Best BLHeli_32 ESC

BLHeli_32 was announced a few months ago and currently more and more ESC manufacturers are presenting their BLHeli 32 ESC. Before we start with the comparison of the current best BLHeli32 ESCs, let’s have an overview of what is new in the BLHeli32 firmware.

BLHeli32 Overview

Lead developer: Steffen aka sskaug

Firmware source code: closed

Supported MCU: 32bit ARM

Supported protocols: regular PWM, OneShot, MultiShot, DSHOT 300, 600 and 1200

New BLHeli32 Suite for ESC setup (only Windows)

Future functionalities: ESC telemetry, voltage and current limiting, auto timing and programmable “Brake on stop” force

The two main differences between the new BLHeli_32 firmware and BLHeli_S are the new 32bit ARM MCU and the closed firmware code. With the 32bit MCU, we can expect a good competition between new BLHeli32 based ESC and the famous KISS24. Personally, we don´t think there will be an increase in the price because of the closed source code. We expect even bigger competition between various BLHeli32 ESC manufacturers, which at the end will benefit the community.

Very welcome is the maximum current protection, like on the KISS24A. However, to support this feature your ESC should have current sense resistor (0m50 on the picture below).

Current BLHeli 32 supported ESC

The very first BLHeli32 ESC was the Wraith32 by Airbot. Currently, there are some more great ESCs, which you can find below.

Some of the above are still not available and coming soon. Below you will find the trust comparison results as well as our opinion about the tested ESCs.

We want to say Thank you to Aikon Electronics and FPVmodel for providing the Aikon AK32, X-Racer Quadrant and Betaflight ESCs!

BLHeli32 ESC Trust Tests

We have tested 6 of the above ESCs on our RCBenchmark 1520 Tool with an F60 Pro 2200kv motor and 6” KingKong propeller. 16.8V (4S) was provided by a SkyRC eFuel 1200W power supply to ensure a more stable voltage.

The best performing ESC in this thrust test was the Aikon AK32 35A, which provided 1681g of thrust at almost 43A current.

Second best result is for the Wraith32 ESC, which achieved thrust of 1667g (at 41.5A current).

Update 15.08.2017: Full data (thrust, voltage, current, el. power) for all tested ESCs is available for download here.

However maximum thrust is not the single factor when it comes to choosing the best ESC for your drone. The build quality is one of the most important factors. We would give 10/10 for the Wraith32, Aikon AK32, Betaflight and X-Racer ESCs. The PCB of Racerstar Tattoo is a lot thinner than all other ESCs, which could be a problem at very high current.

Features

Except for the LittleBee Summer 35A and the Racerstar Tattoo the above tested ESCs have all current sense resistor, which could be used as a safety feature limiting the current.

Both Betaflight 35A and Wraith32 35A ESCs are almost identical ESCs. These have a customizable colour RGB led, which we haven’t tried yet, but it’s a nice feature. The Betaflight35A has extra capacitors to reduce electrical noise and larger soldering pads. However, we are perfectly fine with the “standard” size pads of the Wraith32.

The X-Racer Quadrant 35A can be mounted on the arms or installed as a 4-pack together like a PCB under the flight controller. By mounting all four ESCs under the FC you could have a very clean looking build, but the cooling would be not so good.

Conclusion

There is no “best” BLHeli ESC, as every drone pilot has different needs and priorities. For some pilots it’s just the maximum thrust, for others additional features, build quality or price.

We personally choose Aikon AK32 and Wraith32. They are small enough, lightweight and performed great on the thrust tests.

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