Who else thinks that John is such an incredible asset to the RC community? The knowledge that he shares is so valuable and appreciated. I have a friend who has been in the hobby on the racing side since the late 70s early 80s. The kind of knowledge and history these people possess and are willing to share is incredible. Thanks John for sharing.

Commutation: Explained? Yes, please! Individual components in detail? Also yes! Thank you for great products and videos!

I still have a 1978 RC12E that had a non reverse wiper msc. It has long since been replaced with a modern ESC. I still have the original 70’s electronics for it.

Always fun to have a new-to-me vocab word to look up! “Linear potentiometer”-Niiiiiice!

I started out and still have my 1980s era Tamiya buggies with the rheostat set up . Been out of the hobby for the past 10 years and man how things have changed . I have a full comprehension of PWM turning dc volts to positive and negative replicating an Ac voltage at varying frequencies . Your tech knowledge is astronomical .

I remember being younger then 10 when I got my first none mechanical esc. Was amazing how we did things back in the 80s early 90s.

Had to wait almost until the end, but you finally said what I suspected the entire time. It's magic.

The Moped! Best ESC ever!🥴🤣. Patiently waiting gif my new Holmes ESC.

Keep it comin!

Awesome John !

Back in the 90s I had a nikko buggy. Just on off control and steering only worked while pressing forward or back. Loved it, drove it till death. My dad had a nice touring car, I drove maybe twice. Much later I brought home a HPI Blitz. I tossed out the brushed and in with brushless Castle Sidewinder and 1410 motor combo. Insane power!

What a throw back. I'll never forget the time my mechanical speed controll "welded " itself in the full throttle position on an old Tamiya rally car. I thought run aways were only for nitro cars lol.

Love the memories. Yeah my first esc was in a Tamiya Grasshopper. It had some sort of ceramic heat exchanger and a big sweeping arm.

WE need MOAR graphs lol. I believe it would help people visualize the signals and understand better. Interesting though very similar to CPU power delivery on a motherboard.

I really like this series. Thank you!!

I had an original Tamiya Frog with a mechanical speed control and a ceramic resistor that used to burn my hand every time I forgot to NOT pick it up from the back, which of course was every other time I picked it up lol

Awesome video. So interesting. I’d watch all those extra videos - go for it! THANKS

I remember my RC10 came with the advanced speed controller with like 9 positions. One day my servo went past and got sick under the resistor. That was my 3 rd RC and I finally got my first ESC. A Novak. Circa 1987.

Thank you for this very informative video! I do enjoy these videos

Thanks for informative video. In finland we call esc Speed controller = nopeudensäädin And nickname for that = nopari OR noppa

I have the original rc10 aluminum chassis, and I have an unused original green resistor, variable wiper arm speed control. The last one I actually soldered up, and used, was in 1986, when I got my first aluminum chassis rc10. Shortly after that electronic esc's came out, and the second rc10 I got, that wiper arm speed control never got taken out of its original bag. Believe it or not, I still have the resistor and the wiper, new. I also have a stack of Novak esc's, including my favorite, the mini one with no reverse. Technology. it's a beautiful thing. 😎👍

Oh boy do I remember. I have a boat that kept welding it self to high speed all you could do was steer it till the battery died

Oh yeah of course back then my mechanical speed control in my car when I had a Tamiya buggy back in 1989.

I remember those old speed controls we must be around the same youthful age lol 😂 thanks John for reminding me of the good old days!..

Great job.

Oh yes I remember those days having to grease the mechanical speed controller to stop it arcing. I also remember burning myself on the hot resistor that was mounted on the car as part of the system.

I remember those days. I also had an esc which used a servo to move an arm over those coils 😁👍

I would LOVE if you dive into the MOSFETS more and how they work. Thanks!

Lovely video, definitely nice to hear about this. I do remember that system with the resistor in series, both from RC cars and from other applications. Good thing we moved on from that! It's interesting to hear about, but might be a nice addition of you could draw a simplified electrical diagram to show this, would make it easier for my brain to understand...

Great video! Love the level of detail. The brushless esc’s are basically miniature 3 phase power converters for industrial motors although they convert ac current instead of dc.

