netsmithuk

Hi there,

Bound to happen eventually but I had a 'heavy' landing on the front arm and the motor mount broke. Luckily I have spares.
While looking at htem though I realised the are designed to have the motor wires run through them, which as far as I can see means disconnecting the wires at some point.

Whats the recommended solution - just desolder the wires from the motor end?

Chris

nickruss

Hi Chris

a common thing - I did it a month or so ago doing an emergency crash landing to avoid a greenhouse!

Yes, just desolder the motor, fit the new mount and resolder. Easy, should take 5 minutes!

I think I might have damaged the main bearing in such a crash since the contact between the pinion gear on the motor and the rotor wheel is no longer circular and has a resistive patch.

ORdered some new bearings.

Cheers

Nick

TheHindmost

Ahh, one of the first rites of passage for a new DF owner: The motor mount replacement!

As Nick said, it's a piece-of-cake, assuming you're Ok with a soldering iron. Another thing to check is whether the capacitor on the motor got damaged. If it did, it needs to be replaced as well, or at least removed to prevent it from shorting out. I've flown with one of my capacitors missing without issue, but they still need to be replaced as soon as you can if they're damaged.

Will

netsmithuk

thanks for the advice

intrim

Hi All

It sounds to me like you might have bent a motor shaft. in which case you will have to replace the motor along with the mount. Although it does not happen as much as broken motor mounts, if you hit the mount in just the right spot you will bend the motor shaft. It is my opinion you should not operate the DF with even the smallest amount of shaft untrueness because all it will do is weaken the plastic shaft the gear is screwed onto and it will vibrate everything loose that is not locktighted on. Use locktight on everything. You have a big investment in your bird and it''s just not worth the risk. What I do to check if the shaft is bent is, take the motor in your hand and hold it by the pinion gear. Now spin the housing and it will spin for several revolutions. if there is any bend in the shaft you should feel it as it is spinning because it will be off balance. If you are still not shure, take a new motor and spin it as before . I close my eyes , this helps focus your attention on what your doing. Go back and forth alternating the motors .since you have a new motor with no damage it's very easy to see if they feel the same or not. From my experience the bearings last for a long long time if they are seated into the ring gear properly.

Michael

nickruss

Thanks Michael, I think you may be right. For the price of a new motor, your advise is sound!

netsmithuk , also check the magnets in the motor have not slipped down over the air vent slit. It can easily be pushed back with a screwdriver.

Sky High

Another way to test if the pinion shaft is bent is to slowly roll the gear back and forth down the length of your finger and carefully watch if it oscillates due to being bent. You can also use the method by laceycopter at the link below.

www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4201243