# sensored or sensorless???



## VicnPA (Nov 29, 2009)

Can some one please explain the differance between sensored and sensorless brushless motors. Is sensored better?


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## shintastrife (Apr 26, 2009)

sensored stop the motor if it get to hot. and it will not run if there conn are loose.


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## NovakTwo (Feb 8, 2006)

TeamNovak designs and mfgs sensored motors, and (of course) we think that they are better. 

Here is a tech sheet we prepared explaining the difference:

 BRUSHLESS MOTORS: SENSORED VS. SENSORLESS


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## swtour (Oct 8, 2001)

VicnPA

A couple weeks ago, I was at my Local Hobby Shop and a guy came in with a new car he bought with a Sensorless Motor/Esc combo.

I don't recall the brand, but the ESC looked like the Speed Passion LPF, but it was sensorless.

He was having a problem with the ESC setup - (so he thought) It had Forward and Reverse...but if the car went forward, it didn't want to back up...if it went backward, it didn't want to go FORWARD, if he STOPPED while going in those directions.

He had to switch directions while the car was moving...

In RACING, guys have found many times a SENSORLESS Motor won't take OFF on the line, so they get RUN OVER. The car works fine with a shove to get the car moving.

This seems to come from the sensorless motor being shoved backward prior to the start of the race - and the motor doesn't know what to do when you hit the throttle.

YOU DON'T HAVE THAT PROBLEM generally WITH SENSOR BASED Brushless Motors.


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## ta_man (Apr 10, 2005)

swtour said:


> VicnPA
> 
> A couple weeks ago, I was at my Local Hobby Shop and a guy came in with a new car he bought with a Sensorless Motor/Esc combo.
> 
> ...


That problem is more prevalent with direct drive cars. I have never had that happen with my electric 1/8th scale Losi with a [original] Mamba Max driving a Neu motor. Or with a Castle Sidewinder driving a Novak 8.5 (without the sensors) in my XXX-T (offroad truck). The slack in the drivetrain/cvds lets the controller sync up with the motor instantly.


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## speedster1919 (Oct 4, 2009)

Get sensored period. Sensorless will work OK with about 8.5 turn or under. I have seen guys that said they have no problems with sensorless doing the finger ballet after a wreck or rolling backwards trying to get started again while the field of cars passing them. Just for giggles I tried sensorless in 13.5 sprint car and got run over at the start of the race everytime. Get in an accident and the turn marshalls thought I was broke. Once up to speed I had no problems and incedents rolling forward were no issue. Don't even think about sensorless 21.5 or 17.5...........terrible...........


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## Cayenne Turbo S (Sep 17, 2009)

I use a mamba max and 5700 in my b44 and never had a problem.


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## popsss (Nov 15, 2006)

sensored vs. sensorless
sensored mainly centers motor in forward position.
sensorless has a tendecy to shuffle back 
sensorless will give your greater power
depends on useage


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## 420 Tech R/C (Sep 15, 2006)

speedster1919 said:


> Get sensored period. Sensorless will work OK with about 8.5 turn or under. Don't even think about sensorless 21.5 or 17.5...........terrible...........


Now that all depends on the controller:thumbsup:I can run a sensored or sensorless 17.5 behind my hobby wing 35 a esc with no issues(off-road),But a race buddy of mine tried the same thing with a castle speedo and got horrible cogging on the higher wind motors (13.5,17.5). So, like sensored speedo's, the firmware and adjustability DO matter.


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## hydromaddicted (Jan 16, 2010)

slightly better start up and braking from sensored,More top end from sensorless.


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## megasaxon (Jul 2, 2004)

castle has some features that you can adjust that will eliminate the cogging. I had some cogging in my 1/18th mamba 25 with a 6800, adjusted the start power and a couple of other things and had no probs after that


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## bbrace3m (Aug 1, 2009)

Sensored all the way!!! Sensorless is cheap but not that good. Sensored is a little more expensive but a lot better.


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## staatsbmxkid (Nov 12, 2008)

sensor wire broke on my 13.5 novak ss running on tekin rs pro at the us open wheel. didnt seem much faster at all when it did move. and whenever i hit brake to stop for accident infront of me or if stopped it would cog and then go backwards a bit then it would decide to go forward eventually after some time of cogging


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## smoothie (Mar 23, 2004)

Unfortunately I had a similar issue this past Friday. I run a Mamba Max Pro 1 cell with a motor running a sensor wire. During the main with 30 seconds left, my sensor wire came loose and fell out of the esc. It was like someone threw my car into neutral. I had nothing.  I tried to get the car to go and it just skipped a long. I was bummed but nothing I could do.


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## speedster1919 (Oct 4, 2009)

As long as the sensor wire does not fall off, the sensored will be almost 100% reliable in forward, reverse and race starts. I will challange any bozo that says there castle 5700kv is no problem in a race. Plus the fact that most are not legal to run in standard classes like 10.5 or 13.5.


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## CustomWire (Jan 12, 2009)

will after reading the write up on novaks site .. ill stay with sensor .. we do have a guy who runs a mamba sensorless motor at our track 5700 i think to and he takes off just fine from start .. i dont rememeber the ESC tho he uses ..

i guess this boils down to what you like and dont like .. 
to me if your ESC knows what the motor is doin at all times is best .. kind of like a hubby n wife .. they talk they work good togther "so i been told" lol .... they dont talk omg get the fryin pan out lol or rollin pin your choice there lol


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## speedster1919 (Oct 4, 2009)

Well next time your at the track. Just watch the guys car with the 5700kv mamba. Watch the sometimes long pauses after a collision or backed into a corner. It doesn't happen all the time, but enough to be a problem. I have the castle and losi sensorless (more than one in each) and they are not 100% reliable in racing....


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