Seems that a lot of sources I knew from back in the day are long gone and a lot of closed down due to covid or are simply not taking any orders. Back in the day we used Maxon motors but haven't seen any around or I may be looking in the wrong area. Also what are the best size and make of 6v-12v motors for cruiser to battleship size Big Gun ships these days? Best sources for builds: Balsa, electronics, gears, bits and bites? THANKS!!
Servocity is a good source for gears, pullys, chains, and they have some analog to digital control boards you can use for solenoid/pump control too.
I've been very happy with these, and they're extremely inexpensive. I usually pick up 10 or so to justify the shipping. Johnson motors are pretty good, and I've had great luck with them for use in direct drive for props on all kinds of ships. I just add capacitors to keep the EMF down. https://www.goldmine-elec-products.com/prodinfo.asp?number=G9332
Jeff is correct on these motors. I am using them now and the only thing is they are weak at 6 volts but run very well on 8.4 to 12 volts with good torque.
After reading BigGunJeff's recommendation for those motors, in various threads, I ordered 10 of them. Mine are all marked 30011 & 371402 which is a little different than what others have noted. I'm having a hard time finding the specs for these. Does any one have any more info on them?
Hmm ... capacitors. Well, Radio Shack is long gone, but I used to get something like these to use on my motor terminals: View: https://www.amazon.com/Guitar-Capacitors-0-047uF-Capacitor-10pcs/dp/B08CSNDJ89/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3DS8ITHQ5PPPM&keywords=047uf+capacitor&qid=1650326182&sprefix=.047+uf+cap%2Caps%2C131&sr=8-5 As for couplings, I'm a fan of gearboxes. If you must use a direct drive type system, I like the old Dumas dogbone: https://www.horizonhobby.com/product/complete-coupling1-8/DUM2008.html I haven't used them in a long time, though, and I'm not sure if they're up to the power handling of modern (i.e. brushless) motors, but for a li'l 260 or 380 motor, they should be fine. The smallest available is 1/8", so you might have to use a brass sleeve on the motor shaft, etc. Good luck!
There are metal drive dogbones similar to the old Dumas ones. I've never been a big fan, since they are loud and any motor that's low enough torque to handle a dogbone is also low enough torque to use a fuel-line flex coupling. same effect but much quieter.
I've used these caps before: View: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E6PNOXU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 My favorite linkage is the urethane tube that I use to connect my pneumatics. Just keep the two shaft ends within 1/4" of each other and slip the tube over the ends. Not fancy, but it works for me.
So, just for giggles, a while back, I made a prototype for a 3d printed dogbone. I've uploaded it here: https://rcwarshipcombat.com/resources/3d-printable-dogbone-drive-coupling.200/ in case someone feels curious and wants to do something with it. Myself, I think I'll stick with gearboxes/Dumas.
They are "380"s or maybe "385"s depending on who's part numbering scheme you prefer. The motor can is roughly 38mm long. They are smaller than a typical 550 but, because they have 5 poles and can take a fair amount of voltage they have good torque and power, especially at that price!
