Homebuilt ROVs Forum

Tip driven thrusters with integrated BLDC motors seems to be an attractive alternative when looking for a compact and fairly energy efficient propulsion system. The motor stator winding is integrated in the duct and the PMs are integrated in the propeller. No sealing of rotating shafts needed.

Do someone here have experience in how to manufacture such a thruster (in a low cost hobby/prototyping manner)? All ideas are most welcome! Also interested in suggestions of a suitable BLDC motor control unit.

Useful reading:
http://www.tsltechnology.com/marine/thrusters_data.htm
http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/47950/1.hasC ... Thesis.pdf

Cheers!
/Magnus

Wow those are nice looking thrusters. I would imagine they carry a heafty price tag to boot.

wow those are nice! what do they cost and are they even available to hobbyists like us?

getting a controller is the easy part. there are tons available from the rc world. check out places like hobbyking.com for examples.