A Comparative Review on the SHS High Torque & ZCI High Torque Motors
*Note with some of the inconsistencies and updates in many ACM products, this list may not be 100% accurate to all ZCI motors and all SHS motors. These are merely observations on a batch of SHS and ZCI motors we have received.
So there have been a number of people who would like to know more about the new ZCI AEG motors that we have been seeing. ZCI themselves claim that the motors are SHS rebrand motors but many have claimed they are not...in which case they are correct.
What you are going to see are the similarities and differences starting with
The Can:
The ZCI Can design is similar the SHS (like most motors) but does have several differences, the SHS motor does not feature any of the locking clamps to help secure the end bell to the motor, the ZCI motors do have this locking clamp feature - This feature is really only beneficial when your end bell screws strip or the removable locking clamp they screw into strips. The SHS does feature a cut slot to fit the protruding slot in the SHS end bell, this helps when re-assembling the motor so you know the proper position to put the end bell on so you do not get your polarities mixed up. Neither of the motors feature any markings to point out who OEMs the two motors.
Both motors feature cut slots at the top of the can, to help improve cooling.
Both of the twist-to-remove screw clamps (not sure what this piece is called
- where the end bell screws go into) Are plastic (like many motors are) This being plastic is not entirely absurd as a lot of motors are like this.Magnets:
The neo-magnets when pulled out are identical the same overall shape, strength, and thickness. The ZCI magnets are just as strong as the notoriously-strong SHS magnets. Both magnets are very well shaped to the armature and both require some force to turn the pinion-armature over. We did not notice any real noticeable difference other than the ZCI motor appeared to require slightly more force.
Like most motors, these are retained by U-Shaped steel springs. Both the SHS and ZCI magnets are easy to remove and install.
Armature:
The Stators are identical, neither feature any holes drilled into them for balancing, instead both use globs of epoxy. Both use high temperature glue to hold the windings in place. The armatures are essentially the same.
Both have slices to the armature to accept a D-Hole Pinion Gear.
Motor TPA (Turns per Armature)
Here is the major difference between these two motors. Both motors are labeled "high torque" but the differences between the two motor TPAs prove that the ZCI has more torque than the SHS. The SHS High Torque motor has 16 TPA (Turns per Armature). Just by looking at the ZCI's armature it has significantly more windings- which is ideal for high torque. After unwinding the ZCI we found it has 22 TPA. *Note* the windings on the SHS and ZCI are of the same gauge (thickness).
The ZCI motor performs like it as well. It runs cool and spins as slow as a JG Blue, making it a great motor for high speed gear sets using strong springs I.E. DSG.
SHS HT more speed less torque
ZCI HT less speed more torque
Motor Tower - Long Type Motors:
The motor towers are somewhat irrelevant themselves; both feature steel bushings at the top of the towers. However when testing two different ZCI motors we found that when the motor tower vibrates upwards there is an extremely loud whine, (yes, it is noticeable with the gun assembled) - You may not experience this issue with yours this just something we personally experienced on the ZCI motors the whine coming from the tower rubbing against the bottom of the pinion gear. This can be solved by placing a shim in between the two or lubricating the bushing at the top of the motor tower with PTFE thickened lubricant. Again we have only seen this issue with the ZCI's not SHS.
End Bell:
The end bells are relatively similar so I'll just go over the main differences. The SHS uses hex screws that protrude higher, but unlike the ZCI they come insulated with little plastic washers on the positive and negative towers on the end bell to help prevent the motor from shorting out.
Both motors use the same brush design, the brush tails are secured by the motor brush springs. Both have ball bearings on the bottom of the end bell and on the top of the motor can. The two metal sheets on the SHS and ZCI motor end bells are relatively weaker than Lonex, this MAY only be an issue when uninstalling and reinstalling your motor wires to the repeatedly.
Pinion Gear:
Both of the D-Hole Pinions are epoxied on, however on the ZCI motor, they used much less and did not put epoxy on the little hex screw. This makes the ZCI pinion much easier to remove and you will most likely have to because from what we have seen the stock ZCI pinions are very soft and brittle. The edges are rounded as well unlike to the sharper more strenuous SHS stock pinion gear, presumably because they are so weak. This has caused us to have a number of meshing issues between the pinion and bevel. When the pinion is in the optimum position for the least amount of motor AMP draw yet still achieving the maximum tooth contact between the pinion and bevel, the pinion will wear down quickly and will ultimately stop turning the gears.
Conclusion:
Both motors are great especially for the low price you pay, The SHS motor is an all-around good motor for any application. The ZCI on the other hand would most likely be best suited for exclusively high stress applications or for those only caring about trigger response. We would however recommend swapping the ZCI's pinion gear out for something else though.
