Board Thread:General Nerf discussion/@comment-35070608-20190529133839/@comment-27306930-20190602055320

Yes, it definitely could. If one of your flywheels is just a little out of balance, it causes a wobble in the motor. It's even more pronounced in motors with tight tolerances like Fangs. Cheap motors with sloppy bushings just absorb all that vibration and continue spinning.

In solid metal flywheel cages this vibration isn't as much of a problem because metal cages are very rigid. But ABS, acrylic, and 3D cages can flex a tiny bit, maybe only a few hundredths of a centimeter. But enough to be a problem.

If your motor wires are stiff and go straight across the cage, the vibrations of one motor are transferred to the other motor through the wire itself. And if you have nice solid solder connections, the forces of those vibrations can be transferred into the motor housing.

There are only three moving parts in a DC motor; the shaft and its windings, and the two spring loaded brushes in the commutator at the back end of the motor. If you rapidly vibrate the back end of a motor, it can cause many strange effects. One of those is electrical arcing. It can become a major problem. It produces heat, sparks, and tiny flares that can permanently damage a motor.

Sorry I rambled a bit. But your motor wiring could have definitely burned out your motors. Especially at the RPMs we're talking about. Make sure the motor wires are curved so they can absorb the vibration without affecting the motors. Or use super flexible silicone wiring. Or get an aluminum flywheel cage. Your choice.