I draw plans and write construction specifications for a living. I do my best to make the documents clear & precise so that the builder understands what to do and I've been successful at this for 30+years. However, it never works out perfectly and request for more information always come in or the contractor builds it wrong. So I understand how hard it is to express the requirements for complex systems on paper.

The instructions for the XPWR motor state to use "stock" CC ESC settings. But I've updated the firmware, set the battery cut off voltage level and changed the how the ESC reacts when the voltage drops to the predetermined level. So I'm not using "stock" settings. So in a real sense the motor instructions are not clear.

There was no real indication from the XPWR instructions or the Castle Creation instructions that having one set-point set wrong would cause failure - so the user is led to think this is "plug and play" The place were I set the motor type to "out-runner" mode had a pull-down menu with more information but really not too useful. I did contact CC before I finished the set up and they confirmed that the Edge HV was the ESC that would work with the XPWR motor but they never said the setup had to be one particular way.

Wouldn't it be much better to issue a table with all the recommended settings and note which settings are critical? Then the user has a check list to go by and will have a better chance of success the 1st time. (And wouldn't it be easier to make up a spreadsheet with 30 or so rows with this info rather than responding to questions in forums multiple times?)

This is an information problem that is certainly not limited to EF or CC, rather it seems to be the normal way all RC manufacturers do it. I'd guess there is not enough overhead to pay someone to write detailed instructions and the product cycle life is short and in the end the users figure it out on their own by reading the forums and at their expense.

I'm not mad or anything, I don't mean to flame the manufacturers. I bought a second XPRW motor for a 26% Extra and I'll get another CC Edge for it. I enjoy the learning process of this hobby as much as I like flying.

Cheers!

Originally Posted by EXTREME FLIGHT

To add to what Ben said, we've HAVE made this process as plug and play as possible. If you'll use our recommended motor/esc/prop/firmware/battery recommendation you are going to be rewarded with an extremely powerful and reliable power solution that will rival and in most cases exceed the performance of the recommended gas engine. We spent a lot of time and money testing multiple props, ESCs, firmware versions, batteries, etc. for each motor so that our customers wouldn't have to. We've made powering large scale electric models as simple and hassle free as possible, and at a very reasonable price point.

On the contrary, we spent a lot of time with Castle Creations determining which of their products were compatible and what settings they were shipped with, so that we could reduce the procedure by a complex step , that of setting the ESC parameters which so many customers find so intimidating. This was done on purpose so that people could use the Castle Edge ESCs without worrying about all of the individual programming settings.

The instructions for the XPWR motor state to use "stock" CC ESC settings. But I've updated the firmware, set the battery cut off voltage level and changed the how the ESC reacts when the voltage drops to the predetermined level. So I'm not using "stock" settings. So in a real sense the motor instructions are not clear.

From the instructions included with the XPWR motors:

Your XPWR motor must be paired with an appropriate brushless electronic speed control. Due to the wide variety
and changing nature of speed controls, we cannot test every combination and therefore make no guarantees
as to compatibility between our motors and any specific ESC. Our testing was conducted on CastleCreations
speed controls with version 4.22 firmware and stock ESC settings. *It is your responsibility to determine the cutoff settings programmed into your ESC. Avoid a crash caused by an unexpected motor cutoff by understanding
your ESC and how to set its cutoff values for voltage and amperage.*

As I've posted many, many times now, if you need assistance, you can pm me here or call us at our warehouse, or call Tim at northwest...but I cannot actually carry on a debate with a customer in a public thread. Additionally, it has a really unfortunate title.If you need any assistance, please pm me, I'll be glad to help.

EDIT: BTW, I'm sure you are aware that there are many mfg's of brushless motors who simply send you a motor in a brown cradboard box. Contrary to the above conjecture about "short product cycles" and "not enough overhead to hire someone", what we are doing is offering real recommendations, matched components detailed down to the firmware and verified with the manufacturer of those components, test flown in the actual recommended aircraft, battery recommendations, flight video, even prop recommendations...plus phone service, email communications, and I'm even talking to you on FG. All to help people get the maximum enjoyment out of our products, like we do with all of our products.

Texas,
To be clear- I did call yesterday and your office was kind enough to walk me through the settings for the ESC. All appears to work OK.
Thank you.

Put this one in the bit bucket... No fail.