DJI S1000 1st service... what did we find?

[ZAxis]

We've been piling on the hours since the beginning of March so its time for a service. Generally most things have stood up well to being travelled from the sub tropics to the arctic circle, from sea level off a boat to being trundled up ( and down) several mountains. We've had to repair a damaged undercarriage leg after a transport accident. Its instant arm fold up and down has been a major asset. Early on we flagged that the motor isolation grommets were a weak point and it has turned out so. Getting new grommets meant ordering from Hong Kong as few dealers seem to stock them. We've had to replace all the grommets since they all showed wear. All of them were worn through on the web between the upper and lower halves which means the bolt ends up rubbing directly on the carbon fibre motor mounting plates. This seems to negate at least some of the vibration isolation. Even after replacing the grommets some mounts seem to have more slack in them than others. However the footage from the ZenMuse doesn't show any vibration, which is good but we'd much prefer to have much lower vibration in the first place. Some grommets were replaced a couple of weeks ago but because some of the bolts were over LockTite'd we had to wait till we got some decent Torx 9 wrenches to replace the others. In that time some of the newly replaced grommets had worn through again, we've replaced those once more.
We found loose screws on the lower half of one arm pivot block and on the locking arm pivots of the retractable undercarriage . Re LockTite'd those. Replaced two prop blades, adjusted some prop bolts to reduce slackness and that's about it.
Be interested to hear other people's experiences.

andy

 

[hbarchini]

Same things here... But I replace the grommets withs the ones that I already have (S800 EVO) and I can't understand why was so loose... Then I realize that they are different in about +1 millimeter... So I order now the s1000 specific...
Same thing with one propeller a little loose and have to locktite some arms screw that's about it...
150+ flights with my rig...

 

[Quinton]

Just wondering I notice you also have a Droidworx machine, how would that compare to the first service you did on that (in other words did you have to do/change anything?)

 

[ZAxis]

Same things here... But I replace the grommets withs the ones that I already have (S800 EVO) and I can't understand why was so loose... Then I realize that they are different in about +1 millimeter... So I order now the s1000 specific...
Same thing with one propeller a little loose and have to locktite some arms screw that's about it...
150+ flights with my rig...

I hadn't noticed the difference between S800 and S1000 diameters. The ones replaced a couple of weeks ago were S800 and the ones replaced yesterday were S1000 ones which had arrived in the meantime. So I'll have to check things over again and see if it's an issue.

One thing I forgot to mention was prop protectors, those foam bits that hold the props for storage. All too easy to lose them, we've lost 3 or 4 and can't seem to find them as spares. Anyone know where to get them?

andy

 

[ZAxis]

Just wondering I notice you also have a Droidworx machine, how would that compare to the first service you did on that (in other words did you have to do/change anything?)

The Droidworx Y6 was always a work in progress, changing and testing new bits all the time. Totally different to the S1000 which hasn't really changed much since it was first built so its difficult to compare. The Y6 suffered from the odd loose bolt or screw but was generally as tough as old boots. The S1000 we always thought looked a bit delicate by comparison but that's not turned out to be the case. Its survived a life just as tough as what the Y6 went through.
Since owning the S1000 we've lost the worries over prop balancing, etc. We fretted no end with the Y6 but the S1000 vibrates like hell and still the images from the camera are pretty much perfect. The ZenMuse helps there I guess.
Single sourcing for spares is a bit of a worry with the S1000 and there's nothing much you can swap out for alternatives, you're stuck with what you got.

andy

 

[maxwelltub]

The S1000 Vibrates like hell? Is this this not a concern for flight performance?

 

[ZAxis]

The S1000 Vibrates like hell? Is this this not a concern for flight performance?

I may be overstating the case a bit but sometimes there is visible vibration on some of the arms when in the air. Initial thoughts have been unbalanced props but its not really possible to check the static balance of S1000 props. The pair we replaced I have just weighed on a micro balance and the weights matched to 0.001 grammes. I wasn't expecting that! Another thought was the folding props not deploying evenly as a quick poke of power often clears away a lot of the visible arm vibration. The motor bearings seem OK with no play in them.
We haven't noticed any flight performance issues associated with the vibration. Obviously we'd like to see low or zero vibration but that will be tweak and see what happens exercise.

andy

 

[maxwelltub]

Did you find the CG of the blades, similar to how you would balance collective props?

