Brushless Vs Brushed Motor:Exhaustive Facts And FAQs in Tabular Format

The article will discuss the compression of brushless vs brushed motor.

Parameter of comparisonsBrushed Motor Brushless Motor
ComponentsContains brush and commutator for connection between brush and commutator Does not contain brushes
EfficiencyRelatively low efficiencyRelatively higher efficiency
TorqueRelatively lower torque for same power supplyRelatively high torque for same power supply
NoiseIt generates mechanical and electrical noiseIt generates relatively less mechanical and electrical noise even with intensive workload
CostRelatively lower costRelatively higher overall cost
ControllerDoesn’t require additional controller for its switch or speed controlIt require additional controller for its switch or speed control
LifespanRelatively lower lifespan due to presence of brushesRelatively higher lifespan due to absence of brushes

Brushed vs Brushless motor torque

Comparison between brushed and brushless motor with respect to torque generated by each motor with identical power supply.

Brushless motor has relatively higher torque generation than that of Brushed motor which identical power supply.

The rotation and torque of a brushed motor are limited by the commutator and brushes of the motor. That’s why a brushed motor can achieve maximum torque when the brushed motor is stationary. The development of torque decreases linearly with the increase in velocity. At a high-velocity, brush to commutator connection can generate electric Arcs or become erratic.

There is no restriction for generating torque in a brushless motor. The torque of a brushless motor depends upon the controller’s speed and the strength and rotation of the magnetic pole of the permanent magnet, which is placed in the motor’s rotor. That’s why high torque can be easily obtained with the brushless motor with higher efficiency and lower electrical and mechanical losses.

Brushless vs Brushed motor power tools

Have risen between brushed and brushless motor when used as power tool.

As a power tool, a brushless motor is more powerful than a burnt motor due to the high efficiency of a brushless motor.

For the same power supply, more mechanical power can be generated, and because brush friction is not present in the brushless motor, the efficiency of the motor increases.

What are the disadvantages of a Brushless motor

Limitation or drawbacks of a brushless motor:

  • The cost of a brushless motor is higher than that of a brushed motor.
  • The Brushless motor requires an additional electronic switching controller to switch voltage to the motor coil in synchronization with the rotation of the motor. The cost of an electronic controller is much more than that of the overall cost of the motor.
  • Vibration can be present at low-speed rotation.
  • Control and operation are not straightforward due to the involvement of electronic control and electromagnets.
  • For effective uses, a more powerful rare earth magnet is used in the motor’s rotor, which increases the overall cost and minimizes the rotational inertia.

What are the advantages of a brushless motor

benefits or advantages of using brushless motor :

  • Easy and low maintenance costs due to lack of brushes and no moving contacts
  • High torque to weight ratio that is high efficiency and high output power in a relatively smaller size than that of a brushed motor
  • The speed of the brushed motor is limited by the brush and commutator of the motor. With the brushless motor, the highest speed range can be achieved easily because it has few moving parts, which causes less frictional losses.
  • Efficiency is high relative to the brushed motor at all speeds with rated load.
  • More durable than a brushed motor.
  • Relatively less electrical noise.
  • In brushless motors, it is possible to control winding currents so that a smooth transition of currents takes place between windings, resulting in a lower torque ripple.
  • Low operational and mechanical noise.
  • Motor size is compact in such a way that it can be two to three times lighter than that of a brushed motor.
  • Less overheating problems.
  • Low electromagnetic interference.
  • Due to less friction and heat, Spark generation is less even during intensive workload.
  • High reliability and high stability.
6B6056FE 4DC7 4A56 83E0 46BB869CA765
Image Credit: Brushless motors “Two floppy drive motor coils.” by Myself248 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Is Brushless Faster Than Brushed

A Brushless motor is a type of DC motor which does not contain a brush as its parts.

Suppose the brushed motor and brushless motor are of the same rating. In that case, the brushless motor will be faster as its efficiency is higher than that of a brushed motor.

Due to less friction and less heat generation, which causes optimum power use in the brushless motor, where the brush motor’s speed is limited by the brushes and the commutator of the motor where the speed of brushless motor depends upon the bearing and the speed of the controller.

Which motor is more efficient a Brushed or Brushless motor

Brushless DC motors have various advantages over brushed motors. One of them is efficiency.

The efficiency of the brushless motor can be from 85 % to more than that of 90 %, where for brushed motor, the efficiency is from 75 to 80 percent.

Due to the absence of brushes in the motor, there is low mechanical energy loss, resulting in efficient use of supply energy. This is why the brushed motor is less efficient than a brushless motor.

Why is Brushless more expensive

Brushless motor is relatively expensive than a brushed motor.

