UPDATE
Wow still one of the most deadly ESC available - Back in 2007 when I wrote the below review Castle broke ground with a PC programmable and most importantly upgradeable ESC. Aside from a few board upgrades the Mamba Max has remained the same and continued to dominate the industry with an "old" design that still leads the pack. Name three or four RC products that have not changed in the last couple years, but yet the Castle Mamba Max is still slugging away all because it's firmware can be upgraded with new features and revisions with just a USB plug.
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Castle Creations Mamba Max Brushless Motor System Review
My review as published in RC Car Magazine - March 2007
$229 - $250 Street Price
The Mamba snake is the fastest most deadly snake on earth with a top speed of up to 20 MPH, boasting up to 20 feet of slithering power, is highly aggressive, and its' bite has a near 100% fatality rate for humans. With a namesake like that, I was anxious to experience the performance of Castle Creation's new ready to run Mamba Max motor and ESC system and determine whether it was simply a marketing threat or a real performance promise.
Sensorless Brushless Systems
The Mamba Max system is a sensorless and brushless system, meaning very roughly that the ESC makes suggestions to the motor's rotor to move forward, stop, or backward and how
ROAR Approved?
The no turn limit Mamba Max ESC is ROAR approved (since none is required) and can compete currently by running any approved brushed or brushless motor. However there seems to be a ruckus about the reason Castle's CM36S Series motors are not currently ROAR approved. I would imagine there will be resolution soon.
About the Mamba Max ESC & Castle Link PC Software
Castle is very different from other controller manufacturers in that their Mamba Max controllers are fully
But why the CastleLink interface? According to Shawn Palmer of Castle, "The only thing that stays the same in the brushless industry is the constant changing of motor designs and types. New designs and types have been popping up for years, and will continue to do so, and we refuse to make our customers have to purchase a new ESC every time a new popular motor comes out. So we pioneered (patents pending) a device and process to load up new software into the ESC as we add new features and new motor capability. That way, your ESC is never obsolete and the real kicker is - the software updates are all free! In effect, we are GIVING AWAY the most valuable part of a brushless ESC to our customers - the software itself."
Installation of the Castle Link software was simple and easy. Pop in the mini disk and run the install program. I did notice my Windows Defender software warned me that I was installing an "Un-approved Microsoft program", but I clicked to continue the install without further issue. Upon opening the Castle Link software, I was promptly informed that a newer version was available and asked if I would like to download it now - sure. An Explorer window popped up and opened to Castle's download site where I started looking for a Mamba Max upgrade link, I guessed at what to click on, and hit the "Download Now" link. This is were it got a little more confusing. This page says nothing about Mamba Max or that I was in the right download area of the site. But after searching Castle's site for a few minutes, I realized there was just one Castle Link software that was used to configure all their products (which is a great idea). I ended up back at the same page after this realization and clicked the "Download Now" button and then clicked "Run" from the download window. Everything updated perfectly and even my desktop icon was updated to reflect the new version of Castle Link software.
With the controller turned off, I just plugged it into my Windows based laptop, via the supplied USB cable, and the computer notified me a new USB device was found and automatically installed the device (future controller updates did not require this step). Within seconds I was quickly able to tinker with the infinitely adjustable Throttle and Brake Curves, Punch Control to dial in the horsepower just where I want it, Brake Strength to keep me tracking straight under hard braking, Drag Brake to help my corner entries, Start Power for smooth launches, Cutoff voltage to keep my LiPo's happy, and Timing Advance for that final tweak in performance. The Castle Link software was extremely intuitive (shown below) with plenty of help balloons to walk me through the process or address any questions.
It may seem this level of configurability is overkill, but in reality it is needed to keep the power and capacities of the system in check. Words cannot begin to explain the ingenuity of this interface - I only wish I had this much control on any other ESC. Need a bump in horsepower after 1/2 throttle, to reduce braking force for low traction
For those of you who still do not own a PC (or are running a Mac), the controller can still be tuned using an old fashioned beep and click interface.
