I was asked what the differences between are EMAX MT1806 2280KV, EMAX MT1804 2480KV, and EMAX MT2204 2300KV Motors. And which one is the best motor for 250 size mini quad? These motors are very similar in price, mainly different in weight, size, and power. It’s not always true “the more powerful the better”. Stronger motors also draws more current, thus gives you less flight time. Finding a good balance, or knowing what you are after is the key here.
Note that EMAX motors come in Clockwise and Counter Clockwise threads for securing the props to the motors, to avoid loosing props mid-flight.. So be aware when ordering them in pairs.
Let’s go through the specifications of these motors.
EMAX MT1804 2480KV
- Price $14
- RPM/V: 2480KV
- Battery: 3S LIPO Battery
- Shaft: 2mm
- Diameter: 23mm
- Length: 24.7mm
- Weight: 14g
EMAX MT-1806 2280KV
- Price $15
- Height: 26.7mm
- Width: 23mm
- RPM/V: 2280KV
- Battery: 2-3S LIPO
- Motor Mount Hole Size: M2
- Weight: 18g
Thrust Test Data
- 200 Grams (5030 w/ 2S @ 4.4A) – Efficiency: 5.6g/w
- 375 Grams (5030 w/ 3S @ 8.0A) – Efficiency: 3.9g/w
- 485 Grams (6030 w/ 3S @ 11.0A) – Efficiency: 3.6g/w
Here is the data from my own tests
3S
| Props | Peak Thrust | Peak Current | Max Power | Efficiency g/w |
| Gemfan 4045 | 216 | 4.7 | 58.3 | 3.7 |
| HQ 4045 Bullnose | 300 | 9.1 | 112.8 | 2.7 |
| DragonFly 5030 | 385 | 7.3 | 90.5 | 4.3 |
| Gemfan 5030 | 370 | 7.2 | 89.3 | 4.1 |
| Gemfan 5040 | 390 | 8.4 | 104.2 | 3.7 |
| HQ5040 | 374 | 8.9 | 110.4 | 3.4 |
4S
| Props | Peak Thrust | Peak Current | Max Power | Efficiency g/w |
| Gemfan 4045 | 313 | 6.6 | 105.6 | 3.0 |
| HQ 4045 Bullnose | 414 | 12.8 | 204.8 | 2.0 |
| DragonFly 5030 | 560 | 10.3 | 164.8 | 3.4 |
| Gemfan 5030 | 520 | 10.2 | 163.2 | 3.2 |
| Gemfan 5040 | 550 | 11.9 | 190.4 | 2.9 |
| HQ5040 | 542 | 12.7 | 203.2 | 2.7 |
EMAX MT2204-2300KV
- Price $16
- RPM/V: 2300KV
- Length: 32.2mm
- Diameter: 27.9mm
- Battery: 2-3S LIPO
- Shaft: 3mm
- Weight: 25g
Which Motor to Choose – Simple Analysis
Purely based on the thrust test data above, which I found on the internet, they all seem to perform differently.
I would have thought the 2204 should be the most powerful. However the Emax 1806 motor seems to beat the 2204 in all ways: efficiency with 2 cell lipo and 3S battery, either with 5030 props and 6030 props. And the 1806 produces more thrust under all conditions too. It’s 7 grams lighter per motor, that’s a 28g saving in weight. (remember every gram you save is a few seconds of extra flight time! ) Therefore there is no doubt I would go for the 1806 if I have to choose.
The Emax 1804 is very close to 1806 in terms of efficiency with 5030 props and 3S lipo, it’s even 0.2g/w better with the GWS 5030 prop. But the peak thrust tends to be considerably smaller. It’s also very light weight too at 14g. I don’t think it’s powerful enough for a racing 250 size mini quad, but it would make good motors for a lighter and small mini quad. (under 300g total weight category)
Edit: as MassiveOverkill pointed out, the Emax 2204 motor really shines with larger props (higher pitch or longer props) and on 4S, due to the fact that they have more torque.
33 comments
Do you have any suggestions for me . I am looking at needing 8 tarot TL96020 5008 340kv motors to run 8 x 18″ blades, is this a good brand of motor or is there something better I could be looking at?
Hi Oscar,
I am starting a project quad copter and little knowledge about quad-copter and i choose 180 mm frame. so my question is how i calculate the specification of the other components ( like Motor, Propeller, ESC, battery, etc…). I want to know the calculation behind the quad-copter.
kindly help me
Check out these articles:
How to choose motors for quadcopter
How to choose propellers for quadcopter
How to choose ESC for quadcopter
How to choose battery for quadcopter
I tried those 1806 – 2280 KV motors from broken JJRC X1. 6045 props. It flew like a champ with 2S, 3S and 4S was a beast! I used the JJRC frame, which was lighter than average ZMR 250 iwanted to use and the result was a rocket! Flew it with 12 A Afro escs.
Can anyone tell me IF Emax MT2204 – 2300 KV will run on 4S + 20A ESCs ?
I fly MT2204 2300kv on 4s with 5045 props and 4x20a esc.
Hello, Oscar i really apreciate your site it’s awesome.
I’ve just ordered EMAX MT-1806 2280KV motors with Emax 12A blheli esc’s.
I wanted to know if when you were talking about your own tests with MT-1806 2280KV motors, you meant 2s and 3s or as You wrote 3s and 4s?
And what about 6045 and 6050 gemfan bullnose props…what do you think?
Hi, when I said 3S and 4S i meant 3S and 4S :)
I don’t think these motors are tough enough for 6″ props…
use it for 5″ and 4″
Hi,
i have one of thi solution to chose
Tarot 250 + emax 12 A + 1804 motor + 5X3 prop + 2200 3s
Tarot 280 + emax 12 A + 2204 motor + 6X2 prop + 2200 3s
What the beter solution?
Thanks
unless you are getting these combo really cheap, i don’t think any of them are good for today’s standard.
join http://intofpv.com, there are lots of people would can recommend a nicer build than this.
Hey Oscar,
Would you run EMAX MT1806 2280kv motors on 4s triblade gemfan 5030 5*3 props?
Thanks
(With triblade props and 12amp escs)
Hi Oscar
I bought a emax mt1806-2280kv bldc motor and its set with 12amp simon esc and wild scorpion 900mah, 11.1v li po battery. I am using a servo tester to test the this motor but i failed to run. what can i do now pls suggest me.
Man, check all the connections. I have also the same motors and it’s a pain to solder it’s cables. It’s a really nightmare, cause they are covered with a thin thing that makes it very, very paintfull to solder.
What I found best is to sand carefully every cable, until it gets in silver color, not gold color. Then solder and it will work.
make sure the motor/esc connection is correct, make sure you are connecting servo tester ground with esc ground… if still doesn’t work then contact your seller for replacement or refund i guess
Hello Oscar… need some help please.
In my gravity 280 im using a setup with 3S, 12A esc, motor EMAX 2204 2300kv and 5040 props..
I want to move to 4S… I´m gonna switch to opto 20A. My question is, can I run this motors in 4S without problems? 5040 to? 5045 is best? 6* probably i will kill the motors…
What you reckon Oscar?
(i´m trying to change in a less cost possible, and be able to use both setup, 3S and 4S)
i think you can, but they are not designed for 4S and might have a shorter lifetime on 4S… as for props… I wouldn’t go beyond 5045 props on 20A ESC…
Hi Bruno/ Oscar,
I’m running the 1804 2480KV on 4s at the moment, on my QAV210, with a 1000mAh 35c battery and 5045 bullnose props, simonk 20A ESCs (cheap generic optos). Motors and ESCs come down cool, no matter how hard I fly. Battery comes down warm if I’m pushing it- 5 minutes flight time gets me to storage voltage usually. No problem with 4s whatsoever, though my setup is a little heavy for these tiny motors.
Hi Oscar I got these EMAX MT2204 2300KV on my 250 and feel like they need a bit more power, what do i need to change
to be able to use my 4s lipos. Got 12a Emax Simon K esc´s now. Do i just need to change them out? =)
im new to this 250 racers and dont really find a direct awnser online. Thanks in advance man!
Regards Carl.
Hi Carl
i don’t know how well Emax’s motors are dealing with 4S, because they are rated for 3S…. (also depends on product quality)… if you want to try i would suggest using 20A ESCs… and 5030 props (maybe 5040 but will draw more current)… do it at your own risk :)
I was under the impression that those emax Simonk 12a esc only supports 2s-3s according to their documentation so what’s the point of attaching a 4s battery
you can use 4s compatitble esc
hey guys I’m trying to build a emax 300h folding quadcopter and I am useing rcx1806 2400kv motors and I don’t know if they are working because I am getting just about no lift with 5in props it sounds like it is reving way to high. would a 6in prop fix that or should I get the emax 2204 motors and 6in props?
what’s the total weight including battery? what battery are you using? what prop are you using?
What would you say is the most efficient combination in terms of flight time between 1806 with 5 inch props and 2204 with 6 inch props, both on a 3S Lipo battery . I know that a few more more factors would come in place but I am wondering if the difference , if any, will be noticeable or even worth considering.
P_
look up the thrust data and you shall find out
O_
I’m going to build a web page for all people who every body will enter their own measures motor / ESC/ Lipo Spec as the form of a database , and with these data we will be able to compare all kind of motors / ESC etc etc .
Do you think it is a good Idea ?
absolutely Garfield.
do you know what is even better in my mind? Something similar to this:
uk.pcpartpicker.com/
basically, a database of components, people can go and pick a component for each part of a quadcopter. You can see all the information about a part, review and rating, which seller has the best price etc…
But I am just too busy with work at the moment, and getting all the data is a pain. But maybe you have a solution! :D
Very interesting, I am running rcx 1804/2400kv motors on 3S on my 565g FPV250L, it flies great but I know it is speed limited.
I bought emax 1806 2280kv for my 2nd racing quad, but have just ordered emax 2204 2300kv to try against them, a friend has tried both and says even on 5×3 props the 2204 are much more responsive and faster in flight, I wonder if max thrust may not be the full story, and what you really need to look at is thrust across throttle range, which I appreciate is a lot more hassle to measure !!
I have both so will probably start with the 1806 as I do think weight is key for the racing quad, and want to get under 500g with mobius, FPV gear and 3S1300 lipo.
Oscar,
I recommend the 1806s for lightweight builds and non-competition racing. You’re probably going to see much different results when you throw a high pitch xx45 prop into the mix. The MT2204 is going to have the torque to take advantage of those high pitch props and is where it will shine and where the MT1806 lose rapid ground. The MT2204 with its larger bearings and shaft will bear the brunt of crashes better as well. The 1806s are going to also be more limited on 4S whereas the MT2204 has more heat dissipation.
Battery life, powerweight, MT1806 for the win
Competition racing, MT2204 are the way to go.
Thanks for the comment MO! That’s a very good point!
The analysis is only based on the data I could find on the internet at the time. I hope to revisit this comparison when more data is available from users.
have you got any thrust data for the MT2204 from a valid source?
thanks
Oscar
My pleasure Oscar and point taken. I almost decided not to stock the MT2204 based on the same specs and you and they are right on with smaller pitch props.
Here are some RCG tests:
rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2228939
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12JY7YuA86ps2hYQepNv79NNUC-BGcO-hSgzHFdqKi0k/edit#gid=397537831
Lines 43-51 with normal ESCs
Something important to look at is 12 amp ESCs typically peak around 15 amps. The Emax MT2204 motors with large props keep you under this peak while the higher output motors push you beyond that limit. Look at the motor temps as well.
This allows the MT2204 to run on 4S if you run 5″ propslower pitch without having to upgrade anything else (PDB and voltage regulator possibly).
Now look at lines 98-105 with KISS ESCs
Most of the competitors will force you to go to 20 amp ESCs = more weight.
I wish I would have found this blog before I ordered my 1806s. I’m about to build a mini-multirotor based on the FT Dragonfly. Basically a tricopter with 2 additional motors. reading that the 2204s can handle 4S is interesting. I’ll probably use those on my next one. What I ordered straight from EMAX is their 20AMP BLHeli ESCs and MT1806 motors and some 6045 Gemfan props. Before I found this blog, I was going to get a watt meter and build a thrust gauge to test with. I should probably do that anyway. I’m still new to the hobby and I’m enjoying the building and flying.
Thanks for answering my question! I’m glad I read this blog before purchasing. Was close to getting the 2204 but glad I didn’t!