List Your Large-Scale Brushed Motor Setups Here

[wrenwright]

With all the talk about all of the various brushless motors on here, it appears that brushed motors have taken a back seat.

In this thread I hope to get some of you guys to list your setups for your large planes that are powered with brushed motors.

Here's one that I've been working with:

Astro 11-turn 60
36 cell GP3300 pack
3:1 MAT belt drive
24x12 APC Prop

3800 RPM
28A
1100W

Motocalc predicts about 78% efficiency with this setup.

[FlyingW]

Astro 90
18 cells A123
3.08:1 MAT Belt Drive
24x16 Zinger (modified) Wood Prop

3,400 rpm
23 amps
1,250 watts

Flies a 16-1/2 pound plane just fine.

[mexico]

I came into this hobby just as small, brushless motors started to catch on. Today there are some really inexpensive brushless options in many sizes. What is the advantage of using a brushed setup?

[SpleenRippa]

I came into this hobby just as small, brushless motors started to catch on. Today there are some really inexpensive brushless options in many sizes. What is the advantage of using a brushed setup?


Yeah, I don't understand the appeal of brushed either- or those posts from holdouts saying brushless is too expensive :p

[FlyingW]

I found that the large Astro brushed power system was the only one available that could provide the 1000+ watts I needed at less than 25 amps - this way I could a use single series string of M1 cells and still get plenty of run time.

I would like to upgrade my plane to a brushless system - as soon as one is developed that operates in that region.

[mexico]

That is a legitimate reason.

[wrenwright]

OK Guys...
The thread title I listed was, "List Your Large-Scale Brushed Motor Setups Here", not "Let's bash brushed setups"....

Reasons for brushed motors?

How about not taking out a second morgage to power a 1/3 scale Cub or the like?

Can you show me a guy who's looking to buy a brushless motor/gearbox/esc that will swing a 24x12 prop at 4000 rpm who doesn't have a wad of $100 bills in his hand to pay for all of it?

Can you? I didn't think so.

Contrary to what a lot of guys believe, good brushed motors can be very efficient. In fact many of them are more efficient than some of the brushless outrunners everyone is so excited about.

[mexico]

Contrary to what a lot of guys believe, good brushed motors can be very efficient. In fact many of them are more efficient than some of the brushless outrunners everyone is so hot and excited about.

I was not bashing anything. I was asking a question which has now been answered.

[wrenwright]

Sorry if I was a little over-zealous in the above post...

I just don't want this thread to become a debate of brushed vs. brushless.

[mexico]

No problem

[wrenwright]

Are Paul and I the only guys using brushed motors these days??

[mexico]

Are there any brushed outrunners?

[Martin Irvine]

I have a couple of Astro Sport 60s 913 turn), one with a Graupner/Plettenberg 2:1 belt drive, and the other with the large Astro 2.7:1 gearbox. I have a number of ESCs that will drive these, (and don't have to mortgage the house). Current (!) plan is the 2:1 in a 1/4 scale Nieuport 17 with 12 123 cells. Very affordable. If I went with a lighter, geared brushless, I'd need nose weight or 10AHr lipo batteries. I'd have a more efficient setup but would have spent probably $1000 or more.



Martin

[mountainman2442]

Okay, I'll chime in...4 - Permax 480's with Mp Jet 4.1:1 gearboxes wired series/parallel, Jeti 450 controller, 2 - 3s 5000mah 10C Lipos in series. Props are MA 10-7's, four blades made by notching regular two blade props.

Four engines are a great reason to stick with brushed...Four brushless setups can get expensive... ;)

There's more folks using brushed setups in multi engine scale planes over on the scale planes forum. See my build thread (http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=682384) for more details on mine.


John

[Michael in Toronto]

Contrary to what a lot of guys believe, good brushed motors can be very efficient. In fact many of them are more efficient than some of the brushless outrunners everyone is so excited about.

There is only one store left in the Toronto area that has Astro cobalt brushed motors for sale, and they are way more expensive than any contemporary compatible sized brushless motor (even with the speed controls added).

[shaneyee]

There is only one store left in the Toronto area that has Astro cobalt brushed motors for sale, and they are way more expensive than any contemporary compatible sized brushless motor (even with the speed controls added).

Try Ebay.... quite often there are Astro Cobalts listed and they are reputed to last a lifetime of steady use. I got an Astro Cobalt 90 with gearbox and the Astro 60A 40 cell ESC for a good price new.

IMO the big advantage of brushed motors is in multiple motor setups. A single Astro 60A brushed ESC will power 4 Endoplasmas or Speed 600s in series without any problem. I dont know if you can do that with 1 brushless ESC and 4 brushles motors. Its a cheap setup for that monster 4 engine plane you've been dreaming about and 1 ESC is a lot easier toset up than 4....

