NOTE: The names of the motor modules sold during the campaign have been changed, see table below. The products are exactly the same, despite new naming structure.

Updated October 1, 2020.

The IQ Motor Module is an integrated motor and controller with an embedded position sensor. With position-sensing and advanced calibration and control algorithms, IQ is able to optimize motor performance and give users unprecedented control over their vehicles and machines. The drone industry has relied on hobby-grade motors and controllers for too long. Now, IQ is bringing advanced motor control to the drone industry and other robotics fields at an affordable price.

IQ motors support serial communication as well as standard hobby protocols, so you can easily integrate them into your vehicle. Whether you’re an engineer testing our motors for commercial use or a maker/pilot using them in a personal drone, IQ motors will deliver high-end, professional performance.

What can you do with IQ Motor Modules?

Speed Applications

FPV Drone Racing and Acrobatics

The IQ Drone Module is ideal for FPV pilots who want faster throttle response, greater maneuverability, and higher peak RPM. Check out some demos.

Vertical Takeoff and Landing

High efficiency motors are even more important in VTOL applications. The IQ module is much more efficient relative to standard motor/ESC combinations at lower speeds.

New UAVs

Freed from the limitation of spinning in a single direction, IQ motors enable entirely new drone technology. We’re excited to see what our backers come up with.

Other RC Vehicles

Although our high speed motors and controllers are designed for multicopters, they’re great for anything from RC planes to cars to battlebots.

Precision Applications

Robotic Arms

An IQ motor can be used to actuate movement at every joint, giving a robot arm smooth, precise motion.

3D Printers and CNCs

Our tech is great for linear motion machines. IQ motors are smoother, quieter, and more efficient than stepper motors, and they will never skip a step or get lost.

Gimbals

Closed-loop position control and anti-cogged motion can make gimbal systems extremely smooth and stable.

Prototype Industrial Machinery and Medical Devices

High speed, precision motors and controllers can cost thousands of dollars. Try our motors in your prototype to save money without sacrificing performance. We’re planning to make industrial and medical-grade motors soon.

Maker Projects

Since our motors are easily programmable and versatile, they can be used in so many different applications we can’t possibly imagine them all. We can’t wait to see what our backers dream up.

IQ Motors in Drone Action

Quick Prop Reversal and Super Responsivity

Precision Rotor Intermeshing

Fly Upside-down

Roll

Flip

Features & Specifications

Specifications

The preliminary Speed Module datasheet is available here.

Features

• Enhanced Controllability
  • Velocity and position control with tunable PID + feed forward
  • 3D reversible, no delay while crossing zero
  • No start-up or reverse jitter
  • Anti-cogging: smoother flight, reduced vehicle vibration
  • 40 ms response time
• Power and Efficiency Boost
  • Sinusoidal commutation (up to 20% increase battery life)
  • Trapezoidal commutation (4.8% more shaft power)
• Other Advanced Features
  • Regenerative and active braking
  • Active freewheeling
  • Over-current protection
  • Communication protocols (serial, Dshot1200, & standard PWM)
  • Telemetry capability (voltage, current, RPM)
  • Fast FET switching, use of gate drivers
  • Sensored vector control with space vector PWM
  • Controller-motor integration

Speed Firmware

The speed firmware is specially designed to drive propellers or any application with target velocities. This firmware speaks all of the common communication protocols, including 1-2 ms PWM, Oneshot (125, 42), Multishot, and DShot(150, 300, 600, 1200), as well as IQ’s UART protocol.

Position Firmware

The position firmware has a position controller capable of single turn positioning and multi turn positioning. The built in minimum jerk trajectory generator creates smooth motion with minimal user effort. It speaks step/direction and IQ’s UART protocol.

Note: We will make both the position and speed firmware available, so users will be able to flash the controllers with the other firmware if they choose. We will do an update explaining how to switch firmwares if you’d like the position firmware on an IQ Speed Module or vice versa.

Comparisons

Drone Motor Setups

¹ With 150 mm wires, XT-30 power connector, servo connector
² Startup jitter on direction change

Position Motor Setups

¹ With 150 mm wires, XT-30 power connector, servo connector
² Position information will be lost

Manufacturing Plan

Prior Production Run

We completed a small production run of motors and controllers in January 2018 for testing and demos. This initial production run took approximately three months, beginning in early November 2017. We worked with our manufacturer’s engineers to refine the design, a process that took several weeks. We received samples of the motors in mid-December and once we tested and confirmed the design, it took a few weeks more to fulfill the rest of the order. It took about two weeks to procure the parts for the PCBs and another two weeks for PCB fabrication and assembly (we did this in parallel with the motor manufacturing). We needed to iterate on the boards once before we were satisfied. We assembled, programmed, and calibrated the integrated motors and PCBs for the initial batch, a process that took a few days, spread out over the course of several weeks.

Motor Production

We anticipate making several minor changes to the motor design in order to optimize the manufacturing process for large scale production. Once we reach our funding goal, our manufacturer in China will make samples. We will test the new design, iterate if necessary, and then begin full scale manufacturing. We believe it will take about one month to manufacture the motors once we confirm the final design.

PCB Production

We have used a variety of PCB manufacturers over the past year. In China, we could get inexpensive PCBs made very quickly, but we found that the yield rate was quite poor. This was acceptable for testing, but not for full scale manufacturing. We plan to go with one of our trusted PCB manufacturers. While they may be slightly more expensive, they are actually far more cost effective at large quantities because of the high yield rate. Given the extensive lead times of certain components, we anticipate that it will take eight weeks to procure parts for the final iteration of our board and then three to four weeks to get the boards in for assembly and calibration.

Assembly and Calibration

We plan to have our PCB manufacturer assemble and calibrate the motor modules as well. This process consists of testing the PCBs, applying thermal pads, soldering power and communication wires, calibrating the motor, applying RTV to balance the motor, and then one final recalibration. We are working to optimize the calibration and assembly process now with the remaining motors and controllers from our initial production run.

Shipping & Fulfillment

Crowd Supply will be handling all fulfillment and logistics. As such, all orders will be shipping from Portland, Oregon in the US. See The Crowd Supply Guide for more information on their ordering and shipping policies.

Risks & Challenges

We were in China for our initial production run, giving us easy access to our motor manufacturer. We will likely be in the US for the majority of the large production run following the campaign, so our biggest challenge will be quick communication with our manufacturer. We plan to travel to China to oversee the first units coming off the line and do initial testing. Fortunately, we went through this process recently and are confident that our design is easily manufacturable. As with most hardware, we face the risk of part shortages and unexpectedly long lead times. We will make sure to be open and honest about our manufacturing progress. Be sure to subscribe to the project updates to get the latest news.