Save you Settings - Having a laptop handy to tweak settings on the CastleLink software at the track or while out bashing, is almost as addictive as driving. All your different tuning profiles can be saved and accessed easily so converting back and forth from your bashing, high speed road, track, vehicles, suspension, wheels, motor, or gearing settings are just a click, load file, and update away. This type of flexibility will change R/C 'ing forever. Better yet, the Castle link system allows you to share your favorite highly customized profiles with anyone just like this www.StampedeProject.com/CastleLink_Profiles/ - very cool. I suggest Castle make available some standard profiles or even some Factory Team Castle profiles that could be downloaded from their site. How cool would it be, to be able to run the exact same profile as one of the Castle Factory Team guys?
Did I also mention that the software provides one click updates for the controller's firmware with the latest and greatest software release from Castle Creation for free? All you need is an internet connection and simply click the "Update ESC Software" button in the CastleLink interface - great to know the unit will still be running cutting edge software a year, two, or three from now. It is about time someone in the R/C industry thought of this and made it this simple.
The Mamba Max encloses the electrics in a nice sturdy case that feels tough. Other features include automatic detection of cell count or LiPo configuration, ability to run a brushed motor with no turn limit with reversible or high power configuration option, and even includes an on/off switch. Oh yeah, all this smoking power and it's waterproof, however Castle does not market is that way due to legal restrictions.
| Mamba Max Controller Specs | |
| Cells | 6-12 NiCad/NiMH (7.2V-14.4V) or 2-3s LiPo |
| Continuous | 100 amps |
| Resistance | 0.0003 ohms |
| Brake | Proportional |
| Reversible | Yes - with lockout |
| Low Voltage Cut-off | Programmable |
| Size | ESC overall: 1.9 x 1.3 x 1.2" Motor: |
| Weight (w/wires) | ESC: 2.5 oz (70.9 g) Motor |
| Connector Type | Universal |
| Weight (Motor & Controller) | 9.5oz 270g |
| Waterproof | Yes (For legal reasons it is not advertised) |
| Brushed Motor Limit | None |
ESC Research and Motor Compatibility
So this controller can do everything under the sun but will it run a motor? Yeah, in a big way. Like the Mamba (the snake not the ESC) this is one of the most deadly ESCs on the market and assuming specs are matched up with the motor, it could run any motor from a Hacker C40 brushless to a Reedy brushed motor with ease, with up to 100 amps of continuous current on tap with up to 12 cell or 3s LiPo battery input capacity. Just tip the leads of your motor of choice with 4mm Gold banana connectors, plug in to the controllers wires, and go.
To say that Castle has done some "testing" of its' controller with almost every motor out there, would be an understatement. If you have a question regarding compatibility of a brushless motor with the Mamba Max controller, drop Castle an email and they will guide you in the right direction. The easiest motor selection of course is to simply take advantage of one of Castle's great controller motor system packages.
The Mamba Max controller comes with nicely pre-tinned heavy gauge high strand battery wires ready to accept your favorite high current connector, such as the Dean's plugs I used. The controller's motor wires and the wires on the motor already have industry standard high current 4mm gold banana connectors, installed. Obviously someone at Castle realizes that you may want to do a little motor swapping. All very nice touches.
The Motors
I was, falsely, under the assumption that Castle was just picking up some existing brushless motor and simply adding some green anodizing, which is definitely not the case.
Castle informed me that they used scientific equipment to evaluate and develop an understanding of other systems' and motors' capabilities. Well designed and quality builtmotors are "easy" for the controllers to run accurately. Motors with a less than optimal design are "difficult" for the controllers to run accurately and efficiently. While looking for a motor from currently available models, Castle realized quickly that most of the sensorless motors available were not able to take full advantage of the Mamba Max controller. Although not their original intent, Castle made the hard decision to build instead of buy its' motors and now has its custom, hand made, brushless motors, built overseas, to specs which perfectly match the capabilities of the Mamba Max controller.
