WHAT is causing your high operating temperatures. I'm not familiar with the particulars of the Align speed controls, but I'd suspect that the heat sink is there for the purpose of keeping the motor switching FETs cool, not the on-board linear regulator cool. It would be nice if it were there for the regulators, however. If I had one of those Align ESCs, I might dissect it to figure out what is actually being cooled by the heat sink and be able to offer a more definitive answer with regard to the Align design.
In the CC designs that I'm familiar with (CC Phoenix 25 and 35), as well as the 45, there are three linear regulators on board.
One of the three is used to supply the local voltage needed to run the microcontroller, and to provide the voltage level drive to the switching FETs that control the current in the three motor windings to make the motor run. In general, THIS regulator does NOT get overly hot, and doesn't contribute to operational problems.
The remaining two regulators are wired in parallel, ostensibly to attain the "3 amp" rating of the CC P25/35/45 BEC. (This has been discussed before, it's my opinion that the "3 amp" rating is bogus, and the way that the two regulators are wired in parallel can actually cause more trouble than it might solve). But that's a whole different thread. It's these two regulators that create the power supply that's needed to run your receiver, servos, and gyro.
If THAT particular 5V power supply goes into thermal shutdown, you lose control of the RADIO and the SERVOS, since you lose juice to them. The other regulator continues to work and provide power to the on-board microcontroller and the motor control stuff.
Of those two parallel-wired regulators in the CC designs, only ONE is visible to the naked eye. The second one is mounted within the "sandwich" that makes up the board stackup of the CC controllers. The third regulator that provides juice to the microcontroller and FET drive is also visible.
For your extra warm Texas weather, it would make sense to mount your ESC/BEC where they get adequate cooling air, even if that cooling air is 100 degrees +.
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It would be a good idea to make sure that all of your linkages move freely and have as little friction as possible. This will lessen the load on your BEC and allow it to run cooler.
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* Making the World a Better Place -- One Helicopter at a time! *
Dave |
