So i currently have modded bilge pumps as my thrusters with relay control. I'm pretty sure I'm going to start building a proportional system with Arduinos and I noticed that ESC options for brushed motors are pretty minimal and also pretty expensive. Searching the forums, I've noticed a few of you have put together some very reasonably priced brushless motors and ESC combos. I also like how brushless motors can be run open in the water, are much smaller, and make more thrust than comparable brushed motors. The only advantage I see to the brushed motors is I already have them.
Am I correct in my assumptions here? Anything I am overlooking or should be considering?
Any reason to not use brushless motors?
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KR2_Diving
- Posts: 391
- Joined: Aug 30th, 2012, 11:43 am
- Location: Currently: NW Suburbs of Chicago. Originally: NE Wisconsin
Re: Any reason to not use brushless motors?
From what I can tell, you hit the nail on the head on your first go! 
Half the fun of these projects is taking parts you may have lying around and making them do what you want to them to do. If you have all the motors you need already, then I see no reason to buy different ones!
That being said, I am starting from scratch, and have nothing to build from, so I have to source every part for my ROV. Its crazy how quickly a project like this can snowball!
I decided to use Brushless because of the lack of maintenance required to keep the running for many dives. The trade off is they do require a more advanced control system. (ESC and control of ESC) And it is this advanced control system that I actually look forward to building!
Best of luck!
Half the fun of these projects is taking parts you may have lying around and making them do what you want to them to do. If you have all the motors you need already, then I see no reason to buy different ones!
That being said, I am starting from scratch, and have nothing to build from, so I have to source every part for my ROV. Its crazy how quickly a project like this can snowball!
I decided to use Brushless because of the lack of maintenance required to keep the running for many dives. The trade off is they do require a more advanced control system. (ESC and control of ESC) And it is this advanced control system that I actually look forward to building!
Best of luck!
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amarillo_rocket
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Sep 4th, 2012, 11:06 am
- Location: Amarillo Texas
Re: Any reason to not use brushless motors?
I will be testing my first ROV tomorrow. It uses bilge pumps for thrusters. I have started working on the next project which will have proportional control using an Arduino and brushless motors. The brushless setup cost more but I don't have issues like seal leakage to be concerned about which is nice. I also like the challenge of figuring out how to make it all work and learning Arduino programming. I was surprised to find the price of ESC's and brushless motors is reasonable. To build on a small budget or to keep cost at a minimum then brushed would be the way to go.