Reducing speed of a Brushless DC motor

Other Hardware Motors, Mechanics, Power and CNC
1

Hi

I'm having a hard time figuring out a way to reduce the speed of a brushless motor.

I'm using SIDEWINDER 3 SPORT 1:10TH COMBO WITH NEU-CASTLE 1406-4600KV

here is the link http://www.castlecreations.com/en/sidewinder-1/sidewinder-3-nc1406-4600kv-combo-010-0115-01

I'm controlling it by Ardunio uno using the code below

#include <Servo.h>


Servo motor; 

void setup() {

  motor.attach(8);
 
}

void loop() {
  
  delay(2000);
 

 motor.writeMicroseconds(1550);

 


  }

Where 2000 is max speed
1500 neutral
1000 max reverse

I'm running it at 1550 which is the lowest to get it spinning but it still gives a high speed.

Is there is a way to reduce speed lower than this ?

2

If its a motor without hall sensors, there is a minimum speed the ESC can support. Also a lot of ESCs
are not speed controllers (as the name would imply), they control power (roughly speaking), so
the load has a large effect on speed.

3

MarkT:
If its a motor without hall sensors, there is a minimum speed the ESC can support. Also a lot of ESCs
are not speed controllers (as the name would imply), they control power (roughly speaking), so
the load has a large effect on speed.

So how can I know if my motor has a hall sensor or not ? Can I connect a motor driver so I can control the current and voltage input ?

I think this kind of motors wouldn't work without an ESC

4

Do you think this ESC programming kit will hlep in changing the ESC settings to give lower speeds ?

http://www.castlecreations.com/en/castle-link-usb-programming-kit-010-0005-00

5

inabhani:
So how can I know if my motor has a hall sensor or not ? Can I connect a motor driver so I can control the current and voltage input ?

I think this kind of motors wouldn't work without an ESC

Hall sensors, 3 of them. There will be 8 wires, 0V, 5V and 3 hall outputs, plus the 3 phase wires to
the motor itself.

6

MarkT:
Hall sensors, 3 of them. There will be 8 wires, 0V, 5V and 3 hall outputs, plus the 3 phase wires to
the motor itself.

Mine only has three wires coming out of the ESC. These three are connected as showen below:

1- Ground
2- 5 V input voltage to run the Arduino
3- Digital pin 8

7

What are you planning on doing with this motor? As Mark said, the load has a lot to do with it .

8

vinceherman:
What are you planning on doing with this motor? As Mark said, the load has a lot to do with it .

I'm planning on building a small car ( Like rc cars ) that weigh around 5 lb. When running at lowest throttle ( 1550 ) is still gives me a pretty high speed.

9

Have you tried numbers on either side of 1550, like 1545, 1540, 1555, 1560 to see if it made any difference?

10

756E6C:
Have you tried numbers on either side of 1550, like 1545, 1540, 1555, 1560 to see if it made any difference?

Yes I tried to go less than 1550 like 1549.9 or 1549.8 it will work but not with a constant speed. If I go with less than 1549 it does not spin at all.

11

I agree with MarkT in reply #1, no speed control, only power, like the accelerator pedal in your car, if you start up a steep hill, you have to "step on the gas" to maintain the same speed, you need a controller with "cruise control".

12

756E6C:
I agree with MarkT in reply #1, no speed control, only power, like the accelerator pedal in your car, if you start up a steep hill, you have to "step on the gas" to maintain the same speed, you need a controller with "cruise control".

lets call it power. How can I reduce the power output from my motor ? Assuming I could not do it through the Arduino

13

Reduce the input voltage.

14

How I go about reducing the input voltage? The battery is directly connected to the ESC

15

Castle do make a sensored 1406 motor which will run more slowly with the correct ESC. But you have a high Kv sensorless motor intended to be used with high gearing. The motor itself will not run slowly.

The only practical way to get it a little slower is to use a lower voltage battery. The other way to get the car travelling slower is to change the gearing.

Steve

16

slipstick:
Castle do make a sensored 1406 motor which will run more slowly with the correct ESC. But you have a high Kv sensorless motor intended to be used with high gearing. The motor itself will not run slowly.

The only practical way to get it a little slower is to use a lower voltage battery. The other way to get the car travelling slower is to change the gearing.

Steve

i found this video on youtube about changing settings on the ESC

Do you this could be the solution ?

17

inabhani:
i found this video on youtube about changing settings on the ESC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jigSRjLHNTA

Do you think this could be the solution ?

18

Did it work when you tried it? We don't have your hardware to test.

19

inabhani:
i found this video on youtube about changing settings on the ESC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jigSRjLHNTA

Do you this could be the solution ?

Unlikely. It allows you to reduce the MAXIMUM power but as I understand it your problem is that it still runs too fast on MINIMUM power and that you can't change.

Steve

20

MorganS:
Did it work when you tried it? We don't have your hardware to test.

I don't have the programming kit to do it.