Electric Motor Guide

[peedee]

Hi i was wanting if anyone could give me a quick guide on motors…im getting a yokomo mr4tc as sum may have read, i think i will get a novak gty esc and either futaba magnum or jr xr2 radio, although unsure of what motor..i am only gunna get 10t and under for super speeds 🙂 anyway i was wondering runtimes and how often i would have to replace brushes on like 10, 8, 5 turn motors i will be using ballistic 6cell 3300 batts…
If anyone can help it would be great thanks

[Nismospeed]

as far as i know, the lower the turn the more you got to look after it…eg a 6 turn motor would only be good for a really large area,and ive heard they only last a few races,(due to heat and what not)…i guess if you looked after it changed the brushes every 3 runs or so and keep it clean and oiled it will be fine….and a 6 turn motor is NOT used for stoping and starting or tight tracks….you will damage the motor….
id go a 10 turn reedy kr motor…they are supposed to be the best! but pricey..saw one on eb@y for $90…
sorry for the long post
cheers
dan

[peedee]

yea i was thinkin either that or a fantom triple wind 10t

[Nismospeed]

yeah there ok…..havent tryed one but heard there allright
i had a core stock…but somthing happened and it blew….i mean BLEW UP smoke and all
but id go a reedy….top gear they are

[KingRX7]

10 turn isnt the best….. BRUSHLESS is the best although it is expensive. But remember for every low turn motor you will need a esc that can handle that motor/battery pack which will be expensive. Brushless also have pretty much no maitnence.

[Nismospeed]

yes the novak brushless system is very sweet..
supposed to be the same as a 10t motor…..

[peedee]

nah im getting a brushless emaxx like when i save up 3grand so probly like next yr sometime because im getting like gorilla maxx chassy etc to make the e withstand it im getting the hacker brushless.

[Nismospeed]

waste of money……

[peedee]

your waste of money may not be mine…we have an unlimited monster truck category so i wanna kick arse

[Star Guitar]

well since ur now getting the wildhobbies special project hpi savave .21 i guess u wont be needing a brushless for anythin unles u want brushless tl01 which is pretty stupid anyway.

[peedee]

i dunno they both are good just back to the old argument nitro vs electric….

[jamiekulhanek]

Its all fine to have the best hardware, but what about the driver???

[Nismospeed]

yes a good driver helps……i need more practice

[peedee]

i can drive a car, ive driven a kyosho inferno kanaii (i think thats how u speel it) edition of my uncle, piece of cake ofter a few bumps…ive been drovin tyco all my life:smiley2:

[Nismospeed]

yep well thats fine then what motor you intending to buy??…….i got a kyosho rally car on its way with a 20 turn motor….ive never ran anything better than a super stock….but they are faster than some lower price 20turn motors…..
cheers
dan

[PandaBear]

Quote:

yes the novak brushless system is very sweet..
supposed to be the same as a 10t motor…..

Yup. On a track the Novak SS 5800 system runs like an
approx 10t motor, perhaps even with a bit more torque.

Its the best thing for bashing if you don’t mind the initial
co$t. Zero maintenance, the motor has no holes to let dirt in
and motor & ESC are protected by over-temperature cutoffs.

Novak has also recently announced a High Voltage (14.4V)
version of the BL for the E-Maxx and similar trucks; quote:

Quote:

The HV-Maxx motor is a high-voltage brushless motor that provides longer run times than other 550-size motors used in the Traxxas E-Maxx, and is virtually maintenance-free since it has no brushes, brush springs, or commutator to true or wear out. Using sensor-based technology, the HV-Maxx motor provides awesome starting torque, low-speed driveability, and low cogging for smooth acceleration and smooth coasting. Direct-solder wiring tabs make wire replacement convenient and easy. Locked Rotor and Thermal protection allows pack after pack to be run without fear of damaging the motor, battery, or speed control.

As for *when* it actually ships… who knows? 👿
(ie we waited 2+ yrs for the SS 5800… :dead:)

[PandaBear]

Quote:

…anyway i was wondering runtimes and how often i would have to replace brushes on like 10, 8, 5 turn motors i will be using ballistic 6cell 3300 batts…

Brush replacement isn’t your main concern… but comm maintenance is.
There is no point just replacing brushes if the comm is burnt-up bad.

The comm (commutator) needs to be trued (cut/shaved/lathed) on a
high-speed comm lathe so that its perfectly round again and have
fresh copper showing. This means you need regular access to a lathe
– either owning one, or know someone who can do it for you.

Usually don’t have to change the brushes every time you comm cut,
but you really must comm cut before you put any new brushes in
otherwise the new brushes will not seat properly. All new brushes
also need to be run in properly before putting motor into any car.

CHOICE of brushes is also important, don’t just buy them in bulk
from the $2 shop. Brush material (compound) makes a big difference.
“Hard” brushes made from high silver content give better current
passing capacity, but chew up the comm faster.

When racing, ppl generally do motor maintenance only when the
performance drops off and the motor gets sluggish. Racing gives
motors a hard life, but generally you can get about 5 runs
out of a 10t before needing work. 8t go slow after 2 runs.

5t aren’t too common yet… but some of the pros have tried 6t.
Just call them “one run disposables”. 👿

[jamiekulhanek]

Tell me about it, my Plasma Dash motor in the Z takes about 5-10 runs before it needs to have the comm polished, and the brushes re-seated.

Even though i dont shave the comm, Performance bounces back just as good as before.

I’m sure i could make a small comm lathe…. it cant be that hard, right??

