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Mamba max or sidewinder

Georgerm

Quarry Creeper
Joined
Apr 25, 2008
Messages
487
Location
columbus
i am getting a new esc the two that i am stuck on are the mamba max and the sidewinder. i know the max comes with the castle link but that to me seems like the only advantage am i missing somthing?
 
I run the Mamba Max and my brother in law runs the Sidewinder. We have the same rig and setup. We can't tell the difference when it comes to the ESC.
 
I ran a MM and swapped to a sidewinder.

Now that there is a sidewinder micro and it's even cheaper/smaller ... I think it will be perfect for crawlers and already ordered one"thumbsup"
 
For most crawler applications the side winder is fine. The mamba max handles more amps than the side winder and the mamba max has the built in PC port for programming. The mamba max is better, but again, in a crawler, you won't notice it or truly need it. The side winder was designed to be a cheaper "sport" version of the mamba max. So since it's cheaper, obviously it will have a few less abilities. The side winder micro is another story. It's basically the mamba 25 reworked and not the same as the full size side winder.
 
thanks aton guys i did not know that there is a micro sidewinder coming out.

I wouldn't recommend the side winder micro or mamba 25 for a crawler. I know many people have used them (I did in a 2.2 tuber), and it will work, but those were really designed for 1/18th scale RC's, not rock crawlers. Also, if you use high voltage 3S lipos or 8 - 10 cell NiMh, that could burn them up or thermal - shut down them quickly. Even if you do use an external BEC like the CC BEC, those micro ESC's really do not hold up well long term. They also run brushless motors better than brushed, even though they can do both. If you search the forum, many people updated the firmware for the mamba 25 to run brushed motors and they burned up the ESC. It just doesn't work well. You are drawing more amps from the start with crawlers to climb, where as in a micro, you are not really drawing the amps until top speed which you are in and out of. The drag brake is also stronger in the Side Winder and Mamba Max 1/10th ESC's.
 
I run the sidewinder, and my brother has a mamba max, and a rooster crawler. I would pick the sidewinder in a heart beat. My brother has issues with both the MM and the rooster crawler, I have had non with the sidewinder. just my 2cents.
 
I wouldn't recommend the side winder micro or mamba 25 for a crawler. I know many people have used them (I did in a 2.2 tuber), and it will work, but those were really designed for 1/18th scale RC's, not rock crawlers. Also, if you use high voltage 3S lipos or 8 - 10 cell NiMh, that could burn them up or thermal - shut down them quickly. Even if you do use an external BEC like the CC BEC, those micro ESC's really do not hold up well long term. They also run brushless motors better than brushed, even though they can do both. If you search the forum, many people updated the firmware for the mamba 25 to run brushed motors and they burned up the ESC. It just doesn't work well. You are drawing more amps from the start with crawlers to climb, where as in a micro, you are not really drawing the amps until top speed which you are in and out of. The drag brake is also stronger in the Side Winder and Mamba Max 1/10th ESC's.

I don't doubt the full winder is capable of more but the micro is rated for 12cells nicd/nimh and 3s lipo.

Where did you get info on drag brake strength?

Just to add infor to the thread...
I just called CC and was told that the brake strength for the two would be the same and it has to do with the motor, not the controller.
I asked about amps and they said the micro is rated for ~30a ... ~5 amps cont more then the 25. The full winder is rated around 65/70 (so there is a difference there)
I asked about running brushless or brushed and was told for a brushles I should be OK with my intended motor (BM9) and 8 cells nimh but alot of it has to do with weight of the rig. A heavy rig would be a bad idea (over 10 lbs).
I brought up brushed and was told with a 55t I need to be careful but it should be fine.

Not trying to argue, just sharing what I was told.
 
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