Micro cooling fan

[dgilpin]

I have a T-maxx which overheated constantly. I put in a small 5volt computer fan and it never overheated again. So, here is a pic of my attempt for the mini-x.

Basically parts I already had - pager size motor mounted on chopped-up heatsink from something. Bent the bottom of the heatsink to make it a press fit over the motor. Fan blade is just a piece of bent plastic! Motor is powered from the rx connector for the esc. Resistor added drops the voltage a bit.


Motor still gets too hot on the bottom, but at least now it cools down pretty fast.

http://www.gcs-net.com/mini-x/cooling/fan1.jpg

[tinyrc]

Cool! (no pun intended :rolleyes: ) What kind of sink is that on the motor? I think I'm going to get some of those RAM sinks and see if they help at all.

[dgilpin]

I got it at a RadioShack a couple years ago. Not sure what it was for, I just needed some for a project. It was one of those Commercial Sales stores that has since moved out, but if I run across the old catalog I will look it up and post the info.

It was originally much bigger. What is left is about one fourth of it after using the dremel on it.

[dgilpin]

I ran it around at full throttle as much as possible on the concrete and smooth surfaces today, and I was surprised how much cooler it was. I could hold my finger on the bottom of the motor without feeling like I was going to get burned.

Originally I tested it on thick pile living-room type carpet. Apparently the dragging puts much more load on the motor, as it was hot after running with the throttle pegged for 5 minutes or so. But after standing for one minute with the fan on it was cool again.

It weighs almost nothing and didn't appear to affect the battery, so I will leave it in until it causes some other problem. It stayed in place after a few roll-overs and other crashes!

I saw mention of a "vented" motor. I wonder if drilling a couple holes in the can would allow air to circulate through the motor - even without a fan? Someone try it and let us know!

[tinyrc]

I could hold my finger on the bottom of the motor without feeling like I was going to get burned.

Wow, that is really impressive! I'm going to have to try this myself for sure!