"Table Talk" - BeeRotor Z2207 2780 Kv motor review for use in park jets

Hi Everyone -

I just shot this video giving my thoughts and a review on the BeeRotor Z2207 2780 Kv motor from RC Timer😊

This motor when paired with the Turnigy AE-45A ESC with custom settings (22.5 degrees timing and 24 KHz PWM frequency) is one of the top performing quad racing motors using the 6x4 APC gas prop on 3S that I have tested thus far.  It is very close to the performance of the EMAX RS2306 2750 Kv motor that currently leads the pack of quad racing motors I have tested thus far.

You can read all the details of my bench testing with this BeeRotor and many other motors on my motor test spreadsheet.  Simply scroll along the bottom to find the motor that interests you.😊

Links to the props and ESCs discussed in this video.

• 6x3 KMP prop (Banggood); 
• 6x3 TGS prop (Hobby King);
• 6x4 APC gas prop; 
• 6x4 APC electric (knock off from Hobby King); 
• Turnigy Plush 40A ESC; and
• Turnigy AE-45A ESC.

I now have put 100 flights through the motor I am showing in the video and it is performing as well now as the first time I flew it.  Very smooth, strong and durable with very good torque and acceleration and top end speed almost equal to the EMAX motor.

As mentioned in the video, it is not as expensive as many of the other top end motors and paired with the fairly inexpensive Turnigy AE-45A ESC is the best value for top end motors I have tested thus far.

You can read Ryan Harrell's evaluation of this motor at his website following this link.

I would also encourage you to check out rcplanepirate's YouTube channel, he has been instrumental in helping me squeeze as much power as possible from these quad racing motor setups in my park jets.

Very pleased with how this motor performs, especially considering it's price😀

Park Jet noise...the "other" sound of freedom😎

Cheers,

Scott

SunnySky Edge R2305 2800 Kv initial field testing

Hi Everyone -

I had this little beauty out to rip a dozen batteries through the SunnySky Edge R2305 2800 Kv motor I finally received in the mail😀

Here is the flight video from today's field testing.

You can go to this blog post to read more about my initial impressions and the initial bench testing.

This motor performed very well as I really put it through it's paces for another ten flights after I shot the video.  Although as I mentioned in the video it was quite amp hungry (41.6A) at full throttle on the bench with the 6x4 APC gas prop and Turnigy Plush 40A ESC, the ESC and motor ran quite cool.  Although the temps were cool at about 2 C/36 F, it ran cooler than some of the other motors in this size and Kv range I have tested.

With this ESC it does not quite have the mid range power of some of the other motors, but I found that by just increasing the throttle by about 5% from what I normally fly around with it performed quite close to the EMAX RS2306 2750 Kv motor.

It has very good acceleration and top end speed, with the Plush ESC with default settings, I would put it in the same ball park as the BeeRotor R2207 2780 Kv and the Foxeer DATURA X2206 2700 Kv motors.  I am excited to test it soon with the HobbyWing Platinum PRO 40A and Turnigy AE-45A ESCs with the custom settings I found with those for high Kv motors.

Overall, very impressed thus far with this great little motor from SunnySky😊

Park Jet noise...the "other" sound of freedom😎

Cheers,

Scott

SunnySky Edge R2305 2800 Kv motor initial impressions and bench testing

Hi Everyone -

After waiting 40 days😣 for my SunnySky Edge R2305 2800 Kv motor to arrive, it is finally here😀  I ordered from AliExpress as Banggood was out of stock at the time and AliExpress had a good deal.  They list it as regularly priced at $41.00 USD, I picked mine up for $20.90.  They are also available at Banggood for a regular price of $23.71 USD.  So this makes me scratch my head a bit, the sale at AliExpress is over tomorrow, so I'll be interested to see what the price is then😒, $41.00 seems a bit much to spend for a motor😲

This is only the second time I have ordered from AliExpress, I did find the shipping was very, very slow, almost a week and a half longer than my average Banggood order, so it might be awhile before I order from them again, but here endeth the rant😉

Motor packed nicely in some very dense foam.

I was a bit worried when I saw this label, as I was sure I had ordered CW (clockwise) motors, but then when I looked back at the AliExpress website, I actually didn't get to choose that, only the Kv.  This relates to the direction that the nut tightens as the motors can run whatever direction you want them.  However, after unboxing, the threads are clockwise so that I can still use all the little bullet nuts I have laying around😊

Motor comes with one prop nut, four mounting screws and some very thin brass and what look like steel washers, plus a couple of extra C clips which is a nice touch.

The motor weighs 32 gr/1.1 oz with no hardware (AliExpress says it weighs 29 gr).  The wires are 120mm/4.7" long. 

Bottom and top views of the motor.  As you can see it is wound with several strands of thin wire to allow it to have such a high Kv.  The magnets are quite thin, it is difficult to see if they are curved or not, the air gaps are not bad and tolerances between the magnets and stator look pretty good.

