CAD software used - SolidWorks
Manufactured - 3D Printed
I was inspired by a YouTube video to make my own brushless motor from scratch. I started by researching types of magnets and wiring configurations. I decided to go with 12 neodymium magnets with 9 poles and 8 turns clockwise on each pole. I also decided to go with a Wye wiring configuration.
I decided to make a 3 piece assembly for the motor, making the base separate from the stator so both parts had a flat surface to print off of.
After printing the parts I began wrapping the poles in enameled copper wire and adding the bearings to the stator and the base.
I used a Wye wiring configuration because you get more torque in a Wye configuration over a Delta and since I was making a motor from plastic with no iron core I needed all the torque I could get.
I then began working on the code for the Arduino.
The code is pretty basic and the basis of the code was found in the open source Arduino docs for controlling a servo motor with a potentiometer.
One problem I encountered after putting the motor together was when I tried to fire up the motor it could only vibrate and click and not spin. After switching the ECS and testing a different brushless motor I concluded my soldering job must've been poor, so I redid the soldering and it started to spin normally.
After fixing the initial problems I ran the motor by using an adjustable DC power voltage converter as a power supply this way I could choose how many volts I put into the motor and see how many amps it draws.
My 3D printed motor drew substantially more amps than a normal brushless motor but I expected this since I learned that brushless motors have an iron core which makes it more efficient.