How to balance a prop for FPV to help remove video 'wobbles'

[@lostalaska]

Watched a couple other videos on youtube about prop balancing, you were the first video to bring up the point about the hub and how to balance it. Thanks for all the awesome vids and sharing all your experience with the community. I'm about to purchase my first 250 sized kit quad, your other videos have been a huge help in narrowing down what it is I want out of my first racing quad. I'm leaning toward the Nighthawk Pro FPV Mini 280 RTF as an easy entry point to get the hang of things and then I'm hoping I can sell it to a friend on the cheap to get them into quad racing and at that point I'll build my first one from the ground up. The prices aren't too bad for all the parts once you've already put money into the chargers, batteries and FPV headset. Thanks again for all the vidoes, they've really been helpful in all my research for the past month. edit: subscribed!

[@Painless360]

+lostalaska Welcome to the channel! :D

[@rodrigonh]

This is exactly what I'm trying to fix right now. Actually thinking what I could do to balance those self-locking props (like DJi phantom3 ones). Never saw a prop balancing tool that accepts that one. Thanks for the video.

[@ThePetrifiedwood]

Great video! This is one of the more easily understood explanations of hub balancing that I've seen. I'll be using this technique shortly!

[@prestonshute7243]

Excellent, most forget about the hub and I only have found one balancer that was right from the factory. Thanks for all your super videos. Cheers

[@agentbertram4769]

Thanks Mr Painless. I'll balance my props from now on.

[@robertpastorella]

Great video and explanation with visual demos. Always nice to find a solution that's well done. Thanks!

[@MrDanoman812]

Thank you Sir... i've got the cheap magnetic balancer. It just became usable... MUCH appreciated. Unbalanced props also cause the craft to be much less efficient on top of many other issues it causes over the life of the craft.

[@hspeed3656]

Good day Lee. Well I have balanced a couple props but never considered the hub part of the blade. cool. and very easy after watching your tips on this. Awhile back you gave me tips on search for RC info, (in general and on your site) I tried searching first from you home page "balance", didn't show up, then from the main KZbin search field with "painless 360 balancing" and there it was. Likely an issue with the guy doing the typing (LOL) but just thought you might have an idea or two. Anyway, thanks for all you do and share. Jeff

[@tilneyaviation]

Great video and thanks for sharing! I've been flying model airplanes for years and never balanced the hub like you did, but I'm certainly going to start now. I guess there is always something new to learn. BTW...I recently ordered the x525 with the multiwii 2.5 board and GPS unit. I'm looking forward to putting it together. I do have a question. I bought the GPS even though I didn't see what its full capabilities are. I know that sounds silly, but for 30 bucks I figured I'd just youtube it after the fact. Do you happen to have any info on its capabilities?

[@scottferguson1932]

Congrats. You have turned 30 seconds of dry, uninteresting material into ten minutes of interesting watching! I don't know how you do it, but I commend you for it.

[@Focht08]

Your video helped me a lot. 1st, I have the same simple crappy prop balancer like you and it's way out of balance. I used your method of balancing it and now it is much better, not perfect but at least it is working now. 2nd, After not having much luck with plastic props i switched to CF ones and since they are heavier than my previous ones, they produce much more vibrations, your video is good reference how to balance them too,, in fact I already managed to balance one almost perfectly. Thanks a lot!

[@Painless360]

Hi Bambi, glad to hear this helped. I wasn't aware for a long time that the hub needed balancing too! I have made a very cheap rig to hold this balancer for larger blades and it allows me to spin the prop freely. See Multirotor build tips: 3 blade prop balancing Happy flying!

[@Coreycry]

That is what you would call.. a PROPER balancing. (please don't hurt me)

[@Painless360]

Nice! ;)

[@OneTwo-wt8qv]

I have been buying a lot of props. I have found that thinner props are far more forgiving and have the Natural capacity to soften the flight. Using the thicker carbon props prove to be far more unforgiving and create far more vibrations. I have found this true with my 210 quads too the thinner tri blade Dalprops seem to takeout the wobble where those thick bullnose props add to it. Cheers!

