Mamba Micro X2 FAQ

This FAQ Page is applicable to the following ESC: Mamba Micro X2

1.   What is the difference between the Mamba Micro X2 and the Mamba Micro X?
The Mamba Micro X2 is capable of running up to a 4s LiPo; the original Micro X was 3s Max. It also has data logging and CryoDrive; CryoDrive allows the ESC to run cooler and more efficient at partial throttle.

2.   What is the difference between the Sidewinder Micro 2 and the Mamba Micro X2?
The Sidewinder Micro does not handle as much amperage, and as such does not handle as wide a variety of motors as the Mamba Micro X2. The Micro X2 will handle all of the 20mm and 26mm motors, and even 1/10th scale crawler setups, whereas the Sidewinder Micro is limited to 20mm motors. It is also waterproof, can run sensored motors, has data logging, and an auxiliary wire.

3.   How do I utilize the sensored mode on the Mamba Micro X2?
You will need the optional Castle Sensor Harness (Link to Sensor harness page) to connect a sensored motor. This allows you to adapt to a standard sensor wire that will connect to your sensored motor. You must remove the dust cover on the ESC to expose the pins before you connect the Castle Sensor Harness. You do not need to change any ESC settings to use a sensored motor.

4.   Can I run a 540 sensored motor with the Mamba Micro X2 on my rock crawler?
Many customers have had great success using the Mamba Micro X2 on some crawlers. The Holmes Hobbies Stubby Puller Pro 2200kv is a great choice.

5.   What do the flashing LEDs mean?

The LEDs can have different meanings depending on what you are doing.

If you are not calibrating and have no throttle input then:

Flashing Red and Yellow = over temp
Flashing Green and Yellow = low voltage cut-off (battery)
Flashing Green OR Red = Speed control has not been calibrated and is not armed; or throttle sub-trim is not at 0.
Solid Green OR Red = should not happen when at neutral, indicates full throttle/reverse
Yellow LED flashing - should not happen. May indicate problem with ESC or radio.
Yellow LED is solid – ESC is armed and ready to drive.
Flashing green, red and yellow while beeping = speed control is not receiving a valid signal from the receiver, usually indicates the receiver wire is plugged in backwards into the receiver; possible problem with controller or with throttle channel on receiver

If you are applying throttle or reverse when NOT calibrating:

Flashing Red and Yellow = over temperature
Flashing Green and Yellow = low voltage cut-off (battery)
Flashing Green OR Red = indicates partial throttle (green) or reverse (red)
Solid Green OR Red = indicates full throttle (green) or reverse (red)
Flashing green, red and yellow while beeping = speed control is not receiving a valid signal from the receiver, usually indicates the receiver wire is plugged in backwards into the receiver; possible problem with controller or with throttle channel on receiver
Solid Yellow - ESC is seeing a neutral signal.If it does not change then your are either plugged into the wrong channel on the receiver or there is a problem with your radio.

If you are applying throttle or reverse WHEN calibrating:

Flashing Red and Yellow = should not happen when calibrating
Flashing Green and Yellow = should not happen when calibrating. Battery voltage mat be below cut-off voltage.
Flashing Green OR Red while beeping = indicates speed control is looking for full throttle (green) or full reverse (red). If it continues for more than ~ 8 seconds, indicates speed control is seeing partial throttle (green) or reverse (red), increase endpoints on transmitter so speed control sees full throttle/reverse.
Solid Green OR Red = indicates full throttle (green) or reverse (red) has been read
Flashing Yellow = speed control is not seeing a valid neutral signal, check your transmitters throttle sub-trim is at zero, exponential is set to 0 or linear, and mixing is disabled.
Solid Yellow = indicates neutral has calibrated and is armed. While calibrating it means the ESC is seeing zero throttle and your radio is not sending out the proper signal.
Flashing green, red and yellow while beeping = speed control is not receiving a valid signal from the receiver. Usually indicates the receiver wire is plugged in backwards into the receiver; also happens when speed control has accepted a calibration setting (throttle, reverse or neutral) and flashes/chimes 4 times before moving to next calibration point; or problem with throttle channel on receiver.

