Brushless motors have many unique characteristics. One of those is having three different wires compared to 2 wires in a brushed motor. But you can’t seem to figure out why is there three wires.
So, what are the 3 wires on a brushless motor?
In a 3-phase brushless motor, the three wires represent the 3 phases. They are not created as pos or neg wires. The 3 wires go into three coils and are then joined together in a common section. You can think of these wires as 1, 2, and 3. There are tons of combinations for going forward and backward.
I know you’re still probably finding it hard to get it down to your system. Don’t get too tense my friend. Because I’ll explain it more thoroughly in the upcoming segments.
So, stick with me and find out more about the wires!
Identifying The 3 Wires on Brushless Motor
Seeing 3 wires on a brushed motor can be confusing. However, that’s not the case for brushless ones. The wiring can be dependent on the motor sizes too.
Source: Spektrum
Whenever you see three wires in a motor, you know that is a brushless motor. Brushless motors are also known as permanent magnet synchronous motors. And the three wires represent the phase-shifted AC waveform.
Source: https://www.pinterest.com/
Compared to brushed motors, these three wires pull a set of three different coils. These coils then produce energy and a magnetic field with the permanent magnet.
Because of the three different coils, three different wires are needed. These wires are not made in any chronological order or series. You can interchange the wires with each other, but they would change the rotational direction.
So, you have to keep that particular thing in mind. Also, you can check out this awesome video to learn more about the 3 wires-
Coming back to the point, after producing the energy, ESC responds with controlling power. It redirects the power sequence of the wires which results in successful motor spinning. That’s how the whole 3 wires setup works in the brushless motor.
There are many you get all excited to learn about the 3 wires on motors. Here’s a guy who is exquisitely amused by the 3 wires fact-
Now, the amusing thing is that there are 2 wire brushless motors. They have one less wire because of the integrated ESC. And because of that, there’s no need for an extra dangling wire.
So, don’t confuse these two brushless motors!
FAQs
How Do You Use a Brushless Motor Without ESC?
If you want to run your brushless motor without ESC, you’ll need a servo tester. Because servo testers have a dial or knob that can give you the speed control. Without a servo taster, it’s not possible to start your brushless motor. So, get a servo taster and run your brushless motor without ESC.
What Are the Three Wires on an ESC?
The three wires that go into an ESC are for three phases with symmetrical windings. They are different from the typical positive, negative, and ground wires. Because they can be interchanged during the rotation. However, changing the wires will reverse the direction of the rotor spinning.
How Do You Install a Brushless Motor?
First, use solder or any connector to pair the middle ESC wire with your motor. After connecting the first wire, two wires are left which need experimenting. Connect one wire with the motor to see the motion direction. If it is the right direction and connect the other wire too and you’re done!
How Do You Connect the Brushless Motor to the ESC?
First, take your ESC and check if there’s any problem. Then, bring out your brushless motor and connect the three wires with your ESC. It does not matter if the wires are color-coded or not. After connecting, check the rotation of the motor. If it’s the opposite direction, just swap any two wires.
Closing Statement
That concludes my discussion on “what are the 3 wires on a brushless motor”. I hope you won’t have any difficulties with these wires anymore.
Be extremely careful with the wiring and that’s it. You are now good to go with your brushless motor RC!