[@power-max]

I never actually though of balancing the inner portion, I would not have guess that a bit of material so close to the center of rotation would have caused problems! However, the way the prop mounting thing works on my setup, there is a bit of slack on the propeller sitting on the shaft, I am afraid that when it is operation, the prop will vibrate within the mount and then become unbalanced with respect to the center of rotation. I wonder why it isn't made with a slight conical shape so that the props self-center like they do in your balancing setup. :/

[@jacksonkr_]

I personally add a little glue to the lighter side of the hub. Both techniques work great.

[@andrewnielsen3178]

I run a third test by running motor while assessing vibration by holding hand on the model. If there is vibration evident then loosen prop and retighten 45 deg around. Continue until minimum or no vibration felt. I suppose that is balancing the motor bell. This one was from Andrew Newton originally.

[@rp4489]

I use shaft that fits the prop using a Transfer Punch Set they come in all sizes, a nice snug fit no need for hubs . just google Transfer Punch Set

[@batmaaaaaaaaaaaaan]

An easy solution to the balancer not being balanced is to just use a thin rod, i've just tried it out and works just as well, of course you have to keep it steady and leveled and would probably never be truly horizontal, but neither would the balancer, just a cheap solution for time being or if you're not into buying one :D

[@m.krishnappapoojary8016]

So balance is importantin propellers and moter and frome of drone it?

[@Stambo59]

I balance each motor, prop, adaptor assembly as one using a laser. That way imbalance from one can be offset by the other. Before doing anything else I rotate the prop a little on the motor until I get the least vibration. You can feel and hear the difference it makes. Then I start on balancing properly with a laser. This tut is for small quads but I do the same on my larger ones. Balance V949 V959 V212 Blades with a Laser

[@rondoschiavoni8840]

on my mini omni drone I have a screw on one side of the prop should I leave the screw in the prop while balancing it, how ever the screw will never be in the position on the prop where it actually stops on the shaft? hmmm

[@AnthonyKwon844]

great video! used your technique to balance my hq5x4 miniquad props. Really great!

[@iqbal2507]

hi there, probably the best vid on prop balancing, just wondering, how do i know whether the hub or the prop is imbalance?

[@Painless360]

+Iqbal Sukor not always easy to tell, the video covers the process. Happy flying!

[@lmdetect]

Horizontal - to balance blades Vertical - to balance hub

[@berniedrew5855]

Balance the balancer. Do'h obvious now. Thanks on the hub balance info.

[@Painless360]

Lol! Most decent balancers are great out of the box but a bent spindle or poorly machined part will cause you heartache trying to get the props spot on..

[@berniedrew5855]

Thanks for these little nuggets of useful info. Also like your articles in RCM&E and Drone magazine. Having someone "Technical" does seem to make the explanations much more clear and understandable. Ta

[@jusvalt]

What about balancing a whole thing (one arm) at once: Motor, prop adapter and propeller. Now you can measure vibrations from one arm at once.

[@Painless360]

Hi, that's what I do now. I balance the prop, then attach it to the motor and then use a zip tie on the motor to find the sweet spot for that prop/motor arm. I feel the vibration using a fingertip on the arm (being very careful) but could use a laser-pointer attached to the arm and see the amount of deflection of the beam onto the wall. Both work.With my largest H quad I still ended up with a rubber isolation mount with some 'Moongel' pads to get it rock steady in full HD recording using the GoPro. Always a great feeling when you find the answer to the last bit of video 'wobble' :)Happy flying!

[@themainproblem]

Your approach makes sense to me. Balance the prop using the unbalanced tool and ignore the tools imperfections then mount the prop on the motor, and do vibration analysis with it spinning. And then apply counter-balance to the motor/prop assembly on the sides of the motor after the labels have been removed.

[@DjZorlag]

I approve your scientific method. ;) So great representations and all. How come I haven't found these earlier?

[@Painless360]

+DjZorlag No Idea?! Welcome to the channel!

[@pronounceenglisheasily2638]

Great vid. What are you ordering to get all this kit? I gonna fpv my Hubsan f4, worthwhile for such small props?

[@Painless360]

Tricky to balance such small props. I'd try it first and see if you get any wobble on the video. They turn so fast you may not need to touch them..

[@alanhennesy2145]

brilliant, you know the tarantula x6 props? they have a screw going through the shaft??? surely madness, isnt there a little clip type thing that goes through a shaft and wraps around it to even out weight like a closed letter 'e' ?

