Not sure how many people know or care about programming of electronic speed controllers (ESCs).  What options do you normally set (or change from defaults), and how do you go about programming ESCs ?

What is "brake" setting in ESCs, and how does one set the right value for it ?

Nobody ever changes their defaults on ESCs ?

i have done it,let me post some details

sahil

"Brake" functionality causes the prop to stop spinning when throttle is fully cut (as opposed to it coming to a stop on its own). It is as if a brake is applied to it, to prevent it from freewheeling.

"Brake" settings on ESCs allows for 3 settings usually:  "No brakes", "soft brakes" and "hard brakes".  Enabling brakes is a good idea for belly-landing planes, so as to prevent the prop from hitting the ground while spinning.

Brakes are typically disabled on helis, so as to aid auto-rotation.

These settings are also very useful for cars.

my understanding is that,
the three phase windings of the motor are shorted when brake is enabled. Hence, when motor is rotated, the generated back EMF produce a force like break. So when u have folding props, they get folded. usefull for gliders.
Take any brushless motor and try to freewheel it,

1. with three leads open
2. with three leads shorted.

you will find the difference.
ashta

Useful tip. None of the ESCs I've got allows any programming or at least I have no idea if they are programmable. How is brake applied in these cases?

I am a "newbie" to electrics and have  ACE and Phoenix (Castle Creations) ESCs. Both are user programmable with downloadable instructions available on their sites. But the factory default settings are just fine.

If you have a branded product do a "google" search. Otherwise relax and enjoy your flying/driving!

I do change some defaults, and those are due to my specific situation/requirements.

1) Disable brake (recommended for helis).

2) Set the "low voltage warning" to warn me at a higher voltage (better for lipos, prevents from them getting discharged too much).

Yep, the key is finding the manual for your particular ESC. 

The programming is typically done by connecting the ESC to the battery with the throttle stick in maximum position.  This causes the ESC to enter the programming mode.  Then there are audio clues (beeps) when each setting is to be made, again by keeping the throttle stick in one of 3 position (low/zero, mid, high/max).  After a few seconds on each setting, the ESC moves on to the next setting, and we need to change the throttle position again to correspond to the feature being set.

Here is a video of programming an Exceed Volcano ESC. REMEBER THAT MANY OF THESE SETTINGS ARE ESC SPECIFIC !  Other ESCs may react differently (for example, when you connect the ESC to the battery with the throttle in the middle), so do NOT be careless about this and follow the directions in your ESC manual.





Some of the higher end ESCs (my personal experience is with a brand called Scorpion) come with an additional external programming card (a circuit with an LCD display).