Broken dc braking system.. or not?

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LuS
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Broken dc braking system.. or not?

Post by LuS » Tue Aug 10, 2021 4:22 pm

Hi all

Appreciate any input you may have here. I have an older Shimano 12 exsence dc whose condition I’m assessing. To be clear, it’s in rough shape. It needs some minor parts, gears, main shaft and a bearing or two. That being said, frame is fine, spool appears ok, and basic clutch and drag functions are ok. I figure if the DC brakes are fine, I’ll save her, economics be damned.
Here’s where it gets interesting: I cleaned it, lubed it and took it out casting. I couldn’t hear the dc brakes working except at the end of a long cast, but it was almost impossible to backlash in all settings. Thumb free bomb casts were doable. Casting distance was 30-40 yards. Am I looking at a damaged or dying dc system?
Casting context - dobyns champ 705 cb, trilene xt 10 lb, rapala minnow spoon (1/2 oz or so), no wind to speak of.
Any thoughts on system health are welcome! As for whether it’s worth fixing… as long as it’s less than a new one I don’t care much. Just wanna know scope of repair.. Thanks in advance :)
Luca :)

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Re: Broken dc braking system.. or not?

Post by Bantam1 » Wed Aug 11, 2021 6:58 am

Typically the first thing to do is clean the optical sensor to see if that will help. If that doesn't fix it then the DC unit needs to be replaced. I am unsure if they are still available from Japan and I do not know the cost. The DC units are usually pretty expensive for the older reels. $300+ US usually.

For that price you would be better off buying a new reel if it needs more parts like you mentioned.

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Re: Broken dc braking system.. or not?

Post by LuS » Wed Aug 11, 2021 7:10 am

Thank you!
I think I can get spares reasonably from plat, but academic question: the spool was under great control the whole time - I couldn’t blow it up despite all efforts. I just couldn’t hear the brakes working until the lure was almost touching down. I’m presuming there was some braking going on? Or is it possible that I was just looking at latent friction in the reel acting as a brake?
Appreciate the help :)
Luca :)

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Re: Broken dc braking system.. or not?

Post by Slazmo » Wed Aug 11, 2021 3:22 pm

From memory the Exsence isn't an overly noisy DC controller, also it doesn't have a optical sensor like earlier DC modules with the eye and spool cut out.

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Re: Broken dc braking system.. or not?

Post by Real » Wed Aug 11, 2021 6:53 pm

How do you clean the optical sensor ?

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Re: Broken dc braking system.. or not?

Post by LuS » Thu Aug 12, 2021 7:40 pm

Thank you all! Will post pics of the dc unit soon, hoping that helps here…
Luca :)

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Re: Broken dc braking system.. or not?

Post by Senkobass1 » Fri Aug 13, 2021 11:19 am

If I remember correctly, there is a setting on the dial for the DC unit that was for night fishing. I’ll have to check my 12 Exsence to be sure but I remember using a setting at night that was practically impossible to backlash, and only barely made the dc noise right before the bait splashed down. Did you check to make sure you didn’t turn on this setting?

Edit: it’s called SP mode. I tried it out. Makes almost no DC sound, and is very hard to backlash. The distance was shorter than any other mode.

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Re: Broken dc braking system.. or not?

Post by LuS » Fri Aug 13, 2021 11:28 am

Hi again and thanks… subjected the reel to a much harder test - 3/16 oz booyah pond magic spinnerbait. Low mass, high drag, should’ve been a good way to blow up the spool… and nothing. No blow ups. Thumb free casts possible. I did notice that there was not much difference between the settings, although the fluoro setting seemed to be a little harder brakes. With that lure, distance was 20-30 yard casts. Again, dc noise only on touchdown. Is it possible this unit is stuck in a high brake setting? As it was, it was quite fish-able. Am tempted to throw better bearings on it just to see if other parts of the system are slowing it down.. see pics below.
If this dc unit is broken, it must be stuck in a high brake setting, as the spool was on a very tight leash, super controlled.
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Luca :)

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Re: Broken dc braking system.. or not?

