From: $690.00

The T500 Thruster is our next-generation underwater thruster with three times more thrust than the T200 Thruster. With a 24V / 43.5A power rating, high efficiency, and ruggedized design, it is an ideal choice for high-power ROVs, surface vessels, AUVs, and more! It comes with a pre-installed WetLink Penetrator for rapid integration into your system.

When choosing a speed controller, we recommend the Basic ESC 500, which is designed for the high-power requirements of the T500 running at 24V. However, if you’re operating at 18V or less, you may also use the original Basic ESC without any reduction in performance.

Quantity 1 - 9 10 - 24 25 - 49 50 - 149 150+
Price $690.00 $655.50 $621.00 $586.50 $552.00
SKU: BR-101092
HS Code: 8501.31.4000

Product Description

The T500 Thruster is our next-generation thruster with over three times as much thrust as the T200 Thruster. We designed it for high-power ROVs, surface vessels, and AUVs, as well as human-carrying applications like kayaks. It’s carefully designed to be rugged, powerful, and flexible in many applications.

The T500 is designed to achieve its maximum performance of 16.1 kgf (35.5 lb) of thrust at an operating voltage of 24V and power consumption of just over 1 kW. That said, it also operates well at 16V, the voltage of our BlueROV2 and lithium-ion battery. At 16V, it consumes a similar amount of power to the T200 Thruster, but is more efficient and generates 70% more thrust.

The T500 Thruster compared to the T200 Thruster. It has 3 times the thrust!

Patented Flooded Thruster Design

Like the T200, the T500 Thruster leverages our patented flooded thruster design, which is water-cooled, water-lubricated, and inherently pressure tolerant. It has an encapsulated stator and motor windings, a ruggedized and corrosion resistant magnet rotor, and high-performance plastic bearings. The body and propeller are made from impact resistant glass-filled polycarbonate plastic.

The T500 Thruster is a three-phase sensorless brushless motor and requires an electronic speed controller (ESC) for operation. We recommend the Basic ESC 500, which is designed for the high-power requirements of the T500 running at 24V, however, if you’re operating at 18V or less, you may also use the original Basic ESC without any reduction in performance.

Designed and Tested for Reliability

The T500 Thruster was designed with an emphasis on reliability and robustness in challenging applications.

The magnet rotor is significantly improved over that in the T200 Thruster. The rotor has rugged construction with high-performance N52 neodymium magnets, protected by a metal abrasion shield lining the inside of the rotor. This prevents the magnets from being damaged due to debris or sand in the thruster.

A new overlapping design between elements of the propeller, base, and tail cone minimize the chance of particulate, sand, or seaweed entering and jamming the thruster.

We validated the T500 through hundreds of hours of testing under extreme conditions. We pushed our test units through thousands of cycles, hot and cold temperatures, and extreme pressures.

t500 rotor
The T500 magnet rotor has a metal abrasion shield to protect the magnets.
JM Robotics HD3 ROV with T500 Thrusters and pipe tracker

Easy to Integrate

The T500 Thruster is intended to be integrated into a wide range of different applications with ease. The nozzle includes four M4 mounting screws and can be attached to ROV frames, boat hulls, or just about anything!

It comes with a 1.5 m (59 in) cable with a pre-installed WetLink Penetrator to make it easy to connect to a watertight enclosure or other housing. The penetrator has an M14 thread size and requires larger holes than we have on most of our watertight enclosure end caps. Several new end caps will be available soon to accommodate the M14 thread size.

Diving In

The T500 Thruster comes ready to use and includes both clockwise and counterclockwise propellers. In addition to the thruster, you need a speed controller like the Basic ESC 500, a power source like our battery, and a signal source, such as our Thruster Commander, an RC radio receiver, or a microcontroller like the Arduino or Raspberry Pi.

There is a wealth of available technical information, charts, code examples, and tutorials on the Technical Details and Guides sections of this page as well as support through our online forum community.

With more thrust, there are more possibilities! We’re excited to see what you do with it.

Product Description

The T500 Thruster is our next-generation thruster with over three times as much thrust as the T200 Thruster. We designed it for high-power ROVs, surface vessels, and AUVs, as well as human-carrying applications like kayaks. It’s carefully designed to be rugged, powerful, and flexible in many applications.

The T500 is designed to achieve its maximum performance of 16.1 kgf (35.5 lb) of thrust at an operating voltage of 24V and power consumption of just over 1 kW. That said, it also operates well at 16V, the voltage of our BlueROV2 and lithium-ion battery. At 16V, it consumes a similar amount of power to the T200 Thruster, but is more efficient and generates 70% more thrust.

The T500 Thruster compared to the T200 Thruster. It has 3 times the thrust!

Patented Flooded Thruster Design

Like the T200, the T500 Thruster leverages our patented flooded thruster design, which is water-cooled, water-lubricated, and inherently pressure tolerant. It has an encapsulated stator and motor windings, a ruggedized and corrosion resistant magnet rotor, and high-performance plastic bearings. The body and propeller are made from impact resistant glass-filled polycarbonate plastic.