Shane

[mexico]

As far as I know - with brushless motors - each motor needs its own esc.

[aeronca52]

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=740261 Check here for some astro cobalt motors- looks like good pricing-and I agree, brushed motors are still good powerplants. Jim

[hermperez]

ok, I found a setup for you:

htx80-100-b , an 11s1p A123 lipo pack, and suitable esc

11 a123 cells wiil be $120 from ebay, 2300mah capacity, fast recharge of 15 minutes.

motor is $149

https://www.unitedhobbies.com/UNITEDHOBBIES/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=5142

45 amps, 4000 rpm, 24*12 prop, 90% efficiency, 1400 watts.. this motor can be pushed much much higher.

esc, up to 14 A123 cells, 100amps, $94

https://www.unitedhobbies.com/UNITEDHOBBIES/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=4691

motor+lipos+esc = $360


OK Guys...
The thread title I listed was, "List Your Large-Scale Brushed Motor Setups Here", not "Let's bash brushed setups"....

Reasons for brushed motors?

How about not taking out a second morgage to power a 1/3 scale Cub or the like?

Can you show me a guy who's looking to buy a brushless motor/gearbox/esc that will swing a 24x12 prop at 4000 rpm who doesn't have a wad of $100 bills in his hand to pay for all of it?

Can you? I didn't think so.

Contrary to what a lot of guys believe, good brushed motors can be very efficient. In fact many of them are more efficient than some of the brushless outrunners everyone is so excited about.

[cyclops2]

My 41# trolling motor powered with a Novak Reversing Super Rooster in a 80# --8' WW II Higgins PTB gets up on plane in 5 seconds.

A real amp sucker when I accidently hooked the ESC up backwards 2 times in 5 seconds on to a full sized car battery.

[GregG]

......Contrary to what a lot of guys believe, good brushed motors can be very efficient. In fact many of them are more efficient than some of the brushless outrunners everyone is so excited about.

This is correct. The better built brushed motors are actually more eff. than most of the cheap brushless motors out nowadays.

One of these days I hope to get everything together to use the Plettenberg 500/67 that I picked up years ago. It has a claimed max eff. of 88% and was designed to power large scale planes and glider tow planes.

http://www.cobrajet.rchomepage.com/corsair/plett3.JPG


Using 3-30 cell (90 Nimhs! :eek: ) battery packs it was designed to swing a 26" X 16" direct drive using around 4kw from the power source. I plan on using it to pull a ~30lb Corsair around instead of using a G62 gas engine.

I copied and translated the webpage from Plettenberg before they stopped selling it. If you'd like more info, you can see a bit more about it here (http://www.cobrajet.rchomepage.com/corsair/50067_e.htm).

http://www.cobrajet.rchomepage.com/corsair/BigCorsairUp1.jpg

[FlyingW]

Awesome motor Greg.

I'll bet you could swing a scale four-bladed prop with some kind of belt-drive setup.

Paul

[robin andrew]

I recently bought a new Plettenburg 355/ /7 asc motor marked for 'scale'
It is marked high for effeciency around 90%, but it all depends upon the prop combination. I bought it for a future large scale job (about 7ft) in the hope it will give me long flights whilst using a big 16 or 17" propeller. It has a wide range of voltages it can use, but I will try it on 16 cells, Robin Andrew,UK.

[Ron]

I have used the Astro sport 40 on a 3.31 to 1 gearbox...20 nicads, and a 24X10 prop to fly a 1/3 sized DR1....worked great
this also was used with 24 nicad cells and 18X12 prop to power a 1/4 sized Spacewalker.....Astro 40 and 6S lithiums on a standard Astro ( 1.61? ) box
13X8 prop does a super job on my 64" Tiggie long flights, lotsa power.

I think what some of the fellows don't understand, is that some of the posters here have been flying exclusively electric for quite a few years, and have some of these brushed motors still from previous projects..I think the Astro brushed motors are really bullet proof...I wouldn't get rid of any of mine, and I am constantly on the lookout to snap one more up at a swap meet. I have no problem using brushless motors when required, but there is no reason in the world not to use an already on hand brushed motor if it will work. I know a fellow who flies one in a 1/4 scale cub.

[Cobalt 90]

I can tell you the BIGGEST advancement in Electric RC is the advancment in the batteries!! LiPo batteries are the Major reason why Electric flight is so sucesesfull. The differance in brushed and brushless is negligable comparing the differance between Lipo, and Nicads or Nimh. I would take Brushed with Lipo batteries ANY DAY over Nicad/NiMH with Brushless!!