Replacing your own motors

[Bhizzle26]

Hey guys, there is a guy that is making an adaptor bracket so you can mount the E800 motors on the Inspire 1. You can use the old ESC's with the E800 motors. Just checking to see if this is useful to anyone.

 

[rilot]

Might be of use to some of us. The earliest I1s are going to be coming up to 3 years old soon so the ability to replace motors might be useful.

 

[The Editor]

Motors do not wear out - they have no moving parts in them.
Only the bearings need periodic replacement at circa 80-100 flight time.

 

[Bhizzle26]

That is true Editor but there still may be other reasons you need to replace a motor. I had crashed mine and one of shafts on the motor was bent and I couldn't separate it to change out the part. Rather than ship my drone to DJI (which has always been a painful experience) I opted for another option. Once I had the parts it took me a couple hrs of work then was off flying again.

 

[emtea]

Motors do not wear out - they have no moving parts in them.
Only the bearings need periodic replacement at circa 80-100 flight time.

Wait, 80-100 hours of flight time? I had read somewhere (probably here) that you should replace them around 350hours of flight time? I'm at ~300hours now and was thinking I still have 50 left...

 

[The Editor]

Wait, 80-100 hours of flight time? I had read somewhere (probably here) that you should replace them around 350hours of flight time? I'm at ~300hours now and was thinking I still have 50 left...

Don't think you read >300 hrs on here.
At the end of the day some bearings will fail prematurely, some will last a lot longer.
The temperature and listening test is a great indicator that bearings are on their way out or have a flat on the ball/race which usually mean they will rattle (and get warmer)

 

[emtea]

Don't think you read >300 hrs on here.
At the end of the day some bearings will fail prematurely, some will last a lot longer.
The temperature and listening test is a great indicator that bearings are on their way out or have a flat on the ball/race which usually mean they will rattle (and get warmer)

Thanks Editor. I guess I'll be replacing the bearings soon. Do you think it's easier to just replace the motors entirely? I know it would cost a whole lot more but I am thinking of taking the easy way out on this one and throwing money at my problems. Are the advantages of using a better aftermarket bearing considerable? I assume there are aftermarket bearings that will last longer but I don't actually know what the other advantages would be.

 

[Bhizzle26]

I wish there were a way to grease the bearings to help them last longer..

 

[The Editor]

I wish there were a way to grease the bearings to help them last longer..

You can but it just isn't worth the hassle.
You can remove the bearings, soak them in a solvent to dissolve the old grease.
You can then inject new grease but it's a tricky job and removing the shields is just a PITA/next to impossible.
New bearings (upgraded) are a cheap easy fix and if you install fully ceramic you can pretty much fit and forget.

 

[Scoobywrx05]

You can get the bearings off of amazon if you want. They have all the way from cheap cheap ones to mid line to all ceramic. A dollar a piece or seven dollars each or sixty dollars each. Just look up 5mmx11mmx5mm bearings and you'll find them. Which reminds me I should order another set.

 

[emtea]

You can get the bearings off of amazon if you want. They have all the way from cheap cheap ones to mid line to all ceramic. A dollar a piece or seven dollars each or sixty dollars each. Just look up 5mmx11mmx5mm bearings and you'll find them. Which reminds me I should order another set.

You can but it just isn't worth the hassle.
You can remove the bearings, soak them in a solvent to dissolve the old grease.
You can then inject new grease but it's a tricky job and removing the shields is just a PITA/next to impossible.
New bearings (upgraded) are a cheap easy fix and if you install fully ceramic you can pretty much fit and forget.

Could someone link me a set of bearings that I can use and not have to worry about replacing again?

 

[Scoobywrx05]

I checked amazon today and it seems someone went wild and bought a ton of them cause just about every listing says natural available at this time. You can just google 5x11x5 bearings and come up with what ya need.

 

[The Editor]

Boca Bearings - Search Results for 5x11x5

 

[Eagle33331]

If the E800 motors are more powerful than the OE that's a good enough reason for me to replace. My I1 struggles with stability in anything other than zero wind while carrying the X5R. I'd need to understand the power difference and compare cost of new motors vs cost of I2.

 

[JimJ]

Acer Ceramic - Highly recommended

RC Ball Bearings | Silicon Nitride | Acer Racing

 

[Eagle33331]

Can anyone comment on whether the E800 is a more powerful motor? I'm assuming it is or what would be the point of changing it on the I2..?

 

[Eagle33331]

Editor?

 

[The Editor]

Editor?

No - the E800's are 3510/KV350's which is exactly the same as the Inspire 1 motors.
They both give a maximum of 2,100g of thrust (assuming 6s swinging 13x4.5's).
There was a very slight bump in KV rating on the V2 motors but this was more of a marketing gimmick rather than a real world power increase.
The Inspire 1 propulsion system was based on the E800 motor and esc combination.

 

[Mad_angler1]

There was a very slight bump in KV rating on the V2 motors but this was more of a marketing gimmick rather than a real world power increase.
The Inspire 1 propulsion system was based on the E800 motor and esc combination.

How dare you suggest such a thing [emoji33][emoji6]

 

[The Editor]

How dare you suggest such a thing [emoji33][emoji6]

Sorry - it is what it is....