The T500 Thruster is a three-phase sensorless brushless motor and requires an electronic speed controller (ESC) for operation. We recommend the Basic ESC 500, which is designed for the high-power requirements of the T500 running at 24V, however, if you’re operating at 18V or less, you may also use the original Basic ESC without any reduction in performance.

Designed and Tested for Reliability

The T500 Thruster was designed with an emphasis on reliability and robustness in challenging applications.

The magnet rotor is significantly improved over that in the T200 Thruster. The rotor has rugged construction with high-performance N52 neodymium magnets, protected by a metal abrasion shield lining the inside of the rotor. This prevents the magnets from being damaged due to debris or sand in the thruster.

A new overlapping design between elements of the propeller, base, and tail cone minimize the chance of particulate, sand, or seaweed entering and jamming the thruster.

We validated the T500 through hundreds of hours of testing under extreme conditions. We pushed our test units through thousands of cycles, hot and cold temperatures, and extreme pressures.

t500 rotor
The T500 magnet rotor has a metal abrasion shield to protect the magnets.
JM Robotics HD3 ROV with T500 Thrusters and pipe tracker

Easy to Integrate

The T500 Thruster is intended to be integrated into a wide range of different applications with ease. The nozzle includes four M4 mounting screws and can be attached to ROV frames, boat hulls, or just about anything!

It comes with a 1.5 m (59 in) cable with a pre-installed WetLink Penetrator to make it easy to connect to a watertight enclosure or other housing. The penetrator has an M14 thread size and requires larger holes than we have on most of our watertight enclosure end caps. Several new end caps will be available soon to accommodate the M14 thread size.

Diving In

The T500 Thruster comes ready to use and includes both clockwise and counterclockwise propellers. In addition to the thruster, you need a speed controller like the Basic ESC 500, a power source like our battery, and a signal source, such as our Thruster Commander, an RC radio receiver, or a microcontroller like the Arduino or Raspberry Pi.

There is a wealth of available technical information, charts, code examples, and tutorials on the Technical Details and Guides sections of this page as well as support through our online forum community.

With more thrust, there are more possibilities! We’re excited to see what you do with it.

  • 1 x T500 Thruster with WetLink Penetrator pre-installed
  • 1 x Clockwise propeller (installed on thruster)
  • 1 x Counterclockwise propeller
  • 1 x Penetrator nut and O-ring

Specifications

ParameterValue
Performance¹
Full Throttle FWD/REV Thrust @ 24 V16.1 / 10.5 kg f35.5 / 23.2 lb f
Full Throttle FWD/REV Thrust @ 20 V13.0 / 8.5 kg f28.6 / 18.8 lb f
Full Throttle FWD/REV Thrust @ 16 V9.3 / 6.2 kg f20.4 / 13.8 lb f
Full Throttle FWD/REV Thrust @ 12 V6.0 / 4.0 kg f13.2 / 8.9 lb f
Depth Rating300 m984 ft
Operating Water Temperature (full power at 24 V)2–27°C36-81°F
Electrical¹
Operating Voltage7–24 volts
Motor Kv (no load)202 RPM/V
Full Throttle Current (Power) @ 24 V43.5 Amps (1044 Watts)
Full Throttle RPM @ 24 V3100 RPM
Full Throttle Current (Power) @ 20 V34.0 Amps (681 Watts)
Full Throttle RPM @ 20 V2740 RPM
Full Throttle Current (Power) @ 16 V25.1 Amps (402 Watts)
Full Throttle RPM @ 16 V2350 RPM
Full Throttle Current (Power) @ 12 V16.9 Amps (202 Watts)
Full Throttle RPM @ 12 V1900 RPM
Physical
Length160 mm6.30 in
Diameter141 mm5.55 in
Core Diameter62 mm2.43 in
Propeller Diameter114.5 mm4.5 in
Wetted MaterialsPolycarbonate glass-filled
Epoxy
Stainless steel 316
Plastic
POM
Polyurethane
Aluminum 7075-T6
FKM
Buna-N
Weight in Air (with 1.5m cable)1157 g2.55 lb
Weight in Water (with 1.5m cable)730 g1.61 lb
Mounting Hole ThreadsM4 x 0.7
Mounting Hole Spacing25 mm0.98 in
Cable
Cable TypeBR-100235
Overall Cable Length1.5 m59 in
Cable Length (Thruster to WLP)1.37 m54 in
Wire Length (WLP to end)80 mm3.1 in
Cable Diameter9.0 mm0.35 in
Conductor Gauge12 AWG
Penetrator
Pre-installed WetLink PenetratorWLP-M14-9.5MM-HC
Penetrator ThreadM14 x 1.5
Penetrator Thread Length25 mm1.0 in
Penetrator O-ring1.5x15mm Buna-N 70A
¹ All thrust performance and electrical values are typical but may vary by about +/-5% between units. They are specified when using the Basic ESC 500. For more detailed performance specifications, including thrust, RPM, power, and efficiency at various throttle levels and supply voltages from 12–24 V, please see the performance charts below.
² The T500 Thruster has a maximum operating voltage of 24 V. The T500 can also be powered using a 6S Lithium-ion/Lithium polymer battery (maximum). Continuous full throttle use should be limited to 1 minute or less when the T500 is operated at 24 V or with a fully charged 6S Lithium-ion/Lithium polymer battery to avoid overheating the thruster.