The result of Castle's efforts were the CM36S Series which are touted to delivery more efficiently than other motors. According to Shawn Palmer of Castle, "We use a high strength Neodymium magnet for the rotor, oversize Japanese bearings front and rear, and an optimized design for efficient operation at 500 to 1000 watts. Most other brushless systems top out at 250-500w." The new CM36S motors are limited to a maximum 65,000 RPM, if that sounds like a very high RPM number, it is. According to Castle's testing its one of the very few motors which can actually attain that "no load" number without blowing apart.
Castle decided on a three motors, a 4600 (4600Kv), 5700 (5700Kv), and 7700 (7700Kv) which were provided for testing. Externally they all look identical with the exception of a sticker on the end bell noting the Kv, maximum NiMH/NiCd cell input, and maximum LiPo input. The different motors allow you to decide how the incoming current is used, lower Kv provides more torque and a lower RPM, the higher the Kv the less torque and a higher RPM.
With the motors in hand, it is quickly noted they are precision motors of the highest quality with milled end bells and aluminum housings. The motors have pre-attached heavy gauge wires with gold high current connectors attached. Spinning the hardened rotor with milled spur notch gives you the impression of a expensive hand made Swiss watch that you should be wearing not mounting in a R/C car.
Included in the 
system's presentation quality box is a motor, the controller, a Castle Link Mini CD, a long USB cord, and a user manual. Conspicuously absent was an assortment of decals.
The Mamba Max user guide was very well thought out and provided a great quick start guide as well as hitting all the "Do's and Don'ts" in a fast, concise manner. An interesting piece of info: the Mamba Max system is an audio transducer - i.e. all the music and beeps are not made by the controller, rather electrical pulses and micro movements of the motor. I am sure someone will eventually hack the controller to play some other melody each time the controller boots.
Testing
The test vehicle was my highly customized Traxxas Rustler (the Ultra-Rusty) which provides a good baseline for performance and can handle the high speed mishaps that a
The Mamba Max controller was installed via industrial strength Velcro. The motor and controller wires were braided and zip tied to the shock tower.
The motor mounted easily and securely via a choice of four end bell holes. Castle even supplied machine screws to mount the motor with. Although the screws were clearly intended for a aluminum motor mount and were too short for use on my Rustler. Initial controller/receiver programming was the industry standard process of doing forward, reverse, and neutral throttle recognition and is all that is required to operate the system in its' default setting mode.
The next, optional step, was plugging in the controller to the laptop for initial configuration values. Default values as follows,Brake/Reverse Type - Disabled, Brake Amount 25%,Reverse Throttle 25%, Punch Control 100%, Drag Brake 0%, Disabled, Start Power Low,Motor Timing Normal, Cutoff Voltage None, Motor TypeBrushless, Brake and Throttlecurves perfectly linear.
I left all defaults in place with the exception of turning on Reverse, geared the 4600Kv equipped Ultra-Rusty at 15/87 and grabbed a fresh peaked 6-cell GP3300 brick pack and headed outside.
First Run
With 4600Kv motor in place and controller configuration in the default "safe" mode the thing that struck me when I made the initial and subsequent runs with the other motors was that they all ran smoother than any brushless system I have driven. The 4600 was tame enough that I would feel comfortable even handing the controls to an intermediate driver. Extremely smooth power output that started like it had the torque of a good stock brushed motor, but just kept accelerating without a lot of wheel spin - exactly what you need at the track. I was impressed with the overall power, speed, and torque but not exactly what I was expecting from a system named after the world's most fast and deadly snake. I expected no holds barred power that was un-manageable.
