I think I killed my Goat...

[fatwoul]

OK, so I've spent the weekend at the beach. Did some of the most enjoyable rock climbing with my CR-01. I was fairly careful not to get near the salt water, and on the occasions I did, went very slowly, and only covered the bottom of the wheels. the Goat was fine, and worked without any problems. However, the following day, I took the car down to another beach, which was dry sand, nowhere near the sea. Drove for a while, and eventually, the car stopped. An ominous red LED was all that could be seen on the ESC. No blue or yellow LEDs shining, just the fixed red one. The front servo still worked, but not the motor. Since then, I've been able to get the motor to run occasionally, for a few seconds, but sooner or later the ESC goes back to its red LED, and stays there.

I've looked in the troubleshooter, and it doesn't mention a fixed red alone, so I don't know what the problem is.

Have I killed my Goat??

[killa b]

can you take it apart and clean it with some compressed air. maby somethin got in there and shorting somethin out. are you sure you did not get it wet.

[chrisjlittle]

Could that mean the motor is locked up? Does it make any noises when you do get it to work? Most motors don't like sand very much...

[SDBigBubba]

email the novak tech people
im sure theyre pretty much the only ones that can help you but im not sure.
im not that familiar with the novak =/

did you get a crap load of sand in your motor? lol

alex

[oberon crawler]

I had the same problem with my goat after running through a puddle of salt water.
The motor would lock up under power and not drive properly.

It ended up being salt on the under side of the sensor connector at the esc end (it's sticks out through the sealed case and isn't protected)
to fix it i just swabbed the solder connections on the PCB with metholated spirits and a cotton bud.
It fixed it up straight away

[fatwoul]

Originally Posted by oberon crawler

I had the same problem with my goat after running through a puddle of salt water.
The motor would lock up under power and not drive properly.

It ended up being salt on the under side of the sensor connector at the esc end (it's sticks out through the sealed case and isn't protected)
to fix it i just swabbed the solder connections on the PCB with metholated spirits and a cotton bud.
It fixed it up straight away

Thanks guys.

I'm pretty sure no salt water got into the ESC, as the inside is clean and dry - I've taken it out and looked at it carefully. The water damage seems to be on the outside, either where the PCB contacts are, or where the power leads are - the + and - power terminals are right next to each other, so I can see how a little water or salt between them could short the thing. I jiggled an awl around between the + and - to make sure there was nothing connecting them.

I'll try the meths thing. I've tried to clean off all the exposed contacts with a toothbrush, but maybe a little solvent of that sort will help too.

I'm pretty sure the problem is at the ESC end, because the motor seems to turn smoothly, and doesn't make any unpleasant gritty noises when turned. The hitch is that with a soldered system like this, you can't try each element seperately to see where the problem lies.

To be honest, I'm expecting to have to buy a new Goat system, which is a bit painful seeing as the other one only ran for a month (!), but I have been pretty hard with it, and done lots of things you're not supposed to.

I think I just need to get used to the idea that I can't drive wherever I like, in whatever conditions I want.

It's a shame, really, because I had driven on Dartmoor many times, through all sorts of mud and puddles, and the freshwater didn't seem to cause any problems at all. I'm concerned that after this, I'll be so worried about the ESC and motor, that I won't drive anywhere except over sofa cushions. :-(

[oberon crawler]

The goat motors are sealed well and there will be nothing inside it.
I'd be doubtful that there is a problem with the + - input wires as that would cause a battery short rather than an esc problem.
On mine it was salt contaminating the Sensor soldering connections on the pcb outside the plastic esc box.
I think it was confusing the esc about the rotor position and therefor it wasn't applying power to the correct windings to make it drive properly.
when i tried turning the motor pinion by hand with power on it sometimes would spin a turn or two but then lock up under power.

I never take mine near salt water anymore although i think if you were to clean the connections and cover them with epoxy etc it might fix it in future.

I didn't drive through water to submerge the esc or motor it was just a splash from the tires through a puddle.

If you don't have metho handy just try a wet paper towel or something to wipe away any salt.

[Stormin2u]

I accidentally gave my Goat System a bath in fresh water and it stopped working I gave a dry out and let it sit for 24 hours. It has been good as new.

[fatwoul]

Originally Posted by Stormin2u

I accidentally gave my Goat System a bath in fresh water and it stopped working I gave a dry out and let it sit for 24 hours. It has been good as new.

Oh yeah mine was in and out of mud and fresh water several times with no problem. It was salt water that was the killer.

[life_livin]

Did you try a fresst bat? My goat stps working when my battery is dead but my servo works.

[NovakTwo]

Even though the Novak brushless motors are fully enclosed, with no external "cooling" holes in the sleeve, water does get into the interior of the motor. I have seen pretty bad, rusted/corroded innards when the motor is disassembled.

The escs are "water resistant" with gasketted, screwed-together cases---no external openings. Salt water is a killer of electronics. If you are going to run regularly in wet environments, you need to figure out a way to protect all of your on board electronics from any water.

[fatwoul]

Originally Posted by NovakTwo

Even though the Novak brushless motors are fully enclosed, with no external "cooling" holes in the sleeve, water does get into the interior of the motor. I have seen pretty bad, rusted/corroded innards when the motor is disassembled.

The escs are "water resistant" with gasketted, screwed-together cases---no external openings. Salt water is a killer of electronics. If you are going to run regularly in wet environments, you need to figure out a way to protect all of your on board electronics from any water.

Yeah I've learned my lesson in about as expensive a way as possible.

Question is this: for the short time we were together, I loved my Goat (now there's a sentence I never thought I'd write). So should I get a direct replacement, or should I get a Rooster and a 55-can? They're half the price, and maybe I can't be trusted with fancy Goat systems. :-(

[fatwoul]

Originally Posted by life_livin

Did you try a fresst bat? My goat stps working when my battery is dead but my servo works.

I thought the same as you, but unfortunately three different batteries - an Ansmann 4500 and two GP 3300s - proved the problem lies elsewhere.

[oberon crawler]

I am really suprised that it's dead! mine came good as soon as i cleaned the sensor solder terminals. It's a pity yours doesn't do the same....

[NovakTwo]

If you decide to give the Goat System another try (2nd time's the charm), you can return it to us to be replaced under our replacement options programs:

Motor Replacement Options

ESC Replacement Options

Originally Posted by fatwoul

Yeah I've learned my lesson in about as expensive a way as possible.

Question is this: for the short time we were together, I loved my Goat (now there's a sentence I never thought I'd write). So should I get a direct replacement, or should I get a Rooster and a 55-can? They're half the price, and maybe I can't be trusted with fancy Goat systems. :-(

[fatwoul]

Originally Posted by oberon crawler

I am really suprised that it's dead! mine came good as soon as i cleaned the sensor solder terminals. It's a pity yours doesn't do the same....

Yeah me too. I tried meths last night, and I really thought it might help. All it did was make me feel dizzy.

Maybe if I drink enough of it I'll forget that I've destroyed the most expensive ESC I could afford. :-(