I am trying to build a low speed magnetic stirrer using a 24mm Brushless DC gear motor - 6V 300RPM. I want to be able to control speed. Which power supply do I need? Which speed controller would work best?
Thanks any input would be appreciated!
Hello @Stratisphere and welcome to the forum,
You can find lots of options in the Brushless DC Motor Controllers section of the store, for example:
To select the battery simply check the specification on the product page, the one I linked can use:
- 2-3s LiPo / 4-10 cells Ni-MH
And to control it manually you could use this:
I hope that helps!
Thanks very much for your reply! I’m a real noob and really appreciate the help.
My goal is to have magnetic stirrer that has a max speed of 300 rpm with use of a long life brushless motor. Is this my best option?
I am trying to hook this up to household power so do not require batteries but I will need power supply. Will the ESC and ESC tester you sent links for still work?
I am trying to mount the control knob through a panel so I would need to remove the knob and mount into the panel, is there a more suitable potentiometer?
What power supply or wall adapter would be suitable? I’m hoping to plug this into a panel mount 2.1mm barrel jack.
Thanks again!
Is this my best option?
That is a good option, although note that that motor has a built-in controller so you wouldn’t need an ESC.
Will the ESC and ESC tester you sent links for still work?
The easiest setup with a tester would be using a regular BLDC motor (without built-in controller), an ESC, and a battery. The way it is shown here:
But you could still use it with another power source, but you would need some adapters.
I am trying to mount the control knob through a panel so I would need to remove the knob and mount into the panel, is there a more suitable potentiometer?
The ESC tester is a plug-and-play solution for easily testing, however, If you want to modify the control then a better option would be simply using a microcontroller and a potentiometer.
What power supply or wall adapter would be suitable?
As long as you have enough voltage and amperage from the power supply there should be no problems. If you use the motor you linked you’d need a 6V wall adapter that can supply at least 0.8A. You can find some options in the 6V DC Wall Adapters section of the store.
Hi again!
Ok so my items finally arrived and I’m trying to wire everything together. I’m concerned I may have purchased the wrong things.
For power I have a wall adapter that goes into a barrel jack.
The motor I purchased is the 36D Brushless DC Planetary Gear Motor - 24V 290RPM
The controller is this one meant for brushless motors
The controller has connections for DC + and - which is obviously where your power goes in. What’s confusing to me is there is only 3 more connection slots on the controller A, B and C.
The motor has 5 wires coming off of it. Where so they go on the controller and what do I do with the remaining wires? Did I buy the wrong things? Lol
Thanks again 
Hello @Stratisphere!
What’s the output voltage and current of the wall adapter?
Also, as I mentioned before you’ll need an adapter to connect power to the motor controller, for example:
The motor you selected has a built-in controller so there’s no need for an external controller.
The adapter I have is 24v output and 1A. This will fit into a panel mount female jack that I plan on using.
Ok so I don’t actually need this controller to use this motor? I know you were previously suggesting a motor without a built in controller but I couldn’t seem to find one that was this particular speed in a brushless motor.
Is there a way to use the existing motor I have with a potentiometer? If so how do I wire it up? I see red and black are power but what about the other wires? Can I take the potentiometer off the controller I have and use it?
I really appreciate your help!
The adapter I have is 24v output and 1A. This will fit into a panel mount female jack that I plan on using.
Perfect! That should work.
Ok so I don’t actually need this controller to use this motor?
No, the motor already has its own controller.
I know you were previously suggesting a motor without a built in controller but I couldn’t seem to find one that was this particular speed in a brushless motor.
No problem! You can still use that one.
Is there a way to use the existing motor I have with a potentiometer?
Yes, but not directly. You could use a microcontroller to generate the PWM signal and the potentiometer to adjust that signal.
Here’s an example:
If so how do I wire it up?
Regular potentiometers have 3 wires, the one you showed has 5 wires which might be a potentiometer with a switch. It would be best if you measure the resistance with a multimeter so you which wire is which. This should help:
Can I take the potentiometer off the controller I have and use it?
Yes, you can do that.
Hi
I’ve done some reading on how to use Arduino with the motor I have. I’m learning that with Arduino you can control the max speed of any DC motor. My project requires a max speed of around 350rpm and I thought that a gear motor was the only way to do this. Knowing that I can control max speed with Arduino makes me question if a geared motor is my best option.
I haven’t run the gear motor I have but I’m aware that gear motors due produce some noise. This project is going to be part of a very expensive glass sculpture and I would prefer to have a completely silent brushless motor, but not at the sacrifice of low speed performance. Seeing as my project is basically a magnetic stirrer and would have almost no load I’m not sure that I need the torque of a geared motor. Would it be better to use a regular brushless DC motor and just program max speed to 350rpm and maybe a low speed of 50rpm? Would a dc motor like this have performance issues when dialed down to very low speeds?
Either way I guess I need to order the items needed to work with the Arduino uno for prototyping.
Or better yet do where I might be able to hire someone to build something like this for me?
Thanks again
I just came across a replacement magnetic stirrer coil assembly. It create a driving force with electro magnets which I’m reading are stronger force, last longer and produce no heat or noise.
https://www.scientificindustries.com/stirrer-coil-kit-magstir-genie.html
What would I need to run this? Can I use a PWM and Arduino to program max speed so the potentiometer will max out at my desired speed?
My project requires a max speed of around 350rpm and I thought that a gear motor was the only way to do this.
Not really, as you said, you can easily decrease the speed of a DC motor using PWM. The main reason people use a geared motor for their projects is because of the high torque. Higher gear reduction → higher torque → lower speed. However, keep in mind that operating a motor continuously at a low speed can cause it to overheat.
Also, if noise is a problem you should consider using something other than an Arduino to generate the control signal because the PWM frequency is limited on an Arduino.
I just came across a replacement magnetic stirrer coil assembly… What would I need to run this?
It would be best if you ask the manufacturer directly.