Wheel / hub motors for gyropup

Checked 2026-10-25. Data lives in catalog/wheel_motors.json (27 items) and catalog/motor_drivers.json (19 items). Prices are single-unit list prices before shipping and tax. "n/p" means not published. Foreign-currency prices are left unconverted.

How the numbers were computed

Top speed (km/h) = no-load rpm × π × wheel OD × 60 / 10⁶, at the voltage listed.
Peak ground force (N) = peak torque / wheel radius. Rated ground force uses rated torque.
Wheel OD:
- For motors sold with a tyre, the published OD is used.
- For bare motors and motors with an unpublished OD, a 170 mm wheel is assumed, marked * in the tables.
- These are flagged in JSON as calc_wheel_diameter_assumed.
Derived inputs: a few inputs are derived rather than published, and are flagged in the JSON notes.
- BotWheel peak torque = 15 A × Kt; no-load speed = Kv × 24 V.
- Hoverboard no-load speed = measured Kv × 36 V.

What gyropup needs from each wheel

These are my working assumptions, not sourced figures.

Friction ceiling. A balancing robot can't push the ground harder than tyre friction allows: F ≈ μ·m·g / 2 per wheel. With μ ≈ 0.8:
- 8 kg robot: about 31 N per wheel
- 15 kg: about 59 N
- 20 kg: about 78 N
Peak target. Peak ground force of about 80 N or more per wheel means the motor never limits recovery before the tyre slips.
Continuous target. Continuous force of about 30–60 N per wheel covers ramps (10° at 20 kg ≈ 17 N per wheel) and sustained acceleration.
Speed target. No-load speed well above cruise speed. A balancer must out-run its own fall, so 6 km/h or more is a sensible floor.

Comparison table: candidates that fit 8–20 kg

Motor	Price (seller)	Stock	Mass / wheel	OD × width (mm)	Rated / peak Nm	No-load rpm @ V	Top speed km/h	Peak / rated ground N	Encoder	Driver	STEP
DDT M1502D_233	¥60,500 (Switch Science JP); aifitlab $509 n/a	in stock (L & R)	2.30 kg	187 × 52	9.6 / ≥17	≥200 @24	7.1	182 / 103	16384 cpr, abs-zero cmd	integrated, CAN 1 Mbps, 1 kHz report	yes
Damiao DM-H65-1EC	$222 bare / $326 + driver (rcdrone, CN)	available	3.15 kg	171 × 66.3	6.0 / 21.5	260 @24 (480 @48)	8.4 (15.5 @48)	252 / 70	17-bit	DM6540-1EC, CAN-FD 5 Mbps	yes
ODrive BotWheel	$269 per 2-pack (ODrive shop)	2-pack in stock	2.20 kg	171 × 44.6	5 / 14.3 (derived)	209 @24 (derived)	6.7	167 / 59	hall + 3200 CPR incremental	external: S1 / Pro / moteus n1	Onshape
DDT M1505A_222	$325 (aifitlab)	backorder	1.54 kg	180 × 33	3 / ≥7.5	250 @24	8.5	83 / 33	15-bit	integrated, CAN	2D only
ZLTECH ZLLG65-ASM250 V3	$115 bare; 2 motors + ZLAC8015D $390 (aifitlab)	available	2.95 kg	170 × n/p	4 / 12	n/p (rated 500 @24)	16.0 (at rated rpm)	141 / 47	4096-line	ZLAC8015D	n/p
UUmotor SVH6HS 6.5"	$145 (UUmotor)	n/p	3.40 kg	168 × n/p	5 / 10	n/p (rated 400–500)	15.8 (at rated rpm)	119 / 60	1024-line optical	external	n/p
Hoverboard 6.5" (generic)	$75 (Amazon B0CCV76FCM)	20 left	~3.0 kg	165 (nominal) × n/p	n/p	576 @36 (Kv 16, measured)	17.9	n/p (≈126 N at 20 A, derived)	hall only, 90 cpr	external	none
Hoverboard 8" (generic)	$49.56–55.49 (Amazon)	7–17 left	2.5–3.6 kg	200 × 50	n/p	n/p	n/p	n/p	hall	external	none
CubeMars GL100 KV10	$272.99 (CubeMars)	available*	0.70 kg + wheel	motor 106.8 × 34.2	3 / 7.7	223 @24	7.2*	91* / 35*	none (add one)	external	yes
MAB MA-D GL100	€527.30 (MAB, PL)	in stock	0.75 kg + wheel	motor 106.8 × 47.2	3 / 7.7	260 max @48	8.3*	91* / 35*	14-bit absolute	integrated MD80, CAN-FD	page says yes
MyActuator RMD-L-9025	$279 (rcdrone)	available	0.88 kg + wheel	n/p	2.79 / 5.8	280 max @24	9.0*	68* / 33*	14-bit (listing inconsistent)	integrated, CAN or RS485	downloads page
Damiao DM-J6006-2EC (6:1)	$150 (rcdrone)	available	0.34 kg + wheel	motor Ø76 × 36.5	4 / 12	240 @24	7.7*	141* / 47*	dual 14-bit	integrated, CAN	drawing only
Robstride RS00 (10:1)	$159 (rcdrone)	available	0.31 kg + wheel	57 × 51	5 / 14	315 @48	10.1*	165* / 59*	dual 14-bit	integrated, CAN	n/p
Robstride RS02 (7.75:1)	$189 (rcdrone)	available	0.41 kg + wheel	78.5 × 45.5	6 / 17	410 @48	13.1*	200* / 71*	dual 14-bit	integrated, CAN	n/p
Unitree GO-M8010-6 (6.33:1)	$369 (Unitree shop)	available	0.53 kg + wheel	96.5 × 42.3	n/p / 23.7	286 @24	9.2*	279* / n/p	15-bit	integrated, RS485 4 Mbps	n/p

