REVIEW: Castle Creations Phoenix ICE 100 ESC!

Castle Creations new Phoenix ICE 100 gets an in-depth review…

When it comes to selecting components for your electric model helicopter many factors pop up. In particular, the electronic speed control you select can mean the difference between a model that stays in the air or stays on the ground.

Since prices on high end electronics in the radio control hobby tend to stay high until a successor comes out, I was surprised to learn of the Castle Creations Phoenix ICE series of ESCs. Many high end (European) ESCs cost in the hundreds of dollars, have limited availability, have limited USA support and aren’t updateable. Castle has taken measure of all these factors and created a line of ESCs that hold impressive specs for not a lot of money.

Castle sent us their flagship Phoenix ICE 100 to review and see how it holds up.

First, some features and specs on this unit:
Internal 5-amp (peak) Switching BEC: The voltage output is adjustable via Castle Link software from 5‐7VDC in 0.1VDC increments. Remember, if your tail servo is NOT rated for more than 4.8VDC use a step‐down regulator (in-line diode) if you plan to run the BEC voltage higher than 5.0VDC. If you’re running standard sized servos in a 500mm-plus rotor blade sized model it is recommended that you install a separate BEC.

Data Logging: Yes, this ESC has a built in data logger! The built‐in logger collects all of the pertinent information you’ll need in order to optimize and troubleshoot your setup if needed. You’ll need the Castle Link software and the Castle Link USB adapter in order to setup and download the log. Castle includes a coupon for a free USB adapter with every ICE controller and the software is always a free download on the Castle website. You can adjust the sample rate, which is the amount of information the ESC collects per second. At a max of 10 samples/second you get 4 minutes and 28 seconds of data with all of the data points selected. It logs the following data points:

The Castle Link Software comes bundled with a Graph Viewer application that allows you to display the data collected by the ESC. You can export the data to a Excel CSV file and also export the graph as an image. You can display any number of data points by selecting them in the bottom window. In the graph below the data for Voltage, Ripple, Current and RPM are displayed. You can also zoom in on a specific area of the graph by selecting an area with your mouse and click-n-drag the selection window over that particular area.

Battery Voltage

Battery Ripple Voltage: This is a really cool feature that no one else has implemented in an ESC. If you wanted to try and measure this any other way you’d need a lot of high-end lab equipment to do so. Basically, if you could graph the battery voltage between the pulses of the controller which happen tens of thousands of times a second, you’d be looking at a ripply line, not a flat line.  As the controller allows energy to flow from the battery, the internal resistance of the battery affects (causes) the voltage to drop, even in that millisecond. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing when the battery and motor are properly matched, but it is a very good way to determine if, indeed, the battery is up to powering a particular application.

Generally speaking, higher discharge batteries will provide better performance and have less voltage fluctuation with changes in load, so lower ripple voltage. Let’s take this a bit further.  The big capacitors on the controller are used to smooth out that ripply voltage.  This is important because the FETS need to have a stable voltage or bad things can happen. The capacitors can only smooth out so much of this ripple.  If the ripple exceeds the capabilities of the capacitors, you have a much greater chance of the controller letting go.  This isn’t a defect of the controller, it’s just the physics.  Use the ICE’s ripple voltage readings as a relative number.  Try different packs in the exact same machine with the same gearing. Those with lower ripple voltage are the ones best suited for that application.  The others may simply not be up to running that particular setup.

So, the ripple voltage measurements finally give you a scientific way to compare the C rating of a battery pack with other packs. This is something that consumers have needed for a long time. You are no longer at the mercy of the marketing guys’ declarations of C ratings.  You’ll now have the ability to produce graphs that prove which packs are better!

If you happen to have a charger that displays battery internal resistance, this is also indicative of C-rating. Combined with the ripple current data you can determine if a particular battery is either up to the task for your application or starting to age.

Say you have a 500 size model and you’re running a 20C pack and have a 3D setup. You may very well see a big ripple. If you were to change the battery to a 40C rated pack, the ripple will decrease and the flight efficiency will increase. That 20C battery could be old, or just not up to the task for the kind of demands your power system is putting on it. It may fair better in an airplane application that draws less current, thereby allowing you to get some more life out of it.

