Etronix Probe Plus ESC Hop Up For Tamiya RC Cars & Buggies

A couple of weeks ago I decided to get my Tamiya Rising Storm back on the road after I cracked the chassis last August. The trouble with leaving cars off the road for such a long time though is that they often get used as ‘Donor’ cars in the meantime, and the Rising Storm was no exception. I’d used the ESC for another car which I’d subsequently sold, and the Brushless motor that was in it was just too fast for general running. So it was time to go scratting through the spares boxes to find a suitable motor.

The best candidate I found was a 17 Turn LRP V10 Spec 3 which was in pretty decent condition and had been fitted with new brushes. The problem was, the only ESC’s I had would only handle down to a 23 Turn motor. So I went hunting on Ebay and found these beauties… The Etronix Probe Plus ESC with a 14 Turn motor limit.

Etronix Probe Plus ESC For Tamiya & Ansmann RC Cars

I ordered one from one of my favourite dealers, JE Spares to see what it was like.

Watch My Video Review On The RC Know How YouTube Channel

Turns out, they’re remarkably good units which are so easy to install! No messing with trims, set up buttons and flashing lights. All the connections match like for like connections with most standard ESC’s such as the Tamiya TEU-101BK and TEU-104BK ESCs, so connecting it up takes seconds.  Just center your throttle trim and turn it on! Simples! It also comes with a pre-wired switch and a built in cooling fan too.

It can easily handle all 7.2v racing packs and 7.4V 2S LiPo’s too, but one important thing to remember is they don’t have a built in LiPo cut-off so make sure you use an external cut-off or alarm if you’re running your car on LiPo batteries.

The instructions supplied with it are very concise yet clear and easy to follow.

To test it we ran it up first on the bench then headed over to my favourite test track to run a couple of batteries through it. The results were very favourable indeed. After 20 mins of hard running the ESC had bearly warmed. Throttle response is excellent both in forward & reverse, and the built in brake performs just as you’d expect to give you accurate control in corners etc.

Is it worth the money?

Absolutely! If you’re looking to upgrade a standard RS540 Silver Can motor to something more powerful and your standard ESC won’t cut the mustard, or you wish to replace a vintage Mechanical Speed Controller then the Etronix Probe Plus is certainly one to consider. It’s so quick and easy to install making it perfect for beginners.

Where Can I Get One?

• Try Modelsport or JE Spares for fast delivery on Ebay

References

• Etronix Probe Plus 100 ESC Manual

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