Decoding Drone Motor Mayhem: Your Guide to Fixing Twitching Motors & Props
That dreaded moment: your drone sputters mid-flight, motors twitch erratically, and you brace for a less-than-graceful landing – or worse. A "twitching motor" is often the first sign of a looming drone disaster, potentially leading to damaged propellers and grounded flights. But don’t despair! Like any seasoned pilot knows, understanding the problem is the first step to recovery. Fortunately, the online drone community is buzzing with solutions, and YouTube is a treasure trove of expert advice on diagnosing and fixing these exact issues. We’ve sifted through hours of footage to bring you key insights from top drone gurus, helping you troubleshoot motor and propeller problems and get your bird back in the air. Let’s dive into the wisdom shared by these experienced pilots and instructors, ensuring your next flight is smooth and your equipment is in top shape.
Key Insights from the Experts: Troubleshooting Twitching Motors & Propellers
Safety First, Props Off: Before you even think about diagnosing a twitching motor, heed the universal call for drone safety: remove the propellers! This simple step, emphasized in multiple videos, is crucial for preventing accidental injury and further damage during troubleshooting. Imagine the whirring blades suddenly spinning up unexpectedly – not a scenario you want to be near.
Symptom Spotting: Motor or ESC?: Is it a bad motor or a faulty Electronic Speed Controller (ESC)? This is the million-dollar question when dealing with twitching motors. One video expertly guides you through differentiating between these culprits. Listen closely to the motor sounds and observe its physical behavior. A dragging motor might not be entirely dead, but it’s certainly signaling trouble.
The Power of Physical Inspection: Don’t underestimate the value of a thorough visual and tactile inspection. Run your fingers over the motor windings, feeling for any grittiness or resistance that shouldn’t be there. Check for loose wires, damaged bearings, or anything that looks out of place. This hands-on approach, often demonstrated in the videos, can reveal obvious mechanical issues before you even reach for your tools.
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Tool Time: The Short Saver: Protecting your valuable electronics during testing is paramount. A "short saver" tool, highlighted in one video, acts as a crucial safeguard against accidental short circuits while you’re probing and testing components. Think of it as a circuit breaker for your drone – a small investment for significant peace of mind.
ESC Beep Codes: Deciphering the Signals: Your ESCs are constantly communicating with your flight controller, and their startup beeps are more than just a cheerful greeting. These beeps are a diagnostic language! Learn to interpret ESC beep codes, as demonstrated in one video, to quickly pinpoint potential issues during startup. It’s like learning Morse code for your drone – a valuable skill for any serious pilot.
Motor Swap: The Elimination Technique: When troubleshooting, isolation is key. Swapping a suspect motor with a known good one, as shown in a practical demonstration, is a powerful technique. If the twitching follows the motor, you’ve found your culprit. If the problem persists in the same motor location, the ESC or wiring is likely to blame. This is classic fault isolation, just like swapping out a lightbulb to see if the lamp or the bulb is broken.
Beyond Hardware: ESC Tuning for Performance: Sometimes, motor issues aren’t about broken parts but about performance optimization. One video delves deep into ESC tuning using BLHeli_32 software. Learn how to adjust settings like motor timing, PWM frequency, and ramp-up power to prevent desyncs and maximize motor efficiency. This is like fine-tuning an engine for peak performance – unlocking hidden potential through software adjustments.
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Motor Selection Physics: Size, Shape, and KV: Choosing the right motor from the outset is crucial for preventing performance issues down the line. One expert breaks down the physics of motor selection, explaining how motor size, shape, and KV rating directly impact torque, responsiveness, and efficiency. Understanding these principles is like learning the blueprints of your drone’s power plant – ensuring you choose the right engine for the job.
Betaflight Motors Tab: Software Diagnostics: Betaflight, the popular drone firmware, offers a dedicated "Motors" tab for software-based motor testing and configuration. One video provides a complete walkthrough of this essential tool, covering motor direction, ESC protocols (DShot), and even motor error monitoring. Think of it as a digital dashboard for your motors – providing real-time data and control at your fingertips.
Propeller Upgrades: Performance Boost or Just Aesthetics? Upgrading propellers can be tempting, but do they really make a difference? One video reviews aftermarket propellers for a DJI Mini 2, assessing their impact on noise and flight characteristics. Understand the potential benefits and drawbacks of propeller upgrades – are you seeking stealth, efficiency, or just a different look?
Arm Replacement & Motor Access: Sometimes, a drone disaster involves more than just motors and props. Learning how to replace a drone arm, as demonstrated in a step-by-step repair video, is a valuable skill for handling more significant crashes. This video showcases the process of disassembling and reassembling a DJI FPV drone arm, providing access to motor mounts and wiring for repairs or replacements.
