coptercaper

Anyone have any info, as to how many degrees (F or C) the DF heat sinks reduce motor temp? Anyone using different types of heat sinks on the DF?

yvesOttawa

RCtoys say they don't really work so they stopped including them with the DF.

Phodel

Since when did they stop including the heat sinks? My DF V Ti Pro came with them (delivered end of last year) ............I think they disapate heat pretty well. After constant flying my heat sinks are pretty hot..........all I have to do is wait a few minutes and they will have cooled down. Then back to flying! I'd say they work well.

Sky High

I have heatsinks on one of my DF V's and not the other and can't really tell any difference after a flight with each. So I guess DFI decided they weren't worth the extra weight for such little heat relief. My motors have never really gotten hot even after 13 minutes of continuous flight. I always enclose them in my palm after each flight to check and they just feel like the temperature of warm skin. I haven't flown in the heat of summer yet so maybe that will be very different. I also don't do aggressive flying, just mostly hovering so mine probably don't get worked as hard. I guess everyone has their own definition of hot too.

coptercaper

I think an infrared temperature gun would best answer this question (i.e. Raytech Model). I personally don't own one but it would be great if some who did could try it.

I have also heard people painting the outside of the motor black to dissipate heat. This method is usually done with a permanent felt tip marker (i.e. Sharpie). Haven't tried it but it makes for an interesting and cheap idea. Please post any thoughts or results.

Sky High

When using that method, be aware that black absorbs the sun's heat which will make the motors even hotter. Lighter colors reflect the heat. Just put on a black sweat shirt and then a white one in the middle of summer and see which one feels hotter.

Moe3754

My Feedback: (14)

I have the heat sinks on my DF except that I have drilled holes in them where the air vents on the motor are covered by it so I still get some air ventilation and flow through the motor,I have not had much flight time on mine since I had to send the board and transmitter back to RC toys for replacement but they are on their way back to me as I type this and I should have it in a week or two and then I will see how they do.

Sky High

I have always wondered about that myself. The heat relievers (heatsinks) cover the vent holes on the motors! What sense does that make? [sm=lol.gif]

littlewood954

The motors do get very hot in use and the heat sinks should help extend motor life. Mine is fitted with the heavy duty sinks that I have drilled out to keep the vent holes clear. They weigh next to nothing so its not a lot to sacrifice.

yvesOttawa

The motors are only $12 each by the way. Even with the heat sinks, you end up replacing them because the commutator no longer has good contact with the brushes. Normal wear and tear.

Greasetattoo

My Feedback: (3)

When I put on my heat sinks, I only put them on half way.
I make sure the motor cooling holes are showing. (what is the point of covering them anyways?)

The heat sink makes GOOD protection for the wires and the capacitors.
Many times I had to replace the capactitors from scraping on the ground.

This is my 2 cents worth!

coptercaper

Funny, I'm beginning to conclude that the DF heat sinks are better at protecting wires and capacitors rather than dissipating heat... another 2 cents for ya. Telling by where most you live (Salt Lake City, Minnesota, etc.) seems silly to use them, especially this time of year.

Sky High

I don't think they're needed either. They're just more weight however slight.

Sky High

Well after today's flights I'll have to amend my post above about not experiencing really hot motors until now! I guess I've been really lucky up to now. Admittedly though, I haven't flown in the heat of spring or summer because I got my DF this past October but the weather wasn't much different than as it is now. Man those things got hot as hell this afternoon and I didn't fly any differently than any other time other than fighting the wind a bit which I've done many times before. The temperature is 85 degrees today and it is windy to keep it tolerable. I have never experienced my motors getting this hot before. I could't keep my fingers on them like I usually can because they were so hot. How could they get so hot 50 ft in the air where all of that cool wind is blowing across them? This ought to get real interesting as summer approaches.

targit

hot air is thinner, so the rotors/motors need to work harder to produce the same lift, thats my theory, mine get really hot in the heat of a 40C day :P

Sky High

That's a good point and I forgot about that. It always flew very well when it was colder. I just got back from flying again but later in the evening after dark. I got lucky and a Life Flight helo landed where I fly so I got to see that, always cool to see a real helo! The motors still got hot this evening but not nearly as much as this afternoon. It is 68 degrees this evening down from 85 this afternoon. The next thing to overcome will be the mosquitos biting while trying to fly.

targit

Yeah, the little suckers wait until you have your DF in the air and can't react, then its feeding time.
I think the ants are almost as bad, I was flying in my back garden at the weekend, when my foot started to sting, I couldn't look down untill I had landed, when I did I found I was wearing an ant sock.