RCCrawler Forums

ToTheMAXXcrawler · 03-25-2010, 11:00 AM

Ok,
I have a dilema here. I`ve gone through 2 Castle Links already trying to program my Sidewinder ESC. So i`m officially done with it. (and the fact that Castle has a 3 WEEK WAITING PERIOD! geez) So, im stuck at a fork in the road here - Go brushless ? or not? If i do, id have to buy the lipo battery and charger, also buy the motor (and at both battery and motor im totally clueless thats why i havent switched yet.) And this all has to fint in my 2.2 tuber crawler with a R2 disco trans. (side note: the integy 55T motor barely fits) Or...i can go and just trade it or sell it? The Sidewinder was originally for my Super to replace my Moped V16R ESC. So what is a man to do in this situation? lol

benoj · 03-25-2010, 01:33 PM

what problems are you having with the castle link?

solomon7 · 03-25-2010, 02:31 PM

Casle link is just a usb cable. You can get them anywhere, and you can download the software free on their site. Uninstall all the old versions. Reinstall from castle's site and try again.
Is it the actual link or the ESC itself? You know to set it to brushed reversing not high power brushed right? Calibrated the radio to the esc right?
Please be more specific.

ToTheMAXXcrawler · 03-25-2010, 03:28 PM

I actually had two Links itself fail on me twice (not the cable but the link between the cable and the ESC). Both of them burnt out. The little red light on the Link itself would burn out and the Link itself was no good, but this was all on my old Dell laptop, but not i have a brand new Dell Inspirion laptop with Windows 7. Plus i had problems connecting the ESC through the software, my BEC would connect but the ESC would not. I used the right wires for the motor (i used the red and black wires and left the white wire unused). Ive talked to Castle about this already and they wanted me to send in everything all wired up so they can take a look at it, but the turn around time was (and still is) 2-3weeks. I really dont want to wait that long. So i went to order another Link from Castle and they are back ordered for the next month or so, so i had to cancel that order because now i have a nice new laptop that i wanted to try this on.

HomerJ · 03-25-2010, 05:11 PM

I don't think you have a bad Castle Link. They are notorious for being really picky about working with anything other than Windows XP. As for how to make it work, well, I'm not sure what to tell you on that one. I've always just tried every possible way I could think of to hook it up until it worked (like advertised, with battery hooked up, without bec soldered on, mess with the settings on what it's looking for, plug in bec first, plug in esc first, etc etc...). It's really a crap shoot from the experiences I've had. The only thing I have that will connect every time is a laptop running XP. Shitty part is that thing rarely will turn on.

ToTheMAXXcrawler · 03-25-2010, 08:46 PM

Yea i know. But my problem is that the little red light on the Link itself is burned out. Like the Link would over heat and just burst the little red light so in that case...the Link will not work. Ive gone through this twice already with two different Links....so thats why im considering just staying brushless..but that mean spending more money.

CentralCoaster · 05-04-2010, 01:48 PM

The sidewinder can be manually programmed also. It's a bitch, and more confusing than Novak, but after a few times, you'll get the hang of it.

If your computer is the issue, then just get the programmer card. You can switch from brushed to brushless on there.

Scattman · 05-04-2010, 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by solomon7

Casle link is just a usb cable. You can get them anywhere, and you can download the software free on their site.

Wrong................. the Castle Link is not the same as a USB cable, don't know where you got that info from. Here is a pic of the USB cable and the Castle Link device.

ToTheMAXXcrawler · 05-04-2010, 04:13 PM

See the ones ive recieved from other hobby shops online was the Castle Link...but the link and the USB cable were seperated. Maybe a different version perhaps? I was also thinking about getting their programmer board and doing it without the computer itself. I think it wasnt the computer...but rather some how the ESC or the Link itself. Still not sure, havent had time to even look at it, let alone try to fix it....but i`m going to fix this some how...its a brand new Sidewinder just sitting there not being used.

solomon7 · 05-04-2010, 04:34 PM

Mamba Max uses a USB or the newer castle link. Assumed since it's universal it'd work with the Sidewinder too.
Oh, and thanks for taking time to enlarge and change color of the word "wrong". Almost missed it

.
Forgot he's using a Sidewinder. Foot in mouth. Or maybe not; see following post.
Glad I've got a Mamba Max I guess

USB cables are cheap and don't take 3 weeks to replace lol.

mascman · 05-04-2010, 04:36 PM

The new USB version link I got with mine is the same as you described...plugs into an ordinary USB cable.

