Tuning Your ESCape 32 ESC

Arming delay on startup. When enabled, the ESC waits for zero throttle signal for 250ms before it will respond. Keeps the motor from spinning unexpectedly when you power up. Leave this on.

Damped mode (active freewheeling). This is one of the most important settings for crawling. When enabled, the ESC actively slows the motor when you let off the throttle rather than letting it freewheel. Required for crawler mode (sine_range) to work. Leave this on for crawling.

Brushed motor mode. Enable this only if you are using a brushed motor. Leave off for all brushless motors.

Reverse motor direction. If your motor spins the wrong way, change this instead of swapping motor wires.

Motor timing (1-31). Controls how early the ESC commutates the motor phases. Higher values give more top-end power but can reduce efficiency and torque at low speeds. Lower values favor torque and crawling. See motor base settings for recommended starting points per motor.

BEC output voltage. Sets the voltage your ESC supplies to the receiver and servo. Most micro crawling servos run on 6.0V-8.4V. Make sure to check your servo and receiver voltage specs before changing this.

Low voltage cutoff per cell (V/10). Protects your battery from over-discharge. For 1S-2S LiPo, 33 (3.3V/cell) is a safe floor. For 3S-4S, 34-35 (3.4-3.5V/cell) gives a bit more headroom. Set prot_cells to match your pack. Set to 0 to disable (not recommended).

Number of battery cells. Used with prot_volt to calculate total cutoff voltage. Set to 0 for auto-detection, or set manually to match your pack (1 for 1S, 2 for 2S, and so on).

Crawler mode throttle range (%). This is the key setting that enables crawler mode. It dedicates a portion of your throttle range to smooth, low-speed sine wave drive , think of it as a creep zone at the bottom of your throttle. Values between 10-25 work well for most crawling setups. Requires damped mode to be on. Set to 0 to disable.

Crawler mode power (1-15). Controls how much power is available in the sine startup (crawler mode) zone. Higher values give more grip and ability to push through obstacles but increase heat. Start at 8 and adjust from there. If your motor is running hot, lower this first.

Stall protection (ERPM). Applies a small power boost to prevent the motor from stalling when it slows below the set threshold. Also enables smoother transition from crawler mode into normal drive. Values between 1500-2000 work well for most crawling. Set to 0 to disable.

Throttle mode. Controls how your throttle channel maps to motor direction and braking. Most crawlers use forward/reverse (1). Forward/brake/reverse (2) adds proportional braking in the middle of the throttle , useful for technical driving.

Throttle response speed (0.1%/ms). Controls how quickly power changes when you move the throttle. Lower values give a smoother, more gradual response , better for crawling. Higher values give snappier, more aggressive response. If your motor stutters on punch, lower this value first.

Power ramp up (kERPM). When set, limits maximum power at low RPM and ramps it up as the motor speeds up. Useful for taming punch at full throttle and preventing wheel spin on loose terrain. Set to 0 to disable.

Minimum throttle power (%). Sets the floor for how much power the ESC outputs at the lowest non-zero throttle position. Raising this slightly can help motors that hesitate to start at very low throttle. Most crawling setups work well at the default.

Maximum throttle power (%). Caps the maximum output power regardless of throttle position. Lowering this limits top speed and can reduce heat on demanding builds. Leave at 100 for normal use.

Spin-up power (%). Extra power applied briefly when the motor starts from a standstill to help it overcome initial resistance. Too high can cause jerky starts. Too low may cause hesitation. The default of 15 works well for most crawling applications.

Maximum reverse throttle (%). Limits how much power is available in reverse. Setting this lower than 100 gives you less aggressive reverse, which can be useful for technical crawling where accidental full reverse could cause a rollover.

Throttle midpoint setpoint (µs). The PWM value the ESC treats as neutral/center throttle. Only relevant if throt_cal is off. Leave at default if using automatic throttle calibration.

Preset throttle value (µs). When set, forces the ESC to a fixed throttle value regardless of receiver input. Used for testing and bench setup only. Set to 0 for normal operation.

Automatic throttle calibration. When enabled, the ESC automatically aligns with your transmitter's throttle timing. Leave this on unless you're using a non-standard radio protocol.

Drag brake power (0-100%). How hard the motor resists movement when you're at zero throttle. Higher values hold the rig on a hill better but can cause heat buildup if too aggressive. Start around 10-20 for crawling and adjust to taste.

Active drag brake. Controls when drag brake engages. Off applies brake only when the motor is stopped (passive). Soft applies it when stopped or slowing down. Hard applies it immediately on zero throttle. Requires damped mode. Power is set by duty_drag.

Maximum brake power in proportional brake mode (%). Only active when throt_mode is set to 2 or 3. Sets the ceiling for how hard the proportional brake can apply. Lower values give more progressive braking feel.

Temperature protection threshold (°C). When the ESC or motor exceeds this temperature, maximum power is automatically reduced to protect components. A value of 80-100°C is a reasonable starting point. Set to 0 to disable.

Temperature sensor source. Selects which temperature reading is used for thermal protection.

Maximum current limit (A). Caps the current draw to protect the ESC and motor. Useful if you're pushing limits or want extra protection on a high-demand build. Set to 0 to disable.

Telemetry protocol. Select the protocol your receiver/transmitter uses for telemetry data (voltage, RPM, temperature, current). Leave at KISS if you're not using telemetry.

Motor pole count for RPM telemetry. Set this to the actual number of magnetic poles in your motor for accurate RPM readings. Most Mofo RC motors use 14 poles. Check your motor specs if unsure.

Minimum analog input setpoint. Sets the low end of the analog throttle range when using analog input mode. Only relevant if input_mode is set to analog. Leave at default for PWM/digital operation.

Maximum analog input setpoint. Sets the high end of the analog throttle range when using analog input mode. Only relevant if input_mode is set to analog.

Input signal mode. Determines what type of signal the ESC expects from your receiver. For RC crawling with a standard receiver, leave this at servo (standard PWM).

Serial channel ID. Only relevant when input_mode is set to serial. Selects which channel on a multi-channel serial input the ESC listens to. Leave at 0 for standard single-channel or PWM operation.

Telemetry physical ID. Used with S.Port telemetry to identify this ESC among multiple devices on the same bus. Only relevant if using S.Port telemetry with multiple sensors. Leave at 0 for most setups.

Minimum PWM frequency (kHz). The ESC transitions from minimum to maximum PWM frequency as motor speed increases. Higher minimum frequencies reduce motor noise but can increase heat at low speeds. The default of 24kHz is a good balance for crawling.

Maximum PWM frequency (kHz). Upper end of the PWM frequency range used at higher motor speeds. Leave at default unless you have a specific reason to change it.

Startup sound volume (0-100%). Controls how loud the ESC startup beeps and music play. Set to 0 to silence completely. Also affects music playback volume.

Beacon volume (0-100%). Sets the volume of the beacon tone that plays after the ESC has been idle for a period. Useful for locating a lost vehicle. Set to 0 to disable.

LED on/off. Toggles the ESC status LED. Disable if you want to reduce visibility or power draw in specific builds.

Startup melody. The ESC plays a short tune on power-up using its motor as a speaker. The default is a simple three-note beep sequence. You can replace it with any song in RTTTL format, a compact notation used for simple melodies.

To change the startup melody:
Playback volume is controlled by the volume setting. Set volume to 0 to disable startup music entirely.