The nice guys at AirSplat were kind enough to send me a Systema Magnum motor for testing. These motors have been all the rage since their release last year, and appear to be the Holy Grail of motors for those with high FPS setups. I’ve often heard people say the ROF on these is quite nice as well, so I lets see how these claims shape up.
First Impressions
Man this motor is a beast. I don’t have a scale with the resolution to weight this against it’s competitors, but you can definitely feel the difference in weight. Motors that put out high torque need fewer windings on the coil, but heavier magnets. The magnets in this motor are serious in weight and strength. Most motors you can just grab the pinion and turn the shaft by hand, but there is a noticeable amount of effort needed to accomplish that with this motor (again, a testament to the strength of the magnets).
The red paint is sharp, and is applied well as is expected with a Systema product.
The heatsink at the end is large and appears very dense so it should allow for good heat transfer from the internals.
I did notice that the tabs for the motor are slightly thicker than most, this might cause a slight headache when putting this in an AEG for the first time as you’ll need to spread the connectors a bit on the gun before sliding them on the motor. The thicker contacts should make for better current handling abilities and increased durability.
The pinion gear is the point of contention in this motor. I’ve heard from many that this is the Achilles heel of this motor. When used in a high torque, high fps setup, the pinion strips and needs to be replaced (this due to the materials it is made of). We’ll see if this is true and get back to that more in the testing phase. The construction and design of the pinion gear seems to be made well and should mate properly with the bevel gear.
The brushes seem well made, but I expect — like any consumable part — they would need to be replaced at some point if used heavily in a high fps gun for a long while. The brushes and the braid themselves do appear rugged and durable.
The motor is, to those willing to try, user serviceable as all the parts are readily available online from retailers. If you need replacement bearings, brushes, shaft assemblies, or pinions; you can find them out there.
Performance
Okay, who are we kidding here? This is what you’re reading this for right? Let us start with a look at the test bed for the motor.
|
Classic Army M15A4 RIS early 2006 model |
| Specs: |
| Madbull Tight Bore Barrel |
| Guarder Hop Up Bucking |
| Guarder Hop Up Unit |
| Element Silent Cylinder and Piston Head Set |
| Madbull Full Tooth Piston |
| Madbull M120 Spring |
| Mosfet with Active Braking |
| 9.6v Intellect 1400 MAh NiMH Battery |
Installation went easily as the stock motor was pulled out and the Magnum motor was installed. With the motor height set properly the system was ready to be tested. To create some objectivity and have data to relate the information to, we will be comparing the results to the stock Classic Army High Torque motor that the M15A4 RIS comes equipped with, and a Tokyo Marui EG1000 motor. Before each test, the battery voltage was tested to ensure consistency. The voltage between each test varied by no more than +/- .02 volts. I will be using audio captured by my PC, and analysis of the waveform to determine the information in the data you will see below. Each motor is installed an height adjusted appropriately before test data is recorded.
First let’s look at the delay of the first shot. When dealing with high torque setups, this is the most annoying artifact. As your fps increases, so does the delay between with the trigger is pulled and when the first shot leaves the barrel.
| Systema Magnum Motor | .062 seconds (averaged) |
| Marui EG 1000 Motor | .077 seconds (averaged) |
| Classic Army Stock Torque Motor | .087 seconds (averaged) |
As you can see the Systema Magnum edged out the EG1000 by .015 seconds, and the Classic Army stock motor by .025 seconds. While this sounds imperceptible, it is measurable and noticeable when firing the gun. Audibly the Magnum motor sounds as if it’s no great strain to perform the work required of it, as does the EG1000, but the Classic Army motor does audibly sound like it is not as efficient and is closer to its maximum work load.
We then take a look at the rate of fire test data and see what each motor is capable of doing.
| Rounds Per Second | Rounds Per Minute | |
|
Systema Magnum Motor |
15.68 |
940.8 |
|
Marui EG1000 Motor |
16.05 |
963.0 |
|
Classic Army Stock Torque Motor |
16.17 |
970.2 |
So what does this tell us? First, the Systema Magnum is truly a high torque motor. It has the shortest delay during the first shot, but shows lower RPMs when tested under rate of fire. As I expected the Classic Army stock high torque motor had the fastest rate of fire, but the lowest torque.
After testing each motor was removed and inspected. Contrary to what I’ve heard, the Magnum motor did not experience any unusual wear on the pinion. That being said, I was running the motor on a M120 spring which is where the benefits of this motor just begin.
Conclusion
As the data shows, the Systema’s Magnum motor is well suited for high torque applications. The test system comprised of an m120 spring, which just barely begins to show the benefits of this motor which only leads us to see that the Magnum is a beast. Where the Classic Army motor was only adequate, the Magnum excelled and did so without a bit of strain. Under a heavier load, I’m sure the Magnum would excel and continue to outperform the EG1000 by a wider margin. Under a heavier load I would expect the rate of fire differences to decrease as well.
Concerning the construction, the motor held up remarkably with little to no wear after putting several thousand rounds through with it and using it on multiple skirmishes. Although I never had saw a problem, you might wish to heed the warning put out by others about the pinion if you are planing on using this with an m140 spring or higher though, and consider replacing the pinion with a harder one.
Overall I find the Systema Magnum to be an exquisite motor with quality design and robust engineering. I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a new motor for a high torque setup in which only the best will do.
The Festering Wound of the Airsoft World 
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