I got it free when I purchased my Mamba Max Pro...they were giving them away which is probably why they are backordered.

Are you using a batter or just the USB power?

I run mine on Vista with no problems...can program my MM, MMP and BEC.

Scattman...do some reading:
http://www.castlecreations.com/produ...stle_link.html

Scattman · 05-04-2010, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mascman

The new USB version link I got with mine is the same as you described...plugs into an ordinary USB cable.

I got it free when I purchased my Mamba Max Pro...they were giving them away which is probably why they are backordered.

Are you using a batter or just the USB power?

I run mine on Vista with no problems...can program my MM, MMP and BEC.

Scattman...do some reading:
http://www.castlecreations.com/produ...stle_link.html

And..................a Castle Link device and a USB cable still aren't the same thing.

ultimate_monkey · 05-04-2010, 08:34 PM

i think ther is a bit of confusstion goin on here

the castle link is what allows you to program the esc, the castle link itself can be pluged into your computer useing an ordinary usb cable.. you can not plug the esc directly into your computer with a usb cable..

the original poster is having problems burning up the castle link, not the cable from the link to the comp

GB's 05 · 05-04-2010, 09:33 PM

How does that link even work? It looks different than mine. Do yo you plug it into the ESC or the rx? Are you leaving the battery plugged in while using the link? My ESC is powered by the link while programing. "If" you have the battery plugged in you my be over powering the link causing it to poof.this is what mine looks like.

indiana mudcat · 05-04-2010, 09:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GB's 05

How does that link even work? It looks different than mine. Do yo you plug it into the ESC or the rx? Are you leaving the battery plugged in while using the link? My ESC is powered by the link while programing. "If" you have the battery plugged in you my be over powering the link causing it to poof.

The ESC plugs into the wires coming out of the link, the newer ones just have three pins coming out of the link instead of the wires and plug.

I wondered about if he was leaving the battery plugged in also, but I have to plug my battery in to get the link to program my BEC (per Castle instructions) without removing the BEC from the ESC wires. Also if you have the red wire removed from the ESC you can use the link by plugging the battery in, so I'm not sure if that could cause an issue or not.

GB's 05 · 05-04-2010, 10:25 PM

Now that I looked at his link again I see that is a female plug on the end. At first I thought it was a male end.

CentralCoaster · 05-04-2010, 11:22 PM

For the record, I've used all 3 of the Castle ESCs mentioned with and without the castlelinks or programmer card and there are subtle differences.

Here's the scoop:

Sidewinder and Mamba Max Pro:

You can manually program these using the morse code/blinking lights from hell method. It's in the manual. Not all features can be accessed. You can also hook them up to the computer by connecting a Castlelink to the receiver plug and then a USB cable to the computer. Download the free castlelink software and program it the easy way, and access all features, including throttle curves, lipo cutoff voltage, BEC voltage, cheat mode (Pro only), etc. The MM Pro also comes with a certificate for a free castlelink or $10 programmer card. The MM Pro has some additional programming options due to it's ability to run sensored motors.

Mamba Max:

This has basically an integrated castle link inside of it. You can hook a USB cable directly to the ESC. Or you can still connect it using a castle link at the receiver plug if you insist.

Programmer Card:

This works as a Castle link to connect to a computer, but also has the added feature of letting you change some settings without connecting a computer. You can basically change the same things the manual programming method lets you change, but it's a helluva lot easier. The catch here is you have to first hook up your ESC to the computer through it (just like a castle link) to update the firmware to allow you to use the programmer card's extra features.

Also I've connected these with and without the battery hooked up and never had a problem. The ESC will be powered through the USB computer port if no battery is connected.

Blood_Clod · 05-05-2010, 06:04 AM

Just Manually program it! You can at least get it out of brushless mode and run a bit.

But, like someone else said you can't get to all functions that the castle link have access to...

JohnRobHolmes · 05-05-2010, 07:41 AM

I would be suspect of your laptops 5 volt rail. I have sold thousands of C links, and have a whole pile here to myself. Not one single failure have I seen.