By the time the first pack dumped, I was dieing to jump back into the CastleLink PC interface. I grabbed the laptop and reconfigured to soften the brake curve. I also disabled the punch
Not only were the brakes now working spectacular, but in this "Get Stupid" configuration I was doing less driving and more holding on for the ride, power drifting, lots of donuts, and simply attempting to maintain control. So out of control at one point during a very cool power drift I hammered my garage door hard enough to send my wife flying outside. You want fast, uncontrollable, scary, overwhelming power, you got it even in the 4600Kv (the slow motor in the group). That also doesn't take into account the ability to even further increase start power, timing, tweak the throttle curve, or add more cells, better batteries or go to LiPo's. Even with just a good 6-cell pack, I am not really sure anyone really needs more power than what the 4600Kv delivers. On my "Get Stupid" setting, no tires I used were able to maintain any semblance of traction, controlling the power of the system was serious work, and the power was anything but useable other than to scare the heck out of oneself. Luckily the Castle Link system provides all the control you need to tune the system just the way you want and remove as much of "the stupid factor", as you like with a couple clicks. This was no ordinary snake, this was one that has the ability to morph effortlessly from a elegant performer to an obnoxious class dominating power leader with the click of my mouse.
When testing the different motors, I of course had to test the 5700 with 12 cells just to see how fast it really was. Initially, I had set punch control to 50% and left the start power at medium and the result was the equivalent of attempting to drink from a fire hose, a completely un-drivable R/C. I wimped out and moved everything back to the super soft default mode. Again the Castle Link software showed its' flexibility and made the 14.4 volt power beast somewhat drivable but still allowed that amazing top speed.
My average run times came in at around 10-15 minutes with GP3300 brick battery packs in 6 or 12 cell configuration. The 7700 was on the bottom of that run time range and the 4600 on the top.
Recommendations
4600Kv - Best Bashing Motor
I think many people will get all involved with how fast they can go with the 5700Kv or 7700Kv motors and overlook the most versatile motor in the group. The 4600Kv offers the smoothest low speed feel, more power and speed than most stadium style R/Cs are able to handle and will allow for broader gearing options than the other motors, all while providing longer run times. The 4600Kv also seemed the most tunable all the way up and down the performance spectrum because it could be detuned to a stock configuration on the low end but allowed an immediate shift to something insane on the high end, up to 12 cells. Getting your feet wet in the brushless world? The 4600Kv would be my choice and is still more than most experienced drivers are ready for.
5700Kv - Most Likely to Cause Injury and Property Damage
A Darwin award winning statement, "Hey watch this!", comes to mind when testing the 5700KV with 12 cells plugged in. The 5700 hit the magic allowable voltage and maximum RPM that rocketed the Ultra-Rusty to stunning speeds. The 5700Kv is probably the most flexible system in the group sitting happily in the middle with the flexibility to run all the way up to12 cells or 3s LiPo's. This is my favorite motor on the Rustler and pick for the speed hungry stadium truck owners.
7700Kv - 6 Cell Touring Car Winner
Like all the other high Kv juice sucking motors, this motor really should have LiPo's providing the power and can drain GP3300s in under 10 minutes at full throttle. Although this is the flagship from a Kv perspective, due to RPM and Voltage limitations the speed award still goes to the 5700Kv motor running 14.4V. For dirt track racing and bashing, its' speed is beyond the capabilities of any track I know of and the run times and gearing options are also limiting - it's just too fast. Where this motor does come up golden is in a head to head, 6-cell road race and simply out spins the other two motors by a pretty significant margin and is best suited for powering touring cars.
System Ups and Downs
UPS
More controller tunable torque, power, speed than should be legal.
Super flexible system for intermediate to advanced user.
Motor/Controller wires come plug and play ready.
Battery wires come pre-tined and Motor ESC leads pre-tipped.
Great instructions.
No Cogging
Not limited to only 6 cell input.
CastleLink PC interface - Wow!
Waterproof controller
Competitively priced
Downs
No USB interface cover.
Power on "Get Stupid" setting is unusable.
Where are the yellow snake and Mamba Max decals - must have decals.
Motors not ROAR approved - yet.
No 50% power "training" mode
Conclusion
In my opinion, Castle Creations has built the best controller interface on the planet with flexibility and ESC tuning options that blows away every other system's interface. It is easy to use, clean, simple, allows simple firmware and controller updates, and most importantly, allows infinite adjustability. They have paired this powerful
Highly Recommended