[@alanhennesy2145]

+alan hennesy lol.... i asked google it led me to a car repair tutorial and it mentioned c- clips...... hmmm i wonder if it could simply be called an e-clip lol www.modelsport.co.uk/associated-mgt-8.0-circlip/rc-car-products/38256

[@yangyunbo1]

thats a pretty good way to balance the prop.and i am wonding how to balance your balance prop tool?thank you very much

[@Painless360]

yangyunbo1 Balancing the prop tool is the same as a prop - spin it and see if it stops in the same place every time. If it does, remove some material from that high side/add weight to the low side and keep doing that until it stops randomly. Hope that makes sense!

[@yangyunbo1]

Painless360 i get it,do this way need a accurate level？

[@Painless360]

it needs to be in the same position it will be in when you balance the props.. Happy flying!

[@evrardniels5138]

Thanks for the video. I did thought about balancing the balancer itself... ^^;

[@joblessalex]

I'm loving your videos! I have some really crappy props.... 1045 balances fine with a small piece of tape, 1045R however needs half of the hub cut off and a blob of hot glue on the other side to balance.... or I'm doing something horribly wrong. Whichever.

[@Painless360]

+joblessalex No always, I've had a few props in my time that seemed to have one side made of paper, the other of lead! If it's that bad I wouldn't use it..

[@joblessalex]

Painless360 Thing is, they're all like that. Time to tell the seller.

[@Painless360]

I would, maybe you got one of the 'Friday afternoon' batches ;)

[@patbcsllc]

Great video. I have a frame that the motor mounts are bolted onto round carbon fiber tube. after putting motors on i use a tape measure to get the prop level by measuring each tip so it is the same from the surface. do you have a better way to do this?

[@Painless360]

The only thing I can think of was to make sure the model is level and use a spirit level on top of the motor.. best of luck!

[@meanmaddude1977]

Great info! I didn't balance my balancer nor did I think it would be unbalanced. After watching this video I did a check and yep it was unbalanced! meanmaddude woz ear 2018!

[@4funrc11]

Cool. :) Dynamically balancing 2-blade props; a surefire method? Thx! :)

[@ykcraz]

great video, it will be good if u can make a video on balancing a prop balancer

[@brandeedunlop9152]

just buy a DU BRO prop balancer (well worth the money) and you won't have to waist your time balancing your balancer. finger balancers are a joke.

[@Painless360]

+brandee dunlop Agreed. But lots of pilots use them and with some some and a file to get them spot on they can work great!

[@billrisbridger9868]

Thank you, that made sense to me, I'll go off and practice!

[@justfly7730]

I watched this video years later again after succesfully balancing my 28 inch propellers just to be sure I ve missed no points

[@7markhunter]

This is great, but how do you balance for dynamic forces?

[@Painless360]

Loads of good articles/videos on that.. I like the laser pointer method..

[@styleslider400]

awesome! thanks for this video this explains why my props self level

[@HaveFaithInGod]

Looks like we are to assume the hub is heavier at a precise 45 degrees from the props. If it is more towards the point where the prop joins to the hub then general balancing of the prop would incorporate the hub as well. At some point you got to decide you are finished with just balancing the prop and go flying! Otherwise you piddle more with tweaking than flying. Do we really want to be absorbed into all this minutiae. Just saying.

[@Painless360]

+Colin Bruner only if you don't have video distortion ;)

[@crystalwong2761]

I am trying to balance my Skyviper dash nano drone props

[@marinemarine]

Which propeller is better in between 3 holes and 1 hole?

[@Painless360]

Not sure what you mean, I've not used a lot of exotic props here. I tend to stick to the ones that work for me. Best of luck!

[@deepdivevr7244]

brilliant....just brilliant

[@Ackumy]

i wana ask if i could install different propeller blades in the Walkera QD X350pro quadcopter like instead of 2 bladed propeller if is with 3 or 4 bladed propeller. could it be possible even to improve the weight lift? because I think I'll install a more powerful battery and in it is slightly heavier.

[@Painless360]

You could, not sure what the benefit would be though. The general rule of thumb is that the lower the number of blades the better, two being the practical minimum. Planes use more props when the diameter becomes and issue and the tips of the blades approach supersonic speeds. I would be interested in what you find. Good luck.

