Great Planes GPMM1850 User Manual

SS-60 and SS-80SS-60 and SS-80

High Voltage Brushless Electronic Speed ControlsHigh Voltage Brushless Electronic Speed Controls

ElectriFly’s Silver Series 60 amp and 80 amp ESCs are designed for high power, plug-and-play convenience for controlling
brushless motors in large electric aircraft. Both feature the Safe-Start function, ON/OFF brake, NiCd, NiMH, and LiPo compatibility,
plus a thermal protection system. The control circuits are isolated from the power circuit by a custom optical circuit, to prevent
unwanted motor noise from adversely affecting the radio system. A universal radio connector, Star
connectors for the motor are factory-installed. Additional custom features can be set with the Silver Series Programming Card
available separately (GPMM1895).

™

Plug, and gold-plated bullet

!

IMPORTANT PRECAUTIONS

Read and follow these precautions
carefully before using.

● ALWAYS observe that a propeller might unexpectedly rotate
anytime that power is applied to the ESC, which could cause
severe injury! Never get near the propeller!!

● NEVER use more than the specified voltage on the
ESC’s input.

● ALWAYS mount the ESC in a position where free air can
fl ow across it during operation.

● ALWAYS turn on the transmitter before connecting the
battery to the ESC.

● ALWAYS disconnect the battery from the ESC when not
in use.

● ALWAYS remove the propeller from the motor when working
on the model.

● Make sure the input battery is fully charged before
connecting to the ESC, so the low voltage cutoff feature can
function properly.

● Do not attempt to use a Silver Series ESC with
brushed motors.

● Do not allow water, moisture or any foreign material onto
the ESC’s PC board.

● Use heat-shrink tubing to insulate any bare wires between
the motor battery and ESC, and from the ESC to the motor,
to prevent a short circuit.

● Allow the ESC to cool before touching and between fl ights.

● Keep out of reach of children.

● ElectriFly is not responsible for incidental damage or

personal injury as a result of misuse of this product.

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1. Firmly press the “receiver connector” into the receiver’s
throttle slot (refer to your radio’s instruction manual). The
orange “signal wire” should be in the same position as would
the white wire on Futaba
Airtronics
the orange wire on JR
An Airtronics Servo Adapter must be used when connecting to
an old style Airtronics radio. (See sketch below.)

2. Because the SS-60 and SS-80 do not include a built-in
battery eliminator circuit (BEC), it will be necessary to connect
a separate battery to power the receiver and other on-board
equipment (servos, etc). Make sure this battery is fully charged
before use. It may be desirable to install a switch harness
between this battery and the receiver. For larger airplanes, or
those using larger servos or digital servos, a receiver battery
with a high rated capacity is recommended.

3. To operate the receiver, fi rst turn on the transmitter, then the
receiver switch harness, then connect the motor battery to the
ESC. Reverse the order to shut the receiver off.

CONNECTING TO THE RECEIVER

®

®

’ “Z” connector, the yellow wire on Hitec® servos, or

and Tactic® servos, the blue wire on

®

or Spektrum® brand servos. Caution:

BATTERY

Receiver

THROTTLE

Connect main
motor battery

to Star Plug

To receiver

battery slot

Receiver
Connector:
To receiver

throttle slot

Switch

Harness

SS-60 or SS-80

BATT

BRUSHLESS ESC

Opto-Isolated

14-32 NiCd/MH

4-12 LiPo

Receiver

Battery

Connect to

brushless

motor leads −

MOTOR

SS-60 = 4mm
SS-80 = 6mm

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MOTOR CONNECTIONS

4

NECESSARY TRANSMITTER SETTINGS

Each of the three motor leads is made of high-quality 12 or 14
gauge, silicone insulated wire with a gold-plated female bullet
connector on the end. These connections are not polarized,
so there is no need to match the color of the ESC and motor
wires. If the motor rotates backwards, simply switch any two
of the ESC’s motor connectors. Once connected, make sure
all connections are insulated electrically. Failure to do so could
result in permanent damage to the motor/ESC, and void all
warranties.

