Technik

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

This is our FAQ document. It is a living document and we highly recommend visiting it for latest news. If you do not find your questions answered, please get in touch with us personally (See our contact details below).

Q1 : What are the differences between TORCMAN motors and other standard type of motors?

A1 : Torcman motors are out runner brushless motors. As opposed to regular motors the motor with the magnets is turning in the outside of the windings instead of the inside. This concept leverages the forces, resulting in a significantly higher torque. Regular motors do have 2 or 4 poles, while TORCMANs do have either 10 or 14 of them. The field that the commutator produces has to turn around 5 or 7 times respectively until the rotor has finished one turn. This is also known as the electric gear drive of 5:1 or 7:1. Saving a mechanical gear has a lot of good side effects. The Motor will be shorter, less noisy and most importantly me more efficient. A 10-pole motor will run most efficiently between 5.000 and 10.000 rpm, a 14-pole motor between 8.000 and 10.000 rpm. The
10-pole motors are specifically designed for use in Helicopters, applications with small propeller diameters and always are the best choice for 24 cells+ environments.

Q2 : Can I install a TORCMAN motor “inverted” (rear side mounted)?

A2 : YES. The standard version of the TORCMAN motors is meant to be mounted in the inner side of the firewall. The shaft will go through the entire motor; the rotor turns inside the fuselage. In case you want to attach the prop directly to the rotor, you need to change some steps in the final assembly or tell us if you buy a ready to use motor. It will require a different shaft that transmits the power to the ball bearing. Helicopters also typically are set up this was and any other high power configuration. You will also need an extra ball bearing (see samples).

Q3 : How do I determine the best motor for my plane?

A3 : There is a configurator on our website (individual files for planes and helicopters). Chose the line in the table that matches your application best (Type of model, weight, # of cells,….). On the right hand side you find the corresponding motor, e.g. TM350-20.
Last step is to calculate the number of windings. You can do that with our MS-Excel file very precisely or you visit the pages “batteries/props” and select an appropriate type there. In order to be able to do this you must know the number of cells, the current and the propeller that you are planning to use. If you cannot find your motor this way, please contact our team. We’ll be happy to assist you.

Q4 : What are the recommended controllers?

A4 : Please make sure you use controllers that:

  • are designed for brushless motors
  • meet the required limits for current and voltage of your application. Please also make sure you are always on the safe side.
  • the controller should allow setting the timing between 15 and 30 degrees or doing this automatically.
  • have a motor brake for certain applications.
  • The controllers do not overheat under partial load.
  • that controller first with the number of poles. The available controllers are only designed for up to 24 cells on a 14-pole motor. Please use 10-pole motors when running on more than 24 cells. 
  • You decide beforehand if you want to use BEC or not. We generally recommend optical controllers, since a failure of the motor battery will not result in a complete loss of power supply for your r/c equipment.
  • you check with your (non-TORCMAN) controller vendor if they are certified to use with TORCMAN motors.

 More information is under configuration – controllers on our website.

Q5 : The fuselage of my glider is (at the nose) to narrow for the TORCMAN. What do I do?

A5 : For theses cases we have created an extender for all motor types/sizes. It will set the motor 20-50mm away from the firewall and help in most cases. The extender is an aluminum swivel, an additional shaft extender and ball bearing. See also our website and check out motors or see the online shop.

 Q6: How do I determine if it is better to use the 10-pole or the 14-pole version?

A6 : The number of poles can be looked at like a gear drive. So if you take the number of poles and divide it by two, you have the gear drive ratio (10-pole translates as 5:1 and 14-pole as 7:1gear ratio). In other words the
10-pole motors will turn 30 % faster than a 14-pole type (with the same stator). The controllers limit the rpms to 10.000-14.000 for a 14-pole motor. 10-pole motors can reach up to 20.000 rpm, but we do not recommend going higher than 16.000 rpm.

Preferred applications for 10 poles TORCMAN: helicopters, models with small diameter propellers at high rpms, hotliner, all applications with 24 cells and more.

Preferred applications for 14 poles TORCMAN: slow flyer, park flyer, e-gliders, fun flyer, planes doing aerobatic carrying not more than 24 cells

Sometimes models do not allow the usage of a large diameter propeller; therefore you will also have to go back to a 10-pole version.