I grabbed this picture from the SunnySky link in the first paragraph.  It does look like a slight curve in the magnets and according to the description they are N52 arc magnets which is common in most higher end powerful motors.  The motor spins very smooth and freely by hand, no jerkiness, however the magnets don't feel quite as strong and "grabby" as some other motors in this size and Kv category that I have tested.

With the prop, X mount, connectors and other hardware, the motor going in the plane weighs 48 gr which is pretty decent for this size motor.

I did get one quick bench test done as I hope to fly and field test tomorrow.  I did this test with the Turnigy Plush 40A ESC, timing at low, 6x4 APC gas prop and Gens Ace 2200 3S 45C battery which has been my standard for testing these quad racing motors.  You can read more details here as well as get the links for all the aforementioned gear on my motor test spreadsheet.

Here are the numbers from this test.

50% throttle - 14.3A/173.6W producing 556 gr/19.6 oz of thrust; and

100% throttle - 41.6A/502.1W producing 1030 gr/36.3 oz of thrust.

So it is pretty amp hungry at full throttle with this setup.  It's numbers are not quite as good as some of the other motors in it's size and Kv range, but I won't know how it really performs until I get a chance to get it in a plane and out to the field😀  Also, when I have a chance in the next few days I will test it with the HobbyWing Platinum PRO 40A and Turnigy AE-45A ESCs with the custom settings I found for some of these high Kv motors and see if that makes a difference.

More test data to follow soon😁

Park Jet noise...the "other" sound of freedom😎

Cheers,

Scott

RC Powers F-18 V5 motor change number...5?! ;) - 26 Feb 2018

Hi Everyone -

Had these two steeds out today ripping up the skies😎

Here is flight video of the F-18 V5 using the Multistar Viking 2208 2600 Kv motor, 6x4 APC gas prop, Turnigy AE-45 ESC on 3S.

If you are interested in more of the details on my latest bench testing session with this powerful little motor as recommended to me by rcplanepirate, please go to this blog post.   If you would like to see results with this motor tested with several other props and on 4S, please check out rcplanepirate's YouTube channel.  

If you are interested in more details about my F-18 V5 as it is modified from the original plans, please check out this blog post.  

As mentioned in the video, I am running custom settings on the Turnigy AE-45A ESC of 22.5 degrees for timing and 24 KHz for PWM frequency.

I was really impressed with this setup, in the past I had run the DYS BE2208/7 2600 Kv motor with both the 6x4 APC gas prop and the Master Airscrew 6x4x3, the Grayson Hobby Super MegaJet V2 on the MA 6x4x3, the 2212/5T 2700 Kv motor with 6x4 APC gas prop.  This Viking motor setup runs the smoothest, strongest and most powerful of them all and is lighter than any of the others.

After I shot the video, I ran this motor/ESC combo pretty hard, flying 10 consecutive flights without a break.  The motor ran smooth and consistent and although the temperature was cool at 5 C/41 F, the motor and ESC were barely warm.  For a smaller motor that is lower Kv than many I have tested, it has considerable torque, perhaps the longer 8 mm stator helps with this and the fact it produces 600 gr/21.2 oz of thrust at 50% throttle.  Towards the end of the flight session, the wind picked up to about 5-10 mph and it powered through without issue, I didn't have to really play around with the throttle much at all over flying in calm winds.

I was also impressed by the smooth delivery of power throughout the throttle range provided by this motor/ESC combo.  With some setups I have tested occasionally, you get kind of "dead spots" in the throttle range (no matter how many times I set the throttle points) where it just doesn't respond that well or you get some motor/ESC combos that the difference between about 80 and 100% throttle is not noticeable.  Not with this setup, the throttle response is very quick and precise.

As mentioned in the video, the F-18 V5 while not a slow poke at all is the "draggiest" plane in my hangar, so having a light powerful motor with lots of torque really makes for an awesome flight experience😀  While a bit pricey at $28.70 USD (price just went up by $0.56 😒), if they go back on sale again (I paid $16.10 for mine), I might pick up another as a spare.

As I have to find homes for all of these quad racing motors I have been testing, I think for sure I will leave this motor in this plane for awhile so that I can get some durability testing done.  It is certainly one of the best overall quad racing motors I have tested thus far and I think has a lot of potential to be pushed harder on 4S maybe or run with a wider variety of props than I use.😊

Park Jet noise...the "other" sound of freedom😎

Cheers,

Scott

ESC field test showdown #2 - Turnigy Plush 40A vs Turnigy AE-45A

Hi Everyone -

A pristine winter scene...

About to get interrupted by some serious park jet noise...😎

I was out today doing some more field comparison between the Turnigy Plush 40A ESC and the Turnigy AE-45A ESC  I had done previous field testing with these two ESCs, however with factory default settings in both and a different motor.  You can read more about that at this blog post including flight video.  Here is the flight video from today's testing.

