Speed Control Sparks

[Danny Diaz]

Originally Posted by agndoggieboi

Last nite a speed controller of ours has had a short causing a very big spark dat was totally awsome yet very disturbing.

One of the Applications Engineers at National Instruments had a USB-DAQ device connected to a speed controller just before Christmas - it was connected to the RC and battery but nothing else, no motors - and the magic smoke was unfortunately let out of the DAQ (pee-eww!). We're still trying to figure out how a speed controller with a 12-volt battery was able to blow a device with a 36-volt protective circuit. I could easily see how it would be done if a motor was connected, but it was just the speed controller! Maybe we had the same problem (metal shavings and such) since this hardware was previously used at the National Championships by an unknown team, but I'm clueless otherwise. Anyone care to comment?

-Danny