Notes on the table:

* means computed at an assumed 170 mm wheel. For CubeMars, "available" is the store JSON flag; the rendered page showed some items sold out, so confirm before ordering.

Too small for 8–20 kg, but cheap and useful for a desk-scale controller prototype

Motor	Price (seller)	Mass	OD	Rated / peak Nm	No-load rpm	Top speed	Peak ground N	Encoder / bus
Waveshare DDSM115 (= DDT M0601C_411 = DFRobot M0601)	$64.99 (Waveshare); $64.50 (DFRobot); $83.65 backorder (RobotShop)	765 g	100.7	0.96 / 2.0	200 @18 V	3.8	40	12-bit, RS485, integrated
Waveshare DDSM350-CT	$109.99 (Waveshare)	1286 g	n/p	1.1 / 3.0	350 @24	11.2*	35*	12-bit, CAN + UART
Waveshare DDSM315 (= DDT M0602C_112)	$49.99	349 g	n/p	0.55 / 1.1	315	10.1*	13*	12-bit, RS485
Waveshare DDSM210 (= DDT M0603B_224)	$23.99	260 g	74.5	0.25 / 0.85	210 @14.4	3.0	23	12-bit, UART
Waveshare DDSM400	$25.99	236 g	n/p	0.15 / 0.3	400 @25.2	12.8*	3.5*	12-bit, LIN (STEP file is a DDSM210 duplicate)
Damiao DM-H6215	$60 (rcdrone)	360 g	motor 68	1 / 2	320 @24	10.3*	24*	hall, CAN
Damiao DM-G6220	$109	494 g	motor 68	1.3 / 2.7	300 @24	9.6*	32*	magnetic (n/p), CAN
CubeMars GL80 KV30	$181.99	312 g	motor 87	1 / 2.9	650 @24	20.8*	34*	none
iFlight iPower GM110-10	$174.79 ($273.04 w/ AS5048A)	532 g	motor 110	n/p / ~0.9–1.5 load	292–323 @20	9.4*	17*	optional 14-bit
mjbots mj5208 (Upkie wheel)	$74; r4.11 dev kit $239 (mjbots)	193 g	112 (Upkie RC tyre)	n/p / 1.7	7500 max	—	30	moteus on-axis encoder

Not sold or not suitable:

Unitree: does not sell the Go2-W or B2-W in-wheel motor separately (Go2-W).
CubeMars: no hub motor and no 1:1 AK model.
MyActuator: has no hub motor. The L-12025 is not on myactuator.com.
Robstride: has no 1:1 model.
T-Motor GB gimbal motors: publish no usable torque figure.