As mentioned in the video, I used default settings in the Plush as a benchmark since I have been running it that way for years with numerous different motors.  Then I ran the same setup (RC Timer FR2306 2650 Kv motor, 6x4 APC gas prop, and Gens Ace 2200 3s 45C battery) using the AE-45 with custom settings of 22.5 degrees timing and 24 KHz PWM (pulse width modulation) frequency.  As mentioned in the video, this seems to be a good custom setup for the AE-45 for most motors I am currently running.  The 2212/6 2200 Kv motor seems to like factory default settings as mentioned.  You can a bit more of a synopsis of motor testing here at this blog post.  You can also just go directly to my motor test spreadsheet, each motor has it's own tab which you will find along the bottom of the spreadsheet.

I ran about six flights through the AE-45 today with these custom settings, this motor performed really well, overall I would say that the bench test numbers translate well to the field.  As I mentioned, on the bench the custom setup with the AE-45 gave me 62 gr more thrust at 50% throttle and 102 gr more thrust at full throttle than the Plush did.  I definitely felt that the AE-45 in this configuration gave me increased mid range power and torque and better top end performance.😀

Interestingly, even though the air temp was -2C/28 F, the motor was coming down just the tiniest bit warm.  I am pushing it pretty hard, it is a 33A motor and on the bench it was drawing 33.6 amps with this prop and ESC setup on 3S.  I might have to be a bit more careful with it in the summer when the temps are mid to high 20s C.

It has taken quite a bit of time and experimentation to find these settings which I think will work well for most motors at 2600 Kv and above that I have been using with a couple of exceptions.

Park Jet noise...the "other" sound of freedom😎

Cheers,

Scott

Bench testing the EMAX RS2306 2750 Kv motor with the Turnigy AE-45A ESC - 17 Feb 2018

Hi Everyone -

I managed to get another round of bench testing done with the Turnigy AE-45A ESC today using the EMAX RS2306 2750 Kv motor.  This testing provided some very "educational" results😊

You can read the full details here on my motor test spreadsheet, if you look along the bottom, you will find tabs for each motor.  All the data below is based on using the 6x4 APC gas prop and Gens Ace 2200 3S 45C battery, links for both of these is on the spreadsheet.

Thus far, the higher Kv motors seem to like 24 KHz PWM frequency for improved mid range power, but I did one quick test with factory defaults for the AE-45 just for reference.

AE-45A ESC Timing 15 degrees, 12 KHz PWM frequency (default)

50% throttle - 13.5A/163.1W producing 530 gr/18.7 oz of thrust;

100% throttle - 37.4A/427.9W producing 965 gr/34 oz of thrust.

Thus far, I have tested this motor with the 6x4 APC gas prop on three different ESCs, the Turnigy Plush 40A, HobbyWing Platinum PRO 40A and now the Turnigy AE-45A.  From the spreadsheet, here is the performance data listed from lowest to highest.  Both the HobbyWing and AE-45 have custom settings, the Plush is at factory default.

Turnigy AE-45A Timing 22.5 degrees, 24 KHz PWM frequency

50% throttle - 17.2A/206.2W producing 610 gr/21.5 oz of thrust;

100% throttle - 39.7A/451.3W producing 1005 gr/35.5 oz of thrust.

Turnigy Plush Timing low (factory default)

50% throttle - 17.2A/206.7W producing 620 gr/21.9 oz of thrust;

100% throttle - 38.4A/435.7W producing 1040 gr/36.7 oz of thrust.

HobbyWing Platinum PRO Timing 26.25 degrees, 8 KHz PWM frequency

50% throttle - 16.7A/201.6W producing 647 gr/22.8 oz of thrust;

100% throttle - 42.6A/507.1W producing 1075 gr/37.9 oz of thrust.

So the HobbyWing amps at full throttle is greater than the base rating for the ESC which I don't normally like to exceed (although it does have a 60A burst), so I will proceed with caution.  I have flown with this prop/motor/ESC combo in cooler weather already and the ESC was a bit warm, so in the summer I might have to be more cautious, find a different setting or use the Plush, more field testing required.😀

So what seems to be interesting as I collect more data with the Turnigy AE-45 and the HobbyWing and experiment with timing and PWM, none of the motors tested thus far performed well at 12 KHz PWM frequency except perhaps the 2212/6 2200 Kv, but I have to more testing with that motor.  As soon as I switched from 12 to 8 in the case of the HobbyWing or 24 in the case of the Turnigy AE, the 50% throttle power jumped significantly on the quad racing motors tested thus far.  The full throttle performance seems to be improved more significantly with the HobbyWing ESC with motors rated at 2700 Kv or more.  The performance with the one motor below 2600 Kv, the Racerstar BR2406 2600 was slightly better with the Turnigy AE and it certainly had the best mid range performance with that ESC.

So I am not going to draw any conclusions just yet until I get some more data collected both on the bench and at the field.  However, by taking the time to experiment with the different performance settings in the HobbyWing and AE-45 ESCs, even if only by a small amount, it appears I may be able to optimize the performance of several motors over the Turnigy Plush.  Not that I am going to replace all my Plush ESCs and I have to remember that I am using V3.1, perhaps the V4.2 that Hobby King sells now has better performance.  I may have to pick one up and experiment😉

Late edit:  Primarily because the curiosity was killing me, I put the 2212/6 2200 Kv motor on the test stand, 6x4 APC gas prop, Gens Ace 2200 3S 45C battery.  I had tested this motor with the AE-45A ESC on the bench and in the air with default settings and it gives the best power to this inexpensive motor thus far.  So I left the timing at 15 degrees and switched the PWM frequency to 24 KHz.

