Since sombody kind of asked for it...
How I lubricate the motor spindles in my Mavic Mini and how I inspect the propellers.

Lube oil courtesy of Remington hair-clipper. Original props against a new set.



After I was done with oil I completely and thoroughly filled with Mayonnaise as suggested.
Thanks for URGING

All that work and then you put motor covers on. Haha wtf... if you are that worried about your drone you should remove them asap.

deathsquad Posted at 5-6 13:34
All that work and then you put motor covers on. Haha wtf... if you are that worried about your drone you should remove them asap.

Absolutely.

He’s finally hit the Self Destruct Button .........

I am absolutely not worried... and I have good reasons not to remove less than 1 grams of balanced weight per engine that covers the sensitive motor spindle area. They don't change the flying dynamics, they don't influence the temperature reading, perhaps make the props a teeny tiny bit further away from the body which might be wanted. Why don't they make them in blue ? ;)

m80116 Posted at 5-6 13:59
I am absolutely not worried... and I have good reasons not to remove less than 1 grams of balanced weight per engine that covers the sensitive motor spindle area. They don't change the flying dynamics, they don't influence the temperature reading, perhaps make the props a teeny tiny bit further away from the body which might be wanted. Why don't they make them in blue ? ;)

...omg!

...ma, che schifo fai?

lol

...geez, another scientist lol
(joking)

I hope that Remington oil is safe for plastics?

Geebax Posted at 5-6 15:44
I hope that Remington oil is safe for plastics?

.....lol
...would love a follow-up and video.

It should be a silicone based oil, it goes into a trimming head which is both plastics and metal with teeth sliding together at an amazing pace, it should leave behind very little or (next) to no residue. Theoretically it should be even more appropriate than the regular all purpose silicone oil that I normally use (for example on bike chains).

m80116 Posted at 5-6 15:49
It should be a silicone based oil, it goes into a trimming head which is both plastics and metal with teeth sliding together at an amazing pace, it should leave behind very little or (next) to no residue. Theoretically it should be even more appropriate than the regular all purpose silicone oil that I normally use (for example in bike chains).

...silicone based Mayonnaise huh??

...lol, miam miam!

I am afraid dust may still get in from the gap near base.

Guorium Posted at 5-6 17:47
I am afraid dust may still get in from the gap near base.

That is correct, and mix with the excess oil to make a nice fine abrasive paste.

The thing to note with hair clipper oil is it is used on the blades not the motor. In fact you have to be careful not to get the oil anywhere near the clipper motors. I don't know why people do things to ruin their drones. First motor caps, now hair oil in the motors... the mayo is supposed to be a joke I think but we were already laughing before you even mentioned that.

Never try to lubricate a ball bearing which is used for such high rounds per minute. It slows down the motor and the required current will be higher to reach the desired speed of the props. This is the best way into an epic fail :-)

While I don’t agree with any oil on sealed bearings (there’s no need by design) the oil will become a dust magnet.  As for motor caps I recently gone back to my screw on type as I’m sick of trashing blades on the body.  There is no discernible temperature increase after aggressive S mode flying.

deathsquad Posted at 5-6 20:36
The thing to note with hair clipper oil is it is used on the blades not the motor. In fact you have to be careful not to get the oil anywhere near the clipper motors. I don't know why people do things to ruin their drones. First motor caps, now hair oil in the motors... the mayo is supposed to be a joke I think but we were already laughing before you even mentioned that.

Where is the need to lube the blades with oil? What is it good for?

Never did that

LoneRanger4711 Posted at 5-7 01:42
Where is the need to lube the blades with oil? What is it good for?

It’s good for getting rid of the lube

no thanks, I will keep blowing each engine at the end of the flight

TDZHDTV Posted at 5-7 00:24
While I don’t agree with any oil on sealed bearings (there’s no need by design) the oil will become a dust magnet.  As for motor caps I recently gone back to my screw on type as I’m sick of trashing blades on the body.  There is no discernible temperature increase after aggressive S mode flying.

What prop is striking the body? Have you seen the Prop wear thread? You most likely have a bad prop, good props don't strike the body.

OMG

ABeardedItalian Posted at 5-7 04:12
What prop is striking the body? Have you seen the Prop wear thread? You most likely have a bad prop, good props don't strike the body.

