Home Build Electric Motor

[Tim Cheal]

My son is completing an EPQ for his A levesl and has decided to build a powered aircraft. The project needs to be his own design and use a 'motor' that is homebuilt. I can work with him on the airframe design etc but he is looking for an electric motor that can be built from a kit.

Anybody know of such a kit we could purchase to power a small (say 40 inch) RC aircraft?

Tim

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

I doubt that this or another of their products would normally be cost effective (especially with import duty etc). but it might fit your purpose?

[Simon B]

Micron Scorpion kits

As above, but UK based.

Edited By Simon B on 23/07/2012 14:08:02

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

It's not very clear if they are kits or pre-built and if kits they may be for a very high Kv unsuitable for a conventional F/W model. Mind you, researching and documenting his own wire spec. to wind a lower Kv version might go down well...a call to the company might be useful.

Edited By Martin Harris on 23/07/2012 14:23:59

[Simon B]

It's extremely clear:

"Each kit contains the following parts:

• Assembled stator constructed from laminations with powder-coated inner surfaces to prevent winding shorts
• Gold Electro-coated Rear Housing/Bearing Tube assembly
• High-speed shielded ball bearings
• Rotor assembly with gold electro-coated front housing, black electro-coated flux ring, and pre-installed motor shaft with retaining collar
• Cross style aluminium backplate mount with mounting screws (not HK motors)
• Complete set of curved NdFeB motor magnets
• Heat shrink tubing to cover motor leads and provide strain relief

 

To complete the kit, the builder needs to:

• Wind and terminate the stator
• Glue the stator in place on the bearing holder
• Install the bearings into the bearing holder
• Glue the magnets into the flux ring
• Install the completed rotor assembly onto the bearing assembly and secure the shaft with the retaining collar."
• 
  
  There are links through to the motors showing different kV ratings, so you just need to find out the windings required.
  
  All the motors are around the 100-200w mark at 11.1v, which would be perfect for a 40" model.

 

Edited By Simon B on 23/07/2012 16:24:22

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

Simon, what I couldn't decide was whether what they had in stock (very limited and probably unsuitable for the application described) were the kits or the pre-built versions (as suggested by the description on the page that linked to the HK versions they had in stock) - hence the suggestion for Tim to give them a quick call...sorry if I didn't make that clear.

Edited By Martin Harris on 23/07/2012 17:05:57

[Simon B]

Ah right, i see. I agree he should give them a call, but a 100 - 200w motor would be fine for a basic 1lb 40" plane and the specs for the motors in the ranges will do this, the only variance being KV.

[Tim Cheal]

Thanks all for your very helpful and speedy responses.

I have just tried to call Micron Radio Control but was not able to speak to anyone. I shall try and get hold of them tomorrow to see if they have any kit versions.

Your help greatly appreciated, along with any other ideas if anybody else has any.

I wasn't sure what size either, but the 200w sounds like a good pointer. Would this need a 2S or 3S battery do you think?

Thank you.

Tim

[Simon B]

for the size of plane i'd say 3s, unless it's a glider.

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

...unless it's a 5900Kv wind! That might need rather a small prop if you want to keep the magic smoke in!

[Simon B]

EDF at that size would be fine!