As you can see on the motor spreadsheet, I gained about 20 gr of thrust at 50% throttle, but lost 20 gr of thrust at full throttle compared to default settings.  Quite honestly, since this is a pretty "torquey" motor to begin with, for simplicity I would probably just keep the default settings on the AE-45 ESC for use with the 2212/6 2200 Kv motor😊

Park Jet noise...the "other" sound of freedom😎

Cheers,

Scott

Thrust stand test session - EMAX RS2306 2750 Kv motor - 07 Feb 2018

Hi Everyone -

I had my thrust stand out today doing another round of testing, this time with the EMAX RS2306 2750 Kv motor which is by a narrow margin the most powerful quad racing motor I have tested thus far😊  It is the motor I have been running in my RC Powers T50 V5 for the last couple weeks.

Today, I tested this motor with the 6x4 APC gas prop, the Hobby King 6x4 APC style electric prop, and the 6x4 KMP prop from Banggood.  I tested each prop using the Turnigy Plush 40A ESC and then the HobbyWing Platinum PRO 40A ESC.  Some very interesting and also somewhat puzzling😕 results, but the numbers are what the numbers are.😉

All tests were done using the Gens Ace 2200 3S 45C battery.  The timing on the Turnigy Plush is at low (factory default), the HobbyWing ESC is set at 26.25 degrees and PWM (pulse width modulation frequency) is set at 8KHz.  These are not factory defaults, you can read more about my previous experimentation with the HobbyWing ESC in this blog post.

This motor definitely likes the HobbyWing ESC with the settings I have set, it has marked improvement at 50% and full throttle with all three props compared to their performance with the Turnigy Plush.😀

The overall best combination proved to be the 6x4 KMP prop with the HobbyWing ESC.  Numbers are below (you can also read the full details on my motor spreadsheet).

50% throttle - 18.3A/219.4W producing 635 gr/22.4 oz of thrust; and

100% throttle - 41.6A/482.7W producing 1120 gr/39.5 oz of thrust.

This is where it becomes a bit puzzling, as the numbers with the 6x4 APC electric knock off from Hobby King are nearly identical, same top end thrust, just 5 gr less at 50% throttle.  The 6x4 APC gas prop with the HobbyWing ESC produced 1075 gr/37.9 oz of thrust😕  Still decent numbers, but the 6x4 APC gas prop pulls 42.6A to produce less thrust in this situation, so a bit puzzling after the 6x4 APC gas prop performing so well for me to date.

Some of these amp number exceed 40, but this ESC has a 60A burst rating and normally, in the air the rule of thumb is that there will be about a 25% drop in amp draw, so 42.6A would become about 32A.  I will check the ESC regularly for heat build up.  According to the HobbyKing website, the EMAX RS2306 2750 Kv motor should be able to handle up to 58A if you click on the "Product Specifications" tab when you open the link to the motor.

The best prop with the Turnigy Plush ESC turned out again to be the 6x4 KMP prop, then the 6x4 APC electric, then the 6x4 APC gas.  So comparing my results with rcplanepirate's, the main difference is my stand tests in a "puller" configuration, perhaps in the air with a "pusher", the 6x4 APC electric won't perform as well or differently?  I certainly know from testing it with several other motors with the Plush ESC at the field, the 6x4 APC gas has proven to be a very good performer in the air.  Only one way to find out, so time to put the motor back in my T50, put the HobbyWing ESC in there and get it out to the field with all three props and see what is what😀  The 6x4 APC electric and 6x4 KMP are certainly louder than the 6x4 APC gas prop, so time for a "fly off"😉

Park Jet noise...the "other" sound of freedom😎

Cheers,

Scott

40A ESC field test - Turnigy Plush vs HobbyWing Platinum PRO - 06 Feb 2018

Hi Everyone -

I had a bit of a break in the weather today to get this little beauty out to get some comparative field testing done with the Turnigy Plush 40A ESC and the HobbyWing Platinum PRO 40A ESC.😊

Video of today's field testing

Before going too far, I must mention that the Turnigy Plush 40A ESCs I am using were purchased a few years ago, so they are version 3.1.

As you can see from this picture taken from the current Hobby King website, they are now up to version 4.2.

You can see when you compare the two pictures, that the BEC (battery elimination circuit) on my version is 3A/5V and the newer version 4.2 has a 5V/5A BEC.  I don't know if any other upgrades occurred, however if you buy a new one, perhaps your performance will differ from mine.  I guess if I'm still using ESCs that are over three years old with all the flying I do, they must be "Bulletproof"😉😏

Here is a close up of the HobbyWing ESC.

