Hello from Western Massachusetts

M

mbowser

Member
jbrumberg said:
I look at this way literally- I see these videos of guys building their builds and flying them right off the build without balancing anything and the quads are flying ~"OK".
Click to expand...
I resemble that quote :)
I do plan on balancing the props at some point, but I'm such a noob at this game that I'm really not sure what I'd be looking for. I am a very precise, detail oriented person (engineer by trade), but I need to get a feel for the big picture before I dive too deep. I'm not going to sweat the details too much at this point until I feel that those details will actually benefit me in a more measurable way. I got a little too big for my britches the other day and I seriously banged a prop the other day on a wooden post. It was clearly bent and you could actually see a whitish fold on the prop where it was stressed. I bent it back into position and continued flying for the rest of that battery. Now, I'm sure that prop was WAY out of balance but I couldn't tell any difference in flight characteristics because I am so inexperienced. Of course, someone with some real experience would probably recognize it right away, but I'm certainly not qualified... yet. I have since changed that particular prop because I was afraid it would actually break off an go flying while spinning.

With that said, I almost ordered a prop balancer last night. With more snow on the way tomorrow, there probably won't be much flying going on so I may spend some time balancing them with a homemade balancer.

-matt
 

jbrumberg

jbrumberg

Member
http://gothelirc.com

A good source for props. From the posts I've read that multiwii FC and apparently a couple of others are sensitive to vibration. I am not seeing a lot of posts about vibration problems with the KK boards, but these boards are basic boards. That is the reason I went with the KK. The limitations of the KK FC could be considered its strengths as well especially for a newbee like myself.

As to the video stuff I agree- the more balanced with which to begin the better. With my big buck budget of <$100 and my battle against the jello effect, balancing my props on my X1's definitely improved the video quality with my #808 keychain. :highly_amused:

The weather modelled for next week does not look good for flying either. A pending snow system Sunday-Monday and potentially midweek now as well. Models are all over the place. We have the cold and it's staying put.
 

Motopreserve

Motopreserve

Drone Enthusiast
mBowser,

One thing I would DEFINITELY recommend is not flying with a stressed (nearly broken) prop. Your craft will drop from the sky like a stone if it snaps mid-air. Glad this didn't happen but it could have, causing pricey damage. If you are not worried about balancing, just slap another unbalanced prop on in it's place before you finish the battery. I have done this too. Better safe than sorry...

And while I agree with you about probably not being experienced enough to notice fine changes/differences in the balance, I look to the complexity of the FC, and realize that there are probably things going on in there that I don't understand as well. And maybe, just maybe, the benefits of the balanced props & motors would supply some ease into the functioning of the FC, and less stress on the motor/ESC. When I flew last time with a bend motor shaft - there was an instantly noticeable drift to the quad. It pulled weird, and didn't want to get level and remain hovering in place. Very obvious effect of the extremely "unbalanced" motor/prop at that point. Of course a balanced prop is going to cause more nuanced changes, but after that experience, I assume the changes will be present. I also look at all the improvements to be made in the balance as cumulative. One unbalanced prop may not cause too much grief. But four? How about 4 unbalanced props and a couple unbalanced motors? It must all add up at some point.

There is also the idea that EVERY experienced pilot recommends balancing the props. I am not typically one to follow crowds blindly, but there are some facets of this hobby that I choose to trust the greater collective - since their years of experience and what they suggest just makes sense to my small brain... :)

THIS place is supposed to have good prices for props as well.
 
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M

mbowser

Member
You are 100% correct on all accounts; I plan on going down the balancing path shortly; there is no question that it will ultimately benefit all aspects of flight. I was merely describing my approach at this point in time.

-matt
 


jbrumberg

jbrumberg

Member
The final moments of my late CP heli involved the catastrophic failure :hororr: of a stressed part in flight. I knew it before I lifted off. :stupid: It was a spectacular and expensive ending. :dejection: It got me out of CP RC.

"When I flew last time with a bend motor shaft - there was an instantly noticeable drift to the quad. It pulled weird, and didn't want to get level and remain hovering in place. Very obvious effect of the extremely "unbalanced" motor/prop at that point."-

I appreciate this shared observation as I too experienced this. Plus in hindsight in my case, I had a bent motor mount base in addition to the other damage.

This is an example of the benefit mutual dialog. :)
 

COMike93yj

COMike93yj

Still Building!
I have to say that I am really happy with the HQprops. The reason I am balancing mine is because it is one less variable I have to live with. I also think of the props kind of like tires on a vehicle. The item that puts the power into the medium that the vehicle will travel in. I hate having a tire out of balance (vibration) just as I would hate to have it in my quad.

