Sentera PHX ESC User manual
Electronic Speed Controller
Removal and
Installation Guide
Engineered in Minneapolis, MN, USA
July 29, 2020
Version 1.0
PHX ESC Removal and Installation Guide
Copyright © 2020. All rights reserved.
Trademark Notice
PHX is a registered trademark of Sentera. Velcro is a trademark or a registered trademark of Velcro Companies. Other featured
words or symbols, used to identify the source of goods and services, may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
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This software and documentation may provide access to or information on content, products, and services from third parties.
Sentera is not responsible for and expressly disclaim all warranties of any kind with respect to third-party content, products,
and services. Sentera will not be responsible for any loss, costs, or damages incurred due to your access to or use of third-party
content, products, or services.
The information contained herein is subject to change without notice and is not warranted to be error-free. If you find any
errors, please report them to us in writing.
PHX ESC Removal and Installation Guide
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Table of Contents
1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 1
2 Required Components .......................................................................................................................... 1
3 Replacement Process............................................................................................................................ 2
4 Troubleshooting.................................................................................................................................... 9
5 Support.................................................................................................................................................. 9
6 Revision History .................................................................................................................................. 10
PHX ESC Removal and Installation Guide
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1Introduction
Welcome to the PHX Electronic Speed Controller (ESC) Removal and Installation Guide. This procedural
guide is designed to provide documentation for PHX users who will remove and install a damaged or
new ESC. Typically, users would have contacted Sentera Support prior to this in order to purchase new
parts listed in the Required Components section.
2Required Components
There are two components needed to repair the ESC in the PHX, as shown in Figure 1. These two items
will come soldered together as one piece from Sentera.
•Bulkhead Interface, part #13009-2
•ESC, part #15364-00
Figure 1: Components
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3. Remove the bulkhead board from the aircraft. There is Velcro under the ESC and behind the
bulkhead board, and there are two tabs holding in the bulkhead, as shown in Figure 4.
Note: You may need to use a bit of force to remove the bulkhead board.
Figure 4: Bulkhead Board
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4. Remove the left wing connector by carefully pulling it out, as shown in Figure 5. Do not yank it by
the wires as that may damage it. It may be helpful to use your fingernails on either side and pull
straight out.
5. Place a piece of tape on the wire harness for tracking purposes, as shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5: Left Wing Connector and Tape
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6. Unplug remaining connectors from board, as shown in Figure 6. Remove bulkhead board and ESC
from the aircraft and place new units in their place. Do not snap the bulkhead into position yet, but
the ESC can be placed on the Velcro.
Figure 6: Connectors
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7. Replace the left-wing wire harness (previously taped) with the black wire closest to the ‘L,’ as shown
in Figure 7, and then remove the tape.
Figure 7: Left Wing Wire Location
8. Connect the other four connectors. They only fit into one location each, as shown in Figure 7.
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9. Firmly push the bulkhead board back into the aircraft, it will take some force and will snap into the
two slits. Ensure the components on the board are under the lip, as shown in Figure 8. The board
should wiggle very slightly and not be stressed.
Figure 8: Components Under the Lip
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10. Plug motor bullet connectors into ESC wires. They should be connected as shown in Figure 9, but
this order is not guaranteed to be correct, so if the motor spins backwards the yellow and black wire
will need to be swapped.
Figure 9: Component Location
11. Replace foam block removed in Step 1.
4Troubleshooting
Several issues and their solutions are discussed in Table 1.
Table 1: Troubleshooting
ISSUE
SOLUTION
Motor spinning wrong way
Swap the yellow and black wires from motor to
ESC.
Motor twitching
•Reconnect the three bullet connectors
•Ensure the three-wire connection from the
ESC to the bulkhead is firmly connected
Wing not powered
•Ensure connections are fully plugged in on
the back of the bulkhead
•If GPS and Airspeed are not functioning,
swap-left and right-wing cables
GPS not functional
Airspeed not functional
Payload not powered
No air data
5Support
Need Support? Email us at support@sentera.com or call us 844-736-8372. Support hours are 8:00 AM
CST to 5:00 PM CST, Monday through Friday.
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6Revision History
Release Number
Date
Revision Description
Rev. 1.0
29 July 2020
Initial release.
[END OF DOCUMENT]
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