Hi guys.
It's a shame that brushed motor tuning is now a dead black art due to the popularity of maintenance free brushless tech. (boring...)
So as it stands, I have a few brushed race motors and brushed ESCs that I would like to keep in service for as long as possible. These are fairly rare and only have a finite lifespan.
1. comm drops. I've read through Big Jim`s motor guide however he is recommending products that are no longer available. So I'll need to find some kind of alternative. Some people have said they are a waste of time. I'm really not interested in some kind of unscientific snake oil sales pitch... but with the amount of wear I see on my comms, some kind of solution is needed. And
drilled and
cotton packed brushes soaked in comm drops (engine oil conditioner: whatever that is?)
2. break in method? single brush at a time + slave motor in kerosene? I'm not entirely sure why some people are so strongly for or against the water method?
3. self lubricating brushes? graphite? as far as I'm concerned, brushes are consumable throw aways. Armatures: not so much. This seems good however my lowest turn motors are 6x1, 9x1, 12x1, 14x2, 15x2, 19x2, 23x? and a hand full of silver can + mabuchi armatures as well. I'm concerned that graphite brushes will carry too much resistance significantly increasing heat, arcing and excessively killing power. Thoughts? I can see silver brushes will have more friction and is a harder material thus aggressive comm wear?
4. Some of my magnets seem to have been over heated throughout the years and seem quite weak. I haven't been able to find a zapper for sale. failing that, I assume by now there should be stronger rare earth / neodymium magnets available for brushed 540 cans?
5. Ceramic ball bearings make me a jerk???
6. brush spring pressure. Too much = bad comm wear. Too little = bad comm wear...
Lastly, just so no one asks, I already have a comm lathe, brush serrator, brush hood alignment tool, a ballistic novak 4.5T and 3.5T brushless systems so don't open that can of worms.
So any info will be much appreciated. Hopefully I can keep these old motors turning for many more years to come.