linheart: just switch any two motor wire and it will run clockwise with a APC 12x6 EP and your set what plane are you going to use the set up?

Listen to Larry!! 

Doc is probably still recovering from the OK Corral shoot out! 

Like Larry and Dan said switch any 2 wires to revese rotation. Colors of wires mean nothing.

Then what does the quote in perenthesis mean when it says reversing makes it go CCW?

John,

I should have described my problem as motor running in pusher rotation vs tractor rotation instead of clockwise (cw) vs counter clockwise(ccw). 


Linheart

Linheart,
Although you can reverse rotation with the Castle link program, I would suggest that you leave the rotation set to the factory default in the ESC and switch the wires to get the direction you want. The reason for this is if there is any electrical glitch to the ESC it resets to the factory defaults. This could happen if there is any noise (sparking on connections) in the system or if you reset the system to fast (this one I've done, quick on off of the power switch) you don't want it to happen in the air. If you use the factory default for rotation direction and a glitch does happen at least it will keep the airplane going forward and you can get it down smoothly as opposed to it falling from the sky.

Best,     DennisT

Hi Linheart,
I'm pretty sure that forward means the tractor prop direction in all operating modes.
This also makes an assumption about how the motor is wound and connected, so when all is said and done, forward and reverse are only relative.
Regards,
  Dean P.

Linheart

It sounds like you are asking did Castle CHANGE the assumed motor rotation when they set-up the CL options.  I think the answer is - they had no reason to:

* The CL mode is basically a variation on their heli governor that simply allows the brake to be set in any of the gov modes.  There was no compelling reason to change the default motor rotation standard - unless...

* One reason they COULD have done it is the assumption that Heli's use geardrives that reverse motor rotation, CL motors would be direct drive.  Raises the question: WHICH WAY does the motor turn if you use the Castle set to simple (Airplane) non-governing modes?  If it reverses there might be cause to think that Castle changes rotation because of assumptions on gear drives.

* Closer to point: have you tried re-programming the Bearcat to one of the new CL modes and see what happens to motor rotation?

* I am not sure that the color coding of the motor wiring means anything at all.  You mentioned having two different AXI's that appear to turn opposite direction with the wires color matched to the ESC.  Many motors do not even come with color coded wiring.

* Note also that when you take a given motor and rear mount it versus front mounted the rotation of the prop will be opposite unless you change the wiring.

Thus I think it is likely that Castle matches the programing to the wiring code of the ESC HOWEVER they have no way to  match the motor wiring color codes and especially when the motor could either be front mounted or rear mounted.


Dennis T offered up a new idea about the default setting - Instead of thinking of the choices as FORWARD or REVERSE, we might think of it as DEFAULT or REVERSED rotation.  If something happened to force your programming to DEFAULT then which direction would you want the prop to go?  Dennis T made a good case for being able to get the airplane down safely - assuming a glitch happened in flight.  However a case could be made for having the prop go the wrong direction - as a tip-off that something is WRONG - before you launch!

DennisA,
I had the glitch happen on the ground but when the ESC goes to defaults it goes to full power, unlimited rpm.  Before we had the brake and would windmill after shut off if you had highish wind (i.e. 11+ mph) the ship could (and did for me) stop flying 3' off the ground and dropped straight down when it hit the wind. That spinning prop brake thing is a lot stronger than you would think. Full reverse would not be pretty.

Best,   DennisT

I guess that's why I said what I did - if you glitched on the ground and went to default, and set that up so that default meant prop spinning in the wrong direction, then you would get an unmistakable signal (full bore reverse rotation) that something was amiss:
  * If you are flying with a helper, no problem, he reaches forward and shuts down the motor by hitting the start button
  * If you are flying on a stooge (or stoogeless) and the motor defaults to backwards - there will be... heck to pay!


AMEN the free wheeler.  My first electrics did not have a prop brake so I learned REAL FAST how effective a brake the free wheeling prop is!  Had to land severely nose down and flaring at the last instant - and forget about whipping it around!