1406 Sensored Motor Competitive Testing
11/10/16 - Thermal performance and power handling are two of the most important aspects of any motor design. Both of these were key design considerations for the engineering team at Castle during the development of our 1406 Sensored motor line. Throughout the development process, testing was constantly performed to ensure we were developing the best motor possible. It is important for us to see how we stack up against our competition to ensure we are providing our customers with the best product.
Near the end of our development, we designed and completed a series of tests that was a direct comparison of thermal performance between our 1406 Sensored motor and a number of competitor’s 2-pole modified 7.5T motors. The competitor’s motors were chosen because they represent a popular setup that is similar in Kv (or top speed) to the Castle 1406 4600 Sensored motor.
In these tests, we used a motor dynamometer (dyno) in order to simulate two real-world loads that these motors are likely to encounter during a typical run. We set up the dyno so that it held the output power of the motor at 200W and 300W for the two series of tests we performed. This means that through a 5-minute test the motor output a constant and equal amount of power. We did this because we wanted to make sure our test was a fair comparison of real-world loads and was not affected by slight differences in motor Kv or speed under load.
The temperature of each motor was monitored throughout the test. Some of the motors tested have better or poorer thermal connection between the internals of the motor and the outside of the motor can. In order to keep the test fair we monitored the temperature of each motor on the motor coils directly. The motor coils are a good representation of how close the motor is to actual failure. In practice, most people measure the outside of the motor can because it is convenient. Temperatures on the outside of the motor can are always lower than those of the coils, often by more than 60ᵒF (33ᵒC). In the results you will notice the temperatures are higher than you would expect on the motor can, and this is why.
After running this test on all of the motor samples, we averaged all of the competitor’s motors together into a single line to compare to the Castle 1406 Sensored motor.
.jpg?Policy=eyJTdGF0ZW1lbnQiOlt7IlJlc291cmNlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9kemY4dnF2MjRlcWhnLmNsb3VkZnJvbnQubmV0L3VzZXJmaWxlcy80NjcxLzY1NDAvY2tmaW5kZXIvaW1hZ2VzL0NvbXBldGl0aXZlJTIwVGVzdGluZyUyMEEoMSkuanBnIiwiQ29uZGl0aW9uIjp7IkRhdGVMZXNzVGhhbiI6eyJBV1M6RXBvY2hUaW1lIjoxNzU2ODY3MDA3fX19XX0_&Signature=jynHEw-KNSUh02yjBUlqdwWeyOQYtrmvW-tfjy86PToxVClrXagN4k7I3VHIBqevbvYPzM5hK2AEOQsIVy1uj-JEhcutRiqpIiCGU60ei7PVMX-YGftZ6NdxTb6m6tkxxNmoqSNA34rr0BnRRhEOqxvMwF9LAWGGSPJBjlnvk5yI32IFqYB8kHcVwr-w0~iiPlNOdNaKHKx~JmT5tWV09mfRon-itgiFnXcyso2Da0QfXeF7RgfwDs-Q0343WU~NAHPRKrQEISQp6Oz2fV2st-irSl9oQ2XnO~w~jDo9h0wRv7eDeDqMWynWjrCe93aXunWQ73FnBgmDuol3yBUjgQ__&Key-Pair-Id=K2TK3EG287XSFC)
The test results were very definitive. The graph above shows a constant 200W power output. This would be representative of a very mildly geared race setup. As you can see, by the end of the 5-minute test, the competitor’s motor temperature (red line) increased much faster the Castle 1406 Sensored motor (green line). This means you can run longer without worrying about your motor temperature with the Castle motor. This also means that the Castle motor is more efficient, losing less power into wasted heat, and using less of your battery’s charge giving you a longer runtime.
.jpg?Policy=eyJTdGF0ZW1lbnQiOlt7IlJlc291cmNlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9kemY4dnF2MjRlcWhnLmNsb3VkZnJvbnQubmV0L3VzZXJmaWxlcy80NjcxLzY1NDAvY2tmaW5kZXIvaW1hZ2VzL0NvbXBldGl0aXZlJTIwVGVzdGluZyUyMEIoMSkuanBnIiwiQ29uZGl0aW9uIjp7IkRhdGVMZXNzVGhhbiI6eyJBV1M6RXBvY2hUaW1lIjoxNzU2ODY3MDA3fX19XX0_&Signature=oAyGO4uGuS3rQK-Su8yu3MRHUpIRbVdwSNnLor2qmhcw8J7AZfRtjbNNRslu6dduvcmaUCiekvmYhc1WdYOafkUr2-822KC1ZGsoGTTZmY-ieDLCQ1XheUGIc9xlVWPScXdusjMTnKHS9cicyO-fT7xeuLUZuS~rSB029B6Od66GAY0CRGKLgAyqkO5rci3T0AGmX0yXO2kmf~RiVA-ANxXnQ-yO6PC93~dEEBa1LBE5k9PL7IWZlJFODiWAUqyP5-o5aQL3gwtXzXFWdxsg3MdQj9fqDGAAtF6Uotmj-z1vJZqX5dcM~VyJfDszPVLRMAB6KnojdvreBDmQGRNiPg__&Key-Pair-Id=K2TK3EG287XSFC)
What happens when we add a few more teeth to the pinion? We wanted to find out, so we increased the power output to 300W to simulate a higher geared race setup. The results were even more dramatic. The competitor’s motors increased in temperature at over twice the rate of the Castle 1406 Sensored motor. The competitor’s motors could not even finish the test. At around 2 minutes into the test, the motors were near their failure temperature (300ᵒF/150ᵒC). At that point, we had to shut down the test and air out the testing facility. Meanwhile, the Castle 1406 Sensored motor was able to power through the entire 5-minute test and remained within acceptable temperature limits.
In conclusion, the results of this test are clear. The Castle 1406 Sensored motor simply out-powers the competition. The Castle motor will allow you to gear your setup higher without overheating, generate more power for longer, give you more torque when you need it, and extend your battery life. Another example of Castle taking OVERPOWERING RC seriously.