Motor running backwards???

[Justin Thyme]

I recently moved my receiver and LRP Super Sport ESC from one car to another, hooked up a new motor (Trinity Speed Gems 2 Onyx), and the dang thing is running backwards! I've double and triple checked that I have the + to red, and - to black. Setup the same was as the first car, but running backwards instead. Is it unheard of for the motor to be mislabled? Would I harm the motor if I just switch the + and - leads from the ESC?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[oldtimeRCer]

well since you have checked and double checked that the negitive and positive are in the right places check your radio and see if the servo reversing switch has been moved. and try resetting the esc again. make sure you follow the speed controls instrution when doing this.

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I may grow older but I'll never grow up.

R/C is a way of life

3 Tamiya TA02 Sedan's, XXT Sport, XX Sport, RC10T3, 2 Bulleads,

[Justin Thyme]

I did check the servo reverse, and tried both settings. Moving the setting caused hitting the brake to go backwards, and pulling throttle to hit the brakes.

I'll try resetting the ESC.

Would running the motor "backwards" hurt it?

[RichieRich]

Try taking off the endbell and rotating it 180 degrees and make sure you have positive to positive and negative to negative.


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RichieRich

Banish George!!!

[oldtimeRCer]

If it were a stock motor it might be a reverse rotation but i have never seen a mod made to be that way. they make some stocks like that for dual motor monster trucks. because to reverse a mod all you do is rotate the endbell like richie said 180 degree's to do that mark were the timming marks are on the endbell and the can then loosen the 2 endbell screws then turn it so that the mark on the left side of the endbell lines up with the mark on the right side of the can and vicesa versa.

------------------
I may grow older but I'll never grow up.

R/C is a way of life

3 Tamiya TA02 Sedan's, XXT Sport, XX Sport, RC10T3, 2 Bulleads,

[Justin Thyme]

Thanks Richey and Oldtime, rotating the endbell 180 did it! Could one of you please explain how and why it works this way? I would have thought that it would require taking a component and swapping ends, rather than rotating about it's normal rotational axis.

Also kinda curious on how it could have come that way from the factory.

[hpiguy]

Here's the reason "Trinity's Qualtiy Control" or should I say lack of said QC.

I got one like that a while ago, but it was a Sapphire.

It can happen in the plant during assembly.

[oldtimeRCer]

if you were to just wire the motor in backwards you would be retarding the timming so you would not get top performace from it.

------------------
I may grow older but I'll never grow up.

R/C is a way of life

3 Tamiya TA02 Sedan's, XXT Sport, XX Sport, RC10T3, 2 Bulleads,

[RichieRich]

Have you taken your motor apart recently?

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RichieRich

Banish George!!!

[Justin Thyme]

That's what I figured. Would it be a real dramatic decrease in performance? It's just a fun car, no racing intended, so as long as I get decent performance, I'm not really worried about that last 10%.

In speaking with the LHS, they said it may be a "reverse" motor. Not overly common, but used in some applications. Perhaps it got put in the wrong wrapper.

[RichieRich]

I'm glad it worked for you. I'm really not sure why rotating the endbell works. I just figured it out from years of messing with motors. Usually what would happen is I would take apart the motor and not put the endbell back on exactly the same way. Hence the reverse rotation. Anyhoo, scratch a couple of marks on the endbell and can. This way you will know how to put the motor back together should you take it apart in the future.

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RichieRich

Banish George!!!

[oldtimeRCer]

when you rotate the endbell look at were your wires are now the + and - are now on the oppesite sides so it's kinda like wiring it backwards but when you rotate the endbell you also set the timming so it's still an advance timming and not retarded. so you still get good performace.

------------------
I may grow older but I'll never grow up.

R/C is a way of life

3 Tamiya TA02 Sedan's, XXT Sport, XX Sport, RC10T3, 2 Bulleads,

[Justin Thyme]

Thanks, Oldtime, that makes sense now that you mention it.

[JoeElectro]

The reason the motor turns backwards is because inside the motor can there are two magnets. One is the positive flow and the other the negative. When the end bell was placed on the can backwards you changed the polarity of the magnets causing the motor to turn backwards.

[oldtimeRCer]

no joe your wrong bud the magnets do not change you change the polarity of the electricity flowing into the motor to the arm and the windings which makes the motor run the other direction. to change the polarity of the magnets you'd have to take them out and flip them around. I was just keeping it simple for the new guy's they will learn why it does what it does in more detail in time. but don't go telling peps whats going on if you don't know...

------------------
I may grow older but I'll never grow up.

R/C is a way of life

3 Tamiya TA02 Sedan's, XXT Sport, XX Sport, RC10T3, 2 Bulleads,

[oldtimeRCer]

no prob glad I could help.

------------------
I may grow older but I'll never grow up.

R/C is a way of life

3 Tamiya TA02 Sedan's, XXT Sport, XX Sport, RC10T3, 2 Bulleads,

[JoeElectro]

Well oldtimeRCer the flow of electricity is from negative to positive. Therefore the magnets inside the can are arranged so that the negative pole of one magnet is up on one side and the positive pole on the other. If this weren't true there would be no need to mark the positive side on the end bell. You could wire it any way you wanted so long as you don't wire the same side with both wires. So by turning the end bell 180 degrees you have reversed the flow of electrons through the magnets. I am an electrical engineer and work in the electric utility industry, so I beleive I do have an understanding of how electricity works.

[oldtimeRCer]

then go back to school the electrity does not flow thru the magnets it flows thru the winds on the armeture. Which then inturn attract or repell to or from the magnets depending on which pole is turned out on that side of the motors can.

------------------
I may grow older but I'll never grow up.

R/C is a way of life

3 Tamiya TA02 Sedan's, XXT Sport, XX Sport, RC10T3, 2 Bulleads,

[mike]

i'm not an electrical engineer, but i used to put electric motors togeather for a living , oldtimer is right you are not putting electricity to the magnets you are putting it thru the windings,i don't think you understand how old timer is explaining it.

[RichieRich]

Uh...last time I checked motor magnets have a permanent magnetic field.