 

[Mick Koi]

good thread ; ) ill be following this, and Zaxis those sound like some really interesting and exciting locations that you've been too!

 

[ZAxis]

Did you find the CG of the blades, similar to how you would balance collective props?

Just checked that and both balanced see saw fashion at the same point. So they really are precision parts. So the search for the cause continues.

andy

 

[Blayne Chastain]

The props are very good for 2 piece but still vibrate more than well balanced 1 piece props. We like the convenience of folding so we're keeping them for now. I did spend a good few hours balancing the motors however which seemed to help a bit.

 

[ZAxis]

The props are very good for 2 piece but still vibrate more than well balanced 1 piece props. We like the convenience of folding so we're keeping them for now. I did spend a good few hours balancing the motors however which seemed to help a bit.

We also like the convenience of folding props and the experience so far has been good, contrary to expectations. I'll have a look at balancing the motors, I guess you did it by adding tape strips to the side of the motor bell and feeling the amount of vibration by finger touch on the booms.

andy

 

[Blayne Chastain]

I'll have a look at balancing the motors, I guess you did it by adding tape strips to the side of the motor bell and feeling the amount of vibration by finger touch on the booms.

andy

Yep, strips of electrical tape and measured vibes with iPhone app iVibroMeter. Have tried many different vibe apps and found this to be the most helpful.

 

[Burntpixel]

I went with NO motor anti- vibration grommets on my S800 EVO. Not having them hasn't affected anything from what I have seen in my video,s. I have had minor issues with the fold out props. More of a learning curve on my part.

 

[ZAxis]

Yep, strips of electrical tape and measured vibes with iPhone app iVibroMeter. Have tried many different vibe apps and found this to be the most helpful.

Did you balance the motors without props ?

andy

 

[ovdt]

Andy, I know that you were using MK with your Hexa for a long time. How is your experience with DJI FC and S1000 in general, since I need a very portable copter which is capable of lifting GH4 and if I invest money on MK route, I need to pay much more money. ( I can use the frame itself for my MK components if I had to, and sell the rest )

I just want to know if you ever thought for a moment and wished to continue with MK route?

 

[ZAxis]

Andy, I know that you were using MK with your Hexa for a long time. How is your experience with DJI FC and S1000 in general, since I need a very portable copter which is capable of lifting GH4 and if I invest money on MK route, I need to pay much more money. ( I can use the frame itself for my MK components if I had to, and sell the rest )

I just want to know if you ever thought for a moment and wished to continue with MK route?

We swapped over our old Y6 to DJI last year and it worked well, we have not used MK electronics since. The decision to go DJI/S1000 was purely commercial, nothing came close at the price we paid for it. It has been worked hard for the last 4 months and the portability has been a very important asset for the jobs we have undertaken. Get to site, take it out of its travel box, lift the arms, fold out the props, check the gimbal and you're ready for flight in a very short time. Droidworx and similar frames tend to fold in the horizontal plane and require removal of the gimbal for transport. The vertical drop S1000 arms allow the gimbal to stay on at all times, reducing the chance of bad connections or attachment. We use an A2 controller but a WKM works as well.
In the UK, MK is pretty rare these days so we did join the mainstream going DJI.MK is very much an engineer's playground with facilities beyond those of the more consumer oriented DJI stuff. I miss the ability to tweak and alter things but if you have to earn money you need a system that just works. The S100/ZenMuse/GH4 does just that.

andy

 

[Blayne Chastain]

Did you balance the motors without props ?

andy

Yep. Since 2-piece props generate inconsistent vibes, your only choice IMO is to balance with props off.

I then tried dynamic balancing the props but due to inconsistent readings, realized it was a fools game I then resorted to making sure the props were within .01 gram of each other. Easiest way to do that is to take all the props off, weigh them and then pair them with matching partners. There was only one that I had to give a light spray of spray paint to match weight.

Btw, I also weighed all parts in the prop hub assembly and found them to be spot on.