Has anyone else noticed this (prop induced vibration)?

Joined
Jan 13, 2015
Messages
41
Reaction score
19
So, I just got my P3P yesterday and have flown it twice. Noticed some minor jello in my videos and decided to inspect my props. I don't have a prop balancer so I couldn't really test the balance, HOWEVER, I noticed that as I was screwing the props on, they seemed to "wobble" as they were traveling down the threads. All of my props do this to some degree, the black props seem to be worse. The craft is definitely vibrating quite a bit, and my best guess is that this is the cause. Is this even something that can be fixed? Or were ALL of my props somehow manufactured wrong?

Here's a video I took with my phone (Recorded in portrait. Forgive me, father)
To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.
 
Sure looks like it's wobbling.

This will be tough on the bearings too.
 
Mine are smooth as I wind them onto the threads. Is it possible that you tightened them too much and damaged the plastic threads inside the prop hubs?
 
shaft is out of balance. You may need a new motor. Take off the prop and run the motor to verify. If there's any wobble, you'll notice. If not, it's the prop.
 
Definitely didn't damage the threads on the props. I even tried the second set of props and they did the same thing.
 
shaft is out of balance. You may need a new motor. Take off the prop and run the motor to verify. If there's any wobble, you'll notice. If not, it's the prop.
So I took the props off and ran the motors. They seem absolutely smooth, definitely not out of balance enough to cause such a dramatic wobble in the props. I even lightly touched the motors while they were spinning to see if I could feel a vibration and couldn't feel anything out of the ordinary. I just don't see how ALL of my propellers could have been manufactured wrong. Do you think there's a chance that the black and silver indicators are just off center and creating the illusion of wobbling? I'm thinking I need to get a prop balancer now.

Anyway, it's not as easy to see anything in this video as it was with the prop video, but the motors look smooth while spinning:
To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.
 
I balanced my props as i do for all my drones planks and the like and i too see this wobble effect and think that the black and silver caps are not perfectly symmetrical.
 
I balanced my props as i do for all my drones planks and the like and i too see this wobble effect and think that the black and silver caps are not perfectly symmetrical.
Yeah. That's what I'm starting to think. Guess it's time to get a balancing rod
 
Well if the caps are off-center than there's no need to balance the props.

You need to replace them.
 
Well if the caps are off-center than there's no need to balance the props.

You need to replace them.
No, what I'm (and what he is) saying is that the painted-on black/silver circle might not be perfectly symmetrical. So it LOOKS like it's wobbling when it spins, but it actually isn't. I think the actual hubs are probably right, just the painted part is wrong. Since all of my props do this, I'm thinking that's the issue. Therefore, my vibration is probably being caused by off-balance props.
 
  • Like
Reactions: loganr
Well you're there and I'm not...
but that amount of vibration combined with your observation of the loose threads would make me think twice.

Plus, this is the first I have seen of such with a P3.

Maybe I'm behind the times???
 
i just put one of my prop back in the DU-BRO Prop balancer and when rotating prop on to the shaft looks like a wobble but is perfectly balanced...........don't make me get the DTI out lol.

its defo the cap....looking at it side on spinning its out of wack by a mile its just paint.
 
The black dots on my propellers were definitely off center. Gave a wobble illusion. But they were so far off center it was obvious what was happening. Was so bad I thought 'wtf, are these counterfeit?? ' It flies good and steady though.
 
Not counterfeit, just some poor guy dipping millions of props into a can of paint 14 hours a day.
 
i just put one of my prop back in the DU-BRO Prop balancer and when rotating prop on to the shaft looks like a wobble but is perfectly balanced...........don't make me get the DTI out lol.

its defo the cap....looking at it side on spinning its out of wack by a mile its just paint.
Okay, thanks for confirming. I ordered a prop balance rod, so I'll balance my props and see if that fixes (or at least reduces) my vibration.
 
That is quite a wobble in your motors with the props on, but no wobble with the props off. If you find that your props are balanced correctly and you still have the wobble in your motors, I would think that there may be something wrong with your motor mounts and that the centrifugal force of the props coupled with a possible motor mount issue could cause the motor wobble. As an example a car tire with missing or loose lug nuts will cause the wheel to wobble and eventually the wheel will break off. Now looking at other threads particularly arm cracks near the motors this wobble could be the cause of the arm cracks.
 
Well ??????
Basically, I think the wobble is purely an illusion caused by the black/silver marks being painted slightly off-center. I balanced both the props and prop hubs, and there is very little actual vibration (No jello in video or anything). Turned out to be not as big of a problem as it initially appeared.
 

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
143,066
Messages
1,467,358
Members
104,935
Latest member
Pauos31