Novak 55 help

[freemachinist]

I have a Rooster ESC and Novak 55 motor. Last week my crawler seemed strong. This week it seems to be weaker. If that makes sense. My drag brake it all but gone. I'm not sure what happened. Its powered by a 2cell lipo.

I have no idea how old the motor is. I got it with the crawler. How often should the brushes be replaced? And how do you know when its time to replace them. (without removing them).

[Terranaut]

I run the same combo, but I'm on 3C. The most likely cause of your problem is the motor, specifically the commutator. I found that the brushes can last a long time if you keep the comm in good condition, and the motor goes to crap if you don't. So, clean the motor and cut the comm. and change the brushes if they look nasty on the end, or if they're getting short. Drag brake can be affected by worn brushes, weak brush springs or radio settings. See what it's like when you get the comm cut.

Cheers.

[kaistonge]

i also have these issues but my motor gets hot too. would that be an issue in this as well. and how do you cut the comms . what does that mean and what will it do?



still trying to understand this whole motor thing ,

[Terranaut]

Getting hot is the first sign of trouble. When brushes wear or comm glazes over the current doesn't flow so easy, loss of efficiency means hot motor. If you don't know how to cut a comm you need a little help, maybe your LHS or a racetrack. There's a small lathe that does it very nicely, find someone who has one. DIY is not such a good idea IMHO but it's better than doing nothing.

The commutator is the part of the armature where the brushes make contact, and is where the power goes through the brushes and through the rotating armature. If the comm is worn, glazed or dirty it resists the flow of current through the motor, so you use more current to get less torque and the motor gets hot. It's the most likely cause of motor issues. Keeping the comm smooth, clean and perfectly round and keeping the brushes clean and in good condition will maintain like new performance for a long time. And it's easy to do!

Cheers.