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Smooth footage is all it is about for me too.
If its working then its all good, but you aint going to be sneaking up on anyone anytime soon.
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If its working then its all good, but you aint going to be sneaking up on anyone anytime soon.
Thank you very much for your invaluable, in-depth research! You obviously put a lot of time, research and testing into this. Thank you!
That was impressive
Still trying to figure out what to do though. do I just try and find the bearings and rebuild my stock pods that shake like a mofo or replace the motors and wait order a couple more to finish the cross over.
decisions decisions.
I assume changing the motors would void a ticket in the event of a crash
Still trying to figure out what to do though. do I just try and find the bearings and rebuild my stock pods that shake like a mofo or replace the motors and wait order a couple more to finish the cross over.
decisions decisions.
I assume changing the motors would void a ticket in the event of a crash
Pyrate,
Don't bother with buying new motors. I'm not impressed with my new ones and at $70 a crack they're hardly worth it. I've got to be at about the $3,500 mark on this Solo endeavor so far.
Jerry
Roland - Beyond my expectation in the depth of details provided, quite an effort you have shared with us here. I imagine you win in the tool category, thrust tester, really.... Thank you again!
Really there is no need in waiting to see videos in my opinion, we've all agreed the motors have contributed much to destabilizing the video. Reduce the motor vibration and then we can work from there...
I am placing orders for props and motors, 800kV and APC 1045MR-ST. I ready to move forward.
I think you need to clarify your statement, I assume you meant 3DR motor pods rather than actual replacement motors being discussed within this thread....
Really there is no need in waiting to see videos in my opinion, we've all agreed the motors have contributed much to destabilizing the video. Reduce the motor vibration and then we can work from there...
I am placing orders for props and motors, 800kV and APC 1045MR-ST. I ready to move forward.
I think you need to clarify your statement, I assume you meant 3DR motor pods rather than actual replacement motors being discussed within this thread....
could you share the part numbers and where you got your bearings?
Rich,
I didn't think I needed to clarify, I thought it was a gimme. Unlike you guys, I'm not talented enough to do a motor replacement to a Solo pod. I bought the pods with the motors. I hope that is clarification enough.
Jerry
I'll be happy to assist you with soldering if you would like, no charge, just ship the items to me and I'll return completed...and unharmed.
Rich,
Straight up? I'll ship the whole thing if you'll put those T-Motors in my rig. I'll even send a gift card of your liking.
Jerry
If you offered that swap on pods for a fee I would be interested too. I have two now that need something done to them.
Hate to have them just sitting there and 3DR will not replace them without me sending in the entire Bird.
dont want to do that
Hate to have them just sitting there and 3DR will not replace them without me sending in the entire Bird.
dont want to do that
Straight up. Just ship the old pods and new motors, and away you'll go....It'll take me a week to turn around...
Good luck finding the bits and parts however. I hit the only place that had the prop adapters and motors in stock...
Pyrate, I'd be happy to help you as well, I don't charge friends for work done. Besides, I put you two guys in my special needs category....
FWIW, I do have a day job and really am not looking to take away what free time I have. So this isn't a business deal, it's just being neighborly.
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Thanks for the kind words guys. The more we know and share, the better the end result will be for all of us.
1. The stock motors are essentially not bad motors, but the bearings are the cheapest they could find and go noisy after a few hours of operation, which I assume means they will also fail prematurely. I imagine this will become a problem for 3DR, unless they bring out a new motor pod with at least better bearings.
Replacing the bearings is probably the best option, certainly the cheapest, and if done carefully will extend the life of the motors and improve the performance. Win - win.
I emphasize, they need to be done carefully. As soon as you 'tap' them in because the went in crooked and jammed, then they are damaged and you may as well start again.
2. Im not really a warranty kind of guy. I tried hard not to mod this one, I really did.
I said to a friend who also has a Solo "I must...try..not ..to ..mod,...uhh. Couldnt do it. I lasted about a week. Once I heard those motors
WTF is that noise !?!?!) I think I had the pods out before I could even think twice about it.
These days I prefer to "teach a man how to fish" but i understand about being neighbourly and I think you are very generous, especially for our special needs cases, LOL.
1. The stock motors are essentially not bad motors, but the bearings are the cheapest they could find and go noisy after a few hours of operation, which I assume means they will also fail prematurely. I imagine this will become a problem for 3DR, unless they bring out a new motor pod with at least better bearings.
Replacing the bearings is probably the best option, certainly the cheapest, and if done carefully will extend the life of the motors and improve the performance. Win - win.
I emphasize, they need to be done carefully. As soon as you 'tap' them in because the went in crooked and jammed, then they are damaged and you may as well start again.
2. Im not really a warranty kind of guy. I tried hard not to mod this one, I really did.
I said to a friend who also has a Solo "I must...try..not ..to ..mod,...uhh. Couldnt do it. I lasted about a week. Once I heard those motors
WTF is that noise !?!?!) I think I had the pods out before I could even think twice about it.Careful @RichWest you may start an avalanche. I offerred something similar a few years ago in the RC car community and ended up with a hobby "modding' business that lasted a few years.
