Motors Frying

We’ve recently managed to fry 2 motors within about an hour, and we don’t know the reason why. Does anyone know how to prevent this in the future?

What were you doing with the motors before they fired?

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Please send pictures and more description. There is nothing we can do to help if we don’t have info.

Look at how this person presented their question and people were happy to help:

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As @Gigabyte and @Micahy321 have mentioned, we need more information in order to properly assess the issue causing your motors to burn out. Without additional information such as images of the mechanism the motors were used to power, we can only guess at the issue.

Guesses:

  • Friction

  • Defective Motors

  • Conflicts with other motors (one motor is trying to turn an axle one way and another is trying to turn it in the opposite direction)

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We were doing some driving around with a drivetrain we had built
drivetrain was 600 2.75 6 motor, and it was direct drive no gears at all. all the wheels were spinning the right direction too. We were practicing on the field and 1 of the motors fried, which we then switched out, and then that one fired too after 10 minutes of driving

Define “fried”. Do you mean it just overheated and works after you let it cool for an hour ? Or is it dead completely, not recognized by the V5 brain ?

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I agree with Jpearman that you should define the word “fried”, but here’s my guess:

Assuming your fried means overheating to the point that it starts slowing down, then just leave the motors to cool for some time.

Try to find out how much energy that motor area uses and compare it to the others.

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If I am understanding this correctly, it is only motors which were put into that one spot on the robot which “fried,” meaning the issue is likely something to do with the spot the motors were placed in. Some things about your robot which might cause such an issue are the axle having excessive friction or a highly unbalanced weight distribution which puts a disproportionately high pressure on the wheel driven by the motors which were “fried.”

We need to see pictures of your ron\bot but my guess is too much friction like @Some_random_person mentioned

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WD-40 ftw bro trust
But do use some lubricant. Most of the time, your motors are overheating because the strain is too high on it. Check ur gear ratios on the motor if you have any and make it more torque-heavy. Additionally, use some freeze spray if you’re in a competition and they die on you.

WD-40 not for the win bro. If you use lubricant in the motor that is illegal (unless your referring to the gears) along with the freeze spray because it is an aerosol product.

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The freeze spray dissolves so quickly that it pretty much dissapears before the robot even touches any tiles.

As for WD-40, please avoid this. WD-40 is not a long-term lubricant and is highly advised not to use for competition as it can also drip onto the field, as per the post above. I would highly suggest using White Lithium Grease

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The motors run at less than 1 watt. By fried I mean it shows on the brain when plugged in but makes a buzzing sound and doesn’t even turn when it’s supposed to spin. Plug-in into other ports doesn’t work. We are using brand new anti static tiles that we just ordered. The red light inside is still on

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guys guys i was joking about the WD-40

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Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn’t White Lithium Grease fall in the grease category, being prohibited in <R8.b>?

<R8.b> “Grease or lubricant applied directly to V5 Smart Motors or Smart Motor cartridges is prohibited”

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Take the cartridge out and then use the brain screen to spin the motor. If the gear inside spins, then either your cartridge is broken, you put the cartridge on wrong, you have a drivetrain build issue, or the motor gear may be worn down(?).
If it doesn’t, I’m at my wit’s tail.

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Yea and no. Aslomg as the grease is applied to gears not he motor or motor cartridge it is legal

Yeah, you’re right. But most likely the cartridge is broken because you literally can’t put the cartridge in wrong. Definitely cartridge is broken. Please I swear do not use lubricant on your bot :sob:

The white gear inside the motor is unable to spin. I still haven’t figured out the cause of this, and I think the motors are unfixable now.

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The issue is not with the motors themselves, but in the circuitboards inside them. This issue is usually caused by a bad cable, and the motors are unfixable (as far as I know). To prevent this issue from happening again, I would recommend using a wire tester before plugging in a motor.

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