A Comprehensive Guide for Finding the Best RC Motor
A Comprehensive Guide for Finding the Best RC Motor
Remember the first day you fell in love with an RC? I bet you would have appreciated the way the car performed on the floor. Later, when time made you a pro, you would have realized that sustainability of the driving motor matters more than its performance.
Now that you are here, we know that you would for sure be planning to upgrade your favourite RC’s motor or build an RC customized for your unique needs from scratch. Either way choosing an RC motor can get tricky as there are a lot of parameters to be considered before you invest your money on one.
This article is written with an intention of being a comprehensive guide to RC owners to help them find the best RC motor. We will try keeping it simple and easy so that you can have more time using the motor than reading about it.
Choosing Between a Brushed vs Brushless DC Motors
If you are an RC car enthusiast, you might be knowing that Electric RC cars use DC motors to convert the electrical energy into mechanical energy. There are four different types of DC motors for RC cars available in the market viz; Brushed motor, Brushless motor, Servo motor & Vibrating motor.
Out of these motors, brushed & brushless motors are the commonly found one in RC vehicles. To keep things simple, we will focus on these two types of motors for now.
Brushed & Brushless DC motors
Brushed & Brushless DC motors are the two configurations of DC motors. They are essentially the same when it comes to fundamental working principles, the only difference between them lies in the way they convert electrical energy into mechanical energy.
As the name suggests, Brushed DC motors use a carbon brush to convert electrical power into mechanical energy whereas Brushless motors do not.
The fact that brushless motors do not use a brush to produce mechanical energy, makes them highly efficient than brushed motors. Apart from this, they are also faster than brushed motors counterparts.
Note that brushless motors tend to fall on the pricey side. But if you were to look for an upgrade, we highly recommend you to invest money on a Brushless motor for your RC vehicle.
What Are the Parameters to Consider Before Choosing an RC Motor?
As said earlier, there are several factors to be considered before selecting a motor for your RC. This section will discuss in detail the various parameters that are to be considered.
Vehicle Characteristics:
The Size, weight & aerodynamics of your RC are crucial parameters you need to consider before buying a motor as they determine the speed, torque and power requirements of the electric motor.
Operating Current
There are two current values one need to consider before buying a motor.
Operating Current
Stall Current
Essentially it is the current that powers the motor, and you want just the right amount of current on your motor windings. Operating current is the average amount of current the motor is expected to draw under typical torque.
Stall current is for RC planes & helicopters. It is the maximum amount of current the motor should be able to draw to apply enough torque for the plane/helicopter to run at stall speed or 0RPM.
Finding the optimum operating current & stall current of the motor is important in the design of heat sinks to prevent the motor coils from overheating or melting.
Motor Size
The physical size of the motor has to be a decisive factor in choosing a motor for your RC. Look for the size of the motor on the motor case to ensure that the new engine can fit perfectly. Generally, the motor’s size will be indicated by a number that looks something similar to ’24-07′. 24 is the width of the motor, and 07 is its height.
It is important to note that bigger motors produce more torque, and people who are relatively new to the world of RC tend to buy bigger motors for more power. Well, there is a disadvantage to using bigger motors that most people are unaware of.
The larger the motor, the heavier your RC vehicle is going to be. With an increase in weight, your RC is going to have a lot more momentum, and you are going to need a more robust chassis to withstand accidents. You would also require better suspensions & breaks.
Which increases the momentum of your RC. This means that you would need better chassis for impact protection, better suspensions for stability & new breaks!
The wattage of the Motor
Watt is the unit of the overall power of a motor. Higher the wattage, the powerful the engine will be. If you are only planning to upgrade your RC vehicle’s motor, make sure that you check the rating of your vehicle’s Electronic Speed Controller (ECS).
Ideally, you should have an ECS with a rating that is at least 20% larger than the wattage of the motor. For instance, if a motor were to pull 20A, you would need a 30A ECS.
Now that you have an idea on the basic parameters, you need to keep in mind before investing in an RC motor, know that it is essential to know the manufacturers recommendation while upgrading your engine. Similarly, suppose you are planning to build an RC vehicle from scratch. In that case, we suggest you refer the manufacturers’ recommendation for the model you expect to have once you are done building!
Conclusion
You also need to keep in mind that upgrading your RC car isn’t all about the motor you use. It’s just that the other parameters are beyond the scope of this article. If you still have doubts regarding choosing the best RC motor, feel free to contact us.
So, if you are still with us with a better understanding and clarity, we recommend you to have a look at the collection of RC motors we have with us here.