How to determine the Kv of a motor
Method 1 (Power drill method) - quick and dirty method
1. Drive the motor with a power drill.
2. Measure RPM and voltage generated.
3. Kv = RPM / voltage (also see Method 3)
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Method 2 (Running the motor without a load)
This method is not very accurate with brushless motors, because different ESC's will give slightly different results.
1. Run the motor without load at full throttle at various input voltages and measure the RPM and controller input voltage.
2. You can measure the no-load RPM by marking two stripes on the bell with an indelible pen. Then shine a torch on the rotating bell and tach the reflected light.
3. To find Kv either: a) Graph RPM vs Voltage, the slope of the line is Kv b) For each voltage divide RPM by voltage, and average your results. Theoretically, a) is more accurate.
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Method 3 (Colin Dedman's formula) - this is my favourite method
1. Drive the motor with a drill press.
2. Measure RPM and voltage generated (by one phase).
3. Kv = RPM / (volts x 1.41 x 0.95)
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Method 4 (Louis Fourdan's formula)
1. Run the motor no-load at full throttle at voltage V for a RPM in the good range.
2. Measure the no-load RPM and current (Io).
3. Find the internal resistance of the motor in ohms. It can be measured using the Kelvin (4-wire) method or taken from the specifications supplied by the manufacturer (some risk of error).
4. Kv = RPM / (volts - amps x resistance).
5. It's better to measure at 2 different voltages and average the results.
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