How To Clean Quadcopter Motors
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.ย. 2024
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If you get dirt or mud in your motors, don't throw them out. Clean them out! I'll show you how to disassemble your screw-shaft quadcopter motor and clean it.
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You're fricken awesome Josh. Seriously. Some people have the knowledge, experience, skills, and fundamental understanding that you do, but they're completely incapable of teaching it effectively to others. Some people are great teachers and very articulate in conveying effectively to others what they know, but they don't actually know much that other people want to learn. Some people have all of the above but have little interest or enthusiasm in sharing it. But in the quadcopter, FPV, and Tx/Rx world, you DO have all of that. So rare. And SO appreciated. To be honest, we need a few additional Josh Bardwells...one for RC planes, one for RC helis, and now that I think about it, probably a lot of other topics too. Thanks for all you do man.
I couldn’t agree more 👍👍👍
I couldn't agree more Steve. Hail the mighty Bardon! :)
some of my motor's mounting screw holes are too wide and the screws just slide in there freely , no grip,, any help please so I can mount my motors ? thanks a lot in advance , it would be a great help ,,by the way the screw size I'm using is correct, as I said, just some of them is like that ,
@@bbab9051 use a washer between screw and hole. Hardware store.
Your knowledge blows me away! I’m an aircraft mechanic and thought this hobby would be simple but found quickly that quadscopters a lot harder to deal with than a 747 seriously it might sound crazy but it’s true!! I laugh everyday how much I have to learn! I love this hobby and appreciate people like you that share freely
That's pretty funny! 😅😅
Just put the prop on before sliding the two parts back together. Gives you something to hold on to.
Might bend the props tho
@@gus8378 use broken props 😎🤙
@@thelazerproject I knew the broken props I've been keeping would be useful for something!
That’s what she said
I also use sewing machine oil for the bearings and run the motor.
I always clean my motors with an X-Acto knife. Both because it’s handy and it’s fun to watch people FREAK OUT in the video comments when I record it.
Lol, I hate it.when I have to open up the motors
JB, i was just flying outside of a machine shop yesterday and crashed right into the metal shavings dumpster... so this was the EXACT video i needed. you saved the day, as usual.
Was about to order a new motor, saw this video, twisted and shook the motor, armed it a few times holding it upside down (using KISS, so no death spirals) now it works as normal and no grinding... Saved me a few bucks, Appreciate you Joshua!
if you have a bit of thermal paste laying around, place a dab in the screw head. it wont get in the way of the tool, and will easily squish out when you place the tool into the screw.
ferrous dust is the WORST!!! I can't tell you how many times I've had to dissemble and clean motors just like this! Toothbrush, alcohol, compressed air, blue tac, q-tips... yup use them all!!! If you can get enough PSI out of a compressor, sometimes you can blow through the top of the bell, while slowly rotating the motor back and forth.. sadly it only works about 1/2 the time and motor disassembly is required! For those that were requesting bearing replacement, I suggest looking up "Project Blue Falcon" (RIP miss ya JC) he has many excellent videos!!! Cheers and #sendit
JB, tip for tight screws/ bolts,just try and tighten the Screw/ bolt slightly this will stretch the stem ,and now you can undo,still use heat on locktite applications! A
I also replace the factory motor screws with a more robust screw when I get the motor to avoid stripping the screw in the future. 👌
I use a q tip with rubbing alcohol to wipe the bell and Also , you need to clean the stator as well , that's probably why the motor still had some "crunch". Also, its an good idea to keep cans of compressed air around to blow out the motors .
I feel like twisting to get the dirt out might damage the stator if you have big particles in there.
I believe the stator is composed of thin isolated sheets of metal, and rubbing them might cause them to make contact with each other. I don't know if that may cause significant performance loss tho.
i think you're right... just twisting to grind the dirt out is also grinding on the magnets and conductors. i did a little bit of twisting with a whole lot of canned air and it cleared it out pretty easily. If your lucky, the air might grab some of the mangetic stuff but taking it apart is the only way... i like the silly putty idea though... if i ever fly through iron filings, it'll come in handy.
Thank you for this. I had to drill out a screw head on my frame and got shavings in my magnets. The screws that come with a source one V5 area all junk I've now changed them all out.
Been there, Done that. That is a normal thing here in Arizona. Compressed Air works great too.
Where you from in az
@@paulbennett9077 I bet flagstaff it is horrible all ferrous dirt since all the volcanic cinders
thank you very much, this video saved 4 engines
I learned something today .. and needed this today .. iron deposits in Ca suck
Hi Josh.
I have been into RC cars 🚙 and trucks 🛻 for years. When I get dirt into my electric motors and had to clean them I learned different ways to do this.
Brushless motors I’d remove and disassemble and easily whip them clean with just simple water 💦. Dry them out with air or a dry cloth than spray them down with electric motor cleaner which helped remove a lot of access dirt. Finally use a clean cloth use a couple drops of silicone oil on the steel rods to keep them lubed and reassemble the motor.