The SS-60 includes 4mm female bullet connectors. The SS-80
includes 6mm female bullet connectors. If the connectors on
the ESC do not properly match those on the motor, an adapter
for each wire might be necessary. ElectriFly offers various
bullet connector adapters, which can be found at local retailers
as follows:

Part number Description

GPMM3114 Great Planes Gold Plated Bullet

Connector Male 4mm (3 per package)

GPMM3116 Great Planes Gold Plated Bullet

Connector Male 6mm (3 per package)
GPMM3118 4mm Male to 6mm Female Bullet
Adapter (3 per package)
GPMM3119 6mm Male to 4mm Female Bullet
Adapter (3 per package)

For proper ESC operation, it’s very important to set the
transmitter’s throttle channel adjustments, as follows:

1. Set the throttle channel’s travel adjustment (ATV,EPA or
ATL) to 100%.

2. Set the throttle trim and sub-trim to neutral or zero.

3. Set the throttle channel’s reversing switch to reverse on
Futaba transmitters. Other transmitters might require you
to set the throttle reversing switch to normal.

5

The SS-60 and SS-80
ESCs are compatible
with NiCd, NiMH, or
LiPo batteries. It is not
required to setup the
ESC to recognize the
exact battery type.

CONNECTING THE BATTERY

IMPORTANT! REMOVE THE PROPELLER
FROM THE MOTOR BEFORE CONNECTING THE
BATTERY!

ESC

Star Plug

Male Connector

(+)

(–)

Red

Black

Battery Lead

3

Determine the best location for the ESC, inside or outside the
fuselage.

the better. This is especially important when using the maximum
number of cells on the input, when ambient temperatures are
very high, when using a lot of servos in the aircraft, or performing
very active 3D maneuvers! If the airplane’s structure doesn’t
naturally allow for air to fl ow into the fuselage, create vent holes
fore and aft in the fuselage to allow air to pass through and
across the ESC for cooling. Do NOT pack the ESC with foam
padding as it will not allow the ESC to properly radiate heat and
likely cause a thermal shutdown.

three #4 x 5/8” [16mm] screws with #4 washers (wood screws
for solid wood surfaces). If mounting to metal, use three 4-40
machine screws with #4 washers.

If the wires are not long enough to make all necessary
connections to the ESC yet achieve good balance in the
aircraft, it’s best to extend the length of the wires to the motor
(not to the battery).

MOUNTING THE ESC

IMPORTANT! It’s highly recommended to install
the ESC so that air can freely fl ow across it during
operation! The more air which can fl ow over the ESC,

Three mounting
tabs are designed
onto the SS-60 and
SS-80 ESCs which
allows them to
be installed fi rmly
on the aircraft.
Determine the
desired location
for the ESC, and
mount fi rmly with

First, make sure the battery is FULLY charged before connecting
it to the ESC. Failure to do so will not allow the low voltage
cutoff feature to work properly (see details below). Connect the
battery to the lead on the ESC which has the Star Plug. Make
sure to observe proper polarity [red (+) leads go together, and
black (-) leads together]. NEVER allow a battery’s red (+) and
black (-) wires to touch as permanent damage will result and
void all warranties!

LOW VOLTAGE CUTOFF: The SS-60 and SS-80 ESCs include
a low-voltage cutoff feature that stops motor rotation if the
battery’s voltage drops too low (but power will still be supplied
to the receiver and servos so you can land the aircraft). This
protects the battery from damage. When the battery is initially
connected, the ESC measures the battery’s voltage and
automatically sets the low voltage cutoff based on this initial
battery voltage multiplied by 0.74. So, if the battery is NOT fully
charged when connected to the ESC, the ESC will set a low
voltage cutoff that is too low.

IMPORTANT! Make sure the battery is fully
charged prior to every use!! Failure to do so will
cause the ESC to automatically set a low-voltage
cutoff point which is too low for the battery.

6

The SS-60 and SS-80 ESCs will cause the brushless motor to
make beeps which will aid in setting up the system. Make sure the
motor is connected, but that the propeller is removed.

BRAKE FUNCTION: The factory default brake setting is “off”.
Skip to the “ESC OPERATION” section below if you want to
keep this setting. To turn the brake “on”:

ESC SETUP AND OPERATION

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