Problem with motor, need advice and recommendations please

[TraceZ]

I've got a fairly recently built DF-03 Dark Impact.  It is completely stock with the Mabuchi 540 motor.  The radio is a new Futaba 2PHKA and the ESC is a new Futaba MC330CR.  The battery is a NiMh 4200 UltraSport 6 cell from Fusion Power.  It runs great, has awsome range and is really relaible.  My only complaint is that is a bit slow.  I'd like to speed it up.  I don't mind sacraficing some runtime, as it runs 45 minutes as it is.

Now go back in time a couple weeks...  I was building the DI and had completed charging the new battery pack.  I wanted a break, so I decided to stick the new 4200 pack in an old Boomerang I have and run it up and down the street a bit.  The Boomerang always worked perfectly in the past with a few 1500 - 1800 mah packs I have.  The Boomerang has a mechanical speed controller and a Epic Trinity "Green Machine 2" 27 turn motor.  This is where the problems began.  The boomerang's radio was very glitchy.  Range was reduced to 50 feet and it would cut out and dart around dangerously.  I shut the car off, figuring something was wrong with the receiver or antenna.

 Now go forward to today.  In my quest to make my new DI faster I decided to install the Green Machine 2 motor in it.  I completed the install, charged up the 4200 battery and went out to run it.  It exhibited the exact same problems the old Boomerang did when it had the 4200 battery pack and Green Machine 2 motor in it.  Weird, huh?  I can't figure it out?  Why would this particuar motor-battery combo cause interference in the radio?  I removed the Green Machine 2 motor, reinstalled the original Mabuchi 540 and the car works great again.  I'm stumped.

I'd love to put a faster motor in this car, it is a basher and never competes.  It is strictly a toy.  What do you folks recommend?  Any ideas on what was the cause of the problem I described above?

 Thanks for taking the time to read this and reply.  Tracy

[gazwilts]

Not an expert on this problem tracez, but have you a  capacitor on the motor?? as it might be electrical noise. if not then id go down that route, google is your freind

 cheers

[TraceZ]

That was my first thought as well, but I double checked and the motor does have a capacitor on it.  Is it possible the capacitor is broken, or maybe not the right size for a battery pack 4200 in size?  Visual inspection reveals nothing.  Keep in mind this motor is probably 15 years old.  Thanks for the reply. []

[gazwilts]

possibly! try a new one on it as they are pence. also make sure the brushes are good and the motor is clean, all these things lead to motor noise.

 

gaz

[Floyd]

To me if the motor is as old as you say , its far beyond time for a good rebuild of the motor , cutting the com , replacing of brushes and springs basicaly a total rebuild of your motor or just replacing it with something new . Definately sounds like motor noise interferance which an old motor will definately give you .

[TraceZ]

Ok, so it sounds like the problem is electrical noise from an old motor that should probably just be replaced.

 Can anyone recommend a fun new motor that will work well with my setup? [H]

 Thanks!

[minijosh]

I'd follow suit and change the brushes and cut the com. Sticky brushes suck!!! Don't forget to look at the esc.  It might not be set up for the higher voltage of the batteries.

[bunny555]

I had a very similar problem with a new 55 Turn Lathe motor. It was indeed sticky brushes. I stripped the motor and recut everything and it has not given a moments trouble since. My other identical motor bought at the same has never suffered like this. Just a spot of bad luck I guess.

[Floyd]

As far as something compatible to replace it with , I would go with Trinity's Revenge of the Monster Stock Pro . With as much as it would cost to rebuild the motor ( new brushes and springs and having the magnets "zapped" and have the com cut ) you would be close to $5 of what the new motor would cost . Plus the RotMS Pro is still a stock class motor ( 27 turn , 24 degree timeing ) so your current ESC will be fine running it .

[Mr.Ce]

hi there,

not knowing about the internals of the electric motor, all my suggestions are, add more capacitors, when i was runing a reedy 7 x 2, i had radio glitching until a friend added 2 more capacitors.

<~~~not an expert, just saying what we did.

