Brushed motors life expectancy (now with answer from Ryze)
- Thread starter annevanzwol
- Start date
I have seen many other comments regarding this. HOWEVER, I've not seen anyone with a burned out motor comment yet in any forum. I have written in a chat, to one dealer, an inquiry as to whether they will repair/replace motors on the Tello. No reply yet. And I am aware of one source for those motors for those who want to attempt a repair themselves. Ryze (DJI) Tello replacement motor set (4pcs, coreless, speed: fast) This company, Micro Motor Warehouse, will also be putting up videos on how to replace the motor in the Tello. Maybe this model was bait for the next more expensive Tello 2. Any way you look at it, this Tello has changed the paradigm, expectations, for small drones. I tried a few small drones before but gave up frustrated that they were too hard to control, took too much constant maneuvering, constantly crashed. This one raises the bar, is a pleasure to fly, does what you direct it to do, flies longer and takes very nice photos.
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While I am very fond of the Tello and my contact with Ryze has been pleasant and supportive so far, I am a little skeptical now of the motor situation. If it were "plug and go" with no soldering to replace a motor that would have been great. But if it is a money-making gimmick, a way to earn more on the original sale, then I'll be quite a loud "unsupportive" and critical customer and avoid anything Ryze. The Chinese should follow the example of the Japanese and Americans and make quality and honesty the draw for future business. That is what creates customer loyalty and repeat business. Let's see how it goes. Hope we're raving about Ryze customer support. I would've paid more for brushless motors. If this product ends up a disaster they will have used us early buyers as "guinea pigs" to "test the waters." We shall see. It is already disturbing that there are no extra batteries or controllers available, nor other accessories advertised.
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Brushless Motor Cons
- Higher cost of construction
- Control is complex and expensive
- Electric controller(ESC) is required to keep the motor running which is sometimes more expensive than the motor.
daisy-girl, that was an excellent article explaining the differences. Thank you. That info does pretty much eliminate the possibility of replacing these motors with any type of brushless. Only brushed can be put back in if one fails due to the backup electronics. Why, then, didn't they make some sort of plug-in, an easy fix? This is an open-ended "achilles heel" yet to be faced by Ryze which can greatly affect their reputation and future sales. I did read somewhere that the brushed motors are of "high quality" so maybe they will last longer than most. I hope so. For the characteristics of this drone I would've paid at least $50 more for brushless motors.
Wrote an email to Ryze asking about expected lifetime of the motors. When I receive a response I will let you know.
lightbg
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FWIW I have a Blade Nano QX (that I use with goggles as an indoor FPV rig) that has about 15 hours of actual flight time on it (4-5 minutes per flight, 10-12 flights per hour, so roughly 150 flights+/-), and I've worn out zero motors, which are 6mm coreless brushed. They don't have the pop like when they were new, but still react to throttle nicely. I've worn out about 6 batteries in that time, so I'm guessing the motors in the Tello should hang in there for a while .
No data as far as all up weight, etc., just a hunch.
Jake
No data as far as all up weight, etc., just a hunch.
Jake
Straight from the horses mouth:
Jeff (Ryzerobotics)
Mar 25, 08:13 CST
Dear Anne,
Thank you for contacting Ryze Technical Support.
In regards to your question, the motor's life is More than 40 hours under reliability test and our test method is more stringent than the actual use of the customers.
Thank you and may you have a nice day.
Best Regard,
Jeff
Ryze Technical Support
Jeff (Ryzerobotics)
Mar 25, 08:13 CST
Dear Anne,
Thank you for contacting Ryze Technical Support.
In regards to your question, the motor's life is More than 40 hours under reliability test and our test method is more stringent than the actual use of the customers.
Thank you and may you have a nice day.
Best Regard,
Jeff
Ryze Technical Support
More than 40 hours is decent. If I don't crash that should last me to Tello II ?
40 hours=2400 minutes.
I'm getting over 15+ minutes per battery , which translates into 2400 minutes/15 minutes = 160 flights.
Problem is, if I do as few as 4 indoor flights per day, then the life of the motors is only 40 days (160/4=40).
Is $100 for 40 days of flying cost-effective?
Each customer will have to decide the answer for her or his self.
In this woman's opinion, the answer also depends on whether replacement motors are a) cheap and b) user replaceable.
Note that this analysis does NOT take into account that the customer may also have spent a) $25 or more for a case b) up to $100 for a controller.
Unfortunately I crashed in an awkward way and damaged one of the motors. It will not be easy to replace as it needs soldering in a very tight space. Unless they provide some kind of repair service my Tello is unusable. I plan to keep it for spare parts, the battery and as charging hub. I ordered a second Tello
I don't plan to fly an average of 4 times a day. So unless I crash it again it should last me until Tello 2 comes out. Hopefully with brushless motors
You can buy a controller for around 35 USD (mad catz ctrli)
I don't plan to fly an average of 4 times a day. So unless I crash it again it should last me until Tello 2 comes out. Hopefully with brushless motors
You can buy a controller for around 35 USD (mad catz ctrli)
Tom 19941
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Couldn't agree more. Totally fun to fly, especially indoors. There aren't any drones that I know in it's price range that can compare. My Mavic Pro is in hibernation until the weather gets better. My only disappointment is the lack of a physical controller. Fun little guy!
microlinux
Well-known member
Keep mind this isn't something unique to the Tello, a lot of "toy" drones use brushed motors. For durability and reliability, you invariably have to fork over cash for the bigger, more advanced gear. I think the Tello fits the bill as a good time waster and fun time drone, it's not necessarily a daily flyer.
As cool as the Tello is, there's only so much you can with it, it's fun for a flight or two now and then.
As cool as the Tello is, there's only so much you can with it, it's fun for a flight or two now and then.
On the contrary I find the Tello quite useful in my rural setting, only on calm days for sure outside. I take it up to get better perspective on fences I check or a new gate or how the cows are doing. It can get closer to a new calf by its momma than I ever could. They just think they hear a bee. I've taken it into town for nice photos of businesses or my wife and I doing something. It is just so easy to launch and so unobtrusive, easy and quick for a nice photo. Heck, it is so easy and stable in flight it is fun. The one and only fault I find with it is its brushed motors. So, yes, they snookered me in to Tello 1 when I really want Tello 2. ha ha Another post asked if it is worth $99 for the number of flights I'll get before a motor goes out. Guess that remains to be seen. -- (I think the Tello has convinced me I need a Spark, too, which will do better in the breeze outside for those quick throw-ups for a nice photo or high view.)
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Hmm 40 hours, 2,400 minutes. For me I fly once a day 10 minutes each 5 days a week. That is 48 weeks, almost a year.
It's just plastic, camera and a few motors; hardly $99 worth of materials but you're paying for R&D. If you damage anything major in an expensive drone you need to send back to the manufacturer. Perhaps they can do a credit on sending back if the motors die for refurbishment?
You have a years waranty I wonder if the motors are covered in that. (Maybe that’s clarification we need to get from Ryze) If so you’ll get another year out of it if you fly it enough this year if not the motors are pretty cheap and not to much of a faff to replace.
Just seen this on YouTube, not the tidiest looking once done but good if you have to swap out the motors regular.
Ah, you just SAW this on YouTube..... Yes, me, too. And I think it is great news. It looks like it will be quite easy to replace the motors. That is neat. He puts connectors on also and slips them between the brackets so they can be replaced easily again, if necessary. I'm glad to see this. Now I feel better about my "investment" in the drone. Let's fly as much as we want, knowing any motor can be replaced if they wear out. Thanks for sharing that.
