Multiple ESCs to One Output

Has anyone tried hooking up 4 or 5 ESCs to one output channel? Wondering if this would cause the signal output voltage to sag.

The reason for this would be to replace one big motor with 4 or 5 small ones, all turning in the same direction to preserve control torque, in case you dont want to buy a new large motor when you have many small motors. So functionally a large quad can be built with 16 or 20 small motors.

I would not expect the voltage to sag, the signal inputs should be high impedence.

I suspect this is similar to what Google’s “Wing” is using: https://imageio.forbes.com/specials-images/imageserve/615e15209615af6dae87853b/Google-division-Wing-drones-carry-packages-below-the-drone-s-fuselage-/960x0.jpg

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I think the Wing drones have custom ESCs that are 3in1 or 6in1 (something like that) and they are all treated individually. Just like we would with a 4in1 on a quad.

In the picture you can see what look like three groups of FETs on each end of each boom, presumably each group corresponds to a single ESC.

I’d be slightly surprised if they’re addressing each ESC individually though…you’d need custom hardware to control 16 motors individually. It’d be simpler to treat it as four vertical-lift motors (i.e. groups of three) and two horizontal motors (groups of two).

It could well be how you say, we’ve all heard of more surprising things. I thought all the little vertical lift motors are treated individually for redundancy.
The Wing stuff is all custom, as far as I know they are not using a standard FC, software or ESCs.
So it wouldnt be hard to make a FC with plenty of outputs.
I’ll see what else I can find out.

EDIT:
I’m hearing the older models had all motors treated individually, newer models have the motors operated in groups (but individual motors still monitored).
The ESC to run the group of 3 motors (what the FC treats 1 motor) is special and will itself control each of the 3 motors within a range of what the FC has requested. All individual motor data is fed back to the FC for monitoring/safety/maintenance.

  • disclaimer: not official Wing information