Plettenberg Elektromotoren ORBIT 1-15 (luftgekuehlt, Multicopter-Version)

The ORBIT 1-15 is an air-cooled BLDC outrunner from the German maker Plettenberg Elektromotoren, part of the ORBIT 1 family and intended for mission-critical unmanned systems. The multicopter version belongs to the mid-size class and, according to the maker, is supplied as a full customer version (Vollkundenversion).

For the ORBIT 1 family the maker gives orientation values: weights from 135 to 300 g, KV values from 305 to 2,200, operating voltages from 10 to 60 V, peak power up to 1 kW and efficiency above 88 %. The voltage is stated in volts; 60 V corresponds to a full battery of about 14 cells in series. The wide KV range shows that the family spans slow-turning motors for large propellers up to fast motors for small ones. Peak power is a short-term value, and the continuous load lies below it.

If a mission-critical system is flown beyond visual range or weighs more than 25 kg, the EU open category ends: it requires visual contact, a maximum height of 120 m and a maximum take-off mass of 25 kg. An operational authorisation in the specific category is then needed. Remote ID is mandatory for classes C1 to C3.

Air cooling means the motor must sit in the airflow of the propeller or the airstream; installations without air guidance lower the continuous load. Because the family is so broad, version and winding are fixed before ordering according to propeller and voltage. Watch the bearing run, the winding insulation under heat and the rotor bell with its magnets after impacts.