Sidewinder 8th Quick Start Guide

QUICK START GUIDE

IMPORTANT: You must calibrate the ESC to your radio!

1. Install the ESC

• Solder a high quality battery connector to the ESC. Mount the

ESC and motor into the vehicle

• Plug in the 3 motor wires to the ESC

• Plug in the ESC Rx lead to CH2 on your receiver

2. Calibrate the radio transmitter

• Hold full throttle on your transmitter

• Plug in a battery

• After a few seconds you’ll hear multiple tones and the red

LED will come on

• Now hold full brake and after a few seconds you’ll hear multiple tones and the yellow LED will

come on

• Now relax to neutral and after a few seconds you’ll hear multiple tones and ALL the LEDs will light

up.

• A few seconds later the ESC will arm with a double tone and you’re ready to go!

CARE AND FEEDING OF YOUR SIDEWINDER 8TH:

Limits: Sidewinder 8th is incredibly powerful, but know his limits. 6S (25.2 volts) is the max input voltage,

and Sidewinder 8th should only be used on vehicles weighing in at 11lbs or less.

BEC: Sidewinder 8th has an 8A peak BEC with a set output voltage of 5.5V.

Connectors: Please only use high-quality connectors such as Polarized Castle Connectors (for more info

visit www.castlecreations.com/castleconnectors), Deans®, or Traxxas® TRX® connectors to connect this

ESC to your batteries.

Batteries: Sidewinder 8th needs lots of power. You must only use batteries that are capable of delivering

bursts of more than 125 amps and which can sustain continuous outputs of 90 amps or more. Anything

less will only lead to a frustrating ride with your Sidewinder 8th.

Expect to upgrade your vehicle’s drive system. You can always wait until Sidewinder 8th shreds the parts,

but then you’ll be stuck at the track with no ride. That’s no fun.

Sidewinder 8th powered systems are capable of producing incredibly high power. That means the vehicles

can go stupidly fast. Please never point a Sidewinder 8th powered vehicle at anyone and always stay clear

of the tires!

CASTLE LINK

Your Sidewinder 8th is ready to run right out of the box. However, you may ﬁnd that you’d like to change

advanced settings such as throttle or braking curves. You can do all of these things with the Castle Link

USB Adapter (sold separately) and your Windows PC (not included).

Please visit www.castlecreations.com/downloads to download the latest version of the Castle Link

software.

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QUICK START GUIDE IMPORTANT: You must calibrate the ESC to your radio! 1. Install the ESC • Solder a high quality battery connector to the ESC. Mount the ESC and motor into the vehicle • Plug in the 3 motor wires to the ESC • Plug in the ESC Rx lead to CH2 on your receiver 2.
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DO THE MATH! Not all LiPos are created equal, and surge ratings should never be used to determine a pack’s suitability for a brushless application. Use the CONTINUOUS C rating only. Using insufficient battery packs WILL shorten the life of this controller. Sidewinder 8th setups frequently hit 125+ amps in peaks. We strongly suggest using 5,000 mAh or larger LiPo cells with a discharge rating of at least 30C (or high quality 25C batteries such as Traxxas® Power Cells®).