Updated March 15, 2012: Higher Voltage Winch Controller

[sgtsteve]

Originally Posted by DISTURBIN' tha PEACE

huh?

3s batts with a bec in place to provide 7v for steering and winch servo's

[DISTURBIN' tha PEACE]

That's what I thought. Just checking.

[hlb3]

Anybody with a 3racing winch NEEDS to buy one of these controllers.

I received the controllers today. I decided to do some testing to see if the winch was stronger with heyok's controller than the 3racing controller at the same voltage. My rig weighs in around 8lbs, I sat the rig flat on the ground and hooked the winch to the door knob, with the stock winch controller at 7.2v (power from a CC BEC), it lifted the front off the ground and got it completely vertical but then stalled out when it tried to lift it completely off the ground. I swapped in heyok's controller and repeated the test. The first thing I noticed was a major increase in line speed when spooling the line out, I started winching in, it easily got the rig vertical and continued to steadily pull the rig off the ground all the way up to the door knob. Another awesome feature is that heyok's controller will act as a brake and keep the winch from spooling out.

I was ready to toss the 3racing winch since it kept stalling all the time, now the winch is actually useable. I can say with 100% certainty that heyok's controller gets a lot more power to the winch, I am very impressed.

[heyok]

I think I better post a little about how these controllers have worked in the field.
Of course, people want more performance from their winch, so they run the voltage up higher than six volts. This is what I designed this controller to do. The parts I used will easily handle at least twelve volts.

What I am finding is that if the controller is run from the same power supply as the receiver, things work great. Running your receiver at a higher than normal voltage is fine, depending on its specs. For example my Spektrum SR3000 will take 9.6 volts
see: http://www.spektrumrc.com/Products/D...ProdID=SPM1200

When the controller and receiver are powered from different supplies, bad things sometimes happen. I know this is the way things are often hooked up, but for some reason that I haven't been able to fully trouble shoot, this is a recipe to burn out the winch controller.

[heyok]

Just adding a little to the explanation about powering the HV Winch Controller, in case it makes it easier to understand:

The receiver and winch controller need to be operated from the same BEC, weather that be the ESC's built in BEC or an external BEC.

[heyok]

I've just made a change to the HV Winch Controller.

Now you can power it from a dedicated battery or a separate BEC.

Please don't exceed the voltage that you would get from a 2S Lipo pack.

[heyok]

I can also build the controller like this if you like:



The receiver plug will connect to a channel as before.
Plug up to a 2S Lipo battery and away you go!

This will add another $6 to the price, making it $41 for a HV Winch Controller using External Power

[Locked Up]

Originally Posted by heyok

I've just made a change to the HV Winch Controller.

Now you can power it from a dedicated battery or a separate BEC.

Please don't exceed the voltage that you would get from a 2S Lipo pack.

AL,
Do you mean the 30v limit is no more and now we should stick to 9-ish volts?

[heyok]

Originally Posted by Locked Up

AL,
Do you mean the 30v limit is no more and now we should stick to 9-ish volts?

Yes!

[KMS]

It's looking like a Hot Rod ,, racing,, winch controller too me ,,Nice work will be get one of them too ,,But can this one run on the low volt ,,6 ,, also..You probly answered it all ready I just didnt see it Thank you ,,,KMS

[heyok]

Originally Posted by KMS

It's looking like a Hot Rod ,, racing,, winch controller too me ,,Nice work will be get one of them too ,,But can this one run on the low volt ,,6 ,, also..You probly answered it all ready I just didnt see it Thank you ,,,KMS

Thanks for checking it out!

Yes, this one will run just fine at the lower voltage too.

[RusT808]

Payment sent. Thanks Al.

[heyok]

Originally Posted by RusT808

Payment sent. Thanks Al.

Thanks, Rus.
But the part I think you ordered isn't the one described in this thread. Is this what you really wanted?

[RusT808]

Originally Posted by heyok

Thanks, Rus.
But the part I think you ordered isn't the one described in this thread. Is this what you really wanted?

Oh, I think it was the other thread, you're right. But hey, thank you.

[greenjk]

What do I have to do to run this with a 3 racing winch, HH BRXL and 3s power, thanks for making such great products.

[heyok]

Originally Posted by greenjk

What do I have to do to run this with a 3 racing winch, HH BRXL and 3s power, thanks for making such great products.

All you need to do is plug it into an unused channel of your receiver and connect the output end of the controller to the motor wires on your winch.

If you want to run it from a separate 2S Lipo pack, lift the red wire from the receiver plug and connect it to the positive of your Lipo pack. Run a wire from the black wire from the receiver connector to the negative of the 2S Lipo pack.

If you would prefer to run it from a BEC, the BEC inputs would be connected to your 3S Lipo pack and its red output wire would be connected as in the last paragraph. The black doesn't need to be run because it already has a connection path from your ESC's wiring.

[greenjk]

Thanks mate, great info.

[MiniMorris]

can you run a 3r winch, with your controller, from a external 5a, 9v bec? (hardwired, reciever is on 6v from esc and steering servos are hardwired to 6v from a cc bec.)

[heyok]

Originally Posted by MiniMorris

can you run a 3r winch, with your controller, from a external 5a, 9v bec? (hardwired, reciever is on 6v from esc and steering servos are hardwired to 6v from a cc bec.)

You could do that, but 9V is a little higher than I spec this controller to handle. Keep it to 8.5 or less. The same as a two cell Lipo would give you when it is fully charged.

I don't know how long a 3R winch will last if you push it that hard.

[MiniMorris]

will your controller draw more than 5a?