Taking Control of Your Drone’s Health
Twitching motors and broken propellers are frustrating setbacks, but they don’t have to spell the end of your drone adventures. By understanding the potential causes, mastering basic troubleshooting techniques, and leveraging the wealth of knowledge available in the drone community, you can confidently tackle these issues. These video insights are your starting point – practical lessons from experienced pilots who’ve been there and fixed that.
Ready to get your hands dirty and bring your drone back to life? Scroll down to explore the video highlights and equip yourself with the knowledge to fix those twitching motors and replace those battle-worn props!
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No matter when and where the mess strikes, stay on top of it with this compact, lightweight shop vacuum. The highly portable design is perfect for quick pick-ups around the house. Never before have we offered so much power and versatility in one portable package. The impressive 6.0 peak HP motor can handle any task, and when detached will blow you away.
Cheech & Chong's Up In Smoke Beaker Bong This Cheech & Chong beaker-style water pipe stands 7.25 inches tall with attached downstem and 14mm male bowl. Pipe comes in assorted colors. Officially licensed. Available colors are dependent on current inventory. HIGHLIGHTS 7.25"" tall: Provides a compact yet effective size for easy handling and storage. 14mm female pipe: Ensures compatibility with a variety of accessories. Attached downstem diffuser: Enhances the smoking experience by providing smooth, filtered hits. Beaker style with bent neck: Offers stability and a comfortable smoking angle. Includes 14mm male herb slide: Conveniently allows for the use of dry herbs. Colors vary: Adds a fun element of surprise and individuality to each purchase.
Quadcopter motor twitching. What next? | BAD MOTOR OR ESC TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDEJoshua Bardwell121,652 views | 3,854 | May 5 2022 20:11:40 (251 comments)[ Read more … ]
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0:00 – Props off for safety! 0:47 – What’s the symptom of a bad ESC or motor? 1:27 – Why the motor and ESC but not the FC? 2:26 – A “dragging” motor is not necessarily bad 3:41 – Start with a physical inspection of the motor 7:35 – You need to have this tool to protect your equipment! 8:44 – Starting to discuss ESC startup beeps but then…
https://youtu.be/XozTH9gEhH8 – How to find the short circuit in your quadcopter.
11:19 – Motor construction, and how it relates to how motors fail 13:44 – Additional tests to see if motor or ESC is bad
https://youtu.be/NW4a3AnraVk – How to tell if your ESC is bad.
14:37 – Next step: swap the motor with a good motor and see if it spins 15:33 – How to interpret ESC startup beeps for troubleshooting 21:22 – How to tell and what to do if your FC is damaged
https://youtu.be/FysPHx7RL9s – How to use resource remapping to work around a bad motor output.
26:22 – Can you really build a whole quadcopter with no soldering and not computer?
https://youtu.be/nKisP0HUNMo – Watch Ken Heron build a quadcopter with NO SOLDERING
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Tuning your ESC (BLHeli_32) to stop desyncs and improve motor performance in your FPV quadcopter!Chris Rosser51,768 views | 1,774 | August 6 2021 12:00:03 (251 comments)[ Read more … ]
Support me on Patreon for sneak peeks and Discord access: https://www.patreon.com/chris_rosser
Other tuning videos to watch first: Filters – https://youtu.be/iU8yuBBKIKw PIDs – https://youtu.be/WoxDbIbpP_Q Rates – https://youtu.be/RneayCxDN4A
Check out my frames: https://www.cncdrones.com/Chris-Rosser_c_32.html
In this video we are going to take a deeper look at the theory of ESC tuning and the settings you can tune to get your quad flying its best.
Timestamps:
0:00 – Intro 00:39 – Connecting to BLHeli_32 03:30 – How BLDC motors work 12:49 – Motor Direction 14:49 – Motor Timing 19:10 – PWM frequency 23:22 – Rampup Power 28:46 – Temperature Protection 29:09 – Demag Compensation 29:43 – Sine Modulation Mode 31:09 – Brake on Stop 32:26 – Settings to leave at defaults 34:50 – Outro
How to pick the best motor for your quadcopter, now with PHYSICS!Chris Rosser82,292 views | 3,506 | April 11 2021 17:08:23 (543 comments)[ Read more … ]
In this video we’re going deep into the fundamentals of what makes a good motor for our FPV quads. We’re talking motor size, motor shape, KV, responsiveness, even throttle resolution and feel.
There are no bad questions only bad answers! So if you want to dive even deeper or want further clarification on anything get your questions into the comments.
