ESC stands for Electronic Speed Controller, which control the speed of your brushless motors.They receive signal or command from flight controller, and change the motor speed (RPM) by providing the appropriate level of electrical power. and also they come with different amps such as 20A, 30A etc. and the size of ESC that you need depends on your quadcopter. Ok, let us see what you need to know about esc.

1.Firmware

Two of oldest ESC firmware for quadcopters are SimonK and BLHeli. These are open source firmware developed by RC hobbyists. In the old days, firmware written by manufacturers was not optimal, so hobbyists would tend to flash either SimonK or BLHeli on their ESC’s. Slowly these firmware became the standard of ESC firmware, and most ESC’s came either with BLHeli or SimonK firmware installed.

Majority of the users choose BLHeli because of the user-friendly interface and rich in features. For more detailed benefits of BLHeli and SimonK firmware, here is a nice discussion comparing these firmware. Anyway, It used to be the case that SimonK firmware had issues when people tried to use them with motors with low KV ratings, but in the most recent versions, this has been eradicated.

BLHeli_S

BLHeli_S firmware is the 2nd generation of the BLHeli firmware, developed specifically for ESC’s that have Busybee processors and allow hardware PWM. It also has a much simplified user interface. Aikon SEFM 30A and DYS XS series are the early adopter of BLHeli_S.

tattu esc

BLHeli_32

The BLHeli_32  ESC firmware is the third generation of BLHeli. It’s written specifically for 32-bit ESC and it has gone closed source in this version. The more powerful processor would allow smoother, more precise and reliable performance than previous ESC’s.

KISS ESC Firmware

The KISS ESC firmware is closed source and is exclusive to KISS ESC.

2. ESC Protocols

ESC protocols determine how fast the signals can be sent from FC to ESC, which will have some pretty big impact on your quadcopter’s performance. The original (oldest) ESC protocol – standard PWM, has delay up to 2ms, while the currently fastest Multishot has reduced latency down to only about 5-25uS.

Here is a list of current protocols used on quadcopters, from oldest to latest:

  • Standard PWM
  • Oneshot125
  • Oneshot42
  • Multishot
  • DShot (DShot150, DShot300, DShot600)

Almost all of the current protocols compatible with Tattu esc.

3. Input Vlotage

Some ESC might support up to 6S, some might do 4S. Make sure the ESC is compatible with the LiPo voltage you want to run in the mini quad. Majority of the ESC’s nowadays support up to at least 4S Lipo cell count. Powering your ESC with excessively high voltage will fry your ESC’s, and possibly your motors as well.

 

4. With BEC or Not

Technically, BEC stands for Battery Eliminating Circuit. In practice, this simply means that ESCs with a BEC are able to output a constant voltage (usually it’s 5V) and so power the equipment on board your flying platform, such as your receiver, servos or flight controller.

It entirely depends on which flight controller you have, but many flight controller nowadays do not need to be powered via the ESCs. This is because you often have a separate power module with the flight controller which does the job. Therefore, you have no need for an ESC with BEC (in relation to powering the flight controller). However, you may want/need to power other equipment such as servos and receivers and in this case, an ESC with BEC will be necessary.

OPTO Esc

ESCs without BEC are often referred to as OPTO (optoisolator). All this means that that the part of the ESC that receivers the signal from your flight controller or R/C receiver is isolated from the higher voltage circuit that powers your motors. OPTO ESC's are common on many multirotor setups as your dont always need a BEC as discussed above.

ESC that doesn’t have BEC has the advantage of being lighter, smaller, and less noisy (since the motor control circuitry is optically isolated from the radio receiver and flight controller).

5.4 in1 ESC

 Four ESC’s are integrated into one board of size of a FC or PDB, which cleans up your wiring a lot. 4in1 ESC has benefit in terms of weight distribution of the aircraft. Mass is more centralized meaning there is less moment of inertia to the mini quad.

 4 in 1 ESC's are also usualy cheaper than buying four individual ESC's. However 1 damaged ESC means the retirement of the whole board. A trade off between risk and convenience.

Which ESC to Recommend?

Tattu shop here: BLHeli_S 30a Esc , no BEC, 2-5S, for FPV racing. USA  SHOP HERE: http://www.genstattu.com/ta-esc-30a-4pcs.html