Try it on your new computer. It works fine with Win7. I have plenty of links in stock here if you need one fast.

03-25-2010, 11:00 AM	#1
ToTheMAXXcrawler Quarry Creeper Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Lutz Posts: 457	Having problems with my Castle Link....so maybe just stay brushless? Ok, I have a dilema here. I`ve gone through 2 Castle Links already trying to program my Sidewinder ESC. So i`m officially done with it. (and the fact that Castle has a 3 WEEK WAITING PERIOD! geez) So, im stuck at a fork in the road here - Go brushless ? or not? If i do, id have to buy the lipo battery and charger, also buy the motor (and at both battery and motor im totally clueless thats why i havent switched yet.) And this all has to fint in my 2.2 tuber crawler with a R2 disco trans. (side note: the integy 55T motor barely fits) Or...i can go and just trade it or sell it? The Sidewinder was originally for my Super to replace my Moped V16R ESC. So what is a man to do in this situation? lol

05-04-2010, 04:34 PM	#10
solomon7 Rock Crawler Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Portland,OR Posts: 888	Mamba Max uses a USB or the newer castle link. Assumed since it's universal it'd work with the Sidewinder too. Oh, and thanks for taking time to enlarge and change color of the word "wrong". Almost missed it . Forgot he's using a Sidewinder. Foot in mouth. Or maybe not; see following post. Glad I've got a Mamba Max I guess USB cables are cheap and don't take 3 weeks to replace lol. Last edited by solomon7; 05-04-2010 at 05:02 PM.

05-04-2010, 09:33 PM	#14
GB's 05 Quarry Creeper Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Indiana Posts: 235	How does that link even work? It looks different than mine. Do yo you plug it into the ESC or the rx? Are you leaving the battery plugged in while using the link? My ESC is powered by the link while programing. "If" you have the battery plugged in you my be over powering the link causing it to poof.this is what mine looks like. Last edited by GB's 05; 05-04-2010 at 09:37 PM.

05-04-2010, 11:22 PM	#17
CentralCoaster Rock Stacker Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: San Diego Posts: 97	For the record, I've used all 3 of the Castle ESCs mentioned with and without the castlelinks or programmer card and there are subtle differences. Here's the scoop: Sidewinder and Mamba Max Pro: You can manually program these using the morse code/blinking lights from hell method. It's in the manual. Not all features can be accessed. You can also hook them up to the computer by connecting a Castlelink to the receiver plug and then a USB cable to the computer. Download the free castlelink software and program it the easy way, and access all features, including throttle curves, lipo cutoff voltage, BEC voltage, cheat mode (Pro only), etc. The MM Pro also comes with a certificate for a free castlelink or $10 programmer card. The MM Pro has some additional programming options due to it's ability to run sensored motors. Mamba Max: This has basically an integrated castle link inside of it. You can hook a USB cable directly to the ESC. Or you can still connect it using a castle link at the receiver plug if you insist. Programmer Card: This works as a Castle link to connect to a computer, but also has the added feature of letting you change some settings without connecting a computer. You can basically change the same things the manual programming method lets you change, but it's a helluva lot easier. The catch here is you have to first hook up your ESC to the computer through it (just like a castle link) to update the firmware to allow you to use the programmer card's extra features. Also I've connected these with and without the battery hooked up and never had a problem. The ESC will be powered through the USB computer port if no battery is connected. Last edited by CentralCoaster; 05-04-2010 at 11:25 PM.

03-25-2010, 01:33 PM	#2
benoj I wanna be Dave Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Madrid, IA Posts: 2,015	what problems are you having with the castle link?

03-25-2010, 02:31 PM	#3
solomon7 Rock Crawler Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Portland,OR Posts: 888	Casle link is just a usb cable. You can get them anywhere, and you can download the software free on their site. Uninstall all the old versions. Reinstall from castle's site and try again. Is it the actual link or the ESC itself? You know to set it to brushed reversing not high power brushed right? Calibrated the radio to the esc right? Please be more specific.

