I have compiled a short but comprehensive FET guide that will hopefully answer a lot of questions. The excerpt below comes from a
more detailed article posted at
mini-zracing.com.
A stock Mini-Z circuit board has two FET chips that control the motor. The FET’s will be located close to the motor terminals and probably near a big black bock on the circuit board.
Every FET can only pass so much current before it overloads and burns out. You can overload a FET by using a motor that draws too much current or by overloading your drive train. If you hold the throttle down while you are against a wall or you are trying to tow something with your Z, you can easily blow the stock FET’s. Basically if you ask too much from your car, you risk burning out the FET’s...
The remainder of the article addresses the following topics.
- Which FETs do I have?
- How do I know I have a blown FET
- What if I blow my FET’s and/or I want more performance?
- Do I need a FET upgrade?
Enjoy and feel free to leave a comment on the article.