RC Electric Motor Questions Answered
Do you have questions about RC Car Motors, RC Truck Motors, RC Boat Motors? Well here’s some information about Electric RC Motors.
Big “Comm” & Small “Comm” Generally speaking, big commutators provide more torque while the regular size commutator provides more rpms. Big comms: high load, high current applications, good for Off Road racing. Small comms: high rpms, lower current applications, good for On Road racing.
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Number of Turns Refers to how many times the copper wire is wound around each pole of the armature. Basic guide:
More Turns (e.g. 19T) = Higher torque, less rpm, longer battery life. Slower but easier to drive. May provide more acceleration but lower top speed.
Less Turns (e.g. 12T) = Less torque, more rpm, shorter battery life. Faster but more difficult to drive.
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Number of Winds The number of winds refer to the number of wires wound around the armature. Basic guide: Single Wind = Most bottom end power, great acceleration. Power is achieved at lower rpms. For short racing tracks with a lot of turns.
Double / Triple / Quad = Less bottom end power, less acceleration. Power is achieved at higher rpms. For long racing tracks with long straights, higher top speeds.
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Comm Drops Usually designed to increase power in stock motors, and usually increases rpms. But using commutator drops would require frequent motor rebuilding. Use only a few drops before each run, and clean the motor with a high quality motor spray after each run.
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Hand Wound versus Machine Wound The method of wrapping wires around the armature is either done by a machine or a human. Hand wound is more precise, more power, more expensive. Machine wound is less precise, less power, less expensive.
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Balancing The typical RC electric motor has 3 poles, with each pole having wires wound around it. If each pole is properly balanced, then the armature can rotate smoothly, providing maximum power. There are two methods used to get a balanced armature. One is by removing material from the armature pole. This method will also reduce the motor’s power. The better method is to apply epoxy to balance the armatures. This is better because it will not affect the magnetic field, and not reduce power.
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Heat Sinks
Heat is the major enemy, especially in electric motors. So to get the maximum power it is important to keep your motor as cool as possible. Aluminum heat sinks help dissipate heat and keep your motor cool.