6.   I’d like to make sure I’m getting everything I can out of my Mamba Micro X2 system. What are the best batteries to use?
OUR MINIMUM BATTERY RATING FOR ALL 1/18th APPLICATIONS IS 1500mah AND 30C CONTINUOUS DISCHARGE. Feel free to give us a call if you'd like to know if your particular pack is going to handle the discharge currents these systems are capable of producing. Please keep in mind there are numerous brands on the market and we simply cannot know them all...our tech guys are good, but aren't that good.

7.   I’ve calibrated, but the car goes backwards with forward throttle.
Make sure the green LED is showing when you give forward throttle. If it is, then just swap any two of the ESC to motor wires to reverse the rotation direction of the motor. You can also reverse the direction of the motor using the Castle Link software. If the ESC shows the red LED with forward throttle, you will need to reverse your throttle channel on your transmitter (via a micro switch, or within the programming of the radio) and re-calibrate.

8.   My battery pack is plugged into the ESC, and nothing is working - no steering, and no throttle.
Make sure the ESC is plugged into channel 2/throttle on the receiver, and that it's plugged in with the correct orientation. Double check your solder connections on the battery plug. Generally, if you have no steering with everything plugged in correctly, then your receiver is either not getting power or not getting a signal from your transmitter.

9. My ESC calibrates for the full throttle and full brake positions, but won't calibrate to the neutral throttle position (yellow LED keeps flashing).
Try moving the throttle trim one way, then the other (usually towards the throttle side is best). If your transmitter has a 50/50 and 70/30 setting for the throttle, set it for 50/50 and retry calibration.

10. My ESC may or may not arm, but it will not calibrate to my transmitter.
Most calibration issues can be solved by settings on the transmitter. Make sure you have both your throttle and brake endpoints (called EPA, ATV, or Travel on your radio) on the throttle channel out to 100 to 120%. If you have a Futaba or Futaba made transmitter, set the throttle channel to the reversed position.

11. I’m setting up a new car. How do I know which speed controller/motor to buy?
That’s what our expert technical support staff is for. Give them a call at 913-390-6939 or send them a message. They’ll be more than happy to assist you in deciding on a product.

12. What is the motor turn count limit on my Mamba Micro X2 ESC?
We do not typically recommend brushed or brushless motors larger than 380 size with the Mamba Micro X2. Many customers have had great success using the Mamba Micro X2 on some crawlers. Our "slate" 1406 series 1900kv, 2280kv and 2850kv work very well. The Holmes Hobbies Stubby Puller Pro 2200kv is also choice. You must stick with a low kv 540 motor to prevent overheating or damaging the ESC.

If you have questions about using another manufacturer’s motor with your Castle ESC please give our technical support department a call at 913-390-6939. They’ll be more than happy to assist you.

13. I broke my Mamba Micro X2, and it was my fault. Am I stuck with a dead controller?
No, all Castle speed controllers have a core value. You can visit our Repair Center for details on how to send in your ESC for non-warranty replacement. Or you can contact our repair department regarding details. 913-390-6939, or send them a message.

14. When I turn my steering servo my receiver LED flashes, and the speed controller cuts out. Why?
The steering servo you are using is drawing more amperage than the battery eliminator circuit (BEC) on the speed controller is capable of handling. You can try using a capacitor in the receiver (Spektrum part SPM1600) in the battery slot of the receiver to prevent this drop out. The other option would be to disable the onboard BEC on the controller, and use a separate BEC like our CC BEC (http://www.castlecreations.com/products/ccbec.html). To disable your onboard BEC carefully lift the tab on your receiver plug and pull the red wire out. Be sure to put heatshrink over the connector so it does not short out on anything. You may also put a short 3” servo extension between the ESC and receiver and remove the red wire from it rather than removing the wire from the ESC.

15. When I plug in my Mamba Micro X2 into my Castle Link it doesn’t connect. What’s up?
First, make sure that on your Castle Link screen in the lower left hand corner you have a green USB connection status. If you do, the next step is to plug the ESC into the Castle Link. On the Castle Link circuit board just behind the three pins there are marks for positive (+), negative (-), and signal (Ω). The orange signal wire goes where the Ω pin is, the red goes where the “+” is, and the brown wire goes where the “-“ is. If you have disabled the red (+) wire going to the receiver you will need to plug in a battery pack to power the ESC. Anything above 2s LiPo will do. Plug the ESC in first, then the battery pack. The ESC should then connect. It will not work in the other order (battery first, then ESC to computer) so be sure to connect in the proper order.

