What is the quietest / most silent motor

hejo

hejo

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Sep 26, 2007
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as mentioned in a topic last year allready i am still searching for most silent drive system.
I would have loved to use a geared hub motor on my trike, but the sound of drilling or grinding machine is simply... disgusting! I even had to exclude a Heinzmann because of the noise.

I tried crystalyte motors and controllers and also a German system (http://www.dmg-movement.de/)... does anybody know what motors / controllers they are using?
The German system is far the most efficient one (Wh /Ah per kilometer or, more important for me : per 100m altitude gain)
Unfortunately it has a very unpleasent ringing sound (not mechanical, but elekctroaccustically!
The best result i got from a Crystalyte 5303 tamed down in Amps and speed by a CA. But this device is 6kg more heavy than the 408 / 409 or the German motors.
And investing 6kg of more battery is a better option.

What are your experiences with regard to noise level of the different motors?
 
I have only tried a BD36 and a Golden Motor. The BD36 is brushed. The GM is brushless. Both are direct drive.

The BD36 sounds like your average brushed motor, and fairly quiet. If you rev it up off the ground, you can clearly hear the whooshing of the spokes over the hum of the motor.

The Golden is louder and the sideplates act like a speaker head for the freewheel ratchet, but it is still pretty quiet. You couldn't possibly hear it even over mild traffic (around here, anyway).

I have video of both, but it makes them out to be way, WAY louder than they really are.
 
The Tongxin is pretty quiet, near-silent, in fact. The only snag is that it's not that powerful and has had a few reliability issues in the past (although I have one and it's performing faultlessly).

Jeremy
 
I can't even hear my BD36, it's virtually silent.
Seriously, the freewheel thingie spinning on the back wheel of the bike is 10x louder than any other sound it might be making.
 
http://www.sparta.nl/uk/sparta-ION-bicycle.asp?bike=5786795


I had a quick ride on this bike and can honestly report that the motor doesn't make any noise. Its a pedellec aswell and the assist is so smooth it doesn't feel like an electric bike it just feels like you going downhill or really strong or something. Not all that powerful though. Someday in the future nearly every electric bike will be that quiet. Except of course on ES where people will be experimenting with some kind of high torque high voltage high frequency interplanetary space bike which will probably be pretty noisy, or at least the first build will :D
 
the sparta- ION has got one of the best test results regarding noise in German ebike test report.
The rear hub motor has a very small diameter i suspect it might even be a geard hub.
There are more reports saying that the geared Tonxim motor is nearly noisfree.
This is surprising, since the motor itself might be turning at more than 2000 rpm.

Is there anybody using the motors from Forsen?
Is this motor identical with the french Phantom from Velectris?
All these are advertising the extreme quite operation , even in comparison to Crystalyte motors.
 
I had to repost cause IE went down! My P2a from solarbbq2003 was very quite for a geared motor. I dont think he sells them any more! My Tongxin lasted exactly 4.5 miles before it melted down, so I dont remember how quiet it was. It uses rollers instead of gears for its planetary drive! I really hate noise too in a motor, and if I cant find a fix for my Currie powered trike (see avitar), I will have to repair my P2a!
otherDoc
edit: The Currie ezip drive is awsome other than the gear noise! Too bad
 
I hope you don't think this is a daft suggestion, but what about wearing noise-cancelling headphones? I read you post last year and it seems that it might suit you.. some gentle Bach motets playing perhaps? :)
 
From what I understand, the newer 40X series motors are louder than the old. the diffrence seems to be in the magnets used. the new ones have 6 bolt side covers, the old have 8.

I rode mine for a long while out with the GF, and she never noticed when I was using the motor. However, at 72V and 40A, I can make it growl on takeoff
 
paultrafalgar said:
I hope you don't think this is a daft suggestion, but what about wearing noise-cancelling headphones? I read you post last year and it seems that it might suit you.. some gentle Bach motets playing perhaps? :)
Click to expand...
Earmuffs and 95 degree weather dont really mix! Also i cant hear the little old blind ladies in their 72 Buicks about to run over me!!!! Finally, i dont really want to make a lot of noise with what should be quiet technology!
otherDoc
 
Of the wide range I have experienced, the TidalForce motor is the smoothest and quietest. They used to come up on ebay with some frequency, but have become pretty rare since US gas passed $3.50.

