My vesc blew up but still works perfectly. WTF?

ESK8 Electronics
#1

Ok so a I ve noticed that from time to time i ve started loosing connection and I thought it was my remote. It happened maybe like twice in the past five days. Today i’ve taken off shrink foil from my vesc and I saw that c51 blew up comletely.

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Whats really weird is that the vesc is still full functinal:

  • drv chip is ok and intact
  • bldc tool gives no errors
  • the lights on the bootup blink three times and show no error
  • motor detection works
  • motor spins

Big question is what should I do. The vesc is under the warranty but Ill have to send it back to US. I was just wondering if I could just replace C51 with new one ? will that be enough to get fully functional vesc?

From what I know the capacitor on this vesc is the upgraded 22uf 100v cap.

http://pl.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?R=CKG57NX7S2A226M500JJvirtualkey52130000virtualkey810-CKG57NX7S2A226JJ

#2

I would first ask your vendor if you do this repair yourself if it will void the warranty.

Next check it you still see the silver solder patch on both ends of the spot on the VESC itself or if that’s ripped off. If it’s ripped off I would send it back for warranty. If it’s still there then you can proceed with replacing it. You will need a soldering iron and Flux and solder.

What version VESC is that? If you flip it over in the board it will say Vedder.se with a 4.##

#3

This is 4.12 version.

#4

Also if this is using hardware 4.12 then c51 capacitor is a 15 microfarad.

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If someone else can chime in. From. What I read, replacing a capacitor with a slightly larger one won’t make a difference, neither with voltage but never go down. Also size maybe a factor to be careful of.

#5

Yes usually it is 15uf 100v but this vesc had upgraded components and they have used 22uf 100v which is double stacked capacitor.

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#6

Damn I just have noticed that L1 cap seems to be broken.

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@wmj259 can you tell me whats the part number for L1 component?

#7

Guys can anyone tell me what’s the difference between: CKG57NX7S2A226M500JJ and CKG57NX7S2A226M500JH and which one should I get ? They are both 22uh 100v and have exactly the same specs. Maybe @onloop @chaka @zmoney or especially @JTAG as it is his upgrade could chime in.

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#8

Both are just fine. The last letter stands for: “Special reserved code” probably some batch or source identification, nothing we should care about :smile:.

#9

@JTAG THanks a lot !!! Do you think I should be fine if I replace C51 considering the fact that the VESC is still fully functional ??? Also do you think I should replace L1 as it has chipped off a little bit ??

#10

L1 is a power inductor.

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It’s seems like your vesc has been rattling around.

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#11

Thanks. I just have ordered both c51 and L1 and found a guy who can do the soldering. I am only wondering if I should replace L1 or I can leave it like that with that chipped off part.

#12

While your at it, I would order some extra capacitors. In case anything breaks off in the future. Shipping is cheap but prices also decreases with more you order quite significantly.

#13

Today all my missing parts just arrived C51 and L1 - I already gave them to the guy who is going to do the soldering for me. I’ll let you guys know if it all works. But if works it will only show that repairing your VESC’s without actually having any electronics/soldering skills is still possible :wink: :slight_smile:

#14

WOW that was quick. I just picked up my vesc. C51 and L1 nicly replaced.

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So on the whole it took me three working days to order the parts and get them replaced. Nice!! Ive paid around 20usd for soldering and about 15usd for the parts with shipping. Not bad at all considering the fact it was all done in three days.

By the way i ve talked to the guy about replacing DRV in the future just in case bad things happen. He said no biggie for him. So if anyone needs vesc repair services here in europe just let me know and i will contact you with this guy.

Now its time to test the vesc and see if it all works.

1 Like
#15

Thats a shockingly fast repair lol. Its great that you got it repaired in all, but just keep an eye out for what actually caused the problem in case it happens again. You dont just want to repair something if its going to keep breaking, kinda like if you replaced a bike wheel cause it popped riding on a bed of nails, then continued to ride on the same bed of nails.

#16

Hey. It was the first failure that ever happened so it is not like I am repairing it every week. The thing is C51 blew up as well as L1. Of course it might have been caused by the FOC …but I have really hard time believing it…as the battery is 10s and not 12s …and the motor is 85kv only. So I really doubt it was that. And besides that the VESC was upgraded with components that can handle a lot more and I know other people are actually using this vesc for FOC without any issues. I suspect it might have been caused by my battery …as I remember little PUFF when I was disconnecting my battery in the way I wasn’t supposed to.

#17

UPDATE: after my VESC repair I just had a chance to try everything on a longer distance. I did 7miles hitting max 24mph. All in FOC MODE. Everything was smooth so I assume that FOC is working fine. I didnt had chance to cut open the vesc to check if anything blew up but Id be surprised if it did. So all in all, my vesc repair mission seems to be successful!

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#18

you should make a post with his contacts in the VESC directory. People should know!

#19

Sure I’ll call him tomorrow and ask for his email. He is based in Poland so if anyone from EUROPE wants to repair something he can easily do it. The guy specializes in soldering precise electronics. Repairing DRV Chips is not a problem for him.

#20

One thing I thought I would ask …when I am riding …I think sometimes I hear something …like little sparks …I might be wrong …and maybe my hearing is not right …but I think the sound is coming from the motor. Is it normal behaviour ? What do I actually hear ? Is it high current going through the motor ??? I dont think it’s the vesc making that sound. @Maxid Maybe you could help me out here ?