[@Ackumy]

Painless360 thx m8

[@ricksquebecrc4627]

Hi lee ! I building Another plane, à mfd full size crosswind and I still have the same problème about clockwise and counterclockwise props etc. , my question is if i have to tighten the nut on the shaft of the motor to the right , do i néed a counterclockwise prop or a clockwise prop, thanks lee

[@Painless360]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/mZnPiIyIoZmHd7c may be worth a look. Happy flying

[@pedrofdmp]

Very useful, thank you.

[@dilanleon4885]

I reccomend magnetic balancers.

[@Relax-wv1tg]

I have this question, when you start balancing, how do you know is it the hub or the blade which is causing prop to fall to one side?

[@Painless360]

Hi Zeeshan, simple answer - you don't. But unless you get the blades to balance you can't see the effect of the hub. Many times I'll balance the blades, then the hub and then find I need to fine tune the blade balance to get it to sit at any angle in the balancer. Happy flying!

[@Relax-wv1tg]

Thanks, this was very helpful.

[@RaoulRacingRC]

What do I need to do when my propbalancer is out of balance? It is impossible to balance the propbalancer. I bought a magnetic propbalancer on ebay for about 4 bucks. Which propbalancer do you recommend?

[@Painless360]

+Raoul Ursum then balance the prop balancer without a prop attached. spin it and remove material from the lowest side when it stops until settling in the same place every time. Best of luck!

[@Cowcharge]

Make sure you only have one cone on the shaft at a time when balancing the balancer.

[@Cowcharge]

Make sure you only have one cone on the shaft at a time when balancing the balancer.

[@scottfrank8805]

another thanks for your videos... I have quad now, my first, and I am trying out 5030 gemfan tri-props on a 250 echine. they look pretty flexible... I need trainer mode. hah

[@jusvalt]

And then you add washers and prop adapters and.. So how to balance washers and locknuts?

[@Painless360]

Hi Jus. I might do a video on this as you are the second person that has asked. Thanks for the idea of showing this..Happy flying!

[@djimpossible613]

how do you balance a prop that only has a hole on one side?

[@scottmarshall6766]

Some of the better balance tool companies are selling threaded mandrels for blind threaded props like some of the commercial multirotors use. Check the Du-Bro catalog. (they fairly new and weren't available when this video was made) Their balance tool is a tad expensive, but comes out of the box dead on and ready for action. I don't regret it's purchase even a little. You can buy different shafts as you go, but the included one handles MOST props. If you don't want to spring for the whole setup, the various mandrels are sold separately and work on any edge just as shown in the video. Great video, as is normal from Painless! Thanks for all the great work!

[@calvincrane]

you leave the tape on ? surely that is leaving a ridge though very small and isnt it better to sand down the heavier prop instead of add weight...then do the hub trick..

[@Painless360]

calvin crane Both work, one is faster than the other - the tape impacts the aerofoil to very small degree. Personal choice really.

[@calvincrane]

Painless360 thanks for that.

[@TheRogerx3]

Thank you nice video., also add weight by adding super glue (CA glue)

[@Painless360]

Thanks Roger. Thanks for the comment. I've tried that method but I personally like the cleaner look of the hub without the blobs of glue. I also end up with it all over me and the other parts of the model :) Seasons greetings and happy flying!

[@mumforddale1]

my prop did that when balancing them but it still flew very good. but im going to go over them today,cause if it flys like that now then wow after i do that its going to be nice!

[@JeremyAverett]

Brilliant!

[@blogical7697]

sir I bought simonk 30 A ESC ....for my quad ....is there any need to flash it with simonk firmware or not???....please guide me.

[@Painless360]

Learners' vlog see our videos on building quad copters. You shouldn't need to change anything, Just make sure you select the right ESC type in any flight controller software you use. Most builders use BLHeli powered ESCS now. Best of luck!

[@pigvador9395]

good job! Thankyou

[@Cowcharge]

Of course you must balance each cone by itself on the shaft, not both at once. Especially if your balancer has a threaded shaft.

[@durvesularevanth1797]

Hi there Can u help that how thrust do a 1000kv motor with 10*5 prop do get for max thrust signal

[@Painless360]

Sorry, I don't understand the question..

[@durvesularevanth1797]

Painless360 what is the maximum thrust generated with a 1000kv bldc motor along with 10*5 propeller Diameter of prop:10inch Pitch of prop:5

[@Painless360]

You need to look at the specs for the motor you're interested in, the thrust (in grams) for the supported props and battery voltages should be listed. Please see the other videos in the 'Introduction to Remote Control' and 'Quadcopter Building for beginners' for more detail.. Best of luck!