You can read more of my initial impressions and testing of the HobbyWing ESC at this blog post.  For more on the testing process I went through to find the best settings for the motor used in today's field test (Racerstar BR2406 2600 Kv), you can go to this blog post.  If you would rather just see the numbers from the testing straight away, please go my motor spreadsheet, along the bottom you will see a tab called ESC testing.

So details on today's testing as mentioned in the video, motor used is in brackets above, prop is the 6x4 APC gas prop used for all the bench testing.  Battery is the Gens Ace 2200 3S 45C

Settings for the Plush ESC in this test are factory default, timing is low which as you can see on the motor spreadsheet gave the best overall performance in bench testing.

Settings for the HobbyWing ESC in this test are timing set to 26.25 degrees, PWM (pulse width modulation) frequency set to 8KHz.  These have to be programmed as the factory settings are 15 degrees for timing and 12KHz for the PWM frequency.

So for comparison for this blog post, here are the bench test numbers using the 6x4 APC gas prop and Gens Ace battery.

Plush

50% throttle - 11.5A/141.5W producing 487 gr/17.2 oz of thrust;

100% throttle - 29.8A/352.3W producing 935 gr/33 oz of thrust.

HobbyWing

50% throttle - 11.9A/146.1W producing 507 gr/17.9 oz of thrust;

100% throttle - 32.2A/387.4W producing 940 gr/33.2 oz of thrust.

So you can see by the numbers, there is very little difference in top end thrust and I would agree with that from what I saw at the field today.  However, as I mention in the video, there is a definite and noticeable difference at mid range throttle between 50-75%.  I found at 50% throttle on launch, the plane almost wanted to pull itself out of my hand with the HobbyWing ESC and it definitely flew faster at 60% throttle (my normal setting for just flying around) than with the Plush.

After shooting the video, I managed to get a few more flights in before it started raining using the HobbyWing ESC.  I saw noticeable difference in throttle response again between about 60-75% throttle both up and down.  A couple times when I decreased the throttle it happened so quickly I thought something was wrong with the motor and when hammering the "burners"😎, I did notice a slight improvement in acceleration with the HobbyWing ESC.  Beyond 75% throttle and below 50%, response was pretty much identical for both ESCs.

So far I have not noticed any issues with motor skipping, sagging or surging.  As I mention at the end of the video, with some motors I have tested where I have experimented with changing timing, the motor will run fine for awhile and then respond erratically to throttle inputs or just sag in power without the throttle being touched.  I didn't see any of that today with the HobbyWing ESC, mind you I only got about five flights completed before I had to cut the session short due to rain.

So far so good with the field testing, but I will continue to test with other motors to see if the performance continues to be consistent.😊

Park Jet noise...the "other" sound of freedom.

Cheers,

Scott

Thrust stand test session 2212/5T 2700 Kv motor - 05 Feb 2018

Hi Everyone -

I was busy with the thrust stand again today, testing a very inexpensive motor that I have run in many of my planes in the last couple years, the 2212/5T 2700 Kv, I got mine from Gear Best.

This type of motor is readily available all over the internet, I have seen several vendors on EBay and even purchased a couple from Banggood.  Unfortunately, the ones I got from Banggood ran extremely hot and pulled well in excess of 40A, so I don't know what happened there😒  It is quite a bit heavier than most of the quad racing motors I have been testing at 66 gr/2.3 oz and you must provide your own connectors and prop mounting adapter/collet, so that adds a bit to the price.  I buy my 3.17 mm adapters from RC Timer as they are inexpensive and pretty decent quality.

Rcplanepirate has done considerable testing with this motor and shot a couple of videos, you can find his YouTube channel here.

You can read the full details on my motor spreadsheet, I have created a new page just for this motor, along the bottom you can find the tab to click to take you to the page.

Today I tested three different props I have run on this motor in the past on 3S

• 6x4 APC gas;
• 6x4 APC style electric (Hobby King knock off); and
• 6x4 KMP (Banggood)

 I also experimented with two different ESCs that I have been comparing recently.

• Turnigy Plush 40A ESC (timing set to low (factory default) as this seems to work best);
• HobbyWing Platinum PRO 40A ESC (timing set at 26.25 degrees and running at 8HKz PWM frequency as this seems to be the best for higher Kv motors).  You can read more about how I found this out through experimentation at this blog post

This test session once again proved that I can never take anything for granted until I do the testing and see the numbers😐  I have been raving about the 6x4 APC gas prop for several months now being so much better than the 6x4 APC electric knock off from Hobby King and it has been both on the bench and in the air.  Well, the numbers were so much better at full throttle with the 6x4 APC style electric with the HobbyWing ESC, I had to do the test a second time to make sure I didn't do anything wrong😕

This motor produced significantly more thrust at full throttle with all three props using the HobbyWing ESC with the settings above.  The 6x4 KMP produced the most thrust at 1060 gr/37.4 oz of thrust, but drew 39.1A to do so, a bit high I think for this motor.  Where I really had to scratch my head is that the 6x4 APC gas prop produced 999 gr/35.2 oz of thrust drawing 35.6A, then the 6x4 APC style electric produced 1045 gr/36.9 oz of thrust and only drew 35.7A to do so!😲  This prop also produced the most mid range thrust with this ESC as you can see on the spreadsheet.