Performance Charts

Click on the legend to hide or show the data set for each voltage. All the raw data and notes on the testing procedure used to generate these charts can be downloaded here:

Raw Data (.xlsx)

Thrust at 12–24 V


Current Draw at 12–24 V


Efficiency at 12–24 V


Thrust and Power at 12–24 V


RPM at 12–24 V

2D Drawings

 Drawing

3D Models

T500-THRUSTER-R1-PUBLIC (.zip)

Revision History

6 November 2023

  • Improved cable quality

23 June 2023

  • T500-THRUSTER-R1-RP SKU changed to BR-101092

23 August 2022

  • Full availability

20 July 2022

  • Serial number laser marking implemented

24 May 2022

  • R1 - Initial Release (presales)

Quick Start

1. Connect thruster wires to ESC motor phase wires.

2. Connect the ESC to a power source.

3. Connect the ESC signal wire to a signal source.

4. Send a signal and the thruster will start spinning. That’s it.

Important Notes

Always practice caution when you’re working with electricity in water.
Keep body parts away from the thruster inlet and outlet to avoid injury. Always practice caution with the spinning blades of the propeller.
T500 Voltage Limitation: The T500 Thruster has a maximum operating voltage of 24 V. The T500 can also be powered using a 6S Lithium-ion/Lithium polymer battery (maximum). Continuous full throttle use should be limited to 1 minute or less when the T500 is operated at 24 V or with a fully charged 6S Lithium-ion/Lithium polymer battery to avoid overheating the thruster.
Do not operate the thruster for more than 10 seconds outside of water (while dry). The bearings require water for lubrication and may be damaged if the thruster is operated for an extended period of time while dry.
Avoid sucking seaweed or other objects into the thruster to avoid damage.
Most threadlockers are not chemically compatible with polycarbonate and will damage the thrusters if used on any of the screws. Only use a threadlocker that is chemically compatible with polycarbonate on the mounting screws if necessary.
A clicking sound or noisy thruster is normal, especially when operated while dry. Most noise and vibration go away once the thruster is operated in water.

Guides

Thruster User Guide
Learn how to operate, service, and troubleshoot your T200 or T500 thruster.
Cable Stripping
Learn how to properly strip cables for use with WetLink Penetrators!
Guide to the Thruster Commander
Get thrusters up and running quickly or create a manned thruster project!

Community

BlueRobotics Forums – Thrusters and Motors

It depends! Because our customers operate in varying conditions across a wide range of use cases, there is no one expected total lifespan that would apply to all situations. Factors such as water quality, sediment density, particle size and composition, throttle level, operating voltage, etc., all play a large role in affecting thruster longevity.
Likewise, these same factors affect how long a thruster can operate in non-stop, continuous use. Anywhere from a few days to several months of continuous usable life are realistic to expect depending on the exact operating conditions.
Thrusters do require routine maintenance, and this also affects how long parts will last. If components are well taken care of, they can last for many years. If they are abused and used in harsh environments, parts may wear down faster and will need to be replaced more frequently. For example, iron particles may be pulled from the water and collect inside the rotor on the magnets. This iron should be cleared out regularly to prevent corrosion and allow for proper operation.
We have recommended thruster maintenance guidelines in our Thruster Usage Guide to help get the most life out of your thrusters. In case anything does eventually need replacing, replacement thruster components are available here.

Yes! You absolutely need an ESC. At the core of a thruster is a brushless DC (BLDC) motor. Like any other BLDC motor, a brushless ESC is required to energize the motor phases in the correct timing to drive the motor. If you try to use a thruster like a regular brushed motor, you’ll just end up with a broken thruster. You can read more about the differences between brushed and brushless DC motors here.

It’s perfectly normal to have a loud thruster! Our thrusters use solid plastic bushings (we also refer to these as bearings), which due to the tolerances of the bearings and the metal rotor shafts, can allow the shaft to move slightly in the bearing causing variation in how different thrusters sound. Rest assured, each one of our thrusters is tested multiple times during production to ensure proper operation.
The thrusters may be especially loud when they are run dry (in air). Any noise is significantly reduced or eliminated when operated in water. Water serves as a lubricant and coolant for the bearings, allowing smooth operation. Also, be sure not to run the thrusters in air for more than a few seconds as this can permanently damage the thruster by overheating the bearings.

No, one ESC is needed for each thruster. In order to properly drive the motor, the ESC needs to accurately sense the position of the rotor as it is spinning, this is not possible with more than one motor.

Not at all! The Thruster Commander is just one possible solution for simple manual controls. Depending on your project, a different control system could be much more appropriate. Please visit the "Learn" section of this product page for more examples of the types of devices that can be used.

Relevant Forum Categories

Blue Robotics Forums - Thrusters And Motors

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