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Old 05-18-2022, 06:15 PM   #1
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Default Power Cable for Engine

I'm almost done building my RC truck and need to know what kind of power cable I need to purchase to hook up to the main engine.


Here are a couple of screen shots of a guy who build one of these vehicles. The power cable seems to be pretty thick, what gauge do you think it is and if someone could post an Amazon link I'd greatly appreciate it.




Photos are blurry because it's a screen shot of a Youtube video.

















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Old 05-18-2022, 07:23 PM   #2
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Default Re: Power Cable for Engine

I could be wrong, but it appears to be somewhere between 12-16 gage.
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Old 05-18-2022, 07:48 PM   #3
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Default Re: Power Cable for Engine

Yeah, I was going to guess 12. Your hobby shop likely has some they'd sell you. You just need to know how much length you need.
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Old 05-18-2022, 09:28 PM   #4
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Default Re: Power Cable for Engine

First, how many turns does that motor have?

Second, what does that go into?
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Old 05-19-2022, 07:26 AM   #5
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Default Re: Power Cable for Engine

Will this 12 gauge wire work?

https://www.amazon.com/BNTECHGO-Sili...6&sr=8-11&th=1

BNTECHGO 12 Gauge Silicone Wire 10 ft red and 10 ft Black Flexible 12 AWG Stranded Copper Wire

I'm not sure about how many turns the engine has but one of those gears in the engine activates the rear locker. I'm pretty sure that power cable goes into the battery. This is my first RC build ever and the whole built was pretty straight forward, just like building Legos, except for the fact that there was no mention of the wiring of the engine. I think the Capo Sixer1 is considered an advance built for people who have been doing this for a while.

Skip to the 10:47 min mark to watch the engine being build:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJtBqc8_kiw

Last edited by The_Hulk; 05-19-2022 at 07:29 AM.
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Old 05-19-2022, 08:08 AM   #6
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Default Re: Power Cable for Engine

OK so this is the motor, I'm totally new to building RCs, what kind of connector do I need to hook up the cable to the actual motor?

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Old 05-19-2022, 09:07 AM   #7
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Default Re: Power Cable for Engine

You'll need to solder the wires to the motor. If you can't solder, take it to a local hobby shop where they can do it for you.
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Old 05-19-2022, 10:50 AM   #8
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Default Re: Power Cable for Engine

Quote:
Originally Posted by The_Hulk View Post
OK so this is the motor, I'm totally new to building RCs, what kind of connector do I need to hook up the cable to the actual motor?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob_in az View Post
You'll need to solder the wires to the motor. If you can't solder, take it to a local hobby shop where they can do it for you.
That is a 45 turn motor, which means the amperage draw will be relatively low. You should be able to use 12 -14 ga wire with no problems. (assuming you are running 2-3S packs)

How I would hook this up...
I would solder the wires directly to the motor connectors, one wire per side (in reference to the picture of the motor you posted). At this point, polarity does not matter, so the same color wires will work for both sides.

How you connect the other end depends on the ESC. If you are using an ESC like a HW1080, which has flying leads for motor wires, I would use 4mm bullet connectors (female on the ESC side, male on the motor side). If you are running an ESC like the Castle SW4, which has 6mm female bullet connectors built in, then just put 6mm male bullet connectors on the motor wires.

Why bullet connectors for motor leads?
- This gives you the ability to easily swap polarity.
---> This is NOT something you want to do on your battery connectors.
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Old 05-19-2022, 05:04 PM   #9
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Default Re: Power Cable for Engine

Thanks everyone for the advice.

I live in Oakland County Michigan so I'm going to call around the local RC shops and see if they can solder the wires to the motor. What about the ESC?

Here are photos of the ESC. Are those female bullet plugs at the end? If so, do I just need to solder male bullet plugs onto the other side of the engine cables?




Also, the cable for the motor is black and red but the ESC has yellow and blue cables, which colors go together?




Last edited by The_Hulk; 05-19-2022 at 05:09 PM.
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Old 05-19-2022, 08:17 PM   #10
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Default Re: Power Cable for Engine

Quote:
Originally Posted by The_Hulk View Post
Thanks everyone for the advice.

I live in Oakland County Michigan so I'm going to call around the local RC shops and see if they can solder the wires to the motor. What about the ESC?

Here are photos of the ESC. Are those female bullet plugs at the end? If so, do I just need to solder male bullet plugs onto the other side of the engine cables?




Also, the cable for the motor is black and red but the ESC has yellow and blue cables, which colors go together?



Many hobby shops will solder for free if you are a regular customer.

First things first...
That red T-connector (AKA: Dean's Plug) is where your battery plugs in at, recommend leaving that alone.

Second...
The yellow and blue wires go to the motor. For right now, don't worry about which wire goes to where.
Those will mate with bullet connectors, but they are certainly not the best connection. Recommend having them replace those with 4mm female bullet connectors, and have them put 4mm male bullet connectors on the motor wires. Keep those insulation boots though, they do a good job at keeping the connectors from touching.

When you are ready to put power to the everything...
I am not familiar with that ESC, so I can't speak on its specifics. But, most ESCs have a calibration procedure, this should be in the ESC's manual. Prior to calibration, make sure your TX trims are all at zero. Also, make sure that you are plugged into the correct ports on the receiver (RX) (what radio are you using?). Channel 1 should be for the steering servo, Channel 2 should be for the ESC ---> 1 to turn, 2 to burn.

If you have the motor plugged in when you turn the whole mess on for the first time, make sure you have the wheels off of the ground (on a stand of some sorts).

After you are done with the calibration, the ESC should reset then be ready to go. At this point squeeze the throttle. If the wheel turn in the forward direction, you are good. If the wheels turn in reverse direction, reverse the motor leads.

What rig is this going in?
If this is going into a rig with portals, then you will likely need to program the ESC for reverse rotation.
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Old 05-19-2022, 08:52 PM   #11
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Default Re: Power Cable for Engine

Quote:
Originally Posted by Greatscott View Post
…If you are running an ESC like the Castle SW4, which has 6mm female bullet connectors built in, then just put 6mm male bullet connectors on the motor wires.
SW4 has 4mm bullets built in but otherwise I agree with the recommendation.
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