Prop balancing?  I have never noticed excessive vibration in my P3P.  Should I think about getting a balancer?  Have you balanced yours, and did you find they truly needed it?  If you do recommend balancing, what balancer did you purchase, and would you purchase it again?

Sorry about the repeat for option 5.... didnt notice it was there!

jaronpv@hotmail Posted at 2015-10-1 20:59
Sorry about the repeat for option 5.... didnt notice it was there!

Some of the older flyers swear by it... for example: http://forum.dji.com/forum.php?m ... 6&fromuid=34826

However, personally I would approach this with caution. It seems to me that because one side of a prop is marginally heavier than the other might be more preferable than one side becoming less efficient due to its profile being sanded incorrectly. I presume these props are moulded en masse and not scientifically precise or hand finished by master technicians to start with? I don't tinker with them myself and I can't say that I've sat with a stopwatch to see if I could improve flight time or measured with a ruler how straight a test flight was or checked video footage for less 'jello'.

I think those that do are of the old school when flying was more hands on and included building your own 'bird'. My generation has less time, and greater choice in the shops - DJI have produced an excellent piece of tech and it flies out the box as is - purportedly unbalanced props et al.

It depends upon how serious you are about your images. The jello effect is primarily caused by vibration in the aircraft, if you can live with it fine, then don't bother balancing. I am more inclined to try and balance to limit the jello effect as I have been fighting that problem for years with other cameras.

Geebax Posted at 2015-10-1 23:31
It depends upon how serious you are about your images. The jello effect is primarily caused by vibra ...

Try ProDAD Mercalli v4 - jello can be a thing of the past

Phuglie Posted at 2015-10-1 18:38
Try ProDAD Mercalli v4 - jello can be a thing of the past

I don't know if I'm "old school" but I did check them for balance and out of the box they were very good. There really was no need to re-balance mine. I think you are right when you say they are likely done in molds and therefore minimal deviation.

Posed this same question at numerous forums.   Everyone said "YOU MUST BALANCE YOUR PROPS"!!!!!

So I bought a balancer.....

Have not yet found a prop out of balance.

Phuglie Posted at 2015-10-2 08:38
Try ProDAD Mercalli v4 - jello can be a thing of the past

I already use Mercalli 4 SAL, but I prefer to avoid jello wherever possible. Mercalli does degrade the image to some extent, so best if you don't need it.

I used a dubro balancer with a balancing rod and every prop of the eight included with my P3P were out of balance. Some more than others. It takes a minute or two per prop at best with some tape for balancing them. I prefer not to sand them. Each to their own, but why not minimise or eliminate problems rather than fix it in post.

I bought a dubro and was very surprised that all of my props were out of balance.  I made the decision while hovering in a garage.  I noticed a lot of vibration across the bird.  Once balanced, no noticeable vibration at all.  For $35 and about 20 minutes, to me, it's more than worth it.  Potential stress crack deterrent?  

I always check but rarely need to balance.

About 50% of my DJI props have been just a bit off balance. Prop balancers are inexpensive. It's a handy tool to own.

It is always worth it to check and/or balance if needed every prop on every aircraft. Out of balance props can degrade video, but more importantly it will age bearings in motors/engines and the vibrations will loosen screws and can cause problems with electronics over time.

It is a very simple quick procedure. The sanding on the back of a prop does not effect the aerodynamics of the prop at all, just stay away from the edges. To balance a hub I add a small drop of thick CA an hit with activator, repeat until perfect balance is achieved.

There are lots of vids on the internet showing how it is done. I use the Du-Bro balancer it is very high quality and easy to use.

Another good safety check is to check the temp of all your motors after flying. An IR thermometer is the best tool. But just using your hands work. The metal on the outrunners should be warm but not too hot to touch after landing, and if one is hotter than the others then you have a problem.

