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ESCs to PDB wiring

Mounting the Power Distribution Board and Soldering ESC Wires

Step 1: Mount the PDB

  • Place the PDB on the frame using double-sided tape.
  • Use alcohol to clean the contact surfaces first.
  • Make sure it faces the correct direction as shown, the "front" is marked by the tape in circle

Frame with PDB

Important: Use a flat head soldering iron.

Step 2: Wiring the ESCs

  • We need to use 8 pads on the PDB for 4 ESCs.
  • Follow the scheme below in counter-clockwise (CCW) order.
    follow the green arrow

(The complete diagram is below)
Wiring Diagram

  • Depending on the specific pad, you may need to pre-bend the ESC wire so it reaches the pad without excess movement.

Step 3: Soldering Procedure

To get a solid connection, follow these steps:

Clean the soldering iron tip using brass wool. Apply a tiny bit of flux if the brass wool doesn’t clean it fully.

Tin the pad:
- Touch the pad with the iron tip and feed in a small amount of solder.
- Hold the tip in place for ~10 seconds until the solder melts.
- Tilt the iron and use the slanted surface to spread the solder and cover the pad.

⚠️ Caution: If pads are not in CCW order, there may not be enough space to lay the iron and use its slanted side.

Place the ESC wire:
- Use tweezers to hold the wire tip on the pad.
- Press the iron tip against it until the solder on the wire and pad both melt.
- If they don’t melt, apply a tiny bit of flux.

Bond the wire:
- Hold the wire in place and lift the iron.
- The wire should stay put as the solder cools.

Reinforce the joint:
- Press the slanted surface of the iron onto the wire again.
- Feed in more solder to fully cover the wire.
- Be careful to avoid solder bridges to other pads or wires.

Cool and check:
- Lift the iron and keep holding the wire with tweezers until the solder cools.
- A good joint will have a smooth and shiny surface.

Test the connection:
- Gently tug the wire to confirm it's solidly bonded.

Repeat for the next pad.

If a connection fails:
- Clean any flux residue on that pad and try again.
- It’s completely normal to not succeed on the first attempt.