Post by LuS » Fri Aug 13, 2021 2:57 pm

Final testing update. Took out my slx dc (mint shape, a known good), same lure, same rod, minor line difference (40 lb braid vs 10 lb mono). The slx dc on the lowest setting was able to outcast the exsence by 3 or 4 yards, but promptly blew up its spool. On the highest brake setting, the slx dc wasn’t casting more than 60% of the way the exsence was. Meaning: there seems to be a much smaller range of adjustment on the exsence vs the slx dc, although the exsence spool was under much tighter control.
Therefore: am I looking at a dc system that is not at 100% health, even if it retains a lot of its function?
Any input is appreciated (before I fire the parts cannon at this reel and replace most of it). Thanks again :)
Luca :)

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Re: Broken dc braking system.. or not?

Post by Slazmo » Fri Aug 13, 2021 3:10 pm

You know they're 2 different types of DC controllers for different styles of fishing, they won't act the same. Most DC reels that instantaneously spool stop on the cast landing have their cast adjustment cap dialled up tight - like the ICAST demonstrations where they were casting against the wall and showing zero backlash...

All this is why my POS Calais DC can outcast any of these newer basic DC4 controller reels is the difference that its got more settings and built for different cast ranges etc, it's the same with the Exsence.

Don't over think it bud, have a read https://japantackle.com/shimano-exsencedc.html

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Re: Broken dc braking system.. or not?

Post by LuS » Fri Aug 13, 2021 6:28 pm

Thank you Slazmo.. you’re talking to someone who could overthink a coffee if given time and space lol :P
All jokes aside the cast control has been great, just need a bit more time against a known good to be sure it’s ok. It still needs a laundry list of parts so Plat is gonna get a few of my bucks regardless.
Luca :)

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Re: Broken dc braking system.. or not?

Post by Slazmo » Fri Aug 13, 2021 8:12 pm

Get a spare gearset for them and look after it in particular... A nice reel but a mish mash of two eras and strange concept so for a first incarnation you got to expect a few kinks.

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Re: Broken dc braking system.. or not?

Post by mark poulson » Sun Aug 15, 2021 2:25 pm

Slazmo wrote:
Fri Aug 13, 2021 8:12 pm
Get a spare gearset for them and look after it in particular... A nice reel but a mish mash of two eras and strange concept so for a first incarnation you got to expect a few kinks.
That is great advice for everyone who finds a reel they like. Parts are generally available to the public only as long as the reel is in production, so get replacement gears while you can.

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Re: Broken dc braking system.. or not?

Post by Bantam1 » Mon Aug 16, 2021 7:36 am

The FC braking settings will have more braking force because FC line is actually heavier in weight than braided line or mono. The braided line settings will have the least braking forces because of the line weight being lower.

In the mid settings you may not feel much difference due to how the system functions. With the 4x8 units there is a much greater difference due to having more adjustability. We cannot compare the 4x8 to the newer DC4/5 units due to how they function and the programs.

There is also casting style to consider. Here in the US our anglers tend to cast harder than in other places. This required a different program for reels going to the US. I know this for a fact with the Curado DC. Our product guy at the time was in Japan and was the person performing the casting so that they could program the unit. We had several samples here that we tested with different braking curves. We found differences immediately with certain lure types and conditions. The final program was a blending of a few different test versions.

With the casting styles we also have to consider the rods and lures being used. Since the Excense was developed for Japanese sea bass fishing the braking programs are developed around the rods and lures used. Many of the US based bass rods have faster tapers and tend to be "stiffer" rods when compared to the JDM style rods. This will change how you cast for sure.

If you have a lot of backlash issues in the beginning try letting the rod do all the work instead of forcefully loading the rod with a hard cast. I bet you will see a difference. If you are still having issue try another setting or line setting. You should hear the DC brakes during the cast. The tone may change slightly with the spool speed, but you should hear it.

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Re: Broken dc braking system.. or not?

Post by LuS » Wed Aug 18, 2021 6:08 pm

Thank you all again… I’m a bit torn on this as I’m pretty confident the dc brakes are stuck in SP mode (not the end of the world as that mode is extremely forgiving, if a little low on distance); the full fix will cost more than even I was hoping; parts bill is around $250 Canadian (or about $3.56 US :P). A more minor fix to a make it very usable is only about $70 (shaft, shaft bearing, gears, and some other random parts). I’ll make a decision on it.. if I go full, I will try to make it something special (custom paint, etc) to maximize what I get for the effort.
Luca :)

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