We were planning on a motor running almost constantly on the robot, and we have already planned to use the CIM and Fisher Price Motors. If the motor was to be mounted horizontally (being that the actual axle and hub would be facing the ceiling), would it be better to use a window motor or a bane bots motor. I was told that a window motor would burn out, and I want to make sure that I don’t sacrifice power/torque if I do go with a Bane Bots.
Anyway, thanks for the help!
I think more information is needed. What’s the applicaiton? I know the past two years we have used window motors to spin our swerve modules and those had the axle pointed upward (perpendicular to the floor). They didn’t burn out. As far as I am aware the effects of such orientation on motor performance and durability is either negligible or doesn’t exist.
Without revealing too much design info, I can basically say that they will be incorporated into a design that will constantly rotate a moderately weighted actuator mechanism on a Lazy Susan unless manual override is activated.
Don’t window motors have a rotational limit?
One thing to definitely keep in mind is that the window motors are intended to move up and down car windows. This means they are designed to be used intermittently, not continuously. They do heat up over time, but using them in our swerve drives with minimal load, they can definitely hold up for a 2 minute match if there is low resistance, friction, etc. The banebots motor is MUCH more powerful. Of course you need to have a gear reduction to harness that power at the correct combination of speed and torque, but if you use a gear box, that will both move faster and provide the same torque needed for your application.
Perhaps real window motors do, but the Denso window motors that we work with have no such limit. The motor itself (the metal appendage) drives a worm screw that runs the motor’s output, so the main consideration in using a window motor is the need to prevent backdrive.
Other than that, if both are suitable for your application, just figure out which is more optimal, and test it to make sure it’s durable. I’ve never seen a window motor burn out, but my team also hasn’t used window motors for a couple of years. I have, however, seen Banebots motors ship in with case shorts (I blame Banebots for making use of pathetically poor quality suppliers) and develop case shorts with use.
We used window motors in our lift last year. Very very poor choice. They heated up like crazy and tripped the internal protection. If you are putting them under any sort of constant load, do not use window motors. They also have purported problems with Jaguars.
Only if you neglect to remove the locking pins first. Otherwise, spike them, since that’s what they are controlled by in cars (a relay).
not 100% true.
planetary gearboxes do not increase torque all that much… only until the max torque of the gearbox is reached, which with BB planetaries (esp. old ones) is quite low. ditto any planetary for that matter. otherwise, you will strip the gears, which in the case of planetaries (like the BB) are quite small and fragile. often the gear that goes is one of the sun gears; they are both small and solo (no other gears sharing the torque, unlike the planet gears).
As a reminder, the window motors have internal thermal protection. If they heat beyond a certain point the thermal protection trips out and opens the circuit to the motor. You will not be able to control the motor until it cools sufficiently to let the thermal protection close.
Thanks for all the help. At this point, we plan on using a Bane Bots motor for the intended task.
Once again, thanks!