Brushed motors (or where disassembling isn’t an option like DJI drones): remove the props place each motor into some water 💦 with a drop of dish soap 🧼. Shake the motor in the water if motor doesn’t want to free spin due to sand and this will generally remove access problem pebbles. To really get the dirt out turn the motor on in the water and run it. The water will wash out all the dirt. Dry the motor with air or a cloth than spray down with electric ⚡️ motor cleaner or an electric ⚡️ connector spray that will remove the iron particles from the motor. Whip clean and use a Q-tip with a couple drops of silicone oil on the ends to help keep lubricanted.
I never had an issue doing this, no rust and my motors work like new afterwords. ❤
Josh,
For installing the bell housing try putting a dowel into the shaft area. Use the dowel to control how fast the bell housing slides back on the stator assembly. Tony
air compressed (canned) is working fine for me to clean motors (on field mainly), and a little drop of sewing machine oil (singer) is good too for bearings
Mixing oil and grease is not good for the bearings
I use contact cleaner because the dirt here in Oregon is very ferrous in my area. Just spray the motors while wiggling then back and fourth. Everything comes out after a second or two. Then I drop a little trip of lube if I've had to do it a bunch
Late to the party here.. Thanks for the info. Super helpful because I've got some mud bogged motors. When removing the bell I ended up having to put the prop nut back on and using a pair of pliers pinched on the bell rod. Worked out perfectly.
a wet rag is also a great way to pull magnetic dirt out, a compressor tends to blow metal particles from one magnet to another
the silly putty is awesome
I would love to see how you get the c clips off and what tools you use
Barack Obama thank you !
@Barack Obama This may work for putting them back on, but when you take them off the clip is flush with the bottom of the motor (and often sunk under the naked bottom feet so very hard to do..
I guess... I don't have that kind of dexterity. Having big clumsy fingers makes this so hard...
You blokes could always buy the correct pliers for slotting in to the loops on C-Clips.
E-Clips (like the ones on Phantom1/2/3 motors) will push off with a Jewelers flathead screwdriver.
PiDsMedia I can’t find a pair small enough to work or I would already have bought them
Great as always. Would be good to see a video about a quad maintenance regime (each flight, monthly, annual)
I'm in 2023. Today, I've seen videos from you 6 years ago and now 4. Thank you. You the man!
Tip for gently lowering the bell: use a plastic rod inserted up through the bottom of the stator and as you lower the bell in place you can use the plastic rod to control the seating speed of the bell... These bearings are so not a fan of lateral forces 👌
Won't that bend the shaft?
@@gus8378 the stator is hollow, the plastic rod (
@@diabolicallydan I see. I though you meant prying the bell from the outside, between the bell and the stator as you lower the bell
Hey Josh,, I know this is an old video, but I've found that using a tiny drop of 70- 90% isopropyl alcohol will wick into the threads and start to dissolve your locktight.. This will remove any threat of overheating your motor with a soldering iron.. give it a try on any locktighted bolt you have,, you'll see how it really loosens up.
Omg, blue tack! Why in the world havent I thought of this? Dude. Ty. So much. If I could fly a beer to you, I would - if only my drone could make it lol
Fabulous video, saved me a wrecked motor
Awesome. I got iron sand in a motor after landing on the beach. Now it’s running like new again. Thanks!
I am at your location to, got a bunch of that stuff stuck in my motors, lifesaving thank you!
JB a ZMX Motor Rep told me to use bearing oil if they have some time on them as grease wears away, and lightly coat stator face to prevent rust and shaft before reassemble.
Most of the time, if you just get em spinning, they will throw out even the magnetic particles. It's tough for a mechanical person to do, but it's really the easiest on the motors. Just swallow hard and hit the throtttle, they will grind a few seconds but in 10 seconds they will have thrown all the crap out and be good as new.
I use tape to clean when I have to, any kind works in a pinch, and I usually have some in my bag.
Use a 1.5mm driver pushed thru the bearings (from the bottom) to let the bell down without it slamming. Just push the driver thru all the way and put the threaded shaft over the tip. Then lower the bell in place. This is also the best way to tap the shaft loose if necessary.
A drop of good oil once every 10 or 12 flights seems to help. (I like the Cobra oil, but 3 in 1 works well for 1/10 the price) Add the oil just before a flight and it will throw the excess off, and not attract dirt to the bearings.
Oh, yeah, beware of the new Emax motors, they have a shim between the bell and bearings. If you're not careful it will fall in the grass and be gone. This shim keeps the bell from going on too far - the screw pulls against it. They are special, having a taper on one side to clear the shaft fillet. They didn't sell them separately when I dropped mine, not sure if they do as yet. Cost me a new motor to take the shim out of.