Balancing-relevant trade-offs

1. Encoder resolution decides low-speed control quality

What matters is how often the wheel-velocity estimate updates when the robot is nearly still. Counts per second at a 5 cm/s creep:

Feedback	Counts/rev	Wheel OD	Counts/s at 5 cm/s	Time between counts
Hoverboard halls	90	165 mm	8.7	~115 ms
BotWheel encoder	3200	171 mm	298	3.4 ms
DDSM115	4096	100.7 mm	647	1.5 ms
DDT M1502D_233	16384	187 mm	1394	0.7 ms
14-bit on a 170 mm wheel (GL100 + MA600/AS5047, MA-D, RS0x, L-9025)	16384	170 mm	1534	0.65 ms
DM-H65-1EC	131072	171 mm	~12 200	0.08 ms

Hall-only hoverboard motors are a poor fit for balancing as bought.

A velocity estimate that updates every ~115 ms is far too slow for a 200 Hz+ balance loop near zero speed.
mjbots says halls have "very poor low velocity performance" (moteus hall guide).
ODrive's hoverboard guide has to lower the encoder bandwidth to smooth the velocity estimate (ODrive hoverboard.rst).
Fix: add an off-axis encoder (AS5047P / MA600 on a printed bracket bolted to the rotor end-cap) (ODrive forum).

Watch-outs for the integrated motors:

DDSM115: reports speed in whole rpm. At a 100.7 mm wheel, 1 rpm is 1.7 cm/s. So differentiate position yourself rather than using the speed field. Its RS485 bus is also a 115200-baud query/reply link (Waveshare wiki).
M1502D: pushes 1 kHz feedback over CAN (datasheet).
DM-H65: runs CAN-FD at 5 Mbps (manual).

2. Cogging and torque ripple

No vendor in this list publishes cogging torque. What can be said qualitatively:

Hoverboard motors: iron-core, 15 pole pairs, cheap laminations. Builders report noticeable detent. Windings also vary by factory, so buy all units from one seller (Project HoverArm).
Gimbal motors (GL100, iPower GM): wound for low cogging but at the cost of torque per amp-heat.
Integrated FOC hubs (DDT, Damiao, ZLTECH): usually ship with some compensation, but none publish it.
moteus: has a documented cogging-compensation calibration you can run on any motor.

Plan to measure ripple on a bench (sweep position at constant current) before building a sim model. In Isaac Lab, add the ripple as a position-dependent torque disturbance.

3. Torque at stall

Balancing is mostly done near zero speed. So the useful number is continuous stall torque, which is limited by winding heat, not peak.

Datasheet "stall" or "peak" figures:
- M1502D: ≥17 Nm at ≤21 A.
- DM-H65: 21.5 Nm.
- BotWheel: 15 A for 3 s, which caps it at ~14 Nm for a short burst only.
Rated torque is the better sizing number.
- 10–20 kg gyropup: 3 Nm on a ~170 mm wheel gives ~35 N, which is the minimum. The M1502D (9.6), DM-H65 (6.0) and BotWheel (5) clear it comfortably.
- ≤10 kg gyropup: the GL100 (3) and DM-J6006 (4) are adequate.
- Below the line: DDSM115 (0.96 Nm, 19 N) only suits a ≤8 kg proof of concept.
Hoverboard motors: with Kt ≈ 0.52 Nm/A (ODrive's 8.27/Kv rule, measured Kv 16), a 20 A driver limit gives ~10 Nm (derived, ignoring saturation). They are thermally large, but nobody publishes a rating.

4. Mass at the end of the leg (unsprung mass)

The hub sits at the foot, so its mass raises leg inertia (∝ m·L²) and the torque the knee and hip must supply. It also raises the share of robot mass that isn't the controllable body.

