Wondering how well balance the factory props are?

[Glen L]

I just bought a full set of spare props for my Solo and a 6mm shaft for my Du-Bro prop balancer for solo props.
To my surprise just about every prop I checked was spot on. only two of the eight props needed a little bit of weight. I used some small pieces of vinyl tape to correct the balance. Even the hubs appear to be in balance as well. no matter were I place the props they stay in that position. Kudo's to 3DR for making them right.

It cost me $450 to get 6 17.5" T-Motor CF props that balance that well for my large Hexacopter.

 

[UAVenthusiast]

Yeah!!!! Yes, I have a full set of spares ordered back in April, probably had them in hands by July.

All of them needed balancing, but perhaps one, another I couldn't get balanced for the life of me!

No worries here, they're inexpensive to buy a new set!

Thanks for the update!!

 

[RichWest]

To my surprise just about every prop I checked was spot on. only two of the eight props needed a little bit of weight. I used some small pieces of vinyl tape to correct the balance.

That's rocking news! When you say vinyl tape, would it be electrical tape? Approximately what size is the tape weights applied to achieve balance?

 

[Del]

I just bought a full set of spare props for my Solo and a 6mm shaft for my Du-Bro prop balancer for solo props.
To my surprise just about every prop I checked was spot on. only two of the eight props needed a little bit of weight. I used some small pieces of vinyl tape to correct the balance. Even the hubs appear to be in balance as well. no matter were I place the props they stay in that position. Kudo's to 3DR for making them right.

It cost me $450 to get 6 17.5" T-Motor CF props that balance that well for my large Hexacopter.

I have 2 sets (8 props).. And out of 8.. I had to balance 7 !!

 

[RichWest]

I have 2 sets (8 props).. And out of 8.. I had to balance 7 !!

@Del - when you balance the props, do you take them off the rod and then back on after balancing to confirm if the rod is a factor?

The reason I ask, being that the prop rod is thin to be effective, I could imagine a little bend could influence balancing the prop.

 

[Del]

@Del - when you balance the props, do you take them off the rod and then back on after balancing to confirm if the rod is a factor?

The reason I ask, being that the prop rod is thin to be effective, I could imagine a little bend could influence balancing the prop.

I bought my Ballancer and Rod brand new..and the Rod is straight as an arrow!! And I even totally leveled my coffee table that My balancer was sitting on! But I didint ballance the hubs..just the Blades!
But I only had one Blade out of 8 that balanced Dead Nuts..!
Mabe I just had bad luck having to ballance 7 out of 8 blades right from there Factory..

 

[Maddog]

I bought my Ballancer and Rod brand new..and the Rod is straight as an arrow!! And I even totally leveled my coffee table that My balancer was sitting on! But I didint ballance the hubs..just the Blades!
But I only had one Blade out of 8 that balanced Dead Nuts..!
Mabe I just had bad luck having to ballance 7 out of 8 blades right from there Factory..

I had to balance about half of my blades. All of those needed the hubs balanced as well.

I think it's safe to say quality control on the props is pretty poor.

 

[Glen L]

That's rocking news! When you say vinyl tape, would it be electrical tape? Approximately what size is the tape weights applied to achieve balance?

It's the the same vinyl that's used to make signs with that I got from my local sign shop. it's thin satin black vinyl .
I cut them in approx 2mm squares. one of the blade took two pieces and the other blade took one.

I'm not sure if I just got lucky or the quality has improved on them.

 

[Guy Canavaggio]

I agree that the prop balance is poor, also difficult to do the vertical balance. On the other hand i continue hunting for the vibration that makes the gimbal swing like a pendulum left and right.
In the quest i decided to take the pods apart . A pleasant surprise , the motors are very well made , and surprising well balanced . No epoxy goo on the magnets . the magnets are linked and equally spaced . Looks like a heat treatment glue which is invisible.

See pict enclosed.

 

[Glen L]

I agree that the prop balance is poor, also difficult to do the vertical balance. On the other hand i continue hunting for the vibration that makes the gimbal swing like a pendulum left and right.
In the quest i decided to take the pods apart . A pleasant surprise , the motors are very well made , and surprising well balanced . No epoxy goo on the magnets . the magnets are linked and equally spaced . Looks like a heat treatment glue which is invisible.

See pict enclosed. View attachment 1551 View attachment 1552

They almost look like there made by T-Motor, Does anyone know who makes the motors for Solo?

