RC OMG Thunder Power D-Run 120A ESC Review

Introduction

Driftmission had an opportunity to test out the new Thunder Power D-Run 120A ESC. The Electronic Speed Controller (ESC) supplies 120A with a full aluminum body for heat dissapation. A programming card is included with the package for easy settings changes. This is RC OMG’s first ESC release after the recently successful sensored brushless motors. Now available for an affordable $85.88USD directly from RC OMG. Here are some features and specifications about the ESC.

Thunder Power D-Run 120A ESC by RC OMG

Compatible with Sensored & Sensorless Brushless Motor
Full Metal Heatsink Structure
Lightweight Design
Multiple Protection: Low Voltage Cut-Off/ Over-Heat/Throttle signal loss
Multiple Modes: Racing Mode; Reverse Mode and Rock Crawler Mode
Four Steps of Reverse Force Adjustment
Changeable Internal Timing
Large Current Endurance
Built-in DC/DC Booster
Programmable

Product Specifications

Item No.: D-RUN-120-V1
Continuous/ Burst Current: 120A / 720A
Resistance: 0.00035ohm
Suitable Car: 1/10, 1/12 on-road & off-road, 1/10 scale rock crawler
Suitable Sensored or sensorless Brushless Motors:
(5-6 NIMH or 2 Lipo) 4.5T(on-road), 5.5T(off-road)
(8-9 NIMH or 3 Lipo) 6.5T(on-road), 8.5T(off-road)
Battery: 3-6 cells NiMH or 1-2 cells Li-Po
BEC Output: 6V@2A Built-in BEC
Dimension: 38mm(L) x 31mm(W) x 23mm(H)
Weight: 65g
Fan Working Voltage: 5V@0.16A, maximum 8V (The fan gets the power supply directly from the battery)

Overall Quality

The quality of this ESC is excellent. The ESC has a simplistic design with an aluminum body complete in black or blue anodized finish. The aluminum body is designed for maximum heat dissipation. The aluminum body is fine milled to precision to optimize the performance of the electrics. The ESC is pre-soldered with the capacitor and gold solder connectors (motor and power wires require additional soldering). Overall the quality of the RC OMG D-Run Thunder Power 120A ESC is very good and meets our expectations for a high performance unit.

Overall Performance

The RC OMG D-RUN ESC is well equipped with 120A continuous current with a 540A burst rating, this is more than enough to power any RC Drifter. An additional capacitor is included to help regulate the power drawn from the ESC. We compared this ESC combo to similar spec products offered by Hobbywing (the 120A V2 ESC was used) and the D-RUN ESC out performs it. It is comparable to the Hobbywing V3 ESC’s at half the price, this really hits it home for the performance to value comparison. Overall we feel the RC OMG ESC exceeded our expectations for a 120A ESC and not much can compare in this price range.

Overall Value

The RC OMG D-Run 120A ESC retails for $85.88USD. The package includes the D-Run 120A ESC with capacitor installed, program card, cooling fan, BEC wire, operators manual (english) and RC OMG stickers. You will need some soldering experience to install the Motor and power wires. The electronics combo is aimed at those drifters with a smaller budget, but still want a quality ESC. This package is very competitively priced for its performance and aesthetic style. A XERUN V3 120A ESC it would retail for approximately $186.99USD from HW North America (falkensekido.com). The RC OMG D-Run 120A ESC is priced at half of the cost with very similar performance!

Conclusion

The RC OMG Thunder Power D-RUN 120A Sensored ESC is a good product for any budget minded drifters. The performance of this combo is comparable if not better than other electronics in their price range the reliability so far has been very good. We current run the RC OMG ESC in an MST MS-01D VIP II Chassis for about a month now with regular use and no problems so far. This setup is highly recommended for anyone looking to get more bang for their buck. It is a good system with good functionality and performance. Our experience with previous RC OMG products (Servo’s and sensored brushless motors) has been excellent so far. All of their products have been very reliable and still perform as good as day one. The D-RUN 120A ESC should be no different, This will be a good product for those that do not have the moneys to afford expensive electronics such as Keyence or Hobbywing. The price to performance value of this ESC is a great start for any RC drifter.