Option	Pair mass	Share of a 15 kg robot
Hoverboard 6.5" (ODrive forum measurement: 3146 g each)	6.3 kg	42%
DM-H65-1EC	6.3 kg	42%
ZLTECH V3	5.9 kg	39%
DDT M1502D	4.6 kg	31%
BotWheel	4.4 kg	29%
DDT M1505A	3.1 kg	21%
DDSM115	1.5 kg	10%
GL100 / MA-D GL100 + printed wheel	~1.4–1.5 kg + wheel/tyre (n/p)	~10–12%
DM-J6006 / RS00 / RS02 (geared) + wheel	0.6–0.8 kg + wheel	~5%

The geared motors are lightest (DM-J6006, Robstride RS00/RS02). Their trade-offs:

gearbox backlash
reflected rotor inertia
poorer back-drivability on impact

Direct drive avoids these. For an RL sim, model the backlash explicitly if you choose them.

5. Practical

Axles:

Every integrated hub here is single-sided: a fixed stator flange or boss, with the cable through the centre. That suits a cantilevered leg-end.
- DDT M15: 6× M6 on a Ø40 circle.
- BotWheel: 4× M6 on a Ø36 circle.
- DDSM115: 3× M2.5 boss.
Hoverboard motors have a single-sided threaded axle with the cable through it.
GL100 and other gimbal motors need you to design the bearing, axle and tyre.

Tyres:

Solid rubber or patterned tread: DDT, DDSM, BotWheel, ZLTECH, hoverboard 6.5". Solid rubber is easier to model in Isaac.
Pneumatic: 10" hoverboard motors (10×2.125). Pneumatic adds spring and damping that the policy then has to learn around.

Bus to the Jetson:

CAN-FD: moteus, Damiao, MAB.
CAN 2.0: DDT M15, ODrive, Robstride, MyActuator.
RS485 or UART: DDSM, Unitree. These add a USB adapter and a polling bottleneck.

Drivers for non-integrated motors

Driver	Price (seller)	Stock	V range	Cont. / peak A	Interface	Encoder support
moteus n1	$149 (mjbots, US)	in stock	10–54	9 (26 cooled) / 100	CAN-FD 5 Mbps	onboard on-axis; ext. hall, quadrature, SPI (AS5047, MA600…), RS422, BiSS-C
moteus c1	$69 (mjbots)	in stock	10–51	5 (14 cooled) / 20	CAN-FD	onboard; ext. SPI, quadrature, hall, I2C
moteus r4.11	$94 (mjbots)	in stock	10–44	12 (32 cooled) / 100	CAN-FD	onboard; ext. SPI and I2C/UART only
moteus x1	$175 (mjbots)	in stock	10–54	25 (62 cooled) / 120	CAN-FD	as n1
ODrive S1	$149 (ODrive)	out of stock	12–48 (50.5 max)	20 (40 w/ spreader) / 40–80	CAN 2.0B 1 Mbps, USB, UART, step/dir	onboard MA702; ext. quadrature, hall, SPI, RS485
ODrive Pro	$229 (ODrive)	in stock	15–58	20 (80 cooled) / 100 for 3 s	CAN	ext. SSI, BiSS, RS422-SPI, ABZ, hall
ODrive Micro	$89 (ODrive)	in stock	10–31	3.5 / 7	CAN 2.0B	onboard MA702 12-bit; ext. quad, hall, SPI
Trampa VESC 6 MkVI	£185 ex VAT ≈ $249.75 shown (Trampa, UK)	in stock	11.1–60	80 / 120	USB, CAN, UART, SPI, I2C	ABI, hall, AS5047
Flipsky Mini FSESC6.7 Pro 70A	$57 (Flipsky, CN)	in stock	14–60	70 / 200	USB, CAN, UART	ABI, hall, AS5047, AS5048A
Flipsky FSESC 6.7 Pro	$94	in stock	8–60	60 / 150	USB, CAN, UART, BT	ABI, hall, AS5047
Flipsky 75100	$65	in stock	14–84	100 / 120	USB, CAN, UART	ABI, hall, AS5047, AS5048A
Flipsky Dual FSESC6.7 Plus	$153	in stock	8–60	"100 / 400" per channel (implausible claim)	USB, CAN	ABI, hall, AS5047
Flipsky ODESC3.6 dual (ODrive 3.6 clone)	$59.99	in stock	8–56	50 / 120	USB, UART, CAN, step/dir	incremental, absolute, hall, AS5047
Hoverboard mainboard + EFeru FOC	no reliable price (salvage)	—	n/p	n/p	UART / PWM / PPM, no CAN	motor halls only

