Be prepared for power, performance, and durability with this month’s prime item, XILO Stealth Motors. Don’t let the name fool you - these motors will get peoples’ attention!

This Month’s Crate:

• 4 X XILO Stealth 2206 Motors (2600 Kv for 4s or 1700 Kv for 6s)
• T-Motor Blackbird Propellers (4.9X4.3X3) - 3 Sets
• Lumenier Chrome M5 Nuts (5 Pcs)
• Limited Edition XILO T-Shirt
• XILO July Sticker Sheet
• Discount Coupon Card

Let’s take a deeper look at this month’s premium item, the XILO Stealth Motors:

• Kv --- 2600 (4s) ; 1700 (6s)
• Configuration --- 12N14P
• Termination --- D (Delta)
• Stator Diameter --- 22mm
• Stator Height --- 6mm
• Bearing --- 9x4x4 stainless steel
• Internal Shaft Diameter --- 4mm
• Weight --- 34g (short wires)
• Cells --- LiPo,  2s-5s (2600Kv) ; 2s-6s (1700Kv)
• Motor Wire Length --- 110mm
• Motor Connection --- Bare Wire

This month we'll focus on brushless motors. What is a brushless motor? What do the specs mean? How do I wire them up? Keep reading to find answers to these questions and more.

Brushed and Brushless Motors

In our hobby, we will run into two styles of electric motors - brushed and brushless. Generally, we will only see brushed motors in the sub-micro Tiny Whoop style builds, whereas most larger builds will use brushless motors.

Brushed Motors

Brushed motors are the original electric motor. They get their name from the soft, stationary electrical contacts, called “brushes”. These brushes transfer the electrical current from the battery to the rotary switch (commutator) on the shaft of the motor. This, in turn, supplies current to the motor windings, which creates the magnetic field that creates torque (movement) and spins the motor. 

There are several disadvantages to brushed motors. The friction of the brushes robs power and performance from the motor. This also causes wear and requires earlier replacement of the motor. The direct contact of the brushes can also cause excessive sparking (power loss and fire hazard). These problems were eliminated with the invention of the brushless motor.

Brushless Motors

Brushless motors were created by replacing the physical bushes with electronics (thank you semiconductor revolution!) which eliminated the friction and power loss of brushed motors. This means motors with more torque and a higher thrust to weight ratio. The elimination of the brushes also creates a motor that lasts much longer, and creates far less electromagnetic interference, which makes all of our other on-board electronics VERY happy! 

Our standard hobby motors have permanent magnets glued into the bell housing (the rotating outer part of the motor). The bell housing rotates around the fixed armature and is controlled by the electronic speed control. 

Brushless Motor Specs - What Do They Mean?

Kv Rating

Kv rating for brushless motors is the revolutions per minute (K) of the motor per volt (v) applied to the motor, with no load (no prop) on the motor. Knowing the Kv of the motor, the size of the props, and pitch of the props is important to avoid overheating and damaging the motors/ESCs. By varying the motor Kv, battery cell count (voltage), and prop size/pitch you can get the optimum performance from the craft you are flying.

XILO Stealth motors come in two Kv varieties:

• 2600Kv - Higher Kv motors (high speed, low torque) are better suited for 4s batteries
• 1700Kv - Lower Kv motors (low speed, high torque) are better suited for 6s batteries

XILO recommends 5” (5.1” and 4.9” are acceptable as well) props for both the 2600Kv and 1700Kv models.

Motor Poles

The pole configuration of the motor is the layout of the wire-wound stator poles and the rotor permanent magnet poles. N denotes the number of stator "wire-wound" poles, P denotes the number of rotor "permanent magnet" poles. XILO Stealth motors are 12N14P motors - 12 stator poles and 14 rotor poles, For the purpose of Betaflight RPM filtering, we are looking at the rotor poles number (14) as the number to enter into Betaflight in the Configuration tab under “ESC/Motor Features”.

Termination

Brushless motors are wound in one of two common configurations: Delta and Wye(Y). The Delta configuration connects three windings (series circuits) in a triangle-like circuit, and power is applied at each of the connections. The Wye (Y) configuration, sometimes called a star winding, connects all of the windings to a central point (parallel circuits) and power is applied to the remaining end of each winding. XILO Stealth motors are wound in the Delta configuration.

Motor Size

Brushless motor size is represented with 4 numbers. These 4 digits are the dimensions of the motor’s stator (the bottom part of the motor that holds the wire windings). XILO Stealths are 2206 motors. The first two digits are the motor’s stator diameter, the second two digits are the motor’s stator height. XILO Stealth motors have stators that are 22mm in diameter and 6mm in height.

Wiring up Brushless Motors

Brushless motors have three wires that exit the armature. These wires are soldered to the three solder pads on an electronic speed controller (ESC). The direction the motor will spin depends on what order the motor wires are soldered to the ESC. Testing your motors (WITHOUT PROPS!!!) through the Betaflight Configurator will let you know if your motors are spinning in the right direction. If any of your motors are not spinning in the right direction, there are two methods of reversing individual motor directions:

1. Switch the position of any two motor wires on the ESC. By resoldering the wires on different pads it will switch the direction of rotation.
2. By connecting to your ESCs through BLHeliSuite (be sure to use the right version for your computer/operating system/ESC style) and reversing the motor direction for the appropriate motor.

Always be sure to double-check the direction of rotation for every motor BEFORE putting your props on! 

Pro Tip From Santiago

“When soldering your motors to you ESCs you can spin your motors by hand to do a quick check of your soldering...If your motor wires are touching each other you will get resistance when you spin the motor by hand.”