Using the Turnigy Plush ESC, the definite thrust winner is the 6x4 KMP at 1020 gr/36 oz drawing 35.7A which I think is in the ball park for this motor from my many flights even in warm weather.

I was actually surprised now that I tested them on an actual proper thrust stand that the 6x4 APC gas and 6x4 APC style electric were pretty much dead even in mid range and top end thrust.  Again, a real head scratcher, but some very good numbers for such an inexpensive motor.  Of course the HobbyWing ESC is not a cheap ESC, but I think it will be worth putting this motor in a plane with this ESC and the 6x4 APC style electric prop and see what happens since I have a couple😊

Park Jet noise...the "other" sound of freedom😎

Thrust stand test session - 01 Feb 2018

Hi Everyone -

I did some more bench testing today to keep filling in the data on the Banggood 2212/6 2200 Kv motor that I refer to as the "park jet workhorse".  Additionally, I received new HobbyWing Platinum 40A PRO ESCs in the mail today, so I wanted to see if there is a difference between those and the Turnigy Plush 40A ESC I currently test with.  You can read more on my initial impressions of the HobbyWing ESCs along with some test comparison numbers at this blog post.

You can read the full details of all of today's testing on the first page of the updated motor test spreadsheet.

In addition to comparing the HobbyWing and Plush ESCs with the same 6x4 APC gas prop and Gens Ace 2200 3S 45C battery, today I tested the Hobby King knockoff 6x4 APC style electric prop and the Master Airscrew 6x4x3 prop, again the numbers are available in the spreadsheet link above😊

Park Jet noise...the "other" sound of freedom😎

Cheers,

Scott

Thrust stand test session - 20 Jan 2018

Hi Everyone -

My new thrust test stand had quite a good workout yesterday😊

I decided to change up a few things as I turned a new leaf with my bench testing protocol.  I soldered some connectors on a brand new (i.e. never before used) Turnigy Plush 40A ESC since this more closely represents what I will use in my planes with props I plan on using.  If I'm in doubt, I can still use a 60A ESC to have the "amp overhead".

I have also created a new test spreadsheet which will be streamlined and focus more on motors that I currently might use in my park jets.  I changed things up a bit, when you click on the words "new test spreadsheet" above it will take you to the spreadsheet which I created in Google Drive.  I added columns for battery voltage before testing and after 50% throttle test and 100% throttle test.  rcplanepirate RCPP and I have discussed this variable off and on in our discussions, so I decided to add it in to see what is happening with the batteries I use for testing.

I kept the 50% throttle test in to allow me to see what is going on in the mid throttle range, I let the motor run for about 5 seconds at 50% throttle, this also allows the thrust to "stabilize" a bit more at that throttle setting and I suppose represents launching the plane and getting established before making the first "speed run" at 100% throttle where I also hold the throttle for 5 seconds to allow the thrust to stabilize.

I tested seven motors yesterday, the swapping of motors once I got the hang of it wasn't as much of a pain as I first thought it might be in my initial impressions post about my new thrust stand.  I'm not going to worry about comparing numbers to my old thrust test setup at this point, suffice it to say, those old numbers were quite inaccurate, especially at full throttle, so this is a bit of a "do over" on some of the motors.😏

I tested the 2212/6 2200 Kv motor as a bit of a benchmark, and also to compare the three different brands of batteries I currently use, you can see the results on the first page of the spreadsheet.  I will continue to fill that in as I retest this "workhorse" motor with a wider variety of props.

For the new tests on the quad racing motors, I used my new Gens Ace 2200 3S 45C batteries to give them a bit of a workout and get a couple charge cycles through them.  I also grouped the quad racing motors in those that are 2700 Kv and above, and those that are less than 2700 Kv, you will not they have their own page on the spreadsheet to make it easier to compare them.

These are the numbers for each quad racing motor at 100% throttle with the 6x4 APC gas prop using the Gens Ace battery to allow for a bit of discussion/comparison.  A few of these motors had not been bench tested before as I was waiting for the thrust stand to arrive.

Quad motors of 2700 Kv and above

• EMAX RS2306 2750 Kv - 38.1A/434.7W producing 1088 gr/38.4 oz of thrust;
• BeeRotor Z2207 2780 Kv - 34.9A/422.4W producing 1095 gr/38.6 oz of thrust;
• BrotherHobby Returner R2 2205 2800 Kv - 33.9A/389.7W producing 1017 gr/35.9 oz of thrust;
• Racerstar BR2306S 2700 Kv - 31.8A/369.0W producing 998 gr/35.2 oz of thrust;
• Foxeer DATURA X2206 2700 Kv (still waiting to be field tested) - 38.4A/459.2W producing 1062 gr/37.5 oz of thrust.

Quad motor below 2700 Kv

I only tested one motor below 2700 Kv, my favorite of this group thus far😊

Racerstar BR2406S 2600 Kv - 31.7A/385.7W producing 982 gr/34.6 oz of thrust.

