For 24V Challenger XL SX1928

This is a product (Sabertooth 2x60) review written by a customer (Dustin C).

I’m going to share the saga that has led me here… My application is a kids’ ride on toy sold by Big Toys Green Country (BTGC), who apparently just markets Chinese manufacturers’ ride on toys with a different noun name. BTGC calls the toy a "Challenger XL", but it came with a huge license plate decal with "SX1928" written on it. A quick Google search shows this is the same toy, available in various trim levels. In stock form, all four motors (1 per wheel) are RS550s, driven by a JR1930RX-2-24V motor controller (max 25A load current rating). The front passenger side motor developed a short circuit fault, tripping an over-current shutdown of the controller almost instantly whenever the accelerator pedal (only an on/off switch) was pressed. I could either buy one replacement motor (with gearbox) from BTGC for $35 or take the opportunity to upgrade to more powerful motors. Naturally, I bought two pairs of 775 motors (that’s four total!) with 10-tooth pinion gears preinstalled, plus 550-to-775 mounting adapters from MLToys.com for $160 instead. (Prices are much higher now.) In other news, I had also shoehorned a massive 80 Ah 7s Li-po battery (25.2 VDC nominal) under the hood to minimize those pesky dips in terminal voltage one experiences with puny SLA cells. With this setup, the stock motor controller was smoked in low speed within minutes. My clamp-on ammeter had registered >25 A, so I decided to search for an upgraded controller. I was pleasantly surprised to find a literal plug-and-play alternative with beefier specs on Amazon (model HY2005RX-24V/40A) for $34! That one lasted through unladen (no passenger/rider, remote controlled only) test drives in cold weather, but it also died within minutes once my son began test driving it in low speed… Peak amperage draw was >51 A, so I decided to seek out a MUCH more powerful option. I opted to use BTS7960 dual H-bridge motor controllers, 1 per wheel, because they were rated to withstand up to 43 A. That sounded really impressive, especially give that a 5-pack of them could be had from Amazon for under $30. Since you’re reading this, you’ve probably already guessed that they were way overrated. Their capacitors literally exploded with VERY little load during the first few minutes of a test drive. By this time, my son was beginning to lose hope that his ride on would ever be anything more than a statement piece in our barn. I realized I could no longer keep cheapskating uphill. That is a sport in which there are no winners and even the spectators regret watching. I researched more carefully and at much higher price points, looking for something that would still work with the Arduino Mega I’d bought and learned how to program (sort of) for this ever-expanding project. There were several brushed DC motor controllers in the running, but many if not all of them required extra passive/active cooling to be installed in order to perform at the power levels they advertised, which obviously adds cost and complexity—two things of which I’ve already had plenty. Of models that looked to be an off-the-shelf solution, the Sabertooth 2x32 was tempting, but, for only a little more money, I could get this, the 2x60. I love that it advertises over-current protection. That gave me confidence that, even if it were somehow not up to the task either, that it would at least have the good sense not to detonate itself trying. According to Charlene, Tech Support at Dimension Engineering, the Sabertooth 2x60 should be overkill for my application. I like overkill. Shipping was pretty prompt (and free!). The controller was packaged well, showed no signs of damage, and felt relatively hefty given its compact footprint. The fit and finish of the product look top-notch. I elected to use packetized serial data to control this beast and wired it with channel 1 to the front motors, channel 2 to the rears since that’s where I already had wires routed from the previous build. The Arduino library (available easily online) was quite helpful. I could see how the hardware functioned and thereby tailor my tinkering more effectively. After some (a lot of) trial and error, I had a working sketch with low and high speeds that included ramping up and down functions to trail the progressive foot throttle I’d retrofitted in place of the on/off switch. From a standstill, in a ~90 lb ride on toy with ~42 lb driver, on fairly level but unpaved terrain, accelerating aggressively to 100% duty cycle, my ammeter captured a peak of 155 A. I feed good about my purchase. My son actually requested that I tone down the top speed, which my Wife gratefully endorsed. For now, he drives at a maximum of 50% duty cycle, which is still fast enough that I have to jog to keep up. I also installed a 5/16” eye bolt on the back of his ride on as a tow hitch for our 10 cu ft Gorilla Cart. Yes, I rode in it while my son towed me and I enjoyed the heck out of it. Don’t you judge me. It was for science. The motor controller has been operating beautifully for over a week now and has never exhibited any hint of overheating—hasn’t even gotten warm enough to turn on the fan. (The fan does seem to work, though, because it bump starts when the controller is powered on or off.) I expect that may change once the severity of operating conditions increases (i.e., when Texas summer arrives). My only regret is not having coughed up the coin for this motor controller sooner. So, if you are in the market to modify a child’s ride on toy to become disturbingly fast so you, too, can watch your son go bombing across a pasture faster than most humans can run, this motor controller has the minerals to deliver. Buy it.