Flashing Hobbyking 25A Redbrick ESCs

In order to obtain more stable and responsive flight with my hexacopter I decided to flash the six 25A redbrick speed controllers with SimonK’s custom firmware. For more information see the RCGroups thread.

First I cut the heat shrink from each speed controller and removed the top heat sink so that the programming pads were accessible.

Using standard header pins and needle nose pliers I bent the pins to align with the pads of the circuit board.

Then I soldered the pins to wires and connected them to my programmer using a breadboard.

The procedure for flashing the speed controllers is fairly easy, the process of flashing the speed controllers takes about two seconds so you don’t have to worry about holding the contacts still for too long. In order to prevent the speed controllers from being damaged in the event that the flashing has failed, power your system from a 9 volt battery. This will prevent excessive current from damaging the speed controllers.

1) Download and launch the ESC Flashtool.

2) From the flashtool select your programmer (If your programmer isn’t listed then specify the avr device command in the custom window, ex. usbtiny).

3) Select the correct esc to be flashed from the list (RedBrick 25A, tgy.hex)

4) Connect your speed controller or power distribution board to a 9 volt battery and hold the programming pins to the programming pads, then click flash.

If all goes well you will hear the esc sound a few times and the command console will show that the flashing has succeeded, now you can remove the programmer. If not, you will notice strange noises and possibly clicks coming from your motor when the 9 volt battery is connected. Attempt to flash the speed controller again until it properly functions. If your esc begins to smoke then you are out of luck and need to purchase a new one.

5) Set the throttle ranges for each speed controller by connecting them to the battery and receiver channel 3 while your transmitter is bound at full throttle. After the beep, lower the throttle and you will hear a confirmation sound indicating that the throttle range has been calibrated.

Now your speed controllers should be flashed and functioning properly on SimonK’s firmware.