sensorless vs. sensored brushless motors

[kalin96]

what is the difference between a sensored brushless motor and a sensorless brushless motor?

[ohmyCLOD!]

Search Google...

[Tatau]

First google result:

http://www.teamnovak.com/tech_info/b...ensorless.html

There was a recent forum post that had people recommending a sensored brushless, I think you can search for it here on this forum.

[treday619]

Novak= Sensored

Castle= Sensorless

The article you posted is a good article but a little one sided towards sensored motors. I don't know many motors that are faster than a CC Motor. The Novak Motors on the other hand have alot of torque

[vavaroutsos]

Brushless motors have no brushes as the name implies. Commutation is performed by the ESC. In order for the ESC to do this, it needs to know the position of the rotor so it can engerize the appropriate windings at the appropriate times. Sensored motors include sensors that tell the ESC the position of the rotor. This results in smooth low speed control. The non-sensored ESC use a startup sequence, without knowing the position of the rotor, to get it started. Once the rotor is up to some minimum speed, they sense the back EMF on the non driven phase to track the rotor position. For crawling good low speed control is important, that's why people recommend a sensored brushless for this application.

~petev

[grouser]

Originally Posted by vavaroutsos

Brushless motors have no brushes as the name implies. Commutation is performed by the ESC. In order for the ESC to do this, it needs to know the position of the rotor so it can engerize the appropriate windings at the appropriate times. Sensored motors include sensors that tell the ESC the position of the rotor. This results in smooth low speed control. The non-sensored ESC use a startup sequence, without knowing the position of the rotor, to get it started. Once the rotor is up to some minimum speed, they sense the back EMF on the non driven phase to track the rotor position. For crawling good low speed control is important, that's why people recommend a sensored brushless for this application.

~petev

This is a MUCH more preffered answer than the "go search" BS
come on dudes if ya don't want to take the time to help someone don't take the time to jab him,,,making friends here is what it is all about be patient,,,peace

[clockworks]

To add to what vavaroutsos said, you can use a sensored motor on a sensorless ESC, but you can't use a sensorless motor on a sensored ESC.

Sensorless setups really struggle at low RPMs - they can "cog" (stutter) badly.
The advantage is, they offer more power for the price. There's also less to go wrong. Fine for bashing or dirt racing, where the motor can get up to speed quickly because the wheels spin.
Sensored is much better for twisty tarmac or carpet, where you may be going around slow corners (or re-starting after a crash) and the wheels don't slip as much because the grip's higher.
For crawling, where low speed control and grip is everything, I wouldn't bother with sensorless. Apart from the cogging problem, setups like the Mamba Max have zero low-speed drag brakes.

IMHO, RC cars are all about control, not brute power. I was running a sensorless Mamba Max 5700 combo in my B4 buggy. This season, I switched to a sensored Losi Xcelorin 13.5T stock setup. Despite having less than half the power, I'm getting more laps per 5 minute heat. Best I did last year was a high 11. After 4 weeks with the new setup, I was 0.3 seconds off getting a 13. I lose a little top speed on the straight to the "big boys", but it's so much more controllable on the twisties.