Mr. Ce

[Rabiedmushroom]

Tracy

Tamiya Boomerang

Tamiya Dark Impact

Hang on - you mean to say there is actually another ladieeeeee on this forum? [] Splendid! [H]

Nice choice of buggy - from what I've seen those Dark Impacts drive really well as off-road bashers.

I've had some recent problems setting up a friend's car - a lot of glitching and interference in a variety of motor/servo/reciever combinations (don't let your mates get the cheapest nastiest stuff off Ebay and then expect it to you to fix it when its all mis-matched!). I read in another thread on here a few days ago (can't remember which one) that modern transmitters can be considerably lower powered than older ones which can cause interference with transmitted signal. Its a useful observation that I will remember.

[terry.sc]

Sounds like the Green Machine could do with a rebuild. A comm skim and new brushes should bring it back to life and stop the arcing which is causing the interference. Your local hobby shop should be able to help you with rebuilding it.

The Dark Impact can handle just about any motor you put in it. The MC330 can handle motors down to 13 turns, which would make it pretty fast, but reduce the runtime a lot. A motor around 19 turns will give a very noticeable speed increase but with plenty of runtime, the DI will handle the power no problem and will be much faster tham what you currently run.

[TraceZ]

Tracy

Tamiya Boomerang

Tamiya Dark Impact

Hang on - you mean to say there is actually another ladieeeeee on this forum? [] Splendid! [H]

Nice choice of buggy - from what I've seen those Dark Impacts drive really well as off-road bashers.

I've had some recent problems setting up a friend's car - a lot of glitching and interference in a variety of motor/servo/reciever combinations (don't let your mates get the cheapest nastiest stuff off Ebay and then expect it to you to fix it when its all mis-matched!). I read in another thread on here a few days ago (can't remember which one) that modern transmitters can be considerably lower powered than older ones which can cause interference with transmitted signal. Its a useful observation that I will remember.

 

No, not a lady, sorry!  I always wondered why my parents named a baby boy Tracy. [:S]  I've been trying to stick with quality name brand matched components and not get a bunch of off brand stuff I've never heard of.  Reading all the replies, I think I will be happiest with a new 19 turn motor.  I'd also like to buy some tools so I can service the new motor and clean it. 

[TraceZ]

I'm looking at Trinity's 19 turn motors, which one would be the most durable for me?  I dont want to have to replace brushes or rebuild it after every run.  I'm also confused by the pricing.  It looks like the armature alone sells for more than the entire motor?  I dont get it.

[terry.sc]

I wouldn't worry about rebuilding the motor regularly, really that's only a racer thing where they run their motors right to their limit and always want to get the absolute best performance out of them. Most motors which aren't used for racing can run for months without any maintenance.

If you want a motor that is going to last forever between rebuilds then the best has to be the Team Orion Element V2. http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti00...=LXKER2&P=7 The special brushes and endbell means even racers can run for months without any maintenance. Not cheap though and you will need a very good soldering iron to connect your wires to it.

The odd motor pricing is because motors and armatures come in several

specs, from basic machine wound up to hand wound and balanced. Trinity motors are available at different prices depending on the exact specification and method of building them. On a racetrack the performance differences are small but noticeable. For bashing you won't notice the difference between them.

The Komodo Dragon is a more high performance version, designed for racing. This means the motor is tuned for speed, rather than long life. The Cobalt is their top of the range motor but the extra cost wouldn't give a noticeable increase in performance.

The Arconite motor is the cheapest, but also the most appropriate

for bashing. The small downside is that it uses Trinitys P-94 brushes.

These give good life compared to standard brushes and are durable but they are a unique size and

standard brushes don't fit, although they aren't usually a problem to

get hold of.

 

[TraceZ]

Thanks!  I think I will order a new Komodo Dragon!

 

Thanks everyone for all the replies!

[Mudgee RCCC]

thread hi-jack..... sorry to butt in...

 

What do most people use to run-in a new motor?? the manual recommends a 3V non-loaded run-in time of 5-10 mins...?

 

Cheers.

 

(Sorry bout the hijack!!) 

[Metla]

Im running that motor in my DI, Goes well, very well.

 Shes now too fast for my backyard.....and crazy around my local track.