The latest in the Edge Lite series from SunnySky, offering a larger stator from their previous motors in the series.
Check out the full list of motors in this series here
Summary
Published: Mar 31, 2017 by quadmcfly
| Tested KV: | 2770kv |
| Weight: | 32g |
| Stator W: | 23.8mm |
| Stator H: | 6mm |
Since the early days of the multi-rotor hobby, SunnySky has consistently made some of the best quality and highest value motors on the market. They set the standard in the early days of the mini-quad world with the
X2204 2300kv motor, but recently their mini-quad entries into the market seem to have been a bit disorganized, with a lot of prototype motors and not much product hitting shelves. The Edge and Edge Lite series have been around for a while, but seem to have existed only in small batches. It seems that SunnySky is ready to make a bolder re-entry into the miniquad world with the latest offerings in the Edge Lite line. The build quality on SunnySky motors has always been something special, and these R2306 are no exception. The visual quality and smoothness of these motors are some of the best I've ever seen. The tolerances are absolutely perfect, and the air gap rivals the Emax motors. The silver plated windings are a nice touch, though I'm not convinced as to their practical effect. The Edge lite series uses a very light weight bell design with a hollow shaft retained by a c-clip rather than a screw. I'm not convinced yet that is a drawback given my troubles lately with removing the retaining screws on some of the hollow shaft designs. I have two complaints about this motor, though neither are significant. My primary complaint is that the wires are not silicon wires coming out of the bell, but rather the magnet wire simply wound together and insulated. It is entirely possible that this is only due to these being fairly early motors, and the production model is likely to end up with silicon wires, as the other motors in the Edge Lite series do not seem to have this issue. The second issue I have is more of a nit-pick. SunnySky seems to have pulled a Cobra on this motor, and the stator dimensions are actually 23.8mm (essentially 24mm) by 6mm. Given that stator size though, their weight at just over 32g is quite impressive. The final question is how the light weight will impact their long term durability, but that can only be answered by use and abuse, though the 7075-T10 aluminum in the bell leaves me hopeful. Overall these motors are absolutely gorgeous, and well worth a close look.
Results
SunnySky has a history of valuing build quality and smoothness over performance, so the results here were a bit of a question mark. The KV on these bucked the trend of the last few motors and measured a bit high, coming in at 2770kv. That higher KV is clearly manifested in the results. The numbers here were impressive, matching the F60Pro 2500kv (measured 2600kv), the XFoot 2207 2600kv, and the Emax RS2306 2750kv (also 2600kv), but at a significantly higher peak draw on the top end due to the higher KV. The current draw settles down a bit on the lower parts of the throttle showing more thrust for comparable current, especially on the lighter props. Tranisition speeds were also a bit slower than the 2207 and 2306 competitors, especially on heavier props. These pieces combined seem to indicate the magnets are a bit lower strength than the other motors in it's class, and the KV is being used to overcome the lower torque to generate RPMs. That accounts for the higher current near the top of the throttle and the slower response times. It appears as if these motors are using N50SH magnets rather than N52H, though the magnet strength doesn't seem to be stated in any of the spec sheets. The weaker magnets may not be an issue for some pilots though, as it the slightly slower transition speeds mean less feedback and fewer tuning problems on some flight controllers as well as a slightly smoother, less "sharp" feel in the air. Overall this is a very impressive offering from SunnySky, especially given the relatively low weight point for the stator size.