These days I prefer to "teach a man how to fish" but i understand about being neighbourly and I think you are very generous, especially for our special needs cases, LOL.
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Incredible work and effort on this Roland. Very impressive test setup you built. All very much appreciated. I was interested in the results of the Disco motors. Had the Pro and like they way it flew.
Thanks!
Thanks!
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Id just like to mention a few other things that need to be considered with this mod.
Modding this equipment is not for everyone, it is technical and can be difficult if you are new or not entirely familiar with this type of equipment.
I want to show what can be done with some of the hardware, and I have acheived results that I am happy with, but there are so many variables and your results may be different.
The motor and prop change on the test bench shows better runtiume is expected as the modified drivetrain is slightly more efficient.
In reality other factors come into play as well. The bought T-motors with the prop adapters installed are slightly heavier than the stock motors, and the APC props are heavier too. This weight addition ( x 4) will likely negate any runtime extension that a minor efficiency increase will produce.
As I have said earlier, my two main reasons for doing this are percieved reliability and noise/vibe reduction, and I have shown what I was able to acheive.
Another factor is balancing. Balance everything that spins, if you can. This is crucial. If you do nothing else, learn how to balance props, and then look at your motors.
The reason I like the APC props is that they can be balanced very accurately, and show the same reults on different balancers (rolling and magnetic)
The self tightening props, whilst they are convenient, are a pain to balance. You are forced to use a screw in shaft on a balancer and when the thread bottoms out in the hub, it goes off center slightly, altering perfect balance.
When balancing a prop you need to be able to turn the shaft 1/4 turn inside the prop to re-check balance (and to check that the balancer shaft is not bent), you cant do this with the screw in shafts as they presently are. I have them all, and even the ones that say they are 'precisely machined' bottom out in the hub and go slightly off center. The shaft at least needs to have a shoulder that contacts the prop hub before the thread bottoms out, thus staying square when it is tightened..
What may appear to be a perfectly balanced self tightening prop will not be, and will still cause vibes under power in the air, and you will wonder where the vibes are coming from.
BUT, the bottom line is, any balancing efforts will be beneficial, if you have a prop that used to tip over on the balancer and you added some tape and now it doesnt tip, then you will have reduced the vibes in your craft, and probably in your video as well.
Modding this equipment is not for everyone, it is technical and can be difficult if you are new or not entirely familiar with this type of equipment.
I want to show what can be done with some of the hardware, and I have acheived results that I am happy with, but there are so many variables and your results may be different.
The motor and prop change on the test bench shows better runtiume is expected as the modified drivetrain is slightly more efficient.
In reality other factors come into play as well. The bought T-motors with the prop adapters installed are slightly heavier than the stock motors, and the APC props are heavier too. This weight addition ( x 4) will likely negate any runtime extension that a minor efficiency increase will produce.
As I have said earlier, my two main reasons for doing this are percieved reliability and noise/vibe reduction, and I have shown what I was able to acheive.
Another factor is balancing. Balance everything that spins, if you can. This is crucial. If you do nothing else, learn how to balance props, and then look at your motors.
The reason I like the APC props is that they can be balanced very accurately, and show the same reults on different balancers (rolling and magnetic)
The self tightening props, whilst they are convenient, are a pain to balance. You are forced to use a screw in shaft on a balancer and when the thread bottoms out in the hub, it goes off center slightly, altering perfect balance.
When balancing a prop you need to be able to turn the shaft 1/4 turn inside the prop to re-check balance (and to check that the balancer shaft is not bent), you cant do this with the screw in shafts as they presently are. I have them all, and even the ones that say they are 'precisely machined' bottom out in the hub and go slightly off center. The shaft at least needs to have a shoulder that contacts the prop hub before the thread bottoms out, thus staying square when it is tightened..
What may appear to be a perfectly balanced self tightening prop will not be, and will still cause vibes under power in the air, and you will wonder where the vibes are coming from.
BUT, the bottom line is, any balancing efforts will be beneficial, if you have a prop that used to tip over on the balancer and you added some tape and now it doesnt tip, then you will have reduced the vibes in your craft, and probably in your video as well.
Straight up. Just ship the old pods and new motors, and away you'll go....It'll take me a week to turn around...
Good luck finding the bits and parts however. I hit the only place that had the prop adapters and motors in stock...
Pyrate, I'd be happy to help you as well, I don't charge friends for work done. Besides, I put you two guys in my special needs category....
FWIW, I do have a day job and really am not looking to take away what free time I have. So this isn't a business deal, it's just being neighborly.
Rich,
It doesn't get more genuine than that! I wouldn't put that on you. I could find a local guy here. Thanks though, nice gesture for sure.
Jerry
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Yeah the Disco motors are just black T-Motors 2216-12 900kv, exactly like you can buy from anywhere that sells the silver top 2216 T-motors.
The 800kv version seem to be less common, most places stock the 900kv version as they are the choice for most 350-500mm multirotors on 3-4S.
I have 2 Disco Pros as well (extensively modded of course) and they are awesome. Solo is on the way to replacing my main GoPro carrying Disco Pro.
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