Help! Help converting a 3s motor to 4s

[cdfigueredo]

Hello everyone and I hope someone can shed some clarity on the subject.
I have been doing some research and I am aware that bruhsless motors can be wound using different wire thicknesses to vary the RPM and power consumption, thus modifying the motor characteristics. But my question is if it would be possible to convert a 3s motor to 4s by winding it with some configuration or gauge?

It is clear to me that a motor is built to support a maximum consumption in watts, and according to that it can be perfectly connected to 4 cells as long as the helix used does not exceed the maximum watts specified by the manufacturer, but that is for the original winding. So could these specifications be changed? Does anyone have any experience?

The thing is that I have a motor that opened its winding by a too long screw that ended up rubbing, and I would like to experiment a little but always with the help of more experienced people.

Thanks in advance!

 

[danskis]

(1) How to Rewind Brushless Motors | Learn to fix or modify your electric motors - YouTube

 

[Merv]

...would be possible to convert a 3s motor to 4s by winding it with some configuration or gauge?...

I'm not sure you are going to change much. There is just not enough room to physically get the more or larger wire in the motor.

 

[WillL84]

Wouldn't it be easier to just buy a 4s motor?

 

[cdfigueredo]

Wouldn't it be easier to just buy a 4s motor?

not in Cuba, for sure

 

[WillL84]

not in Cuba, for sure

🤣

 

[LitterBug]

I have run 3s motors on 6s. Just be careful you don't get it too hot.

 

[Merv]

not in Cuba, for sure

If you need to rewind a motor, I’d use the same wire size and winding pattern as the original. Be sure to note the number of winds and the direction of the wind as you remove the old wire.

As LitterBug mentioned, motors don’t care what voltage they run at, so long as you watch the heat.
ESC’s are a different matter, the BEC is built for a voltage range that must not be exceed or the smoke will come out.

 

[danskis]

@LitterBug - so to run a 3s on 6s use a 6s esc and leave the motor out in the wind?

 

[LitterBug]

@LitterBug - so to run a 3s on 6s use a 6s esc and leave the motor out in the wind?

Basically yes. Possibly underprop it. Also don't run full throttle for extended periods of time. S ratings are more of a guideline than an absolute. The key is to keep the motor at a safe operating temperature. It will depend on the motor as well. Some will take a lot more than rated, while some suffer even at their rating. If you have a motor that runs hot, don't push it. Ones that run cool can go up a cell or more.

 

[sprzout]

Basically yes. Possibly underprop it. Also don't run full throttle for extended periods of time. S ratings are more of a guideline than an absolute. The key is to keep the motor at a safe operating temperature. It will depend on the motor as well. Some will take a lot more than rated, while some suffer even at their rating. If you have a motor that runs hot, don't push it. Ones that run cool can go up a cell or more.

And as Litterbug mentioned, pay attention to your prop length and pitch size. Going up in length, pitch, or both, can cause that motor to get nice and hot. I did that in Phoenix during the summer a few years ago with a quadcopter motor; ran a 5x5x3 prop on 4S when the motor was meant for a 5x4x3 with 4S, max. Combined with the 103 degree heat and a couple of hard turns, the motor was scorching hot and no worky after a 3 minute flight. 😂🤣😂

 

[danskis]

OK so I have a bigger ESC, smaller prop, and I've gone from 3S to 4S - what does that get me in the way of performance? Anything noticeable?

 

[Piotrsko]

Lot more speed for a given prop, perhaps more thrust. Pitch means how far forward a prop would travel per revolution if it was 100% efficient. Spin it faster, lose some efficiency, but goes further per second. Bugaboo is where the tips go supersonic and you lose thrust to making noise according to Irv Culver.

[Edit] noise also dissipates energy so although the motor sees less prop, supersonic still loads the motor bunches