The ripple will be more pronounced with a lower C‐rated pack in a high demand application, whereas the higher C-rated pack will reduce the ripple. To get a baseline, log when your battery pack is new and then check it periodically to monitor its health. You can also look at the wattage data and determine when the battery starts to head south, since the wattage will drop.

Battery Current

Internal Controller Temperature: You can monitor how hard the ESC is working. A lower temperature is always best! The ESC will shut off at 256°F.

Controller Input Throttle: This data is derived from the PWM frequency from the receiver. This is generated by the value(s) in your throttle curve and indicates how much power the receiver is telling the ESC to send to the motor. You can check your transmitter’s throttle curve setting and use this data to verify throttle position within the controller. It also indicates how much power is being requested at a given point in time. If you increase throttle quickly, the data percentage and amp draw will go up quickly, while voltage will drop.

If you’re having any kind of issue with the ESC or model, you can go back and see what the ESC is doing as commanded by the RX. For instance, if the motor is cutting out during a flight, but you still have some controls you can check this data to see whether or not the RX is dropping to failsafe, a connection problem or some other issue. This data can help you more effectively troubleshoot issues hopefully before they become disastrous.

Controller Motor Power Output: This is the internal throttle percentage that is being applied to the motor. This data indicates how much wattage the ESC is sending to the motor. The power output is based on the motor’s efficiency. This also indicates how much power you’re generating during maneuvers. The data can also help you determine if your gearing is wrong. Castle recommends that you gear your heli such that you achieve the desired head speed at about 80% throttle.  This leaves enough overhead for powering the rotor when you pull collective.

The ICE setup software will actually help you determine a workable setup before you even run your motor.  Simply enter the motor KV, battery voltage, and gearing data. Type in your desired head speed and the software will indicate whether you are setting your head speed too high for the governor to work properly. It will also tell you what throttle value to program in your transmitter to achieve the head speeds that you entered.  Yes, head speeds.  Castle gives you the ability to type in three head speeds which are toggled by your throttle.

If you’re running 100% Motor Power Output, but the model isn’t able to maintain the head speed, either the motor can’t make enough power or you’re not geared low enough to maintain the head speed. If you swap on a larger pinion the motor can make more power to reach the desired head speed.

Motor RPM: This can read out either the motor output shaft RPM, or if you enter your model’s gearing information it will read out the calculated prop/rotor head speed.

The Heat sink version versus Lite, non-heat sink version: Some smaller models may be able to run well with the Lite versions of this ESC, however, despite a little extra weight (weight compared to Lite version, heat sink ICE 50 +12g, 75 +28g, 100 +25g), the heat dissipation is really worthwhile in my opinion. Heat is the enemy of electronics; the cooler you can keep things running, the longer they’ll last. In the case of our helicopters, they exert high loads on electronics throughout the mainstay of a flight. Most of the electronics are shrouded and see minimal airflow to help with cooling. So, I highly recommend going with an ESC that has a heat sink for the sake of longevity and peace of mind. Also, the non‐heat sink versions are limited to a maximum of 6s lipo input while the heat-sink versions can handle up to 8s lipos.

Customer Support: Great customer service is really hard to find. Fortunately, Castle’s support is excellent. They speak proper English, are modeler’s themselves and can relate to you. They are also exceptional at explaining the complexities of their products in understandable terms. I had questions regarding the setup of this ESC and found Castle’s Tech Support was very helpful and gave me the information I needed without any headaches. Castle’s Tech Support guys are located in the Kansas City metro area, which is US Central time, so keep that in mind when you need to reach them.

Where is it made? Castle’s engineers and board population factory is in Olathe, KS. The electronic components of course come from all over the globe.  The populated require some degree of handwork to attach the wires and capacitors.  Much of this work is done by the 35 production line employees in Olathe, although some is shipped to Mexico. These ESC’s were designed in Kansas, USA and have components manufactured in the USA, Mexico and China.