On "old fashioned" built MRs it is always important to balance the MR as well. If one side is heavier then the motors on that side will work harder so the motors will be hotter and burn out faster. If you addd any extras to your Phantom make sure it is still balanced. This is done by picking the MR up by one finger on each motor arm right under the motors and make sure it stays level, check both pairs of opposing arms.

Happy and safe flying to all...

olof@westsideav Posted at 2015-10-3 21:32
It is always worth it to check and/or balance if needed every prop on every aircraft. Out of balance ...

DuBro balancer highly recommended.  Makes a big difference.  Vibration from out of balance props causes blur.  In two sets of stock props only two props were balanced, the rest needed adjustment.  I scrape off the DJI logo on top of the heavy side of the prop with a nail file bit by bit, works well and doesn't affect the foil of the props.

olof@westsideav Posted at 2015-10-3 07:32
It is always worth it to check and/or balance if needed every prop on every aircraft. Out of balance ...

Very good info! Thank you so much!  I have read on the Dubro balancer.  Many have stated that it's balancing arm does not work with the composite hub on the P3?  Is this true?  If so, where can I get the correct part?

If there was something like a car tire balancer that would tell me exactly how to fix the balancing or, balance for me, I would go for it 110%.

jaronpv, the Du-Bro balancer works just fine if you buy the appropriate balancing rod to go with it. The SpeedyTM balancer works just as well and comes with the correct rod. You can find all of the compatible options here.

Phantom Help Posted at 2015-10-3 14:06
jaronpv, the Du-Bro balancer works just fine if you buy the appropriate balancing rod to go with it. ...

Sweet!  Thanks so much!

jaronpv@hotmail Posted at 2015-10-3 14:42
Very good info! Thank you so much!  I have read on the Dubro balancer.  Many have stated that it's ...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product ... _detailpage_o04_s00

This is one place to order the correct part.

Geebax Posted at 2015-10-2 05:11
I already use Mercalli 4 SAL, but I prefer to avoid jello wherever possible. Mercalli does degrade ...

I don't see 'jello' in any of my videos

michael.tristra Posted at 2015-10-2 06:45
I used a dubro balancer with a balancing rod and every prop of the eight included with my P3P were o ...

I didn't really think I needed to balance mine, but all this talk made me curious so I decided to order a balancer. I ended up ordering the Speedy Prop Balancer for Dji Phantoms from Amazon. I checked their website and it looks good- we'll see. I will also pick up a set of black CF Dji props. People have reported they are quieter.

Phuglie Posted at 2015-10-4 09:22
I don't see 'jello' in any of my videos

Neither do I, but I don't have my Phantom yet, still 4 days away. I do, on the other hand, get lots of jello on my GoPro Hero4s, all of them, when attached to moving vehicles. That's why I use Mercalli V4 SAL.

Geebax Posted at 2015-10-4 00:32
Neither do I, but I don't have my Phantom yet, still 4 days away. I do, on the other hand, get lot ...

Yes, I get jello on my GoPro H4s also when not using a gimbal - but I hope you are as delighted with your Phantom 3 as I am when you start using it to take video

Phuglie Posted at 2015-10-4 10:46
Yes, I get jello on my GoPro H4s also when not using a gimbal - but I hope you are as delighted wit ...

Thank you, I am sure I will enjoy it, nice to get even more toys to play with. I firmly believe in the old adage that when you come to meet your maker 'She/He who has the most toys wins'

Geebax Posted at 2015-10-4 01:12
Thank you, I am sure I will enjoy it, nice to get even more toys to play with. I firmly believe in ...

I forgot to add ND filters also help with jello - having a direct effect on shutter speed.

Phuglie Posted at 2015-10-4 11:35
I forgot to add ND filters also help with jello - having a direct effect on shutter speed.