A powerful brushless motor uses a powerful rare earth permanent magnet on the rotor, which is quite expensive. And to control the speed and synchronization of the motor, an external electronic speed controller is required, and the cost of an electronic controller is more than that of the overall cost of the brushless DC motor.

Some more reasons can increase the overall cost, such as constructing the in the runner of brushless motor. In place of the armature, its runner has a coil inside the stator that has relatively lower space for the coil, making construction more complex and time-consuming.

Can I replace a Brushed motor with a Brushless motor

Any brushed or brushless motor has its own Specification before using in any application those specification must be considered.

A brush motor can be replaced by a brushless motor with an electronic speed controller or switching controller.

While replacing considered the motor’s operating range and rating specifications. If found compatible with one another, the brushless motor can replace the brush motor.

How long do brushless motors last

brushless motor has larger lifespan them a brushed motor.

A brushless motor has more than 10000 hours of operation if adequately taken care of while using the motor’s limitation and other II rating specifications.

Do brushless motors wear out more quickly than brushed motors

There are no brushes present in the brushless motor to wear out quickly. 

A brushed motor wears out more quickly than a brushless motor as a brushed motor contains a commutator and brush, which causes mechanical and electrical friction between them during the operation. With time due to electric erosion, the motor brushes wear out.

How can you tell if a motor is brushless

A few points can be considered while checking for the brushless motor, then those points are:

  • A Brushless motor has three windings, so it must have at least three wires, whereas a brushed motor has only two wires.
  • Measure resistance with low voltage supplied through the motor if the motor has high resistance, it must be a brushless motor.
  • If a motor is working without being connected to a controller, it must be a brushed motor. If a controller is required to operate a motor, it must be a brushless motor.

Are brushless motors quieter

The motor with more moving parts causes more chaos or noise due to rubbing together, loose screw, etc.

Brushless motor is quieter than brush motor as in brush motor due to friction against commutator electrical and mechanical noise generated.

But in brushless motor, there are no moving parts that can cause friction or other noises. That’s why the brushless motor is quieter relative to other motors.

Are brushless motors more reliable

The lifespan of a brushless motor is very much higher than that of a brushed motor.

A Brushless motor is more reliable because a brushless motor has few moving parts, which causes less friction, low energy loss, Low electrical or mechanical power loss, noise, wear, etc.

These are the benefits of having few moving parts in a motor, which helps extend the motor’s lifetime and make the motor smaller, compact, weightless, highly efficient, etc.

Do brushless power tools spark

Brushless motor is used as a power tool in many application because of its high efficiency.

Spark generated in any brushless power tool has relatively fewer chances than a brushed power tool.

In brushless power tools, there are fewer number of moving parts, and friction generated in brushless power tools is lesser. That’s why overheating, electric arc generation, electric Spark generation, etc., has a lesser chance than that of any brushed power tool instruments.

Can you use a brushed motor with a brushless ESC

ESC is stands for electronic switching or speed controller which is used to control the brushless motor.

If the rating of a brushless motor and its ESC is compatible with the brushed motor, then a speed or switch controller can be used with the brushed motor.
Specifications such as current rating, voltage rating, current output, voltage output, ESC framework, ESC protocol, ESC processes, etc., should be considered before using any motor.

017A949A 0537 4A6F 813D 92830E5D0791
Image Credit: “File:Carbon brushes.jpg” by Stan Zurek is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

Is a Brushless motor waterproof

Brushless motor is the motor without brushes as it’s components.

Generally, a Brushless motor can be water-resistant but not waterproof, and water can enter inside the motor and find its way to bearing and internal windings, which can destroy the bearings with time.
Waterproofing can be done to a motor, but that will limit the performance of the motor as well as it welcome with added costs.

Can Brushless motors run in reverse

The direction of rotation of the brushless coil is determined by the flow of DC through the phase coil considering the magnetic pole angle by the sensor output.

By interchanging the wire connected to the brushless motor’s speed controller from the motor, the motor can run in the reverse direction. The reverse direction is caused by the electric speed controller of the brushless motor.

Do Brushless motors have a direction

A DC power supply is supplied to the driver circuit, whereas AC flows through the motor.

The Brushless motor rotates in an anticlockwise direction, and this motor requires magnetic pole sensors to detect the angle of the magnetic pole or its position.

A driver circuit is needed for directing the current through the winding while considering the position of the magnetic pole.

Do Brushed motors have more torque

Generation of torque in brushless motor or brushed motor with same power supply is compared in identical situation.

The brushed motor has relatively more minor torque than the brushless motor.

There is a commutator and brushes in the brushed motor, which causes friction during rotation; as rotation increases, the development of torque decreases due to more electrical and mechanical losses caused by friction between the brushes and commutator.

Also Read:

Leave a Comment