I plan on flying with a little HD camera (Mobius Actioncam) and will then go to a GoPro at some point. I would rather eliminate the vibrations (as much as I can) before flying.

Vibrations also cause stresses on the components of the multirotor aircraft. 4 props or greater just adds to the vibrations if they aren't balanced. SOOOO...balancing them just makes sense to me.

I also have the luxury of time awaiting my ESCs....so seeing that I can't really dive into the build yet, balancing keeps me involved and I know that when the ESCs come in, I can have props and replacements ready to go!
 

jbrumberg

jbrumberg

Member
I had to go down to the "Big City" this AM and on my return I just happened to stop by the local hardware store to check on the availability and cost of that aluminum tape. It was available, but not in the cheap rolls. I'll keep my eye on that shelf. I stop at this place frequently; I am in no particular hurry with this; and the Winter is long around these parts..

I am looking at constructing a shorter version of landing gear similar to what I already have; using similar components; and building in a frame/cage for my #808 16B. I am also looking at other 4mm rod materials including wood forthis setup. No reason to rush this.

Mike- glad to see you and that you are on the mend...... Don't overdo PT and the rehab stuff!
 

Motopreserve

Motopreserve

Drone Enthusiast
+1. Good to see you're still at it mike. When the hell are those ESCs arriving? I just got a delivery of yet more props from witespy. Ugh!!! More to balance. :)

i also ordered a set of his "house" motors to try out. Got them on a whim - but already I like the look of a motor with no visible shaft and only the place to screw on the adapter.

Stay at tuned to the build thread for some pics...
 

COMike93yj

COMike93yj

Still Building!
Thanks Fellas :)....the knee is still jacked up but the swelling is going down a bit. I can walk on it w/o the crutches if I ONLY go forwards and backwards. Any twisting ... I see STARS!... So will take it easy and see how things transpire with the PT folks then the doc.

@Scott...not certain when the ESCs will ship. I have tried calling Witespy a couple of times but it goes to his google phone vmail. I ordered them on Tuesday so I am hoping to get them today or tomorrow. My batteries should arrive today or tomorrow but my experiences with HobbyK have been less than stellar as of late :(

I am considering going with a TREX 450/500 gear setup for my F450. Until I make the decision I will be flying it "as is" for now.
 

Motopreserve

Motopreserve

Drone Enthusiast
I didn't know you got the ESCs from witespy. Or maybe I did and forgot. :)

i just oust got delivery today from him - so if he had them in stock they should be there shortly.

Keep eps that knew straight!!!!
 



jbrumberg

jbrumberg

Member
Scott- I started playing around with the TopFlite balancer as soon as I got it. My X1 props did not fit. I did a Blog thing at RCG about it. I am not a blogger, and I really am not into self promotion and there is better stuff out there. I need to re-explore everything too BTW. This was interesting news to me as well.
 

COMike93yj

COMike93yj

Still Building!
Interesting....I will have to take a look at the props I have and see if this would make things that much better (OR worse)!!!!

Mailman brought my batteries from HobbyKing! Guess I have to eat crow on their shipping....three days was great!
 

jbrumberg

jbrumberg

Member
Mike- The HK/USA warehouse is pretty amazing if they have the inventory in stock. I got everything (in stock) I ordered in less than a week. I am very happy. The weather around here is another story.

This balancer thing makes sense. I really have to look closely at this. I, like the rest of us, am in search of what works and what is really needed in the long run. This is all part of my learning curve which I share.
 
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Motopreserve

Motopreserve

Drone Enthusiast
Im afraid that I may have to go back and redo all the props I've balanced :)

all part of the learning process I guess...
 

jbrumberg

jbrumberg

Member
This is the stuff that makes me crazy. It's going along with my craziness about prop balance. This would really need to have its props balanced. FPV w/o some stabilization :cower:. I'd vomit :disgust::highly_amused:
 
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jbrumberg

jbrumberg

Member
All's well that ends well... Today started off with things going rather poorly immediately after liftoff :hororr:. I had no real control and the quad ended up in a snow pile. I got some snow in two motors and popped some hot glue welds on the landing gear struts, but other than that and a damaged ego that appeared to be it damages-wise. I brought the quad indoors took the props off and ran the motors to warm them up, check them out, and remove the moisture. The motors just were not RPMing like I thought that they should with stick and orientation changes, and I realized that I had not recalibrated the ESC's when I replaced motor #1. At the time I thought that I did not have to, but after what had just occurred I now thought maybe that I should have. Well I did re-calibrate the ESC's and went back out for another try at flying. Well success this time; and I nice landing on the snow and not in the snow this time. Live and learn enough to fly another day.
 
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