Hi, just been testing my Y6 with it's new 6000mah 4S pack and noticed the motors are getting hot. This is affecting the bottom motors more where if you touch them on the base, non rotating part, they are too hot to touch for more than a few seconds. The rest of the motor is hot but can be held without issue.
To check I did another flight with a 3S 4400mah setup and the motors were again getting hot, not as hot but the flight time was 5 mins vs 13 mins.
It's also worth noting with the 4S setup the ESCs were also getting hot, again after a 13 min test flight.
The flight itself basically consisted of a 13 minute hover in loiter mode, I was testing battery times, and consumed 5000mah. The weather for the UK was hot, 25 deg C. The Y6 is a new 2014 B version weighing 1900 grams or so, std config plus 600 gram pack, with std 10 inch props and 850 blue motors.
And finally to the question, is this normal of does something sound wrong?
The only thing I can think I haven't done is balance the props, guide for this would be handy, but I have no vibration issues looking at the data log.
Replies
Interesting - the data sheet (presumably from jDrones) says use a 9x6 on the 880Kv if you're using 4S batteries, whereas 3DR recommends 12x4.7 or 11x4.7.
The data sheet also says:
Our motors providing best performance with the recommended propeller size. If you consider to change the propeller size be aware that motor can overheat and damaged.
No kidding! 12" props on the top seem fine, but our collective experience here seems to agree with that point from the data sheet when it comes to bottom motors.
Picking up my 10x5.5 MRs tonight, and I'll try to get out for a test this weekend. I'm hoping they cool down the bottom motors.
With APC 12x4.5 MRP on top and 10x5.5 MR on bottom, the motor casing on the bottom is no longer any hotter than the top after a 5-minute flight.
The base of the motor, where the two screws hold it to the arm, is still quite hot to the touch, but this is an improvement. If the fiberglass plate between that motor and the aluminum arm was replaced with a better conductor of heat I bet that would improve things.
Can anyone recommend such a part? Unfortunately I don't have the hardware to create one.
I am planning to buy a 3DR DIY Y6 Kit, but it's out of stock. As an option, I am drafting an order that contains each necessary component. After reading your discussion, I was thinking on use the 880 Kv motor instead of the 850 Kv motor as it would give me a better operation range. Looking at the specifications of each one, I see a couple of things that are not clear for a beginner like me:
1 - The 880 Kv motor requires a 40A ESC and the 850 Kv motor requires a 30A ESC, but as I can see in the Y6 part list, it comes with a 20A ESC (which is the unique ESC offered at the 3DR store)
2 - The 880 Kv motor has a voltage range 7.4~11.1 Volts but accepts a 4s Li-Po (14.8 Volts)
3 - Propellers for 4s Li-Po are 8x6 (850 Kv motor) and 9x6 (880 Kv motor). Bigger propellers are supposed to be used on lower voltages
Am I having the wrong idea about these 3 items or would it also contribute to overheat the motors ?
Model Volts KV（rpm/v） Max Pull Weight Max power ESC Battert/Prop
A2830-12 7.4~15V 850 880g 52g 200watt 30A LiPoх2/11х7
LiPoх4/8х6
Model Volts KV（rpm/v） Max Pull Weight Max Power ESC Battery/prop
bc2836-9 7.4~11.1V 880 860g 70g 248watt 40A LiPoх2/12x6
LiPoх4/9x6
@Alberto,
On #3, where did the prop recommendation of 9x6 come from? Is that top and bottom?
Also, FWIW, I got my kit from a 3DR redistributor with 880Kv motors and 30A ESCs. I've been flying for a couple months. The ESCs are never hot to the touch.
The max current draw I've seen is 90A for the whole copter at full throttle on a 4S battery. This is probably because I'm using the 3DR Power Module, which has a max draw of 90A:
http://copter.ardupilot.com/wiki/common-measuring-battery-voltage-a...
Seems like the odds of exceeding 30A on any particular ESC is low if all 6 ESCs are sharing 90A. Someone more experienced is very welcome to correct me if I'm wrong. :)
Best offer I can make is go to eCalc (www.ecalc.ch/xcoptercalc.php?ecalc) and plug in the parameters and see what it tells you. I not sure 850 and 880 kv motors are the best option with 20A ESC. I'm seeing way too much overheating on lower motors which may be from cooling issues as stated in previous posts.
Bump. I want to keep this thread alive if others don't mind. Anyone experimenting with different prop/motor configurations please post the results.
I'm especially interested in tri-blades on the bottom as was mentioned.
On the topic of hot electronics, my 3DR speed controllers get extremely hot on ideal. I have re calibrated the ESC's and the APM(transmitter) with no improvement. Is this common?
The weird thing is, they weren't always like this. I just noticed it recently.
I think it is a calibration issue(maybe I am doing it wrong all of a sudden???). I have also heard people attributing the issue to the power module. Any ideas?
I've got the same issue on my Y6, which has 880Kv jDrones motors. I've tried the following prop combos (all APC props):
In all configurations the bottom motors are almost too hot to hold. I feel as though the stock config and the all 11s left the bottom motors maybe a little less hot, but still noticeably hotter to the touch than the top motors. I'd like to balance them out.
Putting 12x6 on the bottom was an attempt to compensate for the faster air those props encountered, but only seems to have helped a bit, if at all. I'm going to try 12x4.5MRP on top and 10x6MRP on bottom as soon as the latter arrive, and see if that helps the bottom.
It's a bit tricky with the Y6B config, I think, because the copter has to balance yaw, and therefore can't just put more power to the top motors. Instead, we need to find a prop config that allows yaw to be maintained without straining the bottom motors unduly. The bottom motors need to be given a mechanical advantage over the top motors. Perhaps increased pitch is the way to go.
try a lower pitch on the top prop with a higher pitch prop on the bottom
Since 12x4.5MRP on top and 12x6E on bottom didn't work, what pitch differential do you suggest?
Would increasing pitch at the same time as decreasing length help, or should both be increased?
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