Coreless vs brushed micro motors for 1kg sumo, real tradeoffs
Posted: Wed May 13, 2026 11:00 am
Rebuilding the sumo bot after the loss (other thread). One question I keep going back and forth on: brushed micro motors (cheap, replaceable) vs coreless (more torque per amp, lighter, expensive).
Numbers I'm seeing:
Anyone done a season on coreless and seen them through to nationals? Worth the upfront pain?
Numbers I'm seeing:
- Brushed N20 12V at 300rpm: torque around 0.5 kg-cm, life ~50 hours competitive
- Coreless 1230 12V at similar rpm: torque 0.8 kg-cm, life ~30 hours
Anyone done a season on coreless and seen them through to nationals? Worth the upfront pain?