What is the quietest LEGO motor? I am trying to make a sort of LEGO dolly for filming videos, but the motors emit a lot of sound. I noticed the train motor is quieter than the other motors I have, but it is still too loud and it doesn't fit my needs too well. Any help would be appreciated.
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2How big's your camera? Is it a smartphone or a DSLR? As for the dolly, is it a studio setup or is it intended for mobile use?– UliJul 3, 2019 at 7:46
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3Would it be possible to use wind-up motors? Or placing the motor away from the setup and using axles, beams or strings to transfer the motion to the dolly?– zovitsJul 3, 2019 at 9:20
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2I just tested every loose motor type I had and the quietest ones by far were the Power Functions Medium motor (Bricklink# 58120c01, set #8883), even at full throttle. My "L" motors are all in something and I don't have any of the new Hub linear versions. I think the M motor combined with @zovits remote placement idea is your best bet besides cranking some gears by hand.– JohnnyBJul 6, 2019 at 5:24
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1All motors will be more or less noisy, so OP won't achieve his purpose having a quiet setup anyway. You can probably use Micromotor, but it will under-perform, so won't fit OP's needs. Do we need a list of most quiet motors or a solution that operates quietly? This question needs clarification.– AlexJan 2, 2020 at 7:58
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3Thinking outside the box, maybe your real problem is that the motor is too close to the microphone. Which suggests either getting an external microphone for your phone/camera or putting the motor further away and having it move the dolly e.g. via strings and pulleys. But if what you want is really just a list of motors ranked by sound volume, then I guess that doesn't count as an answer.– Ilmari KaronenJan 2, 2020 at 22:08
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1 Answer
I don't think it would be practical to evaluate every LEGO motors sound output, almost all LEGO motors are fairly noisy so I think it is best to address the problem of a noisy motor in general.
My first suggestion would be to remove the source of the noise first, by using a purely manually operated dolly, if this isn't an option (perhaps you would prefer to have the precise motion given by motors) then I would consider moving the motor as far as way as possible from the microphone, perhaps using axles to distance the power drive (similar to the long steering axle used in the video I linked above).
The faster you run a motor, the louder they will be, so it might be possible to run the motor at a fairly slow speed, using a high to low gear ratio from input to output you can increase the speed without loud motors. However the sound of too many moving parts (gears, axles, etc...) may contribute to the noise.
As others have suggested in the comments, could you use a separate microphone instead, positioned away from the motor? Think about how you could possibly insulate the motor from producing too much noise using sound absorbing material.
Consider using video or audio editing software that can remove the noise. Adobe Audition for example has an amazing Spectral Display feature that allows you to visually identify certain frequencies and remove them, the results will vary based on the quality of the audio.
Motor noise will always be a problem, consider 'out of the box thinking'. In summary:
- If you can build something without a motor, do.
- Move the noise away from the microphone
- Reduce the speed of the motor (adjust speed with appropriate gearing)
- Use a separate microphone (or dub audio)
- Use software to remove motor noise