The EMAX and BeeRotor motors are very close in top end thrust, but this does make a bit more sense when after reading the results on www.miniquadtestbench.com they are both actually 2630 Kv motors.  However, after looking at their respective mid range numbers, it helps me understand a bit better why I gave the edge at the field to the EMAX motor.

EMAX at 50% throttle - 16.9A/204.7W producing 642 gr/22.6 oz of thrust;

BeeRotor at 50% throttle - 15A/181.5W producing 598 gr/21.1 oz of thrust.

Of course the EMAX motor eats up quite a few more amps to produce this power, but this makes more sense now about the slight edge in performance in the air.

The Foxeer DATURA looks like it has serious potential to be a real powerhouse for such a light motor even though it too is a bit "amp hungry", I'm excited to field test that next.

Just basing it on the numbers, the two Racerstar motors are quite a bit closer in bench performance than I expected.  Based on how I saw it spin up on the thrust stand, the BR2406S 2600 still has the most low end torque of all the quad racing motors I have tested thus far, that slightly bigger stator and bell size do seem to make a noticeable difference.

Thus far I'm pleased with how this new thrust stand is working out, much easier to get things set up and collect the data than perhaps I initially expected.  Much more testing to come in the coming weeks as new motors arrive and I evaluate different props with each motor😊

Park Jet noise...the "other" sound of freedom😎

Cheers,

Scott

RC Powers T-50 V5 build log - Part 6...finally finished :)

Hi Everyone -

One modified RC Powers T-50 V5 ready to "slip the surly bonds of earth"😊

I may have mentioned in a previous post that I was thinking of doing the black, white and grey Arctic camo scheme like I have on my test bed Mig-35B, but I decided to go with a "blue" theme this time for something different.  I think it turned out OK, either I thinned the paint too much or the Minwax treatment on the DTF where the paper is didn't allow for terribly good paint coverage.  No matter, I could put another coat of paint on, but that would add weight.  I'm more worried about how it looks at 200 ft away (to help my poor old 56 yr old eyeglass assisted MK 1 eyeballs keep track of it😒) than how it looks at 2 ft away😉

My AUW with 2200 3S battery is pretty good, 552 gr/19.5 oz, so I think it should be pretty light and quick.  I decided to put the EMAX RS2306 2750 Kv motor in this plane as it is billed as being pretty fast according to RC Powers, so I might as well give it the motor it deserves😉.  I will run a 6x4 APC prop and 40A ESC.

I mounted my rudder servos in the back first so that I could then run the rudder servo wire outside the prop slot and then back in through the hole where the elevon servo is mounted.  This will ensure no possible interference with the prop by the rudder servo wires.

As I discussed in my servo video, the wires on the 5 gr servos aren't very long, so since I use a "Y" harness to connect my servos to the receiver, I ran the two Y leads out from the electronics bay so that I could connect the rudder servos, then tacked everything down with a bit of hot glue, including making sure the rudder servo leads were secure in the Y harness plugs.

I decided to trim a bit off the rudders themselves as when it was sitting on the table, these were completely flat on the surface, so by putting a slight angle on them, hopefully this won't cause such an abrupt landing as I flare it in.  I probably trimmed about 1/4" off the back and then angled it down to the rudder hinge line.

For durability, I always spread a very thin layer of glue (this glue which is identical to BSI Foam Cure) on the nacelles and along the bottom of the nose.  It dries light, clear and hard like epoxy, but doesn't turn yellow over time like epoxy does.  Fortunately, I can get this at a local dollar store and it is much cheaper than Foam Cure.

A bit hard to see the glue in this picture, but where it is shiny shows the glue.  I darkened this with black magic marker first to help with orientation.

I put a thin layer on the bottom of the nose forward of the small air vent.  Since the T-50 doesn't have a lot of nose clearance off the ground (especially since I lowered the nacelles by 7 mm), I suspect occassionally on landing it may tilt forward as it comes to a stop.  This glue will help the foam from getting gouged and torn.

Although I won't know how the build and my modifications turned out until I get a chance to fly it, I'm quite pleased with how it looks and with my final flying weight, I think with the fairly low profile it will be a pretty speedy little beast.  More to come as I get it in the air and start putting it through it's paces.😊

Park Jet noise...the "other" sound of freedom😎

Cheers,

Scott

Initial field test and impressions of the Racerstar BR2306S 2700 Kv motor

Hi Everyone -

I had this little beauty out for several flights today, testing the Racerstar BR2306S 2700 Kv motor I recently picked up from Banggood.😊

Here is the video of one of today's test flights using the 6x4 APC gas prop, Turnigy Plush 40A ESC and 2200 3S 40C battery for consistency.

As mentioned in the video, the motor is fairly light, weighing 44 gr/1.6 oz with prop and hardware.  Like the other quad racing motors I have tested, you need to provide your own X mount and bullet connectors for use in a park jet.

