Timing?

[Nigel Heather]

For a given motor, how do you know what timing to set the ESC too.  ESC are configurable to Hi/Med/Lo as a minimum, some offer a more finer setting.  But the required timing is not often stated in the motor's specification.

 

So how do you know what setting to use?

[MattyB]

 

 

https://www.radiocontrolinfo.com/timing-explained-for-brushless-motor-and-escs/

 

 

Edited February 18, 2023 by MattyB

[Nigel Heather]

Thanks for this - I already knew the basics but this added some more detail which is useful to know.

 

But essentially, what strikes me as odd, is that motors (especially branded ones) don't come with recommended timing - especially where you have an ESC which rather than offering LO/MED/HI expects you to select one from ten specific angles.

 

Cheers,

 

Nigel

[Simon Chaddock]

Nigel

I think you will find you have to be operating towards the limits of the ESC & motor before motor timing becomes an issue.

Even the high rpm of your average EDF manage with the default timing settings provided the wiring installation follows sound principles.

 

So far I have not needed to change the timing on any ESC and have found it much more likely to overheat and destroy it than worry about its timing.  

 

 

[Dickw]

Jeti recommend timing of 8° - 12° for their geared 4 pole motors, so at least one manufacturer bothers. No idea why the others don't but perhaps, as Simon says, it only matters when the motor and ESC are pushed hard and that would tend to be the case for many people buying the Jeti motors.

 

Dick

[John Lee]

Likewise Axi provide the information - must be a Czech thing!

 

[GrumpyGnome]

I've been flying electric stuff for decades and never worried about timing...caveat is I don't want to extract 100% performance.. just enjoy flying

[SIMON CRAGG]

I recently attended a presentation by 4Max, and George gave a very interesting overview on timing matters.

 

For example, he confirmed that Hobbywing Skywalker ESC's are usually set to Low, and that it was always worth experimenting.

 

Armed with my Watt meter, I recorded the various readings on High, Medium and Low settings, and there was an appreciable difference.

 

Not something to be overly worried about, but if your new pride and joy seems down on power, try adjusting the timing, as it could make all the difference!.

 

 

[Graham Bowers]

14 hours ago, SIMON CRAGG said:

I recently attended a presentation by 4Max, and George gave a very interesting overview on timing matters.

 

For example, he confirmed that Hobbywing Skywalker ESC's are usually set to Low, and that it was always worth experimenting.

 

Armed with my Watt meter, I recorded the various readings on High, Medium and Low settings, and there was an appreciable difference.

 

Not something to be overly worried about, but if your new pride and joy seems down on power, try adjusting the timing, as it could make all the difference!.

 

 

Very interesting. Are there any potential "gotchas" that can result from uninformed experimentation, did he say please? (I just checked the 4-max website in case there was any information by the way, but no).

[Dickw]

We certainly played with timing back in the brushed motor and nicad days when power was marginal at best. Advancing timing increased  power up to a point and then just added more heat, so it was best done with an ammeter or wattmeter attached and measuring rpm. Going the other way could reduce current and give a longer motor run.

 

Dick

[SIMON CRAGG]

2 hours ago, Graham Bowers said:

Very interesting. Are there any potential "gotchas" that can result from uninformed experimentation, did he say please? (I just checked the 4-max website in case there was any information by the way, but no).

The only "gotcha" to be aware of is if the motor starts to squeal according to George.l!

 

I have heard this on club mates models in the past, but not that often.

 

Its a bit like "pinking" when we used to tune car engines in the past, by turning the distributer to obtain the best running, which was just before the engine started to pink.

 

So, if you have got a model that could do with a small power increase, its got to be worth a go!.

 

Probably worth playing around with a few different props, Lipo "c" ratings and the trusty Watt meter, so you can build up some sort of picture, as to what works and what doesn't.

 

 

[Chris Walby]

But as with "pinking" there is a down side...if persisted usually a hole through the top of the piston results! Call me a traditionalist but that is normally quite expensive. 

 

All well and good mucking about on a test rig or something low value and glides well, but if its only a marginal gain sounds like the risk does not out weigh the benefit for me.

 

Everyone else crack on and post your results..😉

[SIMON CRAGG]

3 hours ago, Chris Walby said:

But as with "pinking" there is a down side...if persisted usually a hole through the top of the piston results! Call me a traditionalist but that is normally quite expensive. 

 

All well and good mucking about on a test rig or something low value and glides well, but if its only a marginal gain sounds like the risk does not out weigh the benefit for me.

 

Everyone else crack on and post your results..😉

Back in the day I used to tune and rallycross a variety of cars. I never, ever heard of anybody kicking the backside out of the their tuning regime to the extent of burning a hole in a piston. Like anything tuning, a bit of common sense is required. If it doesn't sound right, it probably isn't. Timing is not a black art, its nothing to be scared of.