Hi, yes I’ve read that tread.  I’ve had at least 3 sets on the front right arm as you look at the gimbal.  I’m pretty sure flex in the arm/ prop starts an oscillation under varied flying scenarios resulting in the strike.

TDZHDTV Posted at 5-7 08:05
Hi, yes I’ve read that tread.  I’ve had at least 3 sets on the front right arm as you look at the gimbal.  I’m pretty sure flex in the arm/ prop starts an oscillation under varied flying scenarios resulting in the strike.

Everyone blames the front arms but why doesn't it happen to all mini's? I know the same can be said for the props but from my testing this could very well of been one of the early signs of prop wear.

My original rear props never had the motor error and were fine via the rpm graph, but when switched to the front motors I had immediate prop striking on the front right motor. When those same props installed on the Rear never had an issue, but the Rear props have a greater clearance before they would strike the rear arms where as the front props pass over a part of the body which if the props are deforming will strike the body.

The same goes for the deforming arms, the front props have less clearance and if the arm is deforming the props will strike the body. It could very well be a combination of both but there's a lot less threads on prop strike then we have had about the Rear left and Front right props having issues.

ABeardedItalian Posted at 5-7 09:10
Everyone blames the front arms but why doesn't it happen to all mini's? I know the same can be said for the props but from my testing this could very well of been one of the early signs of prop wear.

My original rear props never had the motor error and were fine via the rpm graph, but when switched to the front motors I had immediate prop striking on the front right motor. When those same props installed on the Rear never had an issue, but the Rear props have a greater clearance before they would strike the rear arms where as the front props pass over a part of the body which if the props are deforming will strike the body.

I’m blaming the front arms because as part of my experimenting I put some UHMW tape at the back of the arm to create a box section, it had the desired effect and reduced the torsional twist, the only issue was in flight and more evident in hover (outdoors) the whole arm and prop started to oscillate, I really wish I’d taken a photo at the time as it was severe deforming of the props.  I can also, set this up if I hand launch with the stock Mini if I delay releasing it Momentarily

That kind of oil is by nature compatible with metals and softer metals like brass and plastics. Bearings with motion, time, age, humidity, heat cycles give way to dryness, slowly releasing the most volatile part of the grease. Adding a compatible oil in moderate amounts prevents additional volatile runoff and possibly condition the existing grease inside the bearing by slowly seeping in rather tha letting it dry even more.

My Mini was already enjoying this treatment before the lockdown, and was already showing signs of increased resistance before I applied it. As for the dust accumulation it's just a speculation, the external collars were pristine (as you can see in the video) as I also have dust covers, and most of the controlled amount of oil seeps immediately in along the shaft.

LoneRanger4711 Posted at 5-7 01:42
Where is the need to lube the blades with oil? What is it good for?

Oiling your trimmer before each cut lubricates the blades which will give you a smoother cut. It also helps to keep the blades cool during the trim. Since the blades function like scissors gliding each other, chances are they will likely overheat. Lubricants help the blades cut smoothly and prevents friction that causes overheating. But they don't add the oil to the motor of the clippers just the blades...

I tell you more... I have de-icing for the props. When was the last time somebody recommended to use de-icing chemical on drone props ?

Never actually got to use that... but I've seen ice build up on the underside of the blades causing very substantial loss of thrust for the MM. Better ready than sorry ;)

m80116 Posted at 5-7 14:53
I tell you more... I have de-icing for the props. When was the last time somebody recommended to use de-icing chemical on drone props ?

Never actually got to use that... but I've seen ice build up on underside of the blades causing very substantial loss of thrust for the MM. Better ready than sorry ;)

lol...is that from the same book as your mayonnaise recipe?

...better de-ice the frosting by inviting gran-kids...

...how about airborn zombies?

...sprinkle with holy water as pre-flight?

...omg...you the best nobel-prize scientist here...so funny...thanks for making us laugh in these hard times

Frozen Mayonnaise and de-icing cake... never heard of it ? ;)

m80116 Posted at 5-7 15:34
Frozen Mayonnaise and de-icing cake... never heard of it ? ;)

hehe...yeah, here in cold Canada, is best desert ever...especially at Christmas time