Even better, now "standard" tidalforce bikes can now be upgraded to the "X" model for a mere $250.

-JD
 
...sideplates act like a speaker head for the freewheel ratchet, but it is still pretty quiet.
Click to expand...
I wonder if any louder hub motor designs could benefit from a little dampening... thinking of the rubber material used as platters under vinyl records, for vibration dampening. If it were cut into large washer shapes and bonded to the outside of the sideplates? Wouldn't be a positive thing for motor cooling I expect.

The idea for noise-cancelling phones was fun but problematic yah. Might be better to introduce the noise-cancelling electronics into the controller or motor and build the transducers right into the motor... if this would be a cheap workaround to designing all sound right out of the device in the first place... Sadly, almost *all* ebikes I see around me seem completely silent, because of all the ambient street sounds.

Ya, ok, and decades of cuddling up to really large speaker systems might have limited my hearing somewhat too <hehe>

It's the noise from the spinning *chain* that ppl hear most from the EVs I've used, not any sound from the motors. So yah, I'm ready to try a quieter vehicle now also.
tks
Lock
 
I'M about to try the rubber stuff! UPS should deliver this afternoon some sound dampening aircraft pads fron Aircraft specialties and Spruce. I realize that this stuff and cooling are antithetical (love them big woids) but if applied judiciously, well maybe it can help. The Currie system has the best power curve for my use that I have ever tested, so I dont wanna give up without a fight! If it works, i'll make some MP3 stuff to show the difference (or is that MP4 withthe video) Oh well, back to UPS truck watching!
otherDoc
 
docnjoj said:
If it works, i'll make some MP3 stuff to show the difference (or is that MP4 withthe video)
Click to expand...

If it's YouTube, then it's Flash, which I think uses MP3. :p
 
Thanks Link! I just got my sound deadener from the UPS guy and did a simple test! I put some over my ears (not the sticky side) and it was like being in a black hole! Really quiet! So tomorrow when its cool again I try it on the MY1018 motor and mountings. I will try to leave as much surface area as possible uncovered for cooling, but I may have to go to the holey method if the motor gets too hot! I really hope this stuff makes a difference!
otherDoc
 
Must be nice to be able to hear so well! After 30 years of carpentry i can ignore a dying bearing.
 
What????????? :D
I hope its not the bearings going in a new motor! They seem to be fairly tight on their shafts! I might try the glue bit, but I really think its the gear teeth makin the noise! I should get to work on the sound deadener!
otherDoc
 
I put some sound deadening info on my 3-speed hub thread!
otherDoc
 
No nothing failing, but i wouldn't hear it if it did. Just about the same note as a skillsaw. Any kind of protection wasn't macho in my youth. Used to frame houses in sneaks, shorts and nail bags.
 
I've started using earmuffs for angle grinder and chop saws on metal! I used to be a pretty fair musician, and as I get older, I cant distinguish the pitch or notes as well! But, there are good things about gettin older! I havent stopped!
otherDoc
 
Hi

Hope you get your trike silenced a little, my old currie with the brushless motor was noisy at times, it wasnt the motor it wasnt the planetary it was the chain!! if they could have made the final drive a belt it would have been so very quiet. The puma motors are a lot quieter, the tonxgin motor is silent but very weak for most folks, the X5 I have 5304, is not exactly silent, at low rpm it sort of growls! but past about 5mph it is silent.

The tidal force motors are silent and I mean no noise at all, they are however pricey to get hold of second hand and can be a little temperamental as they contain the drive electronics inside the hub itself, they are also a little prone to failure in wet weather because of this.

I think the best bet is the 4 series xlyte motors running at 72V 20A, that's about as quiet and as powerful as you need or can get IMHO, the X5 is more powerful but very heavy of course.

I personally don't mind a bit of noise, chain noise is ok and in the town that I ride in the cars make so much noise with their stupid big fat exhausts (it seems here in the UK the trend amongst the kids now is to run these stupid big fat loud exhausts on low powered old cars!! it drives me nuts!! this is why the noise from my e-bike really will never be a problem and one of the reasons I ride a lot of the time with headphones on!!)

Knoxie
 
Im glad its not the chain on my MY1018Z! Its definately the straight cut spur gears and the motor case! Check out Tylers new thread on noise supression! Quite extreme, but it could work! My wifes brushed 408 is completely noise free :mrgreen:
otherDoc
 
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