4 inch diameter Astro motors coming soon..........

[recumpence]

Hey Guys,

I have recieved ALOT of PMs and emails asking for my 3230 motor. However, I have been busy working on other things, one of which is a 4 inch diameter motor. Astro Flight has been working on this for me and another client for some time now and they are building parts for these motors as we speak. The can will be finned an have an OD of 4.5 inches. The rotor is 2.5 inches in diameter (up from 1.5 inch for the 3200 series motors) and they will be available in .5 inch stack height increments. So, they will come in 4205, 4210, 4215, 4220, 4225, and 4230. The 4230 is rated at a true continuous output of 25,000 watts! The torque of these motors is over twice that of the 3200 series motors (of same lamination stack length) and more efficient. The laminations are 1/3 as thick as the 3200 series motors. So, a 4210 will use 3 times more laminations than a 3210. That means they will be costly (no cost numbers as of yet), they they should be VERY efficient. I should have some tech number from Astro's testing sometime today.

This motor will use 1/2 inch diameter shaft and 1-1/8 inch OD aircraft bearings and should be able to handle over 10,000 RPM.

I am already developing a high output single stage reduction unit (a large copy of my V4 drive) for this motor as we speak. Expected prototype batch completion date is tentatively "Late February". I will keep you posted.

And yes, the intent is for these to be sensored. Astro is delivering motors to me without sensors and I will have sensors fitted after delivery.

I would assume a 4205 will be more than enough for a bicycle. But, the 4230 should be a good light motorcycle motor, or an insane racing motor. The 4230 should weigh in at a touch under 10 pounds with an output of 35hp continuous and far higher burst rating.

Lastly, considering the 3200 series motors are 92% efficient (over 94% in many circumstances), these higher efficiency motors should be mind boggling in their efficiency numbers as well as operating temperature.

I will keep you posted as this develops.

Matt

Oh, this is not vaporware. These motors are already in operation in a rough prototype guise with thicker laminations and a basic can and have been tested for years at this point. However, they are just now being taken from the rough test stage to a refined markettable point. These will be still considered custom motors, not a stock item. However, all debugging will be finished and all specs finalized so they can be put into limited, short run production on a per order basis.

[drewjet]

I have been waiting for these motors soooo long. Good to see they are going to finally be a reality.

Have you considered Burties optical sensors instead of halls?

At 4.5" diamater they will be legal for racing as defined by Motorbicycleracing on the Grange track. SWEEET!!!!

[neptronix]

Gonna place my bet right now and guess that they'll be at about $1000.

For 35HP, or even 20HP to be real conservative, i suppose that wouldn't actually be a bad price when you compare it to some scooter/motorcycle motors, which weight about 2-3x..

[Whiplash]

ABSOLUTELY wicked bad! Now this I can get behind for a light motorcycle/bicycle in a custom chassis config. Can you imagine what one of these big boys fitted to say a 125cc dirt bike trans could do in an 80-100LB chassis?! By the way, what is the lowest efficient RPM you think something like this could handle say, 5-8000 watts? It would make an unbelievable mid drive setup with that kind of power if it could spin slow enough to be fitted to a moderate single/maybe double stage reduction..

WOW, I was just crunching some numbers, I actually think you COULD get the bike (with an minimal battery) around 80LBS! Can you imagine what an 80lb machine would do with 35HP continuous and maybe double that peak output!! you could literally build a BICYCLE that could possibly OUT PERFORM a 450 dirtbike in the acceleration dept at least! WOW! One of those lightweight bikes from New Zealand would be the perfect chassis...

[Ypedal]

Sensors.. Sensors.. Sensors........ .. pls.

[liveforphysics]

Fantastic Matt!

More motors = more ebike love

[sn0wchyld]

Gonna place my bet right now and guess that they'll be at about $1000.

For 35HP, or even 20HP to be real conservative, i suppose that wouldn't actually be a bad price when you compare it to some scooter/motorcycle motors, which weight about 2-3x..

im guessing well north of 1k, but i'll be in if I can ever afford it... even if run at say, 15kw on a good dh/fr frame - THAT is the mekka of ebikes! shame your battery will run out in about 5min

[Whiplash]

Nah the batts will hold! Just pack on the nanotechs like Commando packs the heat! Lol! I.E. just slap em on everywhere! Lol!

[Arlo1]

Very cool.

[rodgah]

oooooo making changes to accept a larger motor right this minute

if you are going with the V4 style motor bracket....i assume you are going to have an adjustable support/bearing spar on the outside of the belt...(is it belt?)

Do you have any ideas on what controllers you will be playing with (sensored?)

rodger.