What will this ESC work in? Well, I wouldn’t recommend strapping this into anything smaller than a 425mm bladed model helicopter due to the weight penalty. For smaller models you’ll want to look at Castle’s regular Phoenix line. However, for the 425-600mm bladed models, this ESC will put you in the air as long as you’re running 8s lipos or less and servos that aren’t amp hogs. The 100‐amp version we have here has a burst rating of 160 amps! So, if you have a really efficient, light setup 600-size model or even a scale ship in this size, this ESC will be right at home!

Pricing: When I saw the prices on these ESC’s I was pretty shocked! For the money, they’re a bargain! Especially when you see that the USB Link and software are also available for no charge.

Installation: This ESC comes without a battery or motor connectors installed. I would recommend utilizing some larger motor power connectors. The smallest size I could get to properly fit on the 10‐gauge ESC motor power wires were 5.5mm high current connectors from Castle (#030-0001-00).

The Castle ESCs are programmed using the throttle cable.  It may be a bit of a hassle to unplug the throttle from the RX every time.  In my testing I wound up unplugging it from the receiver every time I needed to download data. A bit tedious, but I didn’t have any other options at the time. Understand that the USB system cannot work if there are other electronics connected to the signal wire, so the throttle line must be disconnected from the RX when programming.  Castle is just about to release a nifty “Quick Connect” adapter that automatically switches the signal from the RX to the computer when needed.  It’s a Y that is an either or, not both.

For mounting the ESC to the model, I’d suggest using some double‐sided tape and a Velcro tie. Make sure that the wires aren’t coming in contact with any sharp edges in their travels to their respective components. While the ESC has a good sized heat sink, to insure it gets decent air‐flow you may want to mount it on the outside of the frame on a pod and boom model. In a scale application, if there is no room on the side of the airframe, try and mounting it where there is some potential airflow or a wherever there may be some open space within the fuse like upfront or under the battery.

Programming: There are two ways to program this ESC, 1. using your transmitter stick, 2. using the Castle Link software. To properly setup and adjust this ESC for using in a model helicopter it is imperative that you use the Castle Link software since you’ll need access to certain parameters that cannot be set using the transmitter stick method.

The hardest part of programming this ESC is understanding what the adjustment parameters do, what optimal values may be for a given application and depending on the model’s performance what and why certain things may need to be tweaked. Fortunately, Castle has built in a pretty good help system within the Castle Link program. There are small help icons next to every parameter that explain what they are, what they do and some suggestions on settings.

Additionally, for those of us who require a helping hand, the techs at Castle Creation are well versed in the operation of their products and are competent at explaining the how and why of the programming functions.

To use the Castle Link software you’ll need a PC with an open USB port and running Windows 2000, XP or Vista.

Flight Testing:
Test model: Align T-Rex 500 Carbon with torque tube tail.
Motor: Align RCM-BLS500L 1600kv in-runner
Pinion: Revco 15 tooth
Speed Control: Castle Creations Phoenix ICE 100
Governor High Target head speed: 2800 RPM
Governor Gain: Medium
BEC Output Voltage: 5.5 VDC
Cyclic Servos: JR Z3650
Tail Servo: Futaba S9254
Gyro: Futaba GY401
Receiver: Futaba R617FS 2.4GHz
Main Rotor Blades: CYE Radix cosmetically flawed carbon fiber 425mm
Tail Rotor Blades: HeliDirect carbon fiber 70mm (ED-1192CF)
Batteries: Outrage 25C 6s 2500 and FlightPower EVO25 6s 2500

After some buggy setup issues were resolved I was finally able to get some solid flights in. Spool‐up was very smooth and the head speed locked in nicely without any jumps in motor speed. During tic‐tocs and some heavy pitch‐pumping the head speed fluctuated just slightly, but never bogged out. With some further tweaking to the Governor Gain, this fluctuation may be able to be ironed out. The temps stayed well within spec and while the stock motor came down hot, it wasn’t over the limit. Nonetheless, the ESC managed to hold on with a pretty firm grip.

