Ways to Increase Reliability

D

DLien

Member
Hi Guys,

I am looking for ways to increase the reliability of my 550, or any multi for that matter. What have you done to get the best performance out of your hardware? Removing “Pilot Error” from the discussion, what have you found to help prevent crashes?

I am aware of few easy things that can be done. Understanding where your center of gravity is and not using DJI props (bad personal experiences along many forum complaints) make the top 2 items on my list.

Hopefully this question isn’t oxymoronic!
Don
 

P

PaNt

Member
Good sordering!
Secure the servo connectors with shoegoo or silicon!
Use the right connctors
Use secure nuts on the props and everywhere that you must do it..! Like booms or motors
Dont forget to put some tape on the wires before you tighten up the TIre up in order not to cut them!
Balance motors!
Balance props!
Check the geometry of motors with a big table or with an electronic pitch gauge!
Secure the lipos because if they move you will have CG problems!
.
.
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Not only for 550!
.
 
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F

Fransvh

Member
Skip the stock props and go for Graupners. There are some horror stories in this forum about bracking stock props.
 

FerdinandK

FerdinandK

Member
In addition to the points already mentioned ...
Check the props after each flight (color, scratches, ...).
Listen to your copter, if you know your bird you can hear "changes" each "change" in sound has a reason (do not ignore).
Feel the copter, if flying the copter "feels" different, there is a reason for this (do not ignore this).

best regards

Ferdinand
 

J

jes1111

Active Member
Condensing the previous answers into: attention to detail - every single, tiny, little, seemingly insignificant detail - when buying, building and flying. :)
 

Kilby

Kilby

Active Member
Pre and post flight checks are your best protection. Make a check list of everything you want to go over, and never skip it.
 

DucktileMedia

DucktileMedia

Drone Enthusiast
To a certain degree you get what you pay for. I dont think a Plettenberg is a more reliable motor than an AXI. And ESC's can get excessively expensive. Props are a no brainer. And if you are flying DJI, i wouldnt ever feel confident about anything. You are at the mercy of 50 firmware engineers working on the next gimmick instead of improving the basics of flight. I am totally done with DJI. After flying Hoverfly it is obvious they're the most solid performer. And no, i am not affiliated, I just like to see an American company who makes a huge effort to do everything right get recognition for their efforts. It's nice to see a company that doesnt cut any corners. If you continue to have problems you should give that HFpro a try.
 



Kilby

Kilby

Active Member
If it's a stock 550 kit, then double check your bullet connectors on the ESC's as well as the props. Personally, I think they are both poor designs and the weakest link of that kit. Replace the props with another brand if you can, and try to solder the esc's directly if possible. If you do that, and do regular checks of everything else, you should be fine.

-Terry
 

D

DLien

Member
Hi PaNt,

Balance motors!
Really! How? I mean I haven't looked around to find how this can done yet but in all the lurking I've done, I haven't stumbled upon it anywhere...

Thanks
 

P

PaNt

Member
Its easy..! If you have an iphone you download the Vibrator app and then you put the iphone on the booms with some tire rings and then you give full throttle without prop and you take a sample of vibes on three axis..! then with some tape you try to find where the vibs are lower..! and when you find the spot you put some more tape till you find the lowest vibes..!
 

J

jes1111

Active Member
I've seen video of motor balancing being done with a small zip tie around the casing - find the position of least vibration then replace it with some tape. Haven't tried it myself.
 

P

PaNt

Member
jes1111 said:
I've seen video of motor balancing being done with a small zip tie around the casing - find the position of least vibration then replace it with some tape. Haven't tried it myself.
Click to expand...

Yeap and this is something you can do..! But then you will try to find also how much tape you need..! Its something boring :p :p
 

D

Dewster

Member
Try to maximize the weight to lift ratio. I think some are flying right at the limit and when things go wrong they go real wrong real quick. Props seem to be the biggest reason for craft going down. I don't think there are too many configurations that will survive losing one prop/motor/esc. Make sure your connections are solid. Plugging and unplugging only weakens connectivity. Once you figure out what you want leave it alone and just inspect wires. I use computer cable wrap (the wrap around kind) to protect wires. After one bad crash I saw that the wires that weren't protected received cuts. One was sheared off from the carbon fiber pieces cutting through it. It can save from having to replace your flight system.

Watch your battery level.

I'm building a Y6 hoping for a redundant system in the event of a prop loss (like my last crash).

Stay away from GemFan full carbon fiber props. The 10x4.5s have a thin hub and crack easy. Use Graupners, or APC (they flex vs. self destructing in flight). Think about the build process of props. Carbon fiber has to be molded into shape. Looking at my damage Gemfan props I see that they were attached to a hub unlike the APCs which are one mold.
 
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D

Dewster

Member
I think this is a good thread considering how many craft are being put in the sky. I've seen some pretty hairy videos of craft coming down in populated areas. My craft crashed in a clearing near some woods just after getting past a house. These things weigh a lot so building with redundacy in mind is only logical.
 
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D

Dewster

Member
mailman35 said:
flying an rc blimp is a good way to have something more reliable then a MR :p
Click to expand...

lol! Yep... I agree. At least when it comes down it's not an unexpected event. May design a helium supported multi rotor craft for super slow and safe descents. :) Nice...
 

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