Motor mount question

[New2MultiRotors]

Do you attach the motor mounts are pointing straight up (ie exactly 90 degrees of fc or frame) or do you angle them slightly one way or another (either towards center or away from it)? If the former, how do you make certain that all the mounts are pointing straight up and not slightly angled?

 

[jbrumberg]

I have my motor mounts set horizontally with the frame.

Round booms create some challenges for proper leveling.

I used circular spirit levels to help set up my build.

http://api.viglink.com/api/click?fo...amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have also read articles and posts that seem to imply that a little variance does not matter because the FC will account for the differences, but that may cause some ESC's and motors to work "harder" than others to maintain hover.

 

[fltundra]

Do you attach the motor mounts are pointing straight up (ie exactly 90 degrees of fc or frame) or do you angle them slightly one way or another (either towards center or away from it)? If the former, how do you make certain that all the mounts are pointing straight up and not slightly angled?

Straight up, .1 deg makes a difference! Easiest way to align motors is a straight edge ruler motor to motor.

 

[New2MultiRotors]

Straight up, .1 deg makes a difference! Easiest way to align motors is a straight edge ruler motor to motor.

Thanks. I was actually thinking about using a straight edge but wasn't sure it would be precise enough. Your video makes it very clear.

jbrumberg - do you level out your working area first?

 

[jbrumberg]

Yes. It just makes things easier. I guess in theory, just keeping the frame and boom arms level would be sufficient.

 

[Bartman]

hard to describe but i can make a video later if it will help...use a piece of 1" aluminum angle long enough to span from motor to motor. drill a hole on one end to fit over the prop shaft and then make a slot about an inch long on the other end roughly centered on the other prop shaft.

Put the holey end on one prop shaft and snug a prop nut down on it then put the slotted end on the other prop shaft. twist each motor mount so that the aluminum angle sits flat on both prop mounts. tighten the mounts and then move on to the next two motors. on a quad you can go right around and if the frame and booms are all mounted nicely you'll have perfect motor alignment when you're done.

Did any of that make sense?

 

[fltundra]

Also make you all are pinning these mounts to the tubes.

 

[Bartman]

what do you mean by "pinning"?

 

[fltundra]

what do you mean by "pinning"?

As kloner does in the video. small screw through the mount into the carbon tube. Or they will eventually twist.

 

[jbrumberg]

With my build I "dimpled" the metal round booms where the locking screws meet the boom when I got everything set up level. So far everything is still leveled. I did "pin" the boom arms at the frame chassis with a "set screw" to keep them from moving.

 

[Bartman]

i've never pinned mine, in fact I make them just tight enough so they don't move while flying but will give in a crash so the motors won't get damaged. I've tumbled a heli down a grassy slope and was able to change props, realign the motors and get back to flying without bent prop shafts.

i can see why someone would want to set the mounts in place with a set screw, i guess i just choose not to.

 

[jbrumberg]

That was one reason I only dimpled the metal boom ends where they meet the motor mount. I assumed that that would be the area where having some "give" would be advantageous in the event of a less than effective interaction with a nonmoving solid object, crash, "hard landing", or tip over.

My dimples were created by really torqueing on those set screws.