Hill descent control

[Wagenmeister]

Hi guys

I did some research, but it might be that I'm using the wrong terminology.

When crawling downhill, if I touch the throttle the car starts rolling and gaining speed and when you release throttle the drag brake will kick in and do a front flip.

I was wondering if there are settings/tips/tricks to get downhill descent control/freewheeling/downhill drag brake on ESC's that does not have that specific setting.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[JatoTheRipper]

We call hill descent control "drag brake" in the RC world. It applies brake to slow your descent.

I don't know how to get a drag brake without having an ESC that contains that feature. The only thing you can do is use brakes on the way down.

 

[Wagenmeister]

Thanks I know what drag brake is. Must have explained better.

When you touch the throttle when descending the crawler starts rolling forward. The new Hobbywing 1080 ESC has a freewheeling setting that gives you drag brake even if you apply throttle.

Some cars and motors do not have this problem as the drag of the motor and or gears give you the same effect.

 

[ferp420]

Set your throtle trim backwards alittle i have a dragbreak set but its set real light but when im on a long down hill i just turn th3 trim alittle till i get the breaking i want you can adjust it right on the controler and its very easy i also trim it alittle forward going up hill so it dosent role back wards reprograming the drag break is a pain in the back side i dont like a heavy drag break on flat ground be carefull though it could over heat your esc if you set it to lhigh for to long in theory anyway ive never had it happen but i think it could happen if you use it to much
As you apply throutle it just eases the break and dosent turn off the break like a normall escs drag break

 

[Brake Weight]

I have a HW1080 and like it set high but not maxed. I also run a cheap RadioLink Tx/Rx and it has a setting for ABS that will act as a drag brake even with ESCs without a drag brake.

 

[Ninomaniac]

^that ABS thing makes no sense to me.

Anyway, a good dedicated crawler ESC like the 1080 should handle transitions from drag to brake or throttle (and all combinations thereof) smoothly.

Wagenmeister, it would help if you told us which ESC you have.

 

[gottorque]

I prefer my truck to creep down steep descents. Any sudden force (drag break lockup) will transfer what little weight the rear end had forward and over the rig goes. When the rig creeps it maintains a slow but constant speed where i can focus on steering and covering the throttle if I need to goose it.

 

[lonleycreeper]

In my F150, I use a standard buggy esc, no drag brake... I have to hold brake for descent, and found it is proportional...

My honcho on the other hand is setup with 50% drag brake and will roll at a very controlled rate going down steep stuff.

Depending on my mood, I like either one. The non drag setup is definitely harder to drive smoothly, more like driving a 5 spd trans out on the rocks. The drag brake setup is easier to control, but not typically my preference. But I like the challenge, and don't compete.

 

[Yeti.stealth]

I believe the hobbywing 1080 has some adjustability on how smoothly and slowly the drag brake is applied when you release the throttle, I also don’t like how my current rtr esc just slams the drag brake on causing a front flip on steep descents.
Its not HDC but at least you might be able to tune it with the drag brake adjustments on the 1080.

 

[Brake Weight]

It’s looking like there’s a lot of folks that need to learn some throttle control. The throttle isn’t an ON/OFF switch. [emoji38]

Just saying.

 

[Wagenmeister]

^that ABS thing makes no sense to me.

Anyway, a good dedicated crawler ESC like the 1080 should handle transitions from drag to brake or throttle (and all combinations thereof) smoothly.

Wagenmeister, it would help if you told us which ESC you have.

Hi

It's not specific to an esc. I know the 1080 has the freewheeling and dragbrake rate, I want to know if anyone has been successful in getting the same effect from a normal esc with some adjustability.

 

[Wagenmeister]

It’s looking like there’s a lot of folks that need to learn some throttle control. The throttle isn’t an ON/OFF switch. [emoji38]

Just saying.

Its got nothing to do with throttle control. If you go down a 50degree slope even if you touch the throttle the crawler will start gaining speed because of gravity.

 

[Teng]

I loved my Holmes hobbies 35T brushed so much. Given me predictable down hill control( very smooth ) just like the real truck has an engine brake.

 

[Yeti.stealth]

Hi

It's not specific to an esc. I know the 1080 has the freewheeling and dragbrake rate, I want to know if anyone has been successful in getting the same effect from a normal esc with some adjustability.

Things smoothed out for me after I added wheel weights and beef tubes front and rear. All that rotating mass dampened the RTR ESC sudden drag brake application, along with the lower COG makes for more controlled hill descents, so it's kinda the same effect but achieved mechanically.