Just trying to get the BlueROV reader for a field trip in the next week, and it seems one of the thrusters has become ‘hesitant’ (not sure how else to describe it).
The thruster jitters back and forth for a few seconds, but if I apply throttle long enough eventually it spins up. I found some binding in the motor, and have replaced the motor bell that was making a little bit of contact due to corrosion, but that hasn’t fixed the problem. This means that the issue is either the motor or the ESC.
Previous experience in my RC days suggests this is an ESC rather than motor issue. However, I don’t have a spare ESC to test this theory with and would rather avoid having to disconnect another ESC to test it, since it’s pretty fiddly to get them reattached. Any chance I could get a new ESC to test this?
Hello, what you describe actually is a symptom of a damaged thruster, phases being shorted or broken.
Please try to switch the thruster with another ESC to pin the problem on either the ESC or the thruster. When we know which is faulty, we can send you the appropriate replacement!
Thanks for the prompt reply. Unfortunately I won’t be able to troubleshoot this until after the field trip (no sense opening up the ROV until we can get the parts in time, trip leaves today!), but I’ll get on it as soon as it gets back and let you know.
I’ve finally been able to troubleshoot this and it does appear to be a thruster issue. When wiring the current esc to another thruster it seems to perform as it should.
Is there any chance you could send us a replacement by next Wednesday before our next field outing?