Prop Balancing
If you are having vibration problems, anything from mild jello to crashes, you need to balance your props. Even if you see no sign of vibration whatsoever, balancing your props will make your motors run a bit smoother and let the bearings last longer. It’s easy. It doesn’t take expensive tools. It does take a specialized tool, a prop balancer, but a basic one like that shown in Figure 22-3 costs less than $10. Better ones will allow balancing self-tightening props that don’t have a hole all the way through.
If you are having vibration problems, anything from mild jello to crashes, you need to balance your props. Even if you see no sign of vibration whatsoever, balancing your props will make your motors run a bit smoother and let the bearings last longer. It’s easy. It doesn’t take expensive tools. It does take a specialized tool, a prop balancer, but a basic one like that shown in Figure 22-3 costs less than $10. Better ones will allow balancing self-tightening props that don’t have a hole all the way through.
Figure 22-3 A prop balancer, scissors, and electrical tape are all you need to balance a prop
With the proper hub adapter in place, gently screw the prop into the balancer. Cut a piece of electrical tape, one centimeter square for a badly balanced prop or less if the prop already seems close. Stick the tape on the leading edge and check the balance. Move it back and forth until the blades seem as even as possible. Now it’s time to balance the prop hub. Yes, it’s kind of a fine point and not everyone does it, but you’ve got it on the balancer, so why not?
Once the blades are perfectly balanced, push one side down. If the prop has a tendency to return to level no matter which blade you push, the lower side of the hub is heavier. If, on the other hand, when you push either blade down, that side stays down, then the top side of the hub is heavier. You can lighten the heavier side by sanding a bit with a medium-grit sandpaper. It is probably best to take the prop off the balancer so you don’t sand it and unbalance your tool. I found that one side of the hub always has noticeably more flashing and ends up heavier, so I will often sand that side down a bit before even starting.
If you get good motors and balance your props well, you can enjoy smooth €flying and smooth video. And even if your drone flies fine with props straight out of the delivery box, do your bearings and your gyros a favor and balance them up anyway. Your drone will feel more like the precision machine that it is.
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