ARK 12S CAN ESC
NDAA compliant, made in the USA, single channel electronic speed controller with CAN FD, designed for 12S brushless propulsion.
The ARK 12S CAN ESC is a single motor, three phase speed controller. It reports telemetry over CAN FD and accepts a conventional single wire signal input, so it can be used either as a CAN node or as a drop in replacement for a PWM/DShot ESC.
Power and phase connections are made through threaded SMT standoffs rather than wires, so the ESC bolts directly to a bus bar or motor mount.
When running over CAN, each ESC on the same bus must have a unique ESC Index / Motor Index. PX4 and ArduPilot use that index to identify which motor is which. A quadcopter is 0, 1, 2, 3. See Firmware.
Pin 1 of the flight controller connector (J2) is unregulated battery voltage. It is not fused or current limited. Do not connect it to a 5V input on your flight controller. See Pinout.
Specifications:
Voltage
4S – 12S Lithium Polymer Battery Input
9V Minimum
70V Absolute Maximum
Current
Continuous: TBD
Burst: TBD
0 – 300A measurement range, 10mV/A
Motor Outputs
1 motor, 3 phases
6 × 120V 1.7mΩ MOSFETs
Interfaces
CAN FD, up to 5Mbps, software switchable termination
Single wire signal input, 5V tolerant
Single wire serial telemetry output
Analog current output, 10mV/A
SWD and debug console
Dimensions
57.75mm x 36.20mm x 9.04mm
31.20mm x 37.75mm mounting pattern
Weight
22g
Continuous and burst current ratings are TBD.
These are thermal limits, not silicon limits. The current at which this ESC can run indefinitely depends on how it is mounted, how much airflow it gets, and whether it is heatsinked — the same board will hold very different numbers bolted to a cold plate versus sitting in still air inside a sealed enclosure.
Ratings will be published once thermal validation is complete. Until then, treat the hardware overcurrent trip below as a fault threshold, not as an operating target, and validate current limits in your own airframe.
Board Maximum Design Specifications:
These are the hardware limits the board is built to. They are not operating recommendations — the continuous rating will land well below the overcurrent trip.
MOSFET drain to source voltage
120V
Power MOSFETs
Gate driver supply voltage
102V
Gate driver
Bulk capacitor voltage
100V
Input bulk capacitors
Buck regulator input voltage
120V
Primary step down regulator
Input TVS standoff voltage
70V
Input transient suppressor, 77.8V breakdown
Voltage measurement range
102V
31V/V divider
Current measurement range
300A
Shunt and current sense amplifier
Overcurrent trip, 25°C junction
412A
Gate driver VDS monitor at 700mV
Overcurrent trip, 100°C junction
292A
Gate driver VDS monitor at 700mV
Overcurrent trip, 150°C junction
233A
Gate driver VDS monitor at 700mV
Overcurrent trip, 175°C junction
206A
Gate driver VDS monitor at 700mV
Operating temperature
-40°C to +85°C
MCU, oscillator, connectors
The overcurrent trip falls as the MOSFETs heat up, because the VDS monitor measures voltage across a resistance that rises with temperature. A trip point set at 412A on a cold bench is a 233A trip point on a hot motor run.
Firmware applies its own protection well below these limits. See Firmware for the shipped current and temperature defaults.
Capacitance:
The ARK 12S CAN ESC has 380µF of 100V ceramic bulk capacitance on the battery input. There are no electrolytic capacitors on the board, so there is nothing to derate with age or temperature.
The input transient suppressor begins conducting at approximately 78V. Long battery leads increase loop inductance and make switching and inrush transients worse. On 12S, or with leads longer than a few inches, add an external bulk capacitor at the battery input.
Sensing:
Battery current
100µΩ shunt, low side, sense amplifier at 100V/V
10mV/A
0 – 300A
Battery voltage
30kΩ / 1kΩ divider
31V/V
0 – 102V
Phase voltage
20kΩ / 1kΩ divider per phase, 20kΩ virtual neutral, 3.3V clamp
21V/V
Sensorless commutation
Protection:
Transient voltage suppressor on the battery input
Gate driver VDS overcurrent monitor with fault reporting to the MCU
ESD arrays on the flight controller, CAN, and debug connectors
3.3V clamps on all phase sense and telemetry nodes
Construction:
8 layer board, 1.6mm finished thickness
2oz outer copper, 1oz inner copper
Filled via in pad, ENIG finish, IPC Class 2
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