Newer AE-5 without power switch

[Scotski]

Recently I bought an AE-5 from my LHS and it didn't come equipped with an on/off switch. I heard some rumors of the AE-5 having issues, although the one I had from a while back has been ok. Any ideas on why they removed this feature?
I don't buy expensive electronics for the most part and as far as cheap goes I like the Dynamite crawler ESC better than the AE-5 but I bought what they had and have both the switched and non-switched versions of the AE-5 now.
I really dislike having to grapple with my truck to turn it off for a short while. Many of the power switches fail on ESCs. I can solder a new one on if need be, but to completely remove the feature at all is a fail in my opinion.

[Waitwhatsthat?]

Non issue for me. I don't use the power switch , it just stays in the on position. Since my bec powers my reciever, which powers everything else except the esc, simply turning the esc off doesn't really shut the truck off. Seeing that most people use an external BEC, I can see the Benifits of not having a switch for the esc. It's one less thing to go wrong, and gets rid of unnecessary wires hanging out. It's a win in my book.

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[Scotski]

Originally Posted by Waitwhatsthat?

Non issue for me. I don't use the power switch , it just stays in the on position. Since my bec powers my reciever, which powers everything else except the esc, simply turning the esc off doesn't really shut the truck off. Seeing that most people use an external BEC, I can see the Benifits of not having a switch for the esc. It's one less thing to go wrong, and gets rid of unnecessary wires hanging out. It's a win in my book.

That is an excellent answer. One I hadn't thought of since I have not had a need for the external BEC as of yet. Thank you.

[Natedog]

Originally Posted by Waitwhatsthat?

Non issue for me. I don't use the power switch , it just stays in the on position. Since my bec powers my reciever, which powers everything else except the esc, simply turning the esc off doesn't really shut the truck off. Seeing that most people use an external BEC, I can see the Benifits of not having a switch for the esc. It's one less thing to go wrong, and gets rid of unnecessary wires hanging out. It's a win in my book

X2, just removed the switches from couple Dynamite 60 amp ESCs that came in my Vaterra Ascenders. Glad to hear that Axial has removed it entirely.

[mikemcE]

One less thing to find a spot to fit, one less thing to fail, and with my external bec.........


HANG UP AND DRIVE !

[triggerhapy]

my RTR SCX10II has no switch. i like switches but i guess its one less issue that may arise.

[fyrstormer]

I've never had a mechanical switch fail on any of my ESCs. I guess I better buy some more AE-5s while I still can.

Dammit, I hate when things change for no good reason. You don't need the switch? Fine, remove it. But I can't add one if I want one.

EDIT: DAMMIT! The one I bought for my SCX10 v2 doesn't have a switch. This is so stupid! Where the hell am I supposed to get replacements if these ESCs fail?

[mikemcE]

They removed it due to warranty failures, if you don't need it anyway, why install it to start with.
You do always unplug your battery .....don't you ?


HANG UP AND DRIVE !

[fyrstormer]

What do you mean "if you don't need it anyway"? I do need the power switch. It might not fully power-off the ESC, but even if it's only a standby-mode instead of a true power-off, that's fine, because there is no reason for me to go through the trouble to remove the body and unplug the battery if I want to grab a drink or to adjust something on the vehicle, or if I just want to take a break to enjoy the scenery without the electronics whining and buzzing in the background. Not to mention I don't want the vehicle to power-on the instant I plug in the battery, because I have to carry it down 3 flights of stairs to get to ground-level. Nobody has ever had a battery fail due to over-discharging in the circumstances I mentioned. All this does is make more work for me.

Of course I don't unplug the battery the instant I stop running the vehicle. Why would I do that? Under normal conditions, the battery is far more likely to fail when it's actually working hard to move the vehicle, not when it's providing a tiny trickle of current while the ESC is in standby-mode for a few minutes. If people forget to unplug their batteries for several days and their houses burn down, that's their problem, not mine.