TIMESTAMPS 0:00 – Intro 1:45 – What governs motor torque 5:19 – Motor shape, and how it affects performance 6:50 – Motor responsiveness for low throttle stability 10:20 – Motor cooling 11:04 – Choosing the best motor shape 12:37 – Choosing the right motor size 13:53 – The effect of motor KV on performance 17:04 – Picking the right KV 20:32 – Getting the right throttle feel and resolution 22:28 – Outro
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Betaflight 4.3 Motors Tab | COMPLETE WALKTHROUGH PART 5Joshua Bardwell78,558 views | 4,611 | April 6 2022 22:18:32 (120 comments)[ Read more … ]
Uncertain about what to buy? Check out THE ULTIMATE FPV SHOPPING LIST: https://www.fpvknowitall.com/ultimate-fpv-shopping-list
SUPPORT ME ON PATREON at: http://bit.ly/2Ep5Sia
THIS IS MY FULL TIME JOB. Here are other ways that you can support me: https://www.fpvknowitall.com/support-me/
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Watch all the videos in this series at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkBWRiEGKTI&list=PLwoDb7WF6c8nT4jjsE4VENEmwu9x8zDiE —
0:00 – Welcome to the Motors Tab 0:27 – The Mixer 1:59 – Motor Direction Is Reversed
https://youtu.be/bZL-BBl9JnE – Props in vs. Props out rotation
3:27 – ESC / Motor Protocol. Dshot 150, 300, and 600. Which to pick? 5:59 – MOTOR_STOP 7:03 – Air Mode overrides MOTOR_STOP 7:30 – ESC_SENSOR enables BLHeli32 ESC Telemetry
https://youtu.be/mlQplDPdIQ4 – Why I don’t usually care about BLHeli telemetry
8:13 – Bidirectional Dshot, Motor Poles
https://youtu.be/yEDhnBUFQNI – Flash Bluejay to your blheli_s ESC to get bidirectional dshot support
9:38 – Motor Idle Percent 11:29 – 3D ESC/Motor Features
https://youtu.be/ZinxiqZwozQ – How to set up 3D mode
12:37 – “I understand the risks the propellers are removed” 13:16 – Motor sliders 14:43 – Motor Error% and RPM counter 17:16 – Why is there a gyro readout in Motors tab? 18:57 – Re-order motors and Motor direction wizards 21:07 – The order that I personally go through this tab 21:36 – Next up! The configuration tab!
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DJI Mini 2 / SE | Master Airscrew Stealth Propeller Upgrade REVIEWSteve Coutts58,343 views | 1,068 | March 1 2022 01:44:51 (228 comments)[ Read more … ]
I spent a couple of months flying my Mini 2 with the Master Airscrew Stealth propellers and this is my review.
NOTE: One item I didn’t touch on specifically but should have, is propeller guards. Because the MAS propellers are a touch longer, it’s quite likely that they will make contact with your Mini 2/SE prop guards and should probably not be used if you plan on using the guards.
As always, thanks for watching!
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How To Replace DJI FPV Drone Front ArmTRONCAT FPV75,779 views | 1,792 | June 4 2021 13:00:04 (418 comments)[ Read more … ]
In this video, I go step by step on how to disassemble, replace, and reassemble the DJI FPV drone to replace the front arm assembly. It’s not completely necessary to remove the fan or GPS module. I prefer to since it’s only a couple extra steps and ensures the components won’t be damaged when doing the rest of the repair.
Buy the DJI FPV Drone Here: https://amzn.to/3vTw5NC Replacement Arm: https://bit.ly/3pjO6Cf
Follow Me on Instagram for even more! https://www.instagram.com/troncat_fpv/ Thingiverse Profile: https://www.thingiverse.com/troncat_fpv/designs My Website: http://www.Troncatfpv.com
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Tools: Multi-tool: https://www.banggood.com/custlink/mvvRogic7Q Portable Soldering Iron: https://www.banggood.com/custlink/Gv3YL6ZHY0 Motor Grip Pliers: https://www.banggood.com/custlink/3DvEle8FRn LiPo Battery Voltage Tester: https://www.banggood.com/custlink/mvmhl6SPhM
Other Equipment: Naked GoPro Hero 8 Case & BEC: https://bit.ly/3yuWjI5 Naked GoPro 6 Case & BEC: https://www.banggood.com/custlink/vKmRj6icTk Balance Lead GoPro power cable: https://www.banggood.com/custlink/KvDhL69C71
DJI Mavic Mini 2: https://www.banggood.com/custlink/3DGYoB8WsN GPS Module: https://www.banggood.com/custlink/3mKELB9pzA QX7 Controller: https://www.banggood.com/custlink/vDmdLBZPdu Analog Goggles: https://www.banggood.com/custlink/mDKyo6iWb2
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