Question: My VMAR VMA-T210X Twin Otter 09-15 ARF uses two motors. How should I wire these up so that I can control them from the single throttle channel on my receiver?
Answer: The simplest solution is to use our VMAX Power Pack which comes with brushless motors, electronic speed controls (ESC), battery pack, propellors etc and includes a custom made Wiring Harness Set for the Twin Otter power and control system. The Power Pack for the Twin Otter is #VMM-T210XPP1.
If you have your own motors, servos, speed controls etc that you intend on using in the VMAR Twin Otter the manufacturer of these electric components is your best bet for advice on operating in a Twin Power configuration. The Wiring Harness Set for the Twin Otter (#VMA-T210XWHS) is available as an aftermarket accessory and in most installations will make it much easier to work with the VMAX Power Module, third party motors, speed controls and servos.
If you have purchased the VMAX Power Pack for the Twin Otter (#VMM-T210XPP1) please follow the installation instructions that come with the Power Pack. The VMAX Power Pack will save you hours and hours of time and greatly reduce the chances of making an expensive mistake.
If you are using third party power components, follow their instructions. In the absence of specific information from the manufacturer here are some general tips that may assist you. Remember, without specific information from the supplier of your Motors and ESC, you run the risk of doing something wrong and such booboos are usually expensive. Use our tips with this in mind. We can't verify that these tips will work with third party equipment and strongly encourage you to obtain information from the manufacturer of your Motors and ESC.
a) Use two idential Brushless Motors and two identical Electronic Speed Controls (ESC). Each motor should have its own speed control. (see footnote below)
b) Connect each ESC to a Brushless Motor using the color coded wire as a guide. Test and ensure that the motor turns in the direction expected and that thrust is aft of the motor.
c) Make a power Y-connector to feed power from your LiPo battery to the power input leads on both of your ESC's.
d) Use the power Y-connector to connect the power input to the ESC's to a common (1) LiPO battery source.
e) Make a throttle Y-connector. This is necessary for DUAL ESC operation which assumes that you are using two motors and two ESC's.
For DUAL ESC operation use ONLY the NEGATIVE (-) Power (usually black or brown) & SIGNAL lines
(see table below) between the receiver throttle channel and the ESC's.
Do NOT use the POSITIVE (+) Power (usually Red) wires.
The following table serves as a guide to common radio systems and their wiring schema and color usage. Use this table with caution. If in doubt, please defer to information provided by your radio supplier.
| RADIO BRAND |
NEGATIVE (-) |
SIGNAL |
| VRS & Futaba |
Black |
White |
| Airtronics Z |
Black |
Blue |
| JR |
Brown |
Orange |
| HiTec |
Black |
Yellow |
f) Plug the ESC throttle control wires into the ends of the throttle Y-connector
g) Plug the remaining single end of the throttle Y connector into your receiver throttle channel.
h) Use the airborne battery pack from your radio system to power your receiver. Do NOT attempt to use power from either BEC to power your receiver. You may wish to consider using a stand alone BEC such as that from Western Robotics to power your radio system but do NOT use the BEC's that are a part of many ESC's. They will not work in a twin power configuration.
i) Select suitable propellers for your motors and your speed controllers. The two props should be identical. Prop selection is vital with brushless motors. Overloading the motors and ESC by using the wrong prop can get very very expensive in a big hurry.
j) Verify that you can control the RPM of the motors via the receiver and that they produce similar RPM and thrust throughout the throttle range.
Footnote: There are some dual ESC's that enable you to control two Brushless motors from one ESC. These eliminates the need for a second ESC and may make the installation of third party components simpler. If you are using a dual ESC, ensure that you follow the manufacturers instructions regarding wiring and operations.
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