I have four AE-5s in service and the power switches all work perfectly. I have driven every single one of them competely underwater many times with no ill effects. If other people have had switch failures, they are doing something wrong. They can cut off the switches if they want, and solder the two wires together, but I can't very well add a switch to an ESC that doesn't have one.

This is a stupid change. If the switch has a design flaw, fix the damn switch, don't remove it entirely.

[mikemcE]

Wow !


HANG UP AND DRIVE !

[Hydrocarbon92]

What is so hard about unplugging the battery? In fact it's FAR SAFER if you're using a LiPo. For instance you could have a cap leak & slowly damage the board. While plugged in but off, the electrolyte damages a mosfet & shorts the battery. At best it goes full throttle into a wall; at worst POOF! Smoke, fire, death, etc.

As far as drawing excessive power between runs, the ESC isn't pulling much at all. To give you an idea my ESC & receiver pull less energy than my watt meter can read while my lights can pull up to 3.5 watts. I feel sorry if you can only afford a single ultra-low MaH battery.

As far as reliability, I've seen 3 switches go in my group of 10 RC'ers just this summer.

[triggerhapy]

Sometimes its a pain in the @$$ toconnect/disconnect a battery depending on wiring configurations, and a properly place switch make it easy to power the vehicle on. Thats all. Some of us like power switches, apparently most of you don't.

[allanon1965]

Originally Posted by triggerhapy

Sometimes its a pain in the @$$ toconnect/disconnect a battery depending on wiring configurations, and a properly place switch make it easy to power the vehicle on. Thats all. Some of us like power switches, apparently most of you don't.

the switch in question does NOT power the battery on or off, merely a portion of the ESC...part of the ESC is still drawing current out of the battery and it will kill the battery if left plugged in for an extended amount of time. The battery, if a lipo, can cause a fire or other damage if left plugged in to the ESC and allowed to go dead.

The switch being removed forces you to unplug the battery and therefore insuring you wont have a nasty surprise when you forget. If you have such an issue simply unplugging your battery then you need more help than you can get here

[WHITE-TRASH]

If unplugging a battery is a hassle then you're doing something wrong.

[triggerhapy]

lol, do you use a key fro the ignition switch to start your car or do you disconnect the battery?

[WHITE-TRASH]

Originally Posted by triggerhapy

lol, do you use a key fro the ignition switch to start your car or do you disconnect the battery?

If I leave the key on in a vehicle and my battery goes flat I run no risk of the battery swelling up and starting a fire from over discharge. Don't be dumb.

[allanon1965]

Originally Posted by triggerhapy

lol, do you use a key fro the ignition switch to start your car or do you disconnect the battery?

dont even go there, its not the same comparison...and ignition switch controls multiple circuits in an automobile for much more important reasons than the esc on/off switch...

[Waitwhatsthat?]

Here's an idea. If you don't like, don't buy it. There are plenty of other affordable escs out there with switches on them. Axial made the change, due to too many issues, and complaints. Rather than redesign a switch, it is much more cost-effective to just get rid of it. If removing your body to unplug the battery is too difficult, then maybe you should think about how you are attaching your body.

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[Hydrocarbon92]

What I was trying to get at is that the esc/receiver/servo at idle barely pull any power, so my crawler buddies rarely turn off their truck/radio when we stop for more beer. I can see a 70mph land bullet being a bit unsafe with that, esp with kids around, but not a 5mph crawler. A switch for their lights is far more necessary, and they aren't connected to the ESC.

The main reason RC of old had switches is because those radios were so damn unreliable. I remember walking a mile across the ice after my gas buggy because the FM radio glitched & having a T3 w/AM take off by itself with me standing 10ft away. It was a different sort of danger back then.

I guess if you love the AE-5 & love switches, it sucks to be you. Figure out a way to burn out the internal BEC and run an external UBEC with a switch.

[JatoTheRipper]

The AE-5 sucks. Get the HobbyWing QuicRun WP1060. It's cheaper and has more options. Plus, it has the switch that you want.
HOBBYWING North America — QUICRUN 16 Brushed ESC