[@adilboos]

liked, subscribed, thanx.

[@NaihanchinKempo]

whynot sand the end rather then adding tape? a fingernail emry board should do it

[@Painless360]

naihanchin Kempo Both methods work - adding weight on the light side and taking a little off the heavier side. It's down to preference and speed. I do both if I have time. Happy flying!

[@AcidTechnoMan5000]

Have to balance the balancer? Don't they sell one already balanced? WTF?

[@Painless360]

+Federal Hog it should be but if you don't check then your props will never be right ;)

[@jdorisco]

I find the process to be dubious at best. Sanding a few micrograms of weight from a lightweight plastic blade - seems almost pointless. I took my propellers off my quadcopter - and the vibrations from the different individual motors, were very apparent. The spinning metallic mass of the motors - and their harmonic vibrations, create much greater balance issues, than a tiny bit of plastic. imho. Try it for yourself - and while you're at it, weight your props! Mine were not the same weight, and that fact alone - can create harmonic balancing problems.

[@lmdetect]

And not balancing the props is better? Lol. Great work Einstein.

[@dannyblondu23]

Thanks :)

[@booger37391]

yup needs a perfect balancer before try it! :>)

[@LorenzoTheFisherman]

pretty rough tool to balance props, dont think it is accurate enough tho

[@kennethwang7045]

Is prop balancing needed for micro quadcopters?

[@Painless360]

I don't, the mass is so small and spinning so fast! Best of luck!

[@Felisargyle]

I have an octocopter

[@elm70]

A bit misleading. First statically balance a prop does not really solve all the vibration issue. Dynamic Balance would be a better solution. Finally, even after proper balancing there is no guarantee to remove jello, the only solution, often, is a proper anti vibration mount for isolated the camera from high freq vibrations

[@robertk5219]

not misleading, maybe incomplete. this is really great instructable on how to balance propellers. there is no guarantee to remove vibration issue but chances are this will improve things dramatically.

[@Painless360]

robert k Thanks Robert.

[@plop386]

just like a motocycle wheel i nthe end :)

[@pedrofdmp]

What did you use to balance the balancer?

[@Painless360]

Just by eye, kept spinning it and seeing where it stopped and taking off material if it stopped in one place all the time.. Best of luck!

[@marcalchristino]

I not think the jelly effect is result of unbalanced propellers, for me is result of sunlight and waves produced by the propellers.

[@Painless360]

It was here as balancing fixed it ;) happy flying!

[@VikramSingh-lf6sq]

Great Vid thanks

[@scottrostad5021]

#800 like! Cool!

[@johnmcdonald7644]

Wookie

[@johnmcdonald7644]

Chewbacca

[@strikereureka5081]

The balancer itself requires balancing? Am i the only one that finds that comical? A piece of apparatus designed specifically to balance another component requires balancing itself!

[@Painless360]

If you buy a cheap crap one then I'd check it thoroughly..

[@strikereureka5081]

@@Painless360 Do the more pricey ones require balancing?

[@Vortigon]

hmm not convinced - your prop balancer is not accurate enough to be sure the variations are not from the balancer, your desk, or your house! - rather than the hub. You would need scientific equipment to ensure you are actually measuring hub imbalance to the degree you think you are measuring it. I think you are actually balancing against the remaining variations in your balancer not the tiny bit of weight on part of the hub. If you think about the leverage of the blades, and especially at speed, using physics, the tiny amount of imbalance present in the hub is essentially irrelevant compared with the 500 times more force generated by the ends of the prop blades.

[@Painless360]

+Richard Clark try it and see the improvement it makes with jello on cmos fpv cameras.. ;)

[@TheInsaneTD]

It's not just the weight that's making the jello effect. Most of what was taken off was flashing. The affect that would have on the aerodynamics of the blade is something else to consider. I wonder how much effect removing all the flashing first, then balancing would have on a quad.

[@arielkon]

the balancer is unbalanced.... never trust anyone

[@Painless360]

Check and recheck! :D

[@RandLoreTwo]

great video but you took a one or two minute subject instructed in the nine minutes. If you wrote a script, you would be much more efficient and explaining this subject. Get to it!