The Saga of the Dynamite Power Pulse

In February of 2002 I ran across an interesting problem with the Dynamite Power Pulse electronic speed control. While I support the Power Pulse as a good inexpensive alternative for an ESC there is an issue that I found that should be watched closely. I'm hoping that others can learn from my misfortune.

Behold the Dynamite Power Pulse. Notice how all of the wires are crammed into one opening on the ESC. Many makers use this approach, so I think that's fine. However the housing itself is thin and there's a fairly sharp edge all around the opening.

Here it is with the case removed. It's hard to tell in this image but the insulation on the black wire, that leads back to the receiver, has been stripped by the plastic housing that fits around the ESC. It's the wire in the lower right-hand corner. This is the only wire that doesn't have melted insulation, and this leads me to believe this may have been the cause of the problem. It's also possible one of the wires with the melted insulation could have also been in this condition and caused the short.

Here's what happens when a battery is connected. Notice the little glowing ember on the upper bank next to the 40 amp fuse.....

...and if you let it go for a few seconds.. there's even smoke!!!

I still believe the Power Pulse is a good budget ESC since it's was priced around $55.00. However as with any ESC checking the wires coming from it on a routine basis is a good idea. This may require removing the cover to do this effectively. A little time spent on maintenance is better than the alternative.

As of the time of this writing Dynamite no longer sells the Power Pulse. They also do not have a copy of the instructions available online. Since I run this failsafe, and have a copy of the instructions, I have made a copy available for anyone who may need it. To view this document you will need to use the Adobe Acrobat Reader which can be downloaded for free. Click here for the instructions.