Do mini quads need quadcopter specific motors?

NuttyGeezer

New member
I found this motor online, with a kv of 2600 and a power rating of 260W:

http://rclife.co.uk/Brushless-Motor...wer-Series-Brushless-Outrunner-Motor?filter=4

And I thought it would work really well on a miniquad, and it is much cheaper than similar motors designed specifically for mini quads, like this one (I know it takes a 4S battery, but even ones with much lower KV and power rating are more expensive than the first motor)

http://rclife.co.uk/Drones-Quadcopters/Quadcopter-Motors/Emax-RS2205-2600KV

However, I want to check that I am not making a mistake. Is there any reason why I couldn't use the first motor on a mini quad?
 

Snarls

Gravity Tester
Mentor
No, miniquads do not need quadcopter specific motors, however most motors available in the size needed for miniquads are miniquad specific. The motor you linked first is probably too big for a miniquad. Miniquad motors are of size 2208 or less (2206, 2204, 1806, etc). While your motor can spin a 6" prop and probably fit on a miniquad frame, I would be concerned about it being too big. Additionally the prop adapter on that motor probably not optimal for the flying conditions of a miniquad. Those adapters tend to slip and come loose.

My recommendation is to go with something like a DYS 1806 motor which are usually around $10 USD or less. There are also four packs of motors out there like this one from HK that are reasonably cheap.
 

Cyberdactyl

Misfit Multirotor Monkey
I found this motor online, with a kv of 2600 and a power rating of 260W:

http://rclife.co.uk/Brushless-Motor...wer-Series-Brushless-Outrunner-Motor?filter=4

I'm sure many are rolling their eyes at your post.

First, I don't mean any offense, they are not rolling their at you. . . they are rolling their eyes at ME! Many old timers here will be saying, "Oh my God, Cyber will see this."

Meaning, those are the motors I have pushed for almost two years. They are excellent and cheap battery sucking monsters on a small quad under ~720g AUW on 4S.

I have the RcTimer version of those.

The huge caveat is they suck hard on batteries with props like HQ0645s.



The good news is I can get in the upper 70's with them on 4S. Here's a ~72mph run.

 
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C0d3M0nk3y

Posted a thousand or more times
Meaning, those are the motors I have pushed for almost two years. They are excellent and cheap battery sucking monsters on a small quad under ~720g AUW on 4S.

I have the RcTimer version of those.

So the ones linked in the first post are 2208s, not 2822s?
 

NuttyGeezer

New member
No, miniquads do not need quadcopter specific motors, however most motors available in the size needed for miniquads are miniquad specific. The motor you linked first is probably too big for a miniquad. Miniquad motors are of size 2208 or less (2206, 2204, 1806, etc). While your motor can spin a 6" prop and probably fit on a miniquad frame, I would be concerned about it being too big. Additionally the prop adapter on that motor probably not optimal for the flying conditions of a miniquad. Those adapters tend to slip and come loose.

My recommendation is to go with something like a DYS 1806 motor which are usually around $10 USD or less. There are also four packs of motors out there like this one from HK that are reasonably cheap.

Thanks for your advice. I am planning to build my own frame, so motor mount sizes aren't a problem for me. Thanks for your suggestion about the prop adapter though, I will try to look for suitable adapters to replace the ones that come with it, or I will go with a pusher prop design
 
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NuttyGeezer

New member
I'm sure many are rolling their eyes at your post.

First, I don't mean any offense, they are not rolling their at you. . . they are rolling their eyes at ME! Many old timers here will be saying, "Oh my God, Cyber will see this."

Meaning, those are the motors I have pushed for almost two years. They are excellent and cheap battery sucking monsters on a small quad under ~720g AUW on 4S.

I have the RcTimer version of those.

The huge caveat is they suck hard on batteries with props like HQ0645s.



The good news is I can get in the upper 70's with them on 4S. Here's a ~72mph run.


Thanks for your advice. What size of ESC are you using on your quadcopter?
 

Robbie

Senior Member
Yay someone else who has joined CyberD and Me

These motors work great just a couple of things to bere in mind though:
  • Get the RCTimer ones (they are cheaper i think and RC timer is a respected company)
  • When you hard solder cut the bullets off as close to the bullets as possible becuase there is enamle on the wire
  • buy a 5th motor as they are so cheap and you don't want to have to wait for shipping

These are great motors, loads of power and and cool very nicely. Have fun with them, thye give incedible thrust for a fraction of the price of the highend motors.

And in all honesty motors are one of the few drone parts were spending lots of extra money is pretty pointless, at the end of the day these give comparable thrust to Xnova 2206s yet Nova's are 5x more expensive but by no measure 5xs as good.

I couldn't reccomend these motors highly enough they have carried me through the hobby (haha pun) for the past year with no major issues.
 

Robbie

Senior Member
oh one other thing if you are using these with 5 or 6" props i would use a 30A ESC.

I am using the Rotorgeeks 30A as they are solid and reliable - however they are probably out of date by now.

You can try kiss 30A but they are expensive
 

Snarls

Gravity Tester
Mentor
Yea my bad. Apparently DYS labels these motors by the can size of 2822, but other brands label them the usual way by the stator, which is 2208. So you should be able to rock these.
 

Cyberdactyl

Misfit Multirotor Monkey
Thanks for your advice. What size of ESC are you using on your quadcopter?

I use Afroslim 20A. However they are really 30A FETs. They down rate the amp rating because they are designed to go inside boom tubes. If you use them where they can get plenty of air, you can consider them 30A.
 

razor02097

Rogue Drone Pilot
Agreed with above posts. No you don't need miniquad specific motors for miniquads nor is there anything wrong with using miniquad motors on fixed wing aircraft. Miniquad motors are generally smaller, lighter, higher KV motors that miniquads need. As long as the motor meets the specs you are looking for with the prop size you are wanting to run, go for it.