Good ole tamiya 3 speed analog speed control with the resistor that would melt everything near it. Loved those old grasshoppers, hornets, frogs

The Bob Ross of RC

I remember my first stampede back in the day had the old mechanical speed controller. Ahhh The good ol days of early electric rcs

hey man please do more of these. Sharing your knowledge is priceless!

I've got a 5 step mechanical in an original RC10. And I've got the early novak ESC.

My first truck, the Super Blackfoot had an MSC in it, that resistor would get HOT!!! Nothing like cooking away good battery power! I am mostly familiar with brushed motors and ESCs and have a decent understanding about them. I have a very basic understanding about the brushless ones but mostly I trust in the electrical voodoo in them and try not to get the motor too hot! I enjoyed the explanation even though had a few "what he say???" moments in there!!! Thanks for splaining and would like to know more, just use simple terminology 🤣🤣

Love your videos it makes alot more sense now how everything works. Great work on video tutorial

I remember the mechanical speed controllers fitted to the early Tamiya kits in the 80's. Had them in the bruiser,wild one, bigwig.i also remember Tamiya selling electrical contact grease.

Interesante! Gracias por el vídeo. Saludos de #crawlerrcsevilla

I remember MSCs (Mechanical Speed Controls)!!! I also remember burning my arm on the heat sink frequently. lmao I bought a Futaba MC105 ESC back in the late 80s that cost me over 100 bucks, which would be about $300 in today's money, and it was super basic. lol People have no clue how cheap and good they have it with electronics and RC in general now.

Clod Buster! Still have it but have updated it. Still fun!

Great video today thanks for making it

My first car was the Tamiya Falcon. I remember those days of mechanical 3 speeds....yeah, I'm old.

Blade s of burning death My favorite was the wire that was used to charge the nicad. Just leave it on a car battery till the wire got hot. Took and hour then run for ten minutes. Loved my Sand Scorcher .

still have my gold pan RC10! with the wiper/resister setup! just recently put a cheap hobbywing esc on it. What a difference! good video fellow old fart! I'm 65

Yes....I've had plenty of 3-step esc's. They worked just fine for the day.

And a big hot resister for the control

Still remember my dad teaching me about how the variable resistor would work on the RC10. What an amazing way to learn!

I had those mechanical speed controls on my tamiya fox and the grasshopper. Can’t forget the nicd batteries with the timer style charger with the little green light. 🤘 😂

I've had several with the old msc's, the traxxas trx10 bullet, stampede, and another I think was a rustler. I don't miss them at all, lol. Still have the same stampede, which has since been converted to an esc with a better motor, then upgraded once more to a brushless esc and brushless motor. I'm so glad that even the cheaper rtr's come standard with esc's. Really enjoy your videos, and the time you put into explaining everything. Keep Tiny Truckin!

over my head ,but I imagine thats what the people making esc's and motors actually talk about so its pretty cool.

mamba x revolver combo ! best setup in the world

My kid was watching me scrolling vids on yt. Put on the santa vid he said. What vid? That one! Pointing to your thumbnail. Haha, you are santa now.

You look a lot like Jim Carey, hope you’re doing well. Like these explanation videos, this one is a bit hard but there’s a line I think I get.

Hell yeah I remember servo controlled throttle

One day I might understand.

Excellent video, can't wait to learn more about the components involved. Great job as always.

Very informative information 👍. I would enjoy more esc and motor videos, can't get enough. Never really thought much of motors and esc units. But diving in more and more has given me a better understanding and a greater appreciation for rc vehicles. Thanks!

good stuff!

Hell yeah 👍 I remember, how about those super hot resistors that used to burn you every time...

Thanks that was great

My first real rc was a Tamiya Monster Beetle with the MSC. I was a teenager, and it was mostly stock. Had a Mabuchi Black Endurance motor, so I never really had problems with it. And then I started reading RCCA and was told I needed to spend a lot of money to actually have a good time.

Damm dude, you got my brain spinning!

This video was really informative so thanks for making it 😎👍. I need a new esc and I saw your brxl in stock like 2 days ago and went to order it today and saw they were out of stock so just my luck. Hope they become in stock soon,lol. I signed up for the notification so it's all good

Got brand new one in the shed ! Wouldn't use it on any car. Great talk to thank you

It's rehab Santa yay!!🥳 ....sorry I'll show myself out ....