03-25-2010, 03:28 PM	#4
ToTheMAXXcrawler Quarry Creeper Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Lutz Posts: 457	I actually had two Links itself fail on me twice (not the cable but the link between the cable and the ESC). Both of them burnt out. The little red light on the Link itself would burn out and the Link itself was no good, but this was all on my old Dell laptop, but not i have a brand new Dell Inspirion laptop with Windows 7. Plus i had problems connecting the ESC through the software, my BEC would connect but the ESC would not. I used the right wires for the motor (i used the red and black wires and left the white wire unused). Ive talked to Castle about this already and they wanted me to send in everything all wired up so they can take a look at it, but the turn around time was (and still is) 2-3weeks. I really dont want to wait that long. So i went to order another Link from Castle and they are back ordered for the next month or so, so i had to cancel that order because now i have a nice new laptop that i wanted to try this on.

03-25-2010, 05:11 PM	#5
HomerJ Rock Crawler Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Lexington Posts: 707	I don't think you have a bad Castle Link. They are notorious for being really picky about working with anything other than Windows XP. As for how to make it work, well, I'm not sure what to tell you on that one. I've always just tried every possible way I could think of to hook it up until it worked (like advertised, with battery hooked up, without bec soldered on, mess with the settings on what it's looking for, plug in bec first, plug in esc first, etc etc...). It's really a crap shoot from the experiences I've had. The only thing I have that will connect every time is a laptop running XP. Shitty part is that thing rarely will turn on.

03-25-2010, 08:46 PM	#6
ToTheMAXXcrawler Quarry Creeper Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Lutz Posts: 457	Yea i know. But my problem is that the little red light on the Link itself is burned out. Like the Link would over heat and just burst the little red light so in that case...the Link will not work. Ive gone through this twice already with two different Links....so thats why im considering just staying brushless..but that mean spending more money.

05-04-2010, 01:48 PM	#7
CentralCoaster Rock Stacker Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: San Diego Posts: 97	The sidewinder can be manually programmed also. It's a bitch, and more confusing than Novak, but after a few times, you'll get the hang of it. If your computer is the issue, then just get the programmer card. You can switch from brushed to brushless on there.

05-04-2010, 04:13 PM	#9
ToTheMAXXcrawler Quarry Creeper Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Lutz Posts: 457	See the ones ive recieved from other hobby shops online was the Castle Link...but the link and the USB cable were seperated. Maybe a different version perhaps? I was also thinking about getting their programmer board and doing it without the computer itself. I think it wasnt the computer...but rather some how the ESC or the Link itself. Still not sure, havent had time to even look at it, let alone try to fix it....but i`m going to fix this some how...its a brand new Sidewinder just sitting there not being used.

05-04-2010, 04:36 PM	#11
mascman Rock Crawler Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Near Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 911	The new USB version link I got with mine is the same as you described...plugs into an ordinary USB cable. I got it free when I purchased my Mamba Max Pro...they were giving them away which is probably why they are backordered. Are you using a batter or just the USB power? I run mine on Vista with no problems...can program my MM, MMP and BEC. Scattman...do some reading: http://www.castlecreations.com/produ...stle_link.html

05-04-2010, 08:34 PM	#13
ultimate_monkey Rock Crawler Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Victoria BC Posts: 988	i think ther is a bit of confusstion goin on here the castle link is what allows you to program the esc, the castle link itself can be pluged into your computer useing an ordinary usb cable.. you can not plug the esc directly into your computer with a usb cable.. the original poster is having problems burning up the castle link, not the cable from the link to the comp

05-04-2010, 10:25 PM	#16
GB's 05 Quarry Creeper Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Indiana Posts: 235	Now that I looked at his link again I see that is a female plug on the end. At first I thought it was a male end.

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05-05-2010, 06:04 AM	#18
Blood_Clod Quarry Creeper Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Ft. Wright, KY Posts: 435	Just Manually program it! You can at least get it out of brushless mode and run a bit. But, like someone else said you can't get to all functions that the castle link have access to...

05-05-2010, 07:41 AM	#19
JohnRobHolmes owner, Holmes Hobbies LLC Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Volt up! Gear down! Posts: 20,290	I would be suspect of your laptops 5 volt rail. I have sold thousands of C links, and have a whole pile here to myself. Not one single failure have I seen. Try it on your new computer. It works fine with Win7. I have plenty of links in stock here if you need one fast.

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