RC Basics: Brushed Or Brushless For Scale Crawling?

Just starting off in scale crawling? Confused whether you should choose brushed or brushless? Here's a little explanation on the pros and cons!

So first thing we need to do is talk about the differences between a brushed motor and a brushless motor. A brushed motor has the magnets on the casing, and the windings on the rotor. Brushed motors are usually lower cost, higher maintenance, and better for low speed control. They contain "brushes", which needs to be replaced every so often to maintain the best performance, whereas brushless doesn't require these "brushes" to operate. Brushed motors are also fully operable underwater, and won't be damaged.

Brushless motors are inside out, meaning that they have the windings on the can, and the magnets on the rotor. Brushless also come as sensored or sensorless. Sensored Motors have an additional multi-wire loom that connects the ESC to the motor, which tells your ESC the exact position of the rotor inside your brushless motor through three Hall Effect sensors. This gives you better control over your throttle. Sensorless doesn't have that, so they determine the position of the rotor using back-EMF (Electromotive Force). This will usually lead to "cogging" at the low end of your throttle spectrum. Brushless motors can be used underwater, but only if you do some waterproofing first. Inside the brushless motor, there's a board that can short if it meets water, so best to keep it dry!

So what's good for scale crawling? Brushed motors, like Snow Panther, are usually known as the go-to type of motor for scale crawling, and for good reason. Low throttle control is much easier to achieve with a brushed set-up, and the cost to replace brushed motors makes it an affordable undertaking. You don't even need to replace entire brushed motors, just replace the brushes in it and take care of your motors and you'll be just fine. Completely submergible in water, and usually easy to set-up, there's a reason why brushed motors are currently king.

Brushless set-ups can work for you if you'd prefer. The good thing about them is that they're much easier to maintain. You don't have to replace brushes and they're much more power efficient than a brushed setup. However, at low throttle speeds, if you're using a sensorless set-up, cogging is much more prevalent. Sensored brushless systems can work to your advantage though if you decide to. It's a bigger initial investment, but with proper maintenance, care, and driving, it will last you a lot longer! Set-ups such as Hobbywing's Brushless Systems can be both affordable and effective!

Let us know if you have any questions! If you want us to explain anything, please email us at editorial@asiatees.com!

SHOP NOW

Author: Chris Chu

Tags: Motors, RC Basics, Tutorials, Tutorial, Brushed, Brushless

Share: http://asiate.es/read?l=Y_EWCSMXKV9