 

[VideoArch]

Having rebuilt my Phantom motors and replaced bearings I also noticed how well made these Solo motors are when you break them down. I fly a lot in extreme heat and roasting bearings is often a concern. Would also be interested in who makes these motors?? Will be curious to see how many hours these bearings get before a rebuild is necessary.

 

[David Weston]

Need some expertise. Have a very very slight occasional vibration (with gimbal) in hover and at slow speed, nut noticeable. Not terrible but not rock solid. When transitioning from hover to forward flight, especially rapidly accelerating or gaining alt I get the "jello" effect. It goes away after asking for throttle. From what I have read this sounds like a symptom of un-balance props. Asking for input and advice.

Thanks

 

[VideoArch]

Vibration in hover or at slow speed with no winds? If props are balanced and you have double checked the balance I would try a different set of props first. Just because it's easy and fast to do.

Jello issues and vibration in the footage are different. For jello lower your iso on your GoPro, add some neutral density to slow down the shutter. I have a testing area I fly in all the time in the same weather conditions. That makes it easier to solve flight issues that cause bad footage.

 

[Guy Canavaggio]

Re who makes the motors. The saying goes that if it walks like a duck and squawks like a duck , must be a duck.
I gambled 104.00 additional to what i have in solo to tame the jello
FPVMODEL MC2814 880KV Brushless CCW Motor for Multirotor

The motors come ccw and cw

Which is the best prop , borrowing the information from dji pilots? any advise?

Guy

 

[Glen L]

Having rebuilt my Phantom motors and replaced bearings I also noticed how well made these Solo motors are when you break them down. I fly a lot in extreme heat and roasting bearings is often a concern. Would also be interested in who makes these motors?? Will be curious to see how many hours these bearings get before a rebuild is necessary.

From the T-Motor info I have they recommend bearing replacements after 60 to 80 flights, bearings are fairly cheap and easy to replace. I'm going to replace mine over the winter months. I guess a good project for a cold winter day.

 

[Del]

From the T-Motor info I have they recommend bearing replacements after 60 to 80 flights, bearings are fairly cheap and easy to replace. I'm going to replace mine over the winter months. I guess a good project for a cold winter day.

It would be pretty handy if any body had a Video on how to change the bearings on a Solo Motor Pod..

 

[RichWest]

It's the the same vinyl that's used to make signs with that I got from my local sign shop. it's thin satin black vinyl .
I cut them in approx 2mm squares. one of the blade took two pieces and the other blade took one.

I'm not sure if I just got lucky or the quality has improved on them.

Thanks for the reply and details. Regarding luck, hard to say based on everyone else's replies of unbalanced props. Maybe you're just living right...

For those asking what Motors they are. It has been assumed they are SunnySky motors V22 or X22 series. The recommend replacement is in hours, at about 150 hours. Bearings are available from several sources, but I only know of one user that has changed out and stated that the change resolved his issues. He based his bearing replacement on a kit for the SunnySky motors. Two or three threads on the subject here....

@Del - Look forward to seeing your video on swapping out bearings, thanks for offering...

 

[VideoArch]

Thanks for the reply and details. Regarding luck, hard to say based on everyone else's replies of unbalanced props. Maybe you're just living right...

For those asking what Motors they are. It has been assumed they are SunnySky motors V22 or X22 series. The recommend replacement is in hours, at about 150 hours. Bearings are available from several sources, but I only know of one user that has changed out and stated that the change resolved his issues. He based his bearing replacement on a kit for the SunnySky motors. Two or three threads on the subject here....

@Del - Look forward to seeing your video on swapping out bearings, thanks for offering...

The rule of thumb I have read over the years is a bearing change out around 60 hours of flight. Depending on how hot your motors get I suppose it might be possible to get 150 hours. Time will tell I suppose.

Here is the link for a brand new motor. I was thinking about keeping a spare in case I needed to do a pull and replace in the field. 3dr did make it darn easy to do.

3DR Motor Pod for Solo Quadcopter (CW) CW11A B&H Photo Video

 

[Maddog]

Thanks for the reply and details. Regarding luck, hard to say based on everyone else's replies of unbalanced props. Maybe you're just living right...

For those asking what Motors they are. It has been assumed they are SunnySky motors V22 or X22 series. The recommend replacement is in hours, at about 150 hours. Bearings are available from several sources, but I only know of one user that has changed out and stated that the change resolved his issues. He based his bearing replacement on a kit for the SunnySky motors. Two or three threads on the subject here....

@Del - Look forward to seeing your video on swapping out bearings, thanks for offering...

Now that's funny!! Thanks for volunteering Del !

 

[Maddog]

Can you get a motor without buying the circuit board, etc.?