What's the difference between metal and non metal gear motor?
Adam 1, Just thought you might like to see this.I posted this elsewhere last month. Result-mixed,although metal gears do seem to be the flavour of the month.Have you read about the latest model on the market,Supreme intelligent Dark Motor?
I am still considering my options on my next purchase.
Which is better and why???
DiSEqC Motors-Steel or Plastic Gears.
I am about to change my Stab motor to a Technomate 2600 due to excessive backlash. Came across this article which really opened m eyes.Any body any comments and findings please,before I make another mistake.
Do you really think no one ever thought of using a steel gear before? While at first the steel gear may seem stronger than the plastic gear. Read on, you might be surprised at what you find out.
DiSEqC motors originally had steel gears. But manufactures soon learned that steel gearing would not last for several reasons. Motors with steel main gears are cheaper to make and still sold in countries where price is just about the only consideration. In areas where a reasonable warranty period is expected, you will only find plastic gears
"Plastic" is really a poor term for the main gears used in most modern motors. The material is actually a high tech engineering nylon. For this application it's stronger than steel and will last much longer than steel.
Plastic gears have a bit of give reguired to absorb the shock of starting and stopping and from wind resistance
Plastic gears wear less Garage door openers in daily use, use plastic gearing.
Plastic gear teeth stop at the end of the travel range.Steel gears have teeth all around and provide no mechanical stop.
Backlash adjustement-steel requires this more often due to its high wear factor.
Check the motors on the market. You'll find that one Italian manufacturer uses a steel gear and they use a elaborate spring system to try to absorb the start stop shock. They still suffer from backlash problems that develop shortly after putting their motors in service part of which is caused by the high wear factor even though they use hardened teeth in their gears.
So don't be so quick to believe "new and improved" when it's actually very old, outdated, and rarely used. If it worked well, every manufacture would be doing it because it is cheaper.
Hope you find this of interest and you make the right choice.