Summary: I was really happy with the performance and features this ESC offers for the price. It certainly trumps the offerings from the majority of other brands with its unique built‐in data logger. Castle worked really hard to create an ESC that could handle all kinds of setups and the tweak‐ability afforded by the software allows you to tailor it for nearly any type of application.

While there are both cheaper and more expensive options when it comes to ESCs, the Castle unit brings a lot of value, versatility and performance for the money along with great customer support.

Additional Tips:

• Castle’s new Outrunner mode starts at one PWM rate and then switches to another rate after it crosses a certain electronic rpm threshold. This keeps the motor in an optimum place.
• You can trying running in outrunner mode and set the timing to its lowest setting (8), then bump up timing as motor temps allow (don’t go over 200°F, 220°F limit, check with motor manufacturer specs). Read the motor temperature by shooting down at the windings with an infrared temp gun.
• In the Timing selection, unless you have specific timing specs from a manufacturer start with low timing (more efficient) and go up from there. Adjusting the timing can wring a few more percent of power out of your motor, but this comes at the price of lower efficiency which means more heat.  You can keep bumping timing up to the point where it makes the motor more aggressive, and then back it off just slightly. For instance, the CYE Rave is a 3s model, but if you’re running a 4s setup, running a lower timing will equate to higher efficiency and a cooler motor. Most guys should be just fine using stock timing.
• The PWM rate controls how often the controller pulses power to the motor. Think of it in terms of music. You can play a piece at varying tempos. The notes are all the same, but they happen more quickly at higher tempos.  Changing the PWM rate is like adjusting the tempo on a drum machine, the rest of the band has to play faster to keep up.  OK, so what does it really mean?  Basically, the controller pulses the power to the motor on a clock.  Throttle control is achieved by leaving the power on for a percentage of that time period.  Changing the PWM rate changes rate at which the pulses occur.
• The simplest way to get going with the governor is to use Set RPM Mode on the Throttle Tab in Castle Link, enter your desired head speeds, battery and gearing information. If you go too high the program will turn red, if too low it will tell you. Set you Normal, Idle 1, Idle 2, etc. to flat values. You can start with 30% in Normal, 65% in Idle 1 and 100% in Idle 2. If the Motor Power Out data constantly hits 100%, then your gearing is too low and you need to increase pinion size to obtain the desired head speed.
• If the head speed drops during maneuvers and the Motor Power Out data is less than 100%, increase the Governor Gain.
• Each model may require unique settings to obtain the best performance due the variances between components installed.
• If the tail wags try reducing the governor gain.
• If motor info not available, the program contains information on how you can determine the pole count of a motor.
• Motor tab: Start Power: The ESC starts a sensor-less brushless motor by applying power and then watching to see which direction it turns. From that point the controller is essentially locked in to the position of the motor rotor. If the motor is having trouble starting you can turn vary the Start Power.
• Power On Beep: turns on and off “beep” to let you know that the model is powered up. Beeps every 30-seconds.
• BEC voltage: This controller uses an internal switching BEC. Old school controllers use linear BECs.  They are not very efficient since they take the input voltage and then regulate it down by dissipating the excess voltage as heat. They are therefore only suited to run up to 3s and they are not capable of putting out high currents. The switching BEC on the Castle ICE can handle up to 8s. Switching regulators act much like a speed control.  They pulse the power rapidly to lower the average output. This is a much more efficient way of regulating the power because it doesn’t generate anywhere near the amount of heat that a linear BEC has to generate, and heat is everything in a speed control.
• For model helicopters with 550mm-600mm blades, it is highly recommended to use an external BEC.
• Example: On a 425‐blade 6s model the servos draw 2‐amps continuous on 6s, pulling 3 amp peaks, plenty of headroom for the internal BEC. Some standard sized servos like brushless versions are very efficient. If you jam a popular brand of brushless servo they’ll pull about 2.5-3amps per servo. Some pre‐packaged servos out there just moving off of center will pull almost as much as when they’re completely locked down.
• Data Logger: Sample Rate: 1-10 samples/second, if you reduce data to log the buffer time will go up.

For additional information on this product line and how to purchase, please see Castle Creations website!

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