[jamiekulhanek]

Id love a brushless system, NO MAINTAINENCE, motor maintainence is a pain in the ass, a car that is reliable, never fails is great, but when it constantly fails (the F&*$en GH2), its horrible, i got so mad with my hopped i kicked it and chucked it as far as i could, i.e. i would spend a couple of days fixing it, then after a 30 sec run it was all over, back to square 1. This happened many times until i lost my tether….and got sweet revenge, which was very stupid, broke the back gearbox-chassis mounts….

[PandaBear]

Quote:

I’m sure i could make a small comm lathe…. it cant be that hard, right??

Lathe is priced like any other tool.

If precision is not an issue, then sure – anything is possible.
You could even just turn it in a powerdrill’s chuck… or knock
one up out of wood without too much hassles.

But if you’re after a good finish on your cut, then the good models
sold as pit lathes for 540 armatures will give you a smooth shiny
surface on your comm. All the good ones are made out of big slabs
of chunky aluminium for the best stability.

Diamond cutting bit alone is RRP’d at A$240 at the LHS…! 😯

[PandaBear]

Quote:

Id love a brushless system, NO MAINTAINENCE, motor maintainence is a pain in the ass, a car that is reliable, never fails is great, but when it constantly fails (the F&*$en GH2), its horrible…

All cars do need maintenance, so its all a matter of how much you
do that prevents trouble later on. You would not believe how many
idiots just think their RC cars will soldier on forever, without
even the most basic of cleaning or checking. Case in point… some
dude just stuck his head into a LHS I happened to be at the other
day and asked “can you break these things?”. (Hell yeah!) 👿

Brushless RC is a dream… lots of power, no deterioration.
However it does get too tempting to just keep on driving
forever and ever – each time the BL’d TBe3 visits the track
and gets run continuously for 2 hrs, it just about needs
a total rebuild & overhaul. (The car, not the motor system.)
And big reminder… these things are NOT waterproof! :dead:

Sane brushed motors shouldn’t need much maintenance anyway.
I think I run stockers about 30-50 times before they get a cut,
and that’s only when I get in the mood to play with the lathe.
They only need a thin skim at most too, even with the pretty
seriously high gearing we run them at on the track.

Broken bits should always be replaced by new ones… have yet
to find any glue that will fix broken bits satisfactorily.
Usually the only failures on the Hornet are the bits that have
been patched up before, otherwise it doesn’t really cause much
headache. Too simple anyway… no belts, no pulleys, no one-way
bearings, no exposed gears… what’s else there to go wrong?

[jamiekulhanek]

True, but they may aswell make the chassis from spaghetti, its so weak!!

I ran my hopper many times without rebuilding the motor (i attack the comm with brasso as i don’t have a lathe). But my mini Z motor needs to have the comm cleaned and the brushes re-seated after 5-10 runs.

Noobs, we either love ’em, or hate ’em.

[PandaBear]

Quote:

True, but they may aswell make the chassis from spaghetti, its so weak!!

Plastics probably get brittle with age & exposure to oils & UV.
(nobody really knows for sure either, all plastics still too young)

And with RC cars, they’re made as toys so nobody at the factory
really cared how long the plastics lasted back then. Only lately
last 5-10yrs have ppl started ‘collecting’ these things.
Think Dinky toys and slotcars too.

Definitely back in mid 1980s the original Grasshopper was a very
popular car, many kids had them and of course we did stupid things
with them. Anything you can think of, we probably did do it –
fireworks & flammable liquids included. And even with all that
abuse, they held up pretty well… bumper mounts usual 1st casualty.

These days, even just *running* the same damned GH/Hornet seems
to put new stressmarks into the chassis tubs…!! 😯

But any of the latest cars… they all hold up pretty well.
Don’t usually see any breakage apart from impact accidents.
In a modern Tamiya kit, there’s usually 3-4 different types
of plastics used in the various parts so I guess they improved
their technology a lot too since then.

[jamiekulhanek]

Interesting……i spend more time repairing my hopper than driving it, i.e. 1:3 Drive-Repair ratio.

[jamiekulhanek]

Fireworks???

[Nismospeed]

“fireworks hey!!”
thats “hopping mad!!!”..LOL
i am never going to have a hopper again, i really dont like em, hey jamie, you got the hopper working with parts i gave you??
friend of mine just got a NIB grasshopper 2 for $40!
and ive got a M03 on the way to my place, then after that ill have a tamiya boomerang on its way too….weird looking car, but cheap for $40!
dan

[jamiekulhanek]

Daniel, build it for the shelf, dont race it….could be worth more than that in a few years (maybe)

Nah dan i dont have a spare motor for it 🙁

I was thinking of putting a 4:1 planetary gear box and attaching a tamiya plasma dash, which would give the car the speed of a johnson 540. Not fast or reliable, but could be interesting.

[Nismospeed]

yeah the boomerang is cheap, its mine soon as i pay for it, it’s not worth much, same as hopper but way better
as for the M03 its a fast reliable chassis…cant wait to get it, its in the mail now
i dont have a spare motor to lend you, ive only got the one…

[jamiekulhanek]

i wasnt asking matey, i really CBF with cars right this second, Summer is coming, that means no R/C ing and lots of tuning swimming and sunbaking 🙂

[Nismospeed]

……………..”yawn”…boring!!!

[PandaBear]

Where there’s water there’ll be a beach… and room for RC buggy or boat… :blush:

Girls? What’s that?? blackeye:

[Nismospeed]

yep if go to the beach, my buggy is coming with me!

[Author]

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