Motor Power Usage Tests

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Namuna
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Motor Power Usage Tests

Post by Namuna »

I've already done these tests before, but this time with more motors and a little different testing environment (no PCB middleman). Still can't get pictures in my gallery, so yet again I can only promise pictures are coming soon.

Motors Tested
Tomy: 1.0, 1.6, 2.2 and 2.6
ZipZaps: Stock, Performance, Turbo and Racing
Bit Char-Gmotors: 2.6, 3.0, 3.2 and 3.8
TinyRC: 3.8, R-Spec and Formula34

Testing Environment
The Motors were mounted in a clip from a work badge (looks like a big alligator clip) with a ground wire run through touching the barrel when mounted. To provide the power, the ground wire was run to one side of a battery (a fully charged, 160mAH NiMH Bit battery) and the negative was run through my Digital Multimeter (in series, to get readings) and then to the metal piece on the motor endbell to close the circuit and get the motor running.

In previous tests the Bits' PCB was in the middle and any limitation of the PCB wouldn't tainted the results. This time the tests are done straight from the power source.

I tested for no load against the motor and 'stalled' (the motor shaft was forcefully held not to spin).


Results:
All results are in MilliAmps (mA)
First number is under no load, second is stalled

Tomy
1.0: 34.5 / 93.3
1.6: 68.4 / 178.6
2.2: 64 / 259.3
2.6: 30.5 / 275.6

ZipZaps
Stock(Green): 26.9 / 122.3
Performance(Red): 37.6 / 227.1
Turbo(Yellow): 39.6 / 244
Racing(Orange): 57.6 / 273.6

Bit Char-Gmotors
2.6: 30.5 / 275.6
3.0: 294.8 / 310.6 (wow!)
3.2: 87 / 295.7
3.8: 106 / 344.8

TinyRC
3.8: 80 / 345.8 (Nice!)
R-Spec: 102 / 340.8
Formula34: 82.5 / 339.4

Final Thoughts
There's 2 things these numbers tell you; motor efficiency (runtime) and how much juice it'll demand to spin the wheels (torque).

The numbers under no load gives you an idea of the effiency of the Motor, the lower the number the less power it demands and therefore longer runtimes. Take the Tomy 2.2 vs the 2.6, even though the 2.6 is a higher RPM motor it uses less power when running and will last considerably longer than the 2.2!

The stalled numbers (I believe, not positive on this note) indicates how much the motor will demand for power to spin the wheels. The higher the number, the more torque it has...I'll have more concrete info when I do the 'hill climb' tests. I'm especially interested in that Bit Char-Gmotor 3.0, at no load it's pulling A LOT of juice!
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Post by CaboWabo »

awesome job again Namuna.
Proof positive, I really like the 2.6 from bit char-gmotors.
and I'm still gonna get an Rspec one of these days! lol
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Motor Troubles (Squeeking)

Post by ZzComputerKillerzZ »

mag nuts passing over a field of coiled wire makes harmonics dB picked up buy the human ear some people can here its whistle like a dog hears a dog whistle mostly produced buy an electric motor under a under volt aged load
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Re: Motor Troubles (Squeeking)

Post by hue35 »

ZzComputerKillerzZ wrote:mag nuts passing over a field of coiled wire makes harmonics dB picked up buy the human ear some people can here its whistle like a dog hears a dog whistle mostly produced buy an electric motor under a under volt aged load
Try using some punctuation, please. This might be interesting, but it's too fuckin' hard to read.
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MotorGong
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Post by MotorGong »

I just recently had this problem. This motor squeeking thing.

It's from a 3.0, and I forget if it's a MS 3.0 or a Bit Char-g Lucifer Rotor 3.0, as they both look the same and I kinda got 'em mixed up.
I can tell that the motor's performance is lacking along with the squeeking sound.

I tried a few motors in my dual cell. I remember trying one of the 3.0s I had. Could that have done it, like ruined the motor?
I didn't think so..... :???:
I've been running a off-brand ToyNK 3.8 in the dual cell pretty consistently, and all is well so far.

Perhaps I didn't fry or wreck anything, and it's just a short life span motor?
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Post by CaboWabo »

Like this noise?
http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGa ... 176&pos=20

Probably just a bad motor. I've had a few get squeeky on me, especially in dual celled chassis. I think the brushes aren't sitting correctly and no amount of "break-in" will re-seat them.
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MotorGong
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Post by MotorGong »

Yeah, that noise. :grin:
I forgot to mention I watched the vid first, and linked to this thread from there.

Well, that sucks! :grin: I don't own many 3.0s, 2 left I believe. I've given some away, darnit! lol

And it's exactly that kind of squeeking. Not the squeeking of the gears at high RPMs, but the motor squeeking. Ergh!
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Post by betty.k »

simple. oil the motor. a little bit where the shaft leaves the can.
i used to be cool
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Post by ph2t »

yeah, the squeaking is the motor shaft spinning off centre....vibrating against the endbell/bushing. Oiling it VERY slightly will help.

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Post by crazydave »

Damn it, I love you Aussies just for being sensible. :eek:

My first motor I bought with my first bit was a pink endbell 3.8, and it squealed really bad, and often would not move until you gave the car a push. I put the tiniest, teeniest dab of oil on the bushing and that totally fixed it.

I mentioned that at TRC and they crucified me, for using wet lube in a closed endebell motor. My attitude at the time was like, "Jesus Christ you fucking idiots. The motor did not work, now it does work, and you're gonna tell me I ruined it? How does that make any sense?"

Turned out that was my fastest motor ever. It died when I ran it for 20 minutes non-stop and the endbell melted.
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Post by MotorGong »

crazydave wrote:My first motor I bought with my first bit was a pink endbell 3.8, and it squealed really bad, and often would not move until you gave the car a push.
That's exactly what's going on with this motor.

Can I use this stuff? http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?c ... id=64-2301

It's a needle tip Precision Lubricator supposedly made for electronics.
I have a tube, but it would be just like me to put the wrong shiat in. :grin:
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Post by crazydave »

MotorGong wrote:
crazydave wrote:My first motor I bought with my first bit was a pink endbell 3.8, and it squealed really bad, and often would not move until you gave the car a push.
That's exactly what's going on with this motor.

Can I use this stuff? http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?c ... id=64-2301

It's a needle tip Precision Lubricator supposedly made for electronics.
I have a tube, but it would be just like me to put the wrong shiat in. :grin:
That stuff is perfect, its made for electric motors. :-o

Just let a drop run down the shaft into the bushing, and spin it few times to work it in, and wipe any excess off, so it don't attract dirt. Don't go nuts with it, just the ittiest bittiest drop will do ya,
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Post by DarkTari »

I used to get squeaky motors when I raced HO scale, it was common. I used Singer sewing maching oil that back in the day, was quite a secret weapon. It was light, made for electrical machinery, and was free (as a kid I had nothing else but that red oil gel that was used for HO's back then) and my mother didn't use her sewing maching at that time.

I did a motor test about 1 1/2 years ago, testing motors from 1.0 - 4.2 from different makers and different gear sets. The only one I had a squealing problem with was the RCMod "Phast" motor! Both of them sqealed like they were being fucked, and they were brand new (never used). I contacted RCMod and he replaced them but I never got to do a test run with them, they didn't squeal though. I could've oiled them but these were new motors, and expensive by today's standards so I wanted replacements 8-)
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Post by jhick40 »

are any of these motors besides the zz a direct drop in? or do they all require mods?
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Post by Cheesehead »

Could anyone post the specs of the ZZMT motors?
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Triple the speed...
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