Sidewinder Firmware Revision History

Includes Sidewinder Micro Series, Sidewinder 1:10 Series, and Sidewinder 8th controllers.

Release Notes
Version Number Type Release Date Release Notes
2.18 Beta 11/27/23
  • Initial production firmware for the Sidewinder Nano
2.06 Beta 10/15/18

The following additions apply to the Sidewinder 4 and Sidewinder Micro 2 Only

New Features

  • Added 'Drag Brake Ramp' feature. Allows user to adjust the rate at which the drag brake is applied at neutral.
  • Added 'Hot Reset' feature for B-Link Bluetooth adapter. The ESC no longer needs to be power cycled when sending settings.
2.05 Beta 04/17/18
  • Corrected a compatibility issue with the B-Link device (Sidewinder 4 only)
2.04 Beta 01/24/18
  • Initial production firmware for the Sidewinder 4
2.02 Beta 03/13/17

The following changes and additions apply to the Sidewinder Micro 2 Only

New Features

  • Added 'Idle/Error Beep Disable' setting to allow users to disable certain audible error warnings. See Castle Link help for more information.
  • 'Motor Direction' was added to stick programming as the last setting #6. Option 1 is 'Forward' and option 2 is 'Reverse'.
  • Added new error condition for corrupted settings. Rapid beep with all LEDs blinking. Must be Castle Linked to repair.

Improvements

  • Improved drag brake feel when transitioning between idle and power. Especially useful for crawler vehicles in both brushless and brushed 'Motor Type' modes.
  • Increased number of throttle steps for improved throttle smoothness.
  • Reduced minimum power levels. Especially useful for crawler vehicles.
  • Reduced power jump when transitioning from high partial throttle to full throttle.
  • Decreased throttle latency, especially when using high RX frequency radios.
  • Improved sensorless motor start smoothness.
  • Improved motor timing accuracy.
  • Increased the maximum sensorless electrical RPM to 200,000.

Changes

  • Replaced 'Max Forward Throttle' setting with 'Max Power' setting which affects both forward throttle and reverse throttle amounts. See Castle Link help for more information.
  • Replaced 'Max Reverse Throttle' setting with 'Reverse Percentage' setting which changes how much reverse throttle is allowed based on 'Max Power' See Castle Link help for more information.
  • Removed 'Brushed High Power' motor type mode. This mode could not supply more power than 'Brushed Reversing' due to current limitations on the negative ESC power wire. Therefore, it posed no advantage over 'Brushed Reversing'.

Bug Fixes

  • Link Live data did not return 0 RPM when motor is stopped.
  • Corrected RX Lost behavior on initial power up (some receivers are slow to respond on power up).
1.82 Beta 01/25/17
  • Sidewinder Micro 2: Bug Fix: Corrected stick programming voltage cutoff order
1.51 Beta 11/06/15
  • Bug Fix: Corrected low voltage cutoff in brushed mode
1.46 Beta 07/23/13
  • Bug fix: Controllers could lock users out of stick programing if voltage cutoff was set below the pack voltage.
  • Significantly increased startup torque and the delay of power from start.
1.42 Beta 05/03/13
  • Bug Fix: Fixed issues with running brushed motors
1.39 Beta 01/03/13
  • Bug fix: Output power could jump inappropriately when motor is having difficulty starting. Could result in ESC damage.
  • Throttle glitch could cause excess stress on esc.
1.38 Beta 09/12/12
  • Minor changes to over temperature behavior.
  • Added support for the latest versions of the Sidewinder V2 and Sidewinder SCT
1.33 Beta 03/30/12
  • NOTE: It is HIGHLY recommended that all users upgrade their Sidewinder V2 and Sidewinder SCT units to V1.33 for reliability improvements.
  • Functional Improvement: Sidewinder V2 / SCT improved motor start routine. Certain lower-torque motors may require changing motor start power to start correctly.
  • Functional Improvement: Torque control values have been changed to allow lower torque limits. (Increase your old setting by 2 for same torque limit)
  • Bug fix: Sidewinder V2 / SCT could power-up in a non-functional state
  • Reliability Improvement: ESC could damage itself trying to start a motor with a stuck rotor. Added failed start timeout.
  • Reliability Improvement: Added further protection agains flash corruption which can cause ESC to become unresponsive.
1.32 Beta 04/05/11
  • Changed default cutoff voltage to 3.2V per cell.
1.31 Beta 01/07/11

Sidewinder SCT and Sidewinder Sv2 ONLY

  • Increased voltage sensitivity on the receiver signal line in order to support receivers that use very low signal levels. (This includes some Airtronics and Futaba 75 MHz receivers).
1.29 Beta 10/14/10
  • Added Sidewinder SCT V1.29 software
1.21 Beta 05/07/09
  • Added ability to change the 'Auto-Lipo' cutoff voltages
  • Added ability to turn off the power-on reminder beep
  • Improved low speed operation, detects and escapes cogging better
  • Added ability to reverse motor direction by Castle Link software
  • Added Mamba Max Pro software
  • Bug fix: Rare instance where throttle was applied and controller would stay in idle
  • Bug fix: Audible power pulse in transition from throttle to drag brake
1.18 Final 03/24/08
  • Bug: Some Sidewinders were not recognized by Castle Link. Issue resolved.
1.17 Final 01/22/08
  • Force a full re-arm after manual programming
  • Bug: stick programming would not allow you to change the motor type
  • Minor bug: setting drag brake via stick programming showed a custom value of 1% below the desired value on Castle Link
  • Minor bug: Loading and saving programming information to a file did not properly update calibration data
1.16 Beta 01/21/08
  • Initial release