Reisenauer Super chief is 100 bucks cheaper than the Chief
Still rated at 50 000 RPM / 3000 watts, 5 mm pinion OK
Has anyone tried it yet ?
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hi, i have not tried it yet, but honestly I don’t trust does numbers at all. Neugart is a top gear manufacturer and they only have them rated at 20’000rpm. Some people do use it, but in my opinion the neugart gearboxes are better quality. I also wrote them an e-mail, but they never reached back to me…
And also think about that the neugart gearboxes are meant for mechanical purposes for 20’000h+
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Reisenauer are using proper bearings inside each gear, therefore they can handle much higher RPM with lower heat.
My Neugart looked like it was using a bushing and grease instead of a bearing. That would mean lower RPM and more heat.
I have seen a video where a Reisenauer was pushed to ±11KW and survived, so it can clearly handle some heavy use.
These guys had the following config:
Motor: SSS 56104/790KV / 9D
ESC: Swordfish Pro+ 300 A 15s
Planetary Gear: Reisenauer 5:1 (guessing motor chief)
Battery: Samsung 18650 30Q 12s18p, 44.4 V, 54 Ah (2.4 kWh), BMS (charging only)
Propeller: Cleaver 3 blade, diameter: 110 mm, pitch: 143 mm, material: steel
Onboard Electronics:
DIY Control board: Teensy 3.2, DC-DC converter, SD card logger, led controller, receiver 2.4 Ghz NRF24L01+, GPS etc.
DIY Power board: Atmega32u4, Nfets as ‘kill switch’, temperature sensors, hall effect current sensor, voltage measuring, connected to control board.
DIY Handcontroller: Teensy 3.2, hall effect thumb throttle, transmitter 2.4 Ghz NRF24L01+.
Their performance figures were as follows:
Max Power: 9.8 kW (205 A @ 46.7 V)
Max Speed: ca. 44 km/h (probably higher as max throttle was never applied for a longer time than 2s)
Max RPM (prop) : 6800 rpm
Planning speed: ca. 20-25 km/h
Power @ planning speed: ca. 3.2 kW
So the Reisenauer is clearly up to the task of the efoils! Can you imagine how fast and efoil with a pod like this would go!
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Thank you for your comments.
If this is like when I was building drones, it pays to invest in quality (I wasted so much money in drones on trying to purchase el cheapo’ parts again and again)
It looks like a few of us here have already destroyed their Neugart, while I did not find anyone with a problem on the Reisenauer (I am not saying it won’t happen 
)
My question here is : is anyone using the Reisenauer Super chief which is cheaper than Neugart and Reisenauer Chief, and still seems to have good specs ?
There seems to be various models, with 3 and 4 gear wheels. If one has absolutely to go for 4-gear-wheel then no choice, it looks like one can only go for the Chief…
Unless our guru PMSR finds a new reduction-free system 
Thank you
I don’t think anyone has used the super chief yet. I think it would be valuable for someone to try it though! You could run the foil within the specs of the gear.
I also think you could use the 3 gear version.
I have run a reduction free setup, but ran the motor out of spec (12S when motor was rated for 10S). It’s completely possible with the correct cooling!
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Would you mind sharing more details on your redutcion free setup? I’m still exploring how a jet drive could reduce build complexity.
And for @philgib: My thin pod build (45mm) - Builds - FOIL.zone he says he uses the chief (without super).
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I would pay the 100€ more for the chief😉 The super chief might do the job, but i am more worried about the size of the motor pignon, don’t Forget it is glued!
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Yeah, but most likely because of the axial bearing design. The reisenauer gearboxes are made for direct mount to a propeller, so they are made to hold axial loads (ensured by bearing). The neugarts are made for industry application where you most likely use it for servo like operation ( without axial loads).
The design by PM does not ensure unloading the axis from axial forces by the axial bearing (over determinated/hyperstatic). So most likely the axial load kills the bearing inside the gearbox, then gears are not aligend parallel any more and thats what kills your gearbox in the end…
My PLE40 has open neadle bearings around the planets…so I guess same design.
Needle bearing for super chief
Double angular bearing for chief
For the chief : the bearing hold the shaft and plate with the gears, all made of titanium, i haven’t seen any bearing for the gears , just play and grease
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What a nice post this is with focused questions and answers. The know-how is spreading around.
But not with any front wing. The Takuma-like HF with huge front wing are perfect for learning. Passed 20+ knots, the front wing and mast develop a huge drag that make the foil saturate in speed (25 knots). With speed building arise the safety issue: the Eldorido guys (48kmph efoil) prefer to use a front leash to avoid a soar neck after the session.
Both the super and motor chief have:
- Planetary gears with needle bearings
- Output double row angular contact ball bearings
https://www.reisenauer.de/artikeldetails.php5?aid=1754
It just comes down to the power differences.
Correct! Sorry at the time i bought mine last year , specifications were not as long , the bearing size and frame mount are the main difference
… I guess the 4-gear-wheels instead of 3-gear-wheels is a huge plus, even powering it within the specs ? Or is that just not necessary for our use ?
The 4 wheel will put less force on the gears as it is more evenly distributed. Whether it is necessary or not, I don’t know. I think one could get by with the 3 gear version…
The 4-gear-wheels might be more robust but less efficient (more friction)
Aren’t you using the 4-wheel gear?
No, I use a 3-wheel one.
I think it is robust enough for my setup.
Weakness is more between pinon and motor shaft (glued)