Notes on the drivers:

CAN-FD to the Jetson: mjbots mjcanfd-usb-1x, $39 (link). The ODrive USB-CAN adapter is CAN 2.0 only, $37.
Ruled out at 12S (48 V): moteus r4.11 and ODrive Micro.
Bus adapters, not drivers: Waveshare DDSM Driver HAT (A) and (B), $21.99 each, are ESP32 bus adapters for the DDSM motors, which have their own drivers built in.
VESC limitation: VESC firmware is built for vehicles. Balance-loop timing over CAN is fine, but torque-mode latency and the API are less robot-friendly than moteus or ODrive.
Flipsky firmware warning: Flipsky warns against firmware upgrades on several boards.

Recommendations

Budget, about $130–$450 for two wheels

Waveshare DDSM115 ×2 ($130 at Waveshare/DFRobot) plus a USB-RS485 adapter or DDSM HAT (A) ($22).

Strengths: integrated driver, 12-bit encoder, STEP model, IP54, tyre included. It can be on your bench this week.
Limits: 2 Nm stall and 3.8 km/h top speed, so only for a ≤8 kg first prototype or for tuning the balance policy at reduced scale.

Cheap full-size alternative: 6.5" hoverboard motors ×2 ($150 on Amazon) plus one Flipsky ODESC3.6 dual ($60) or 2× moteus n1 ($298), plus an AS5047P/MA600 encoder bracket per wheel.

Strengths: good torque and speed for almost no money.
Costs: 3 kg per wheel, unknown torque ratings, factory variation, and the encoder retrofit. Do not try to balance on halls alone.

Balanced, about $570–$650 for two wheels

ODrive BotWheel 2-pack ($269) + 2× moteus n1 ($298) + mjcanfd-usb-1x ($39). Alternatively use 2× ODrive S1 when back in stock (plug-compatible harness), or 2× ODrive Pro ($458) now.

Strengths: in stock in the US, 5 Nm rated / ~14 Nm burst, 3200 CPR encoder plus halls, 171 mm solid-tread tyre, IP54, an Onshape model for CAD and Isaac Sim import, and published Kt/R/L for the motor model.
Watch: 2.2 kg per wheel. The S1 is out of stock.

Alternative: Damiao DM-H65-1EC with driver ×2 ($652, ships from Shenzhen).

Strengths: far more torque (6 / 21.5 Nm), a 17-bit encoder, CAN-FD and a STEP model.
Cost: 3.15 kg per wheel.

Premium, roughly $1,000–$1,300 for two wheels

DDT M1502D_233 left + right (¥60,500 each at Switch Science, in stock).

Strengths: DDT's own large in-wheel motor class, 9.6 Nm rated / ≥17 Nm stall, 16384 cpr, 1 kHz CAN feedback, integrated FOC, IP55, STEP model.
Watch: 2.3 kg per wheel, and Japan-only stock (confirm international shipping).

Light premium: MAB MA-D GL100 ×2 (€1,054.60) or CubeMars GL100 + moteus n1 + MA600 ring encoder (~$420 per wheel), each with a printed hub and tyre.

Strengths: only ~0.75 kg of motor per leg for 3 / 7.7 Nm, giving the least unsprung mass in the direct-drive set.
Fit: suits a 8–12 kg gyropup that wants fast legs.

Sources

Gaps

Prices not checked: AliExpress, eBay and DDT's own AliExpress store blocked automated fetching or weren't reached, so no prices from them.
Missing listings:
- no verified US-stocked 10" hoverboard motor
- no hoverboard mainboard price
- no Trampa size, mass or CAD
Not published anywhere checked:
- Encoder detail: none of the DDSM motors publish whether they are absolute at power-up. BotWheel tyre material is not published.
Exchange rates: yen, euro and peso prices are not converted.