Agreed, I bought the full set of 3 when I ordered the aircraft. Although it was a bit of a process as not all the bits I wanted come through a local dealer, some I had to buy direct through the DJI shop. Weather is looking good for practice here....

mostly the new props out of box are balanced, but if you ever hit them, then props need to be balanced

I do it when I have nothing else to do. I buy quality Props, preferabbly DJI Props. I have never had one way out of spec. It is usually just a little tweaking. I have never had any vibration issues on any of my DJI Quads.

Phuglie Posted at 2015-10-1 17:52
Some of the older flyers swear by it... for example: http://forum.dji.com/forum.php?mod=redirect&g ...

I would have to agree with you. I may do it when I am bored and have nothing better to do. Than again, if you are tweaking the prop and go a little to far with the Sandpaper you may end up with a toothpick when you finally have it right. Now what do you do with the other three?

rodger Posted at 2015-10-5 13:39
I would have to agree with you. I may do it when I am bored and have nothing better to do. Than ag ...

It's much cheaper to buy a box of toothpicks -

Phuglie Posted at 2015-10-3 17:22
I don't see 'jello' in any of my videos

"I don't see 'jello' in any of my videos "
How about pudding?

Interesting timing.Go to     rotordronemag.com
they have an article about balancing props in this month's issue.

Phuglie Posted at 2015-10-1 14:52
Some of the older flyers swear by it... for example: http://forum.dji.com/forum.php?mod=redirect&g ...

I don't sand, I just add a small amount of tape to the lighter side.

noticon75 Posted at 2015-10-5 17:59
"I don't see 'jello' in any of my videos "
How about pudding?

We don't have 'Jello' in the UK - we have 'Jelly' -

Phuglie Posted at 2015-10-6 07:35
We don't have 'Jello' in the UK - we have 'Jelly' -

Here in Australia we have Aeroplane Jelly, specially designed for use on RC aircraft.

http://www.aeroplanejelly.com.au/

Phuglie Posted at 2015-10-2 05:52
Some of the older flyers swear by it... for example: http://forum.dji.com/forum.php?mod=redirect&g ...

You should inform yourself more, you think you're smart and imagine that you know more than those who practice the hobby for decades. Needs a little more humility and a little lesson.
If only it were to reduce the vibration of the camera would be interesting but unbalanced propellers, no matter how small, will cause reduction of the normal life of the engine, battery and structure, loss of income and require more processing to keep the system in balance.
I took 4 of 8 in the vanes and equipment a presented a pretty intense, including lateral imbalance.
The method of balance was the addition of Cyanoacrylate on man lighter and also the extent of the cyan shovel opposite to lateral imbalance. The other three were balanced.
As the propeller is not thru-hole it was necessary to create a way to put the shovel in the balancer shaft Du-Bro, used two Silicon tubes being a very fair and another rod that would come on top of the first forming a Loofah.The videos show before and after balancing.





Follows article, photos and videos on my page at fabebook

https://www.facebook.com/evoooficial/posts/942648025782130

@ marcomedeiros

You say "You should inform yourself more..." - absolutely, I don't know everything there is to know about all subjects! Neither do you!
".. you think you're smart..." - no I don't - you assume too much!
".. and imagine that you know more than those who practice the hobby for decades..." - time is no guarantee of acquired wisdom; aptitude and effort are!
".. needs a little more humility..." - you either have humility or not - there are no degrees of humility!
".. and a little lesson - I'm happy to learn from those in a position to teach; this is not you!"

Your attempt at translating into English is clumsy and unclear and I have no interest in watching your videos.

Phuglie Posted at 2015-10-5 08:48
It's much cheaper to buy a box of toothpicks -

True1 The best fix that I have seen is to use clear spray on the light blade to increase it's weight. Quick and easy.

rodger Posted at 2015-10-6 07:08
True1 The best fix that I have seen is to use clear spray on the light blade to increase it's weig ...

I like this.  Clear spray. I'll use that!

It is also important to keep in mind when altering the weight of one blade with respect to another not to upset the smooth airflow over the blade. So only make alterations to the underside of the blade, never on the top surface.