Hyperion Titan 30A

Hyperion Titan 30A ESC

The following is an overview of the Hyperion Titan 30A ESC and it's functionality.

The Titan 30A is an Electronic Speed Controller for use in applications that will draw up to 30 amps. This makes it perfectly suited for use in the T-Rex with some capacity to spare.

As with most ESCs the Hyperion Titan has a number of options that can be configured either using the normal beep code approach or by using the Hyperion Emeter and interface cable. An overview of this functionality is included in the Hyperion Emeter review. Additionally a PC cable can be used and is covered later in this review.

The ESC contains a BEC which has adequate capacity for running the usual four servos, receiver and gyro when using a 3S lipo as the power source. However if you move into the realms of 4S or more then a separate BEC will be required. This is one area where the Titan 30A is very friendly in that it has incorporated into it a switch for turning on/off it's internal BEC. I have run the Titan is both 3S and 4S configuration with external BEC and in both instances it has functioned correctly using the BEC on/off switch appropriately for each configuration.

Let's go through the various functions of the ESC with some explanation of each function. The default values are marked in red.

Function	Setting	Explanation	Recommended Setting
Brake Mode	On	Used for cars where a brake is needed
	Off	Default setting, no braking applied to the motor	Off
	Soft	Gentle braking at low stick
Battery Type	NimH/NiCd	Sets the battery type to NimH/NiCd
	2S Lipo	Sets battery type to 2S lipo
	3S Lipo	Sets battery type to 3S lipo	3S lipo
Low Voltage Cutoff	Soft	Reduces power gently when battery pack is at low voltage	Soft
	Hard	Immediate stop when pack hits low voltage threshold
Soft Start	Enable	Gentle start of motor during spool up	Enable
	Disable	Immediate start of motor in line with throttle stick position
Timing	Auto	Works for all types of brushless motor	Auto
	7	For home grown motors or high pole count motors
	30	For home grown motors or high pole count motors
Switching Frequency	8Khz	Used for most brushless motors.	8Khz
	16Khz	Used for high pole count outrunner type motors
Rotation Reverse	Off	Reverse motor direction off	off
	On	Reverse motor direction on
Active RPM Control	Off	No governor used, ESC works as a linear throttle device.
	Low	For motors of 20 000 RPM speed range or less
	Medium	For motors of 20 000 to 50 000 RPM	Medium
	High	For motors up to 100 000 RPM
Additional Functions programmable by the Hyperion Emeter
NiCd/NimH cut off voltage	0.6V / 0.7V / 0.8V / 0.9V	Cutoff voltage per cell	0.7V
Lithium cut off voltage	2.7V / 2.8V / 2.9V / 3.0V /3.1V	Cutoff voltage per cell	2.8V

When programming using the tx and sticks the ESC vibrates the motor in order to indicate which options have been set. Therefore don't forget to connect the motor if programming manually using a tx.
Other specifications not mentioned above are as follows :

5.0V 1.5A BEC Circuit
Over Temp Protection : Soft cutoff
Max Motor RPM (2 pole) : 100 000 RPM
Voltage Range : 5~10 cells Ni~, 2~3 cells lipo
Current Continuous : 30A
Peak Current (10 secs) : 30A + 20%
Board Size : 44mm x 27mm x 8mm
Weight : 30g

Further information can be found, including programming instructions on the Hyperion Titan 30A datasheet.

Newly announced is the ability to also program the Titan 30A using a PC and PC interface cable. Reproduced here are the brief instructions on how to connect it up and what the programming software looks like :

Plug HP-PCCABLE into an RS232 serial port on your PC
Connect PC-CABLE to your Titan ESC, with "blank" pin on the 5-pin flat connector toward negative (Black) cable on the Titan ESC.
Connect a main power pack (the one that powers your model) to the "battery" side RED/BLACK wires on the Titan ESC
(Be SURE that polarity is correct, and pack voltage is between 6V and 10V. REMOVE propeller before starting, or disconnect motor)
Click the Hyperion Titan ESC program icon to start the software
Choose the correct COM port from the drop down list at top left.
Click the "Connect" button
Choose whichever ESC settings you like from the various drop-down boxes.
Click the "Program" button when done.
Finished! Disconnect Main pack from Titan ESC.

For the purposes of this review I tested the procedure and interface software and it worked without any issues or difficulty. I have a PC interface cable that plugs into a USB interface on the PC and emulates RS232 connectivity. The HP-PCCABLE is the same cable used with the Hyperion Emeter to connect it to a PC and is just reused with the Titan ESC for PC programming capability.

Testing this ESC I will run several motors to see how the ESC handles them both in fixed throttle mode and also with the governor. Below is a table with the motor tried and some comments on it's compatability with the ESC. I'll add to this table over time as a try different motors with the Titan..

Motor	Fixed Throttle	Governor	Comments
AON 3000KV	OK	Low : headspeed too low Medium: working but some issues High : doesn't work	The medium governor mode works but I got some intermittent cutouts on the throttle which was a bit disconcerting and unpredictable. Fixed throttle is preferred with this motor.
450DH	OK	Untested, see comments.	The biggest problem was that the 450DH pushes the Titan beyond it's 30A specification. This caused an overheat and the ESC started to shutdown. I need to test with another motor to check that permanenet damage has not been done. Apart from this it functioned very nicely indeed.
AON 3500KV	OK	Medium : perfect	The medium governor works superbly with the AON 3500kv, keeping headspeed perfectly in step with collective pitch changes. Superb!

Conclusion

The Hyperion Titan 30A ESC is a superb little ESC. I particularly like the ease of programming and the options available to program it using a TX, Emeter or even a PC cable. The governor mode I've only run through one motor successfully so far but I'll add to the table as I try different motors. With the AON 3500kv the governor was silky smooth and didn't miss a beat. Fixed throttle worked extremely well with the AON 3000kv and I even ran with an extrenal BEC using this ESC for the HV article. Again it performed superbly. Of the ESC that I have this one is by far my favourite as it is so quick and easy to configure with the Emeter and so far it has been superbly reliable. It will be interesting to see how the governor fairs with the 400DH motor as this is the next motor to test with this ESC. Overall this ESC comes highly recommended. Be sure to come back and check this review as I try different motors with the ESC.

Performance

Number of ratings: 8

Rating: 4.38