1986 Tamiya Wild One, mechanical speed controller used a servo.

When I first got in to the hobby there was just a rheostat hooked to a servo it was not really linear but it worked

I would love to learn more about ESC and their components thank you for this little lessons in then their is another channel call AVE he does a lot of tear down of power tools called boltr lol but he also try’s to show you how it works if the board is not potted

Loved the beard!

I do remember those day's

Very good over view. Yes,I would like more in-depth knowledge of the components and how they function together. I think this would help to understand the programming of the controller. Thanks again.

I remember the mechanical speed control in the tamiya and buying my first tekin in like 1993ish

- Ahhh..... Yes !!! I "do" remember those ol' dinosaurs !!!! - They we're called "mechanical..... - " ope !!.... John got it right, "a mechanical 3-step speed controller". Wow, that was a LONG time ago !!!! 🤨😆👍😉😁

Ah the memories aka don’t touch the white thing, hot hot hot! Still have the scars to this day.

Yes mechanical speed controller in my Losi Jr T, and my original Tamiya models

I still have a machanical speed control from my Tamiya Stricker R/C Buggy from the late 80s.

We call it a regulator here in Norway =)

My Kyosho Big Brute had a mechanical speed control, somehow lasted the five years plus I had it. I miss that truck, it was so fun. But not the mechanical though. I still remember my next ride (a RC10T) had a Novak M5 in it and I felt I was so high tech. Ahhh memories.

This is very interesting I’ve been a car stereo upgrader for years & I remember the Amps had MOSFET in them but if you think about it it makes sense only difference is in the auto sound world it is used to read & adjust sound settings vs in the RC world where it controls electronic signals that move mechanical parts or gears. Everything else was just a blur I’ll have to re watch it a few times. 😂 I bet math skills are very important in what it takes to produce your products. That was my worst subject. A’s in English but always just got by the math.

Great video, a little deep for new people but you covered the how and why well. Respect the “HOT” decals on those wiper speed control resistors, lol. Showing the graphs and explaining what’s going on would be a great video too.

Let's get down this rabbit hole!

Despite my age, I haven't personally used those older controllers - I'm aware of them and have seen them in use. It wasn't until 2008 that I got my first hobby grade RC.

I still have a couple of those speed controllers

My first hobby grade RC ( a traxxas rustler) had a servo that ran a linear potentiometer.

I remeber the year I bought a OG Stampede it was the year or next when they just came out with a Digital ESC option. The price was way too much more, so I got the mechanical esc. Looking back I had one of the rc's ahead of its time tho

In the Castle XL2 world we call them firestarters

Yes, I remember burning myself many times on mechanical speed controls. LOL

Oh I still have the ones out of my midnight pumpkin, and my Tamiya hornet. It had three pads that the Servo arm would go across, two of which connected to a resistor mounted up top to cool it. And the Ebike thing isn't true. The first bike I built, used a 70a bosch relay, hooked directly from the lawn tractor battery, to the 2 wire motor, via a toggle switch. Isn't technology Grand...🖖🙄👍

You told me everything I ever wanted to know except how much current they put on the 5 volt line. I know you'll probably say get a multi meter and check it yet I can't even get a voltage reading on it. XL5 Traxxas ESC up to LiPo 3s compatible.

Man I was hoping you would test that Isdt with your motor my gosh it’s makes it a monster

I love your teaching sessions! It's even better when I can replay them. And yes, I have a couple of the old mechanical speed controls. So what size capacitor(s) do I need 'in the long run' for this little controller board I got from you and how do I hook it up?

Have you done any videos for setting up 2- mamba micro x2 speed controllers and outrunner motors for M.O.A. crawlers?

in '91 I got my 1st esc it was a Futaba and it was a step up from the 3 speed wiper LOL EDIT : maybe was 92 ??

I still have an all original Mugen bully dog 2 with the mechanical speed control still functioning

My Tamiya Hornet and Hotshot were blessed with three speed mechanical speed controllers and NiCad batteries. Who else had the resistance wire quick charge adaptor which could charge the battery pack off a car battery?

A Brushless motor question. What is the minimum motor input lead length and why is it important? (same question as applied to ESC's) Thanks for the info. Great video. :)

I had a grasshopper and a froger

I still have two and old school servos

Duke and blow your mind sometimes