16. When I plug in my Castle Link I do not get a green USB connection status, thus making it impossible for me to connect my Mamba Micro X2 to my computer. How do I fix this?
Please refer to the Castle Link FAQ section on loading the driver software onto your computer. This will solve your USB connection status issue, and get you connected to the computer.

17. I’m getting an error whenever I try to update settings or update the firmware on my speed controller. What is wrong?
There may be an issue with the processor on the speed controller. Try un-installing the Castle Link firmware on your computer or another computer, try downgrading to a different version of firmware, try unplugging the Castle Link chip from the end of the USB cable and plugging it back in, and see if any of these resolve the issue for you. If you are still having issues please contact Castle Creations tech support at 913-390-6939 or send them a message.

18. Is my Mamba Micro X2 speed controller waterproof?
Yes! Although Mamba Micro X2 and Castle brushless motors are waterproof, they are not intended for operation while completely submerged in liquid. They are designed to handle normal wet conditions like driving through puddles, wet grass and snow; they are not designed to be submerged like a submarine. The ESC can corrode when exposed to corrosive materials, such as salt water. Always rinse the ESC and motor with clean water after exposure to corrosives or dirt. While the motor and controller may be waterproof, we suggest users confirm that the rest of their vehicle, including the batteries, servos, radio and chassis are also waterproof before exposing them to liquids of any kind.

19. What Auto-LiPo Volts/cell cutoff should I be using with my Mamba Micro X?
You should use whatever your battery manufacturer recommends. Your speed controller came with a factory cutoff of 3.2v/cell. If you need to adjust this you can use a Castle Link or B-Link Bluetooth adapter to program the speed controller for anything from 3.0v to 3.5v per cell

20. Considering buying a system? Have one and are considering dropping it in a vehicle, but don’t know whether it will work with your vehicle?
Give our technical support department a call. They’ll be more than happy to help you decide which system will work best for your application. You can contact them at 913-390-6939 ext. 1 or send them a message.

21. Can I change the BEC output voltage on my Mamba Micro X2?
Yes, you can change select 5.5 or 7.5 volts via the Castle Link; default is 5.5 volts.

22. My speed controller beeps approximately every 15-20 seconds. What is that?
That is a feature we added called the “Power On Warning Beep”. It lets you know that your battery pack is still plugged in whenever the speed controller is seeing zero throttle input from the transmitter. This is a safety feature implemented due to the advent of LiPo technology. You can disable it if you would like using the Castle Link software, but it is recommended that it be kept enabled.

23. I plugged my motor into my ESC with the colors all matching (white to white, black to black, and red to red), I’m getting a green LED on the ESC when I pull the throttle, but my wheels go in reverse. What’s up?
There is no polarity with a sensorless brushless motor (all Castle motors). This means the color coding does not matter at all. To take care of the issue immediately, you can simply swap two wires between the motor and ESC. If you would like to keep the color coordination, you can plug the ESC into a Castle Link and reverse the motor direction. If you are running a sensored motor then you MUST keep A, B and C orientated properly. To change the motor direction with a sensored motor you must change the Motor Direction setting on the Castle Link.

24. Why does my ESC not beep and show a solid red when trying to calibrate with a Spektrum SR6100AT receiver?
We have found that Spektrum has added a safety feature that interferes with our normal calibration and manual programming process. Our ESCs require you to power up the ESC at full throttle; the Spektrum SR6100AT receiver will not boot up properly until the throttle trigger is at neutral.
The solution we have found is to power up the ESC at neutral, wait for the receiver LED to turn solid amber, then apply full throttle; this allows the receiver to boot up properly.
WARNING: REMOVE Pinion gear or disengage motor from spur gear! You must apply full throttle BEFORE the ESC arms (double chime after LiPo cell count), but AFTER the receiver boots up and goes solid yellow. If the ESC arms and then you apply throttle the motor will run! We have found that waiting until the Auto LiPo feature counts the 2nd or 3rd cell the receiver is operational and full throttle can be applied.