[AussieJester]

oooooo making changes to accept a larger motor right this minute

pffft seeef make changes...just make a whole new frame, not like you have too many already Rodger

KiM

[damcard]

Matt, What controllers will be good for this motor? -Damcard

[recumpence]

It will be sensored. So, any number of controllers will work.

My fan cooled 3220s are finished now. So, the 4 inch motors will be the next on the que for Astro R&D.

I have too many things on my plate...........

Matt

[lostrack]

It will be sensored. So, any number of controllers will work.

My fan cooled 3220s are finished now. So, the 4 inch motors will be the next on the que for Astro R&D.

I have too many things on my plate...........

Matt

Very cool Will the fan coolable 3220s be retro-fittable? Are you able to sell kits?

[recumpence]

The fan cooled motor is the windings and rotor from a standard 3220, but the can is completely new, the bearings are new, and the shaft is new. It also has a machined fan on the rear of the motor to pull air through the can. Also, the windings are not totally saturated with epoxy. That allows space between the windings for air to flow and cool the motor.

So, basically no, this is an entirely new motor other than the laminations and windings.

Matt

[mdd0127]

If you could only get Astro to gear up to actually provide motors quickly and reliably.....and fix their terrible customer service.....I'd be interested in one of the new motors. I'd almost rather chance hobbyking motors than try to deal with them again though. Were they bought out by a chinese company? It sure seems that way.

I'd LOVE to have the new owner's email address!!!

[recumpence]

If you could only get Astro to gear up to actually provide motors quickly and reliably.....and fix their terrible customer service.....I'd be interested in one of the new motors. I'd almost rather chance hobbyking motors than try to deal with them again though. Were they bought out by a chinese company? It sure seems that way.

I'd LOVE to have the new owner's email address!!!

I understand what you are saying. I hate the wait time too. They were really good about that at the very beginning. But, they have really gotten behind........

As for customer service, the issue as I see it is related to the company changeover. I can understand how they would have a hard time warranteeing a motor that was built over a year ago, by the previous owner, used for racing purposes. That being said, I would assume they would at least be willing to meet half way on this. I have spent much time on the phone asking them to give 1/2 price on replacement motors as a good faith measure, to no avail. I have gotten to know a few of the new people there and they are, indeed, good people. They are very good engineers. The quality of the motors has gone WAY up since they took over. The motors looked like a used car when Bob was making them. Now they look fantastic! It is obvious the new owners take pride in what they do.

I just wish I could get ahold of motors faster.

Matt

[Miles]

The motors looked like a used car when Bob was making them.

I know what you mean

[mdd0127]

They emailed me to see how my project was going and I was honest with them and told them that mainly because of supply chain issues, my project got dropped and I'm left homeless holding the bag. They had no response to this. They also asked about my sensor module and I told them that it worked flawlessly and that I would send it to them free of charge if they wanted to experiment with it. Also, no response on this. Then.....I told them that I had a new in box 3210 that I no longer had a use for and asked if they would buy it back from me....at a significant discount.....and they said NO. Then, on top of it all, I sent an email from another account asking for the contact info of someone higher up than customer service because I had some important product and service feedback and that email got ignored. So screw them. I don't care if they're nice or not. If their customer service sucks and they can't get motors out reliably, it would be smart for us to find a different supplier. If I'm ever in their neck of the woods, I'd like to visit their offices and meet with the CEO. They might improve things if I could accomplish that. They have sooo much potential but it's really getting wasted. I wish I had the capital to set thud up to go into production. I know for a fact that we could design an Astro killer and beat them on price, performance, and availability. I'm really excited about the 4 inch motors......but I won't be buying anything from Astro again.

[MitchJi]

Hi,

Then.....I told them that I had a new in box 3210 that I no longer had a use for and asked if they would buy it back from me....at a significant discount.....and they said NO.

Why not list it on the forum?

[Thud]

viewtopic.php?f=31&t=35601

[recumpence]

Wow, I am sorry to hear about your exchange with Astro.

Well, I love these motors, but, yes, I totally see your point about the rest of dealing with them. There are other good motors, though maybe not quite as high power per pound, but close. I have a couple other manufacturers I am looking at primarily for lower power (under 2kw) systems. I am totally open to looking at 4kw and up motors from other sources as well. I would not drop Astro, by any means. But, I would love to have another motor option (I do have another option, by the way).

At any rate, it is good to know who we are dealing with. They treat me well, but, then again, I spend many thousands of dollars with them. Heck, I spend thousands of dollars on motors per month........

Matt

[mdd0127]

If I ever catch my tail, I'll be in touch about your new source!

[Byte]

What about Plettenberg? A high quality (very pricey) German company who also makes BIG outrunners. I'm very happy with the 1 motor I got from them, for RC-cars though.

[drewjet]

Matt,

Will you be needing some beta testers?

I have an etek 72v powered bicycle that I would love to replace with a 4" Astro