- The full article was originally published on Team Tekin -
HotWire 15.40.9 introduces Power Profiles, yet another tuning option for your Tekin ESC. The Power Profiles allow you to manipulate the esc output vs the trigger position (radio signal). By doing so, you have full control over the trigger-to-motor relationship throughout the full range of the throttle. Add up to 64 control points from 1% to 100% throttle and move each point up or down to change the ESC output at that throttle percentage and move each point sideways to control the radio throttle percentage at that ESC output.
Now this may seem very overwhelming at first, but it’s actually very simple and we will use a 10 point custom profile to demonstrate what this changes. This is the default curve – it’s not a curve. Right now the Radio Input and ESC % Output are in sync. While this looks great, the end result is that this is not actually giving us a linear Power profile. To get a more linear power response, or a response that just feels better, we have to make some adjustments.
Now I’ve added in control points every 10% that I would like to adjust to start making the custom response curve. You can use as many points as you’d like, up to 64 total. 10 on 10 works great for tuning off-road and on-road throttle response curves and if you’re drag racing, you’ll likely want more of them in the 20-50% range to better control the throttle.
The Launch Point is where I will start making adjustments. Since this is a T8 4 Pole motor on 4S, I’ve began to adjust the response at 15%radio throttle since that is where the motor starts to go. This is one of the advantages over a standard throttle curve or using expo in the radio is you are not stuck with it starting at 0%.
Control Point 2 is set to take 20% Radio Throttle and change it to 18.5% ESC Throttle. At this Point, the offset between Radio Input and ESC Output starts to change. The 10 Control Points are now set as such:
Point 1 is set to 15% -> 15%
Point 2 is set to 20% -> 18.5%
Point 3 is set to 30% -> 23%
Point 4 is set to 40% -> 30%
Point 5 is set to 50% -> 40%
Point 6 is set to 60% -> 55%
Point 7 is set to 70% -> 70%
Point 8 is set to 80% -> 86%
Point 9 is set to 90% -> 91%
Point 10 is 100%
So what did all that actually do? It modified the incoming Radio Throttle signal every 10% to a new esc value, which smoothed out the throttle and gave me a more direct trigger-to-car feel.
How did I come to this conclusion? Track time. The 1/8 setups have aways felt a bit punchy to me, especially in the mid throttle area so I detuned that section from about 20% to 60%. 70-80% I felt there was a flat spot where the motor literally didn’t change much and that dead spot in the trigger was throwing off some of my jump distances. To combat that, I increased the ESC throttle output at that point, eliminating the dead spot. Basically we moved the extra punch in the lower throttle to the dead spot so the power is more consistent compared to the trigger.
Now that you have an idea of what this system actually does you can use it to tune anything to your liking for track conditions or driving style. This will be exceptionally helpful in drag racing if you’re tuning with your radio as it gives you complete control over the power delivery. Simply set your radio start and end points at the speed you like, then let this curve do the rest. Add as many points as you’d like up to 64 total and start really dialing in the throttle to come in exactly where and when you want it!
