1

Brushless DC Motors

Dante D’Angelo

Electrical Engineering Technology, Georgian College

Physical Sciences - PHYS1001

Professor Ian Lilley

Georgian College

th
Tuesday, December 15 , 2020
 2

Brushless DC Motors

The Brushless Dc motor is a fascinating alternative to the widely available and popular brushed dc motor. The use of electric motors is so widespread, that is unlikely

to go through an entire day without the use of one in some fashion. Traditional Brushed DC motors are commonplace today and are

more popular than the upcoming brushless motor. The way a brushed motor works is thanks to electromagnetism. Newton’s first law

explains that any object will remain at rest or in uniform motion unless compelled to change by an external force (Hall, 2015).

Newton’s first law explains that to create motion we need an external force or energy, this energy for a motor – brushless or brushed-

is electromagnetism. The electromagnets inside a traditional brushed DC motor are basic by nature. Inside the housing of a brushed

DC motor, two major parts cause the shaft to rotate, they are called the stator and armature. The stator is made up of two fixed

permanent magnets, one with a south pole facing the armature and one with a north pole facing the armature. The armature is what

causes the motor’s shaft to move, it is made up of one or more loops of wires that when powered with electricity creates a magnetic

charge. The drawings below demonstrate the two main parts of the brushed motor, also notice the right-hand rule number two

demonstration that shows how current causes the movement of this motor.

The final part of the brushed motor is what sets it apart from a brushless motor. For the motor to keep a constant rotation, the polarity

of the armature must be reversed. This polarity reversal is caused by brushes riding on a commutator, see drawing below.
 3

Now that we know the basic principles of the DC brushed motor, let us look at some of its pros and cons. Its major con is that it

requires service. As the brushes ride on the commutator, they eventually wear and require replacement. Another con is that the

brushes create sparks making them unusable where flammable gases are present. One of their major advantages over brushless

motors is that they have a cheaper initial cost (Brain, 2006). N Now that we have a basic

understanding of the brushed DC motor, let us look at the brushless DC motor. The brushless DC motor is a relatively new

technology, and it has started to gain significant popularity in the past 15 years. Brushless motors are similar to the brushed motor in

the respect that they both use permanent magnets and electromagnets to propel their shafts. The different method used to apply power

to these electromagnets is what sets them apart. The brushless motor is made from two main parts: the rotor and the stator. The rotor

includes two permanent magnets. One with a south pole facing the stator and one with a north pole facing the stator. The stator

includes a series of electromagnets that propel the permanent magnets with attraction. Think of the motor as a carrot in front of a

donkey. The donkey will continue to chase the carrot without ever reaching it. The main difference between the two is that brushless

motors do not rely on commutators or brushes to change the polarity of the magnets to keep the motors spinning. Instead, the

brushless motor has a sensor that knows the position of the rotor and sends power to different electromagnets by a control module

called the ESC or electronic speed controller. This is the main reason why brushless motors have a higher initial price, they are more

complex and contain circuitry to work.

 4

Overall, the brushless motor provides more pros than the brushed motor. A brushless motor does not require service as there are no

brushes to wear. Since there are no brushes, no sparks are enabling it to be safely used near combustible gases. Brushless motors are

reliable and have lower power consumption than traditional brushed motors. Since they are computer-controlled, they can be faster

and more accurate. The only real con to these motors is the price, and this is largely due to the ESC. The motor itself can be made for

a similar price to a traditional brushed motor (Brain, 2006). The two types of brushless motors are in-runners and out-outrunners. In-

runners have rotors that contain the permanent magnets on the inside of the motor. On an in-runner motor, the outside shell of the

motor is in a fixed position, and only the shaft rotates. An outrunner motor has permanent magnets on the outer shell, and unlike the

in-runner, the entire outer shell rotates with the shaft. Out-runners generally have a shorter length and larger diameter than an in-

runner motor. It is this larger diameter which causes this motor to have less rpm/kv but have a higher torque. This can be represented

by a formula we learned this year where t = NIABsinϴ if we leave NIB and sinϴ to equal 1 and be constant and just change the

diameter (A) we can see how the torque increases.

t = NIABsinϴ

2
t = (1)(1)(π2 )(1)sin(90)

t = 12.6

In runners generally have a longer length and shorter diameter, causing the motor to have a higher rpm/kv value but a lower torque

value. This can also be represented by the same formula.

t = NIABsinϴ
 5

2
t = (1)(1)(π1 )(1)sin(90)

t = 3.14

The two different types of brushless motors can be used for different applications. In general, the in-runner motor is the more

common choice as the electromagnets are right beside the case allowing for easier cooling and greater efficiency (Electric, 2018).

References

Brain, M. (2006, December 15). How Does a Brushless Electric Motor Work? Retrieved December 12, 2020, from https://electronic-
s.howstuffworks.com/brushless-motor.htm

Captainranic. (2020, June 10). How does an Electric Motor work? (DC Motor). Retrieved December 12, 2020, from https://www.y-
outube.com/watch?v=CWulQ1ZSE3c

Electric, R. (2018, August 24). Brushless Inrunner vs Outrunner motor? Retrieved December 12, 2020, from https://www.radiocon-
trolinfo.com/brushless-inrunner-vs-outrunner-motor/

Hall, N. (2015, May 05). Redirect Notice. Retrieved December 12, 2020, from https://www.google.com/url?sa=t%2C

LearnEngineeringTeam. (2014, October 13). Brushless DC Motor, How it works ? Retrieved December 12, 2020, from https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCEiOnuODac
 6

What is a BRUSHLESS MOTOR and how it works - Torque - Hall effect - 3D animation. (2019, June 05). Retrieved December 12,
2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaWGJVHiJC8