Testing made possible by generous support from:

DJI Snail 2305 2400kv
 Full Results  [CLICK HERE]

 

This is DJI's first entry into the mini-quad scene, sent over by a friendly supporter for testing.

Check out the full list of motors in this series here

Summary

Published: Mar 30, 2017 by quadmcfly

DJI Snail 2305 2400kv

Tested KV:2200kv
Weight:32g
Stator W:23mm
Stator H:5mm
Given DJI's massive experience in the general multi-rotor world, I was extremely curious to see what they had to offer for the mini-quad scene.  This motor is a bit of an oddity.  The 2305 stator size is somewhat unique, with a few other motors like the LDPower 2305 also in the same stator size. The build quality of the motor is extremely solid and it ran extremely smooth.  There were a few issues I had with the design, one being the removable prop adapter, and the other being the weight.  I understand the removable prop adapter, which allows normal props to be used as well as their unique quick-swap system, but it definitely is a weak point from a general use perspective. The un-threaded portion of the shaft is too tall to be used with a standard lock nut, so the bullet spinner that comes with the adapter is necessary.  This is a major buzz-kill for me.  The weight of this motor at 32g is also definitely a challenge given it's relatively small stator size.  That essentially puts it in the same weight class as some very powerful 2306 and 2207 motors. Given the 3mm steel shaft of the design, the weight seems to have little practical benefits as well. The final concern for me is that the bottom copper spacer below the c-clip seems to be glued in place. I could not remove the bell to check the stator sizes, so if there is any damage, consider this motor non-user-servicable. There are definitely some interesting things here, but some definite things to be aware of as well.

Results

One of the most interesting things here is how low KV this motor tested.  The motor tested in just at 2200kv, which given the stated 2400kv was a huge surprise.  I ran the test a couple times to be certain and it appears to be accurate on my equipment.  The performance here seems to lend some evidence to that as well. The results weren't horrible, but definitely were lower than we've seen recently with the influx of larger stator and more powerful motors. The motor falls just behind the original Emax RS2205 motor on the lower props and just ahead of it on the heavier props, clearly demonstrating the slightly lower KV.  The lower KV seems to lend itself to fairly decent response times for a 5mm tall stator and better efficiency than other motors in it's class.  Another thing worth mentioning here is the DJI Snail 5048S prop which was tested on this motor.  The most interesting thing is the combination of that particular prop, with this particular motor.  The Snail prop drew more current on this motor than any other prop (even 6") by a significant margin, but it also produced the most thrust of any of the 5" props, falling just short of the KingKong 6x4.  The lower KV of the motor is really a perfect pair for this prop, keeping the amp draw sustainable and making use of the higher pitch of the propeller to increase the speed. Even with the relatively heavy current draw of this propeller, the response times were still better than I expected, staying well ahead of the relatively sluggish 5x4.5x3HBN prop, and staying essentially on par with the cyclone 5x4.6 and Buttercutter on this motor, while still generating a good deal more thrust. Transition speeds are still fairly slow compared to other motors in the Snail's weight class on those same props though, which quickly catch up in thrust as well on the larger stators. Regardless, it will be interesting to see how this prop does on other motors, but it seems for the most part that this pair was specifically designed for each other. While there appear to be some quirks to this motor, overall it still provides some interesting food for thought, and given the correct pairing with their provided props, may be worth consideration in certain applications.