What is your favorite motor....

Technical Motors
#7

The small CIMs definitely win for drivetrains.

We have very little experience with the other motors, but did spend quite a bit of time analyzing them while deciding which to use to run the arm…and ended up using the Banebots motor with a 36mm 125:1 gearbox. The fact that it appears to have been designed and built to be used in robotics applications is a BIG plus, the shaft is designed to put a sprocket on, and the gearbox has several sets of mounting holes. The problem is that you need to have a good appreciation of the fact that it is relatively fragile inside. You can’t expect to get a lot of torque out if it (10% of rated stall torque is about the practical limit), nor have it survive repeated full power back-and-forth motion. If you use the banebots transmissions, you must take extra effort to design whatever it is that it actuates so that the transmission is protected. Also the motor will quickly smoke if you put power to it when it is up against an immovable load, so you have to make sure the system is designed with some failsafes.

(thanks to the kind folks here at CD for informing us of all these limitations, so we learned the “easy way” instead of the “hard way”!)

#8

Yes, the Banebot motors do smoke quite readily. The good news is replacement motors are quite inexpensive ($3.55/ea). We ordered 10!

#9
  1. Small CIM Motor
  2. Van Door Motor
  3. Globe Motor
  4. Window Motor
  5. Mabuchi/Banebots
  6. Fisher Price Motor

I placed the Fisher Price motor very last for a very obvious reason, they burn out very very easily. The Mabuchi/Banebots is at 5 because of the Banebots part… The banebots transmission on our arm is getting a lot of slack, and I’m afraid that it’s starting to bow. I would place the window motor higher up if they had not changed them from the '05 window motors. The new one’s seem so cheap. I like the globe motor a lot… Quiet, strong, durable… it’s one of FIRST’s old great motors that has been around for a long time. I like and miss the van door motor a lot… strong durable and such an easy motor to adapt to a design, only drawback is that it’s not worm gear driven (or at least it doesn’t act this way). Now my favorite, the CIM motor. The powerhouse of FIRST robotics is the CIM motor. This motor is used in almost every drive train I’ve seen. These motors are strong and durable. We’ve been using them for the past 3 years without any of them burning out and they always have enough torque for our applications.

#10

MAke this a poll to find out a little better:D

#11

I vote for the CIM, hands down. I’ve used them on drivetrains for 5 of the last 6 years, and never once have I had a single problem. Those of us who remember the old Bosch drill motors, and how they had a tendency to overheat and trip breakers in the middle of a match have a great appreciation for this tank of a motor. If it weren’t for their weight, I would use these motors (and their larger cousins) for every motor on my robot this year.

#12

I don’t assemble much by way of drivetrains, and if i did, i would immidiately vote for the small CIM motor. Being more of a small scale robot applications guy, i’ve grown extremely fond of the Globe motor. It has problems, but all those problems are obvious. If you treat it nice, it will treat you better. Just make sure to support the other end of the shaft. Banebots, once i get used to them, can possibly take its place, but they dont seem to have as much overall power, and they dont give too much of a weight benefit either.

#13

my favorites are the fisher price motors, for providing lots of power in a small/lightweight package
and the globe motors for being very rugged

#14

I cannot decide between the Small CIM and the Globe motors (the only two motors featured on 116 this year).
The CIMs are much more reliable and easier to work with than the old Bosch motors, have very little bias, and deliver one heck of a punch. The ability to use up to 4 of them certainly helps as well. While some people complain about the KoP transmissions this year, at least the primary drive-train motors are reliable!
The globes are lightweight, have a built in planetary reduction, and are great for manipulators. They are relatively easy to work with, and are very compact. They may burn-out if abused, but if you treat them properly they get the job done well. 116 used them in tandem on our shoulder this year, and they have been doing really well. They almost deliver too much power!

#15

personally its not the motor im patrial to its the gear box… its all about the gearing … i guess its part of being a car guy

#16

My favorite motor for our drives is no question the small cim. It was a great change from the old drill motors we had to use back in the day.

My other favorite motor is the Fisher Price. We use this motor to lift our platforms 12 inches this year. I was surprised when i found out they had enough power but they did.

#17

Hands down, small CIM.

#18

If the question is drive, the answer is small CIM. A keen eye may note two large CIMs on our drivetrain this year. That’s only because we’re using one small CIM on the arm, since the BaneBots setup was far easier to work with than trying to figure out how to interface with the large CIM. If we were to switch out the arm CIM for some other motors for whatever reason, I’d definitely make the switch back as time allowed.

For arms, I much enjoyed the van door motor (it was on both of 1293’s lifts during my tenure), and have been quite satisfied with the Denso motor thus far on 1618’s arm (those black hubs are lovely). Looking at 1902’s method of adapting the Globe motor down at UCF, however, has made me realize that perhaps I haven’t given it a fair shake.

#19

CIMs and FPs are on the top of my list. With the power they unleashed at Bayou, 2.5 horses sure did look like it helped at times, especially when we being pushed and for once could fight back.

#20

By far, the best motor in the in the kit is the small CIM. In most any application, it’s a robust, powerful, and forgiving thing. It basically cannot be burned up, and for that reliability alone, it’s better than the FP. It has equivalent power and efficiency, and though heavier, it’s easier to design into gearboxes, abuse, and needs almost zero maintenance.

It’s big little brother is even more forgiving, but it’s weight and lower power negate this significantly.

But, a big thanks goes out to the old Van Door motor- that thing was robust and easy to design around, which saved us many times in the past.

#21

That 400hp electric motor they use on the Epcot test track ride.

#22

the 700 hp engine in my 55 chevy is right up there too…but I fear we’re getting off topic!

#23

I didn’t hear anyone say FIRST KoP Motors or electric motors. [Although that’s what they probably meant.]

#24

I’m gonna have to go with many others and say CIM. It has done wonders for our team haha.

#25

Small CIM tops the list, although I could be biased since I remember the horrors of tripping breakers with the Bosch drill motors. :yikes:

I would vote the Van Door as a close second, as they always seemed to be the perfect arm motor. It’s too bad FIRST discontinued using them in the KoP. RIP little fella.

#26

well since no one said “FIRST motors”

Im gonna go with the A20A3, B18C5, B20A, H22A,K20A,F20B… and oh ya the twin turbo supra motor