Astro motor information

Hey Guys,

I have spent a lot of time on the phone with Astro lately regarding the 3200 series motors. We discussed the following;

Larger OD bearings for 3220s to support a 1/2 inch shaft better than the 7/8 OD bearings they have been using. Over the coming months all 3220s will move to that design.

Higher temp epoxy. They are looking into that right now and plan on implementing this soon.

Fan cooling. They are making me a prototype 3220 with a perforated can front plate and rear plate with a one inch long shaft protruding out the end of the can. I will be machining a squirel cage fan to mount to the rear shaft. This will pull air through the motor. My DaVinci drive cools the outside of the can. The fan will pull air directly through the windings for even better cooling from inside and out. I have had this idea for a long time, but never implemented it because all previous drive designs blocked the front of the motor. This blocked air from exiting (or entering) the front of the can. However, the DaVinci drive eliminates this problem by leaving the front of the motor completely unobstructed. Now the motor can be drilled for through can cooling.

We are working together, at this point, to spec 3200 series motors to MY personal requirements (at least for the motors I order from them).

They are VERY interested in working with me to make what I want.

Matt

That sounds like a good plan to me...

recumpence said:

We are working together, at this point, to spec 3200 series motors to MY personal requirements (at least for the motors I order from them).

They are VERY interested in working with me to make what I want.

Click to expand...

Matt,

It would be handy for making modifications if both ends of the motor case could be detached, on all of the motor sizes..... They used to do the 3220 that way.

If they make the front and back plates removable. We can machine our own cooling mods to fit.

One prototype they are building for me is a 3220 with a vented front and rear plate. I will machine a squirl cage fan blade for the rear to pull air through the motor. This used to not be possible because the front of the can was blocked by the drive face plate. But the DaVinci drive is open on the front allowing through air flow.

I spoke with Astro at length today. They are looking into removeable front and rear plates for the 3220. There are a few specific issues with doing this. But, it is good for a number of reasons. They are also looking into higher temp epoxy per my request.

Also, they are quoting me on open plates (thick aluminum with a 4 spoke design) for maximum airflow as well as closed caps for those who want them.

I will let you guys know any info as I have it.

Matt

I'm curious to know how risky are open cans to collect debri resulting in motor failure. Do the Turnigy open outrunners have a pretty good record of running without this sort of failure Should we screen our open can Astros or just run 'em open air

Good question. I guess that would depend on the location of the motor.

Matt

Man, I have been on the phone A LOT with Astro.........

They are moving forward with all updates mentioned. We are also doing a couple other extremely wild things that are secret as of this moment.

I will keep you guys posted.

Matt

Did they change the epoxy when the company changed hands? Will they share what the current epoxy is as a baseline?

bigmoose said:

Did they change the epoxy when the company changed hands? Will they share what the current epoxy is as a baseline?

Click to expand...

No. Supposedly this is the same epoxy Bob wass using. I do not know if it is the same vendor, however.

This new stuff may be a special formula for their application because the adhesive engineer is going their to match the best formula to their needs.

My latest batch of motors may have this new epoxy assuming they can get a batch in time.

Matt

Matt,
Any idea if the 3205 motor will live again? Hi power 3220's are cool but personally I'm more into low profile, moderate power applications.

Cheers!

Sure, I can get 3205s. I believe retail is $300 for one.

Matt

I just got confirmation from Astro Flight that all motors that are currently on order will come with the new high temp epoxy. This is really good news!

Also, they are machining two fan cooled prototype 3220s for me and I have two fans being machined as well. One motor is mine and one is for FFR trikes.

I will get back to you with any additional information as I have it.

Matt