As mentioned, I had purchased this motor to see if it was a inexpensive equivalent to the EMAX RS2306 2750 Kv motor I got from Hobby King which thus far is probably the most powerful motor of all I have tested, but costs $21.99 USD.  This Racerstar motor sells for $8.99.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find anywhere in Banggood's specs what the max amp rating is for this motor, they list 35A as being the max amp draw testing a 5045 prop, creating 490W on 4S generating 1090 gr/38.4 oz of thrust.  When I did a quick test with my wattmeter on 3S with the 6x4 APC gas prop, I saw the numbers of 29A/312W, so I would assume that you could run this motor safely up to 35A.  I will have some of my own thrust numbers once I get my thrust stand I have on order.  By comparison, the EMAX motor is rated at 58A, so if a person planned on really punishing their motor in a park jet using 4S or higher pitched props, better to stick with the EMAX motor I would suggest.

I would say that this motor is not quite up to the performance of the EMAX motor, "you get what you pay for" as the old saying goes😏  However, for it's price, it performed really well, in top end speed and torque not quite as good as the EMAX, but still about mid pack of all the motors I have tested thus far.  In the video, I suggested this motor was about 5-10% as powerful as the EMAX motor, I would say more like 10% as powerful after flying it several more times after the video was shot.

As I mention in the video, the tolerances between the magnets and the stator, the quality of the magnets, the fact the magnets are flat and not curved and slightly further apart than on the EMAX probably accounts for this.  However, for the price, it is the best value motor I have tested thus far from a "power to dollar ratio"😉.  It is the cheapest at regular price, but in torque and top end speed out performs more expensive motors I have purchased from RC Timer (FR2205 2550 and FR2306 2650) and Hobby King (Multistar Viking 2208 2600)  

Compared to the other Racerstar motor I tested, the BR2406S 2600 Kv, it has better top end speed, but not as much torque.

Of course I won't know how durable it is until I put a lot more flights/punishment into it over time, so that factors into whether it is still a true bargain, but from what I saw today, it is definitely the best value for the dollar if a person was on a tighter budget but still wanted some good power for the price on 3S.

Park Jet noise...the "other" sound of freedom😎

Cheers,

Scott

Initial impressions and field testing BrotherHobby Returner R2 2205 2800 Kv motor

Hi Everyone -

Yesterday I managed to get out and field test the BrotherHobby Returner R2 2205 2800 Kv quad racing motor in this little beauty😊

Unfortunately, I didn't take too many pictures of it before I added all the hardware and prop to put in the plane, but if you click on the link in the first paragraph there are lots of detailed photos of the motor from several angles.  It just came packed in a simple small box from Banggood, regular price is $20.99 USD, at the time of writing on sale for $14.99.

The lightest of all the motors I have tested thus far at 40 gr/1.4 oz even after adding connectors, mount, prop and prop nut. 

Until my thrust stand arrives in the mail and I have it set up, I don't have any thrust data, as mentioned in the video below, when I hooked it up to the wattmeter at the field, it pulled about 34.5A at full throttle.  Fortunately, rcplanepirate also picked up one of these motors recently and has done a bench test video already.  If you start watching at about 3:30 of the video, you can see back to back tests of the 6x4 APC electric prop, then the 6x4 APC gas prop, interesting differences.😊

In my research, BrotherHobby seems to have a very good name in quad racing motors.  When inspecting the motor before putting it in the plane, I could see that it was finished really well, a very minimalist approach in construction with no wasted weight.  As I mention in the video and RCPP discusses in his, unfortunately there don't seem to be published amp limits for the motor, but I think you might be safe running it up to 40-45A, it has pretty thick wires on the stator compared to some of the other quad motors I have tested.  

The fit between the bell and stator is very snug, little wasted space there which I have discovered is an area to note when looking for higher performance motors.  The magnets are curved and fairly close together, so when I spin it by hand, I can feel that the magnets are strong, but it isn't "bumpy" which will happen if there is too much gap between the magnets where they are attached to the bell.

Here is the flight video I shot yesterday.

This little motor definitely punches above it's weight.  Compared to the only other 2205 size motor I have field tested thus far (RC Timer FR2205 2550 Kv), this BH motor makes up for lack of size with higher Kv, so it feels like it has the torque of a motor with a larger stator which is good, especially since it is so light.  

After thinking about it some more and reviewing my flight test videos of the EMAX RS2306 2750 kv and BeeRotor Z2207 2780 kv motors, I would say this BH motor is close in top end speed, but those two motors are still the fastest I have tested thus far.  Both the EMAX and BeeRotor motors have better low end torque, but weigh 47 and 50 gr respectively.  Again, considering how light this BH motor is though, that is pretty good company for it to keep😉

I do have another BrotherHobby motor on the way to test, the Returner R4 2205 2700 kv.  I'm not sure what the difference is between R2 and R4 other than the R2 is rated for 3-4S and the R4 is rated for 4-5S, I'm hoping to still be able to run the R4 efficiently on a 3S😔, more testing to come😄

Park Jet noise...the "other" sound of freedom😎

Cheers,

Scott