LOL at the end of each video, JB says "happy flying" and then this sorta sad music cues up - reminds me of Bill Bixby at the end of every episode of the Hulk :P
Take hex driver that fits thru motor bearing hole in frame and can guide motor bell back on,I ruined 1 of my Bh deadpool motor bearings after letting bell pop on,bearings were toast after that sounded like had rocks in between bell and magnets,thanks for all you do:)
Anyone else feel like josh is like... your friend. Thanks man!
you saved my motors josh! i was not sure how to remove these screws and had to angle grind my way through a screw once.... now i know that 3 mins of heat at 800F will do the trick too ; )
Sometimes I wish i could thumb up your video 2 times :) thanks sir !
Good old bluetac... i use it as an extra pair of hands while soldering,, holds fc, esc,, xt60 or whatever..
Me too, been doing that for years.
Almost ALL my knowledge of drones came from this man right here🤣🤣
I am using "kontakt 60 spray"
which is really nice if you want to clean electrical parts. It safes your electronic parts from corrosion if it fell into the water and did not short circuit. 👍
I use a small flat head to carefully scrape out the iron from the space in between the motors, so that the putty can easily get it out. (Not on the spacing with the mud). I also use a nylon brush to pile in up in one spot at the end of the groove so it’s easier to get off
More how-to videos please. I ruined some motors with construction site gravel dust, even after spinning upside down to clean them out. now i just remove the bell and use the sink for it, and air compressor for the stator because bearings and water don't mix. Good duct tape is so sticky that it can be used for the ferrous particles.
You can use painters tape to remove iron filings and other magnetic stuff. Apply the tape like he did the putty. You can use a pencil or small screwdriver to push the tape into the crevasses to get the stubborn stuff out.
Some say at Lumenier they have Thanos appling balance mud, just to be sure that every banch comes out perfectly balanced, as all things should be.
There is a electric cleaner you can spray for dirt and mud. Also when you heat the screw the shaft will begin to absorb the heat which means it will expand. So try to heat the screw not the shaft.
Dang! That is what I messed up. I had a nice set of rotor riot hypetrain motors, and I had my motors get packed with mud and washing them out but that did not get it fixed. So I went to take the bells of, the first worked perfectly but the next two stripped out and I had to drill them. I was rather unhappy to say the least. I ended up buying two new bells and then this stripped out when I tightened them. Man I was mad.
Thanks Josh I will be able to do better at fixing them next time.
Take the outer and inner apart as you did . I've had this problem many times
Just wash them with good old water under a sink or a hose and they come clean as new. water works
Just getting into the hobby but been racing touring rc cars and buggys and truggys since the 80,s.
But one essential tool we would have is a small compressor and electric contact spray like Dynamite or TA Emerald. Alittle spray and blow it out. Now they have an electric blower that isn't as strong but is more portabke. A cheap inverter from Harbor Freight ,at the field, would be ideal
to reassemble gently insert a long screw through the base of the stator (same thread as retaining screw) and screw it into the bell so the bell is just above the stator.
then holding the screw in one hand and bell in the other with the drones arm between your palms slow navigate the bell back on.
HA... the look on J's face when he put the bell back on and gave it a spin :)
As I photographer I use compressed air in a can on my lenses and on my quads, lenses and electronic components
Aften unscrewing the motor screw, I screw it in about halfway, and then press the screwdriver in, and IMO, hat is the easy way to break the magnetic bond between stator and magnet... Now keep the pressure on the screwdriver and unscrew and it will push the bell off.... (works with any screwdriver, but the ones with the rotating nob on the end is best)
Clever.
👍👍👍👍Thank you Joshua!! Now it works again.
The rust dust is ferrous... Not magnetic... You're gonna learn something today! 😂😎👍
If you wanted to be technical about something it should have been, tension vs torque.
@Thomas AZ I believe Joshua mentioned he landed near rust dust... Which would be ferrous, not magnetic. Magnets are magnetic... :)
@Thomas AZ Found out about that black sands magnetic qualities flying beaches of Fuerte Ventura on holiday once.
Thomas AZ I was commenting on what Joshua himself claims to have landed in and how he described that material... my ego is fine, but thanks all the same for your concern 😉
@@diabolicallydan The lady doth protest too much.
great idea using clay to get the sand out of the bell. thanks a lot for the tip.
😁
I'm a Californian, you use warm wax to remove the hematite from my bell housings. Just cool down candle drippings until you can knead it and it grabs that crap off cleanly.
Try landing in sand with a Beta65x brushless whoop... wasn't too fun ripping 2 of those small motors apart...
U flying the xrtonic 3020 solder station I love that iron...have u ever had it fly the heat fly away...had to watranty one station. Great customer service!
It's a Hakko 888D.
Fantastic, JB. About the air compressor, I used to clean my PC towers with it. LOL
This man is the best in fpv!!!
I've been using Blu-tack to remove magnetic dirt for a couple of years, works very well.
You must be getting bored with it by now.
@@garyhoffmann1615 fully, I live in an iron ore mining area motors need to be cleaned every week.
When I first found out that the motors are actually magnetic I was somewhat surprised, but really just liked it.
Even with heat on the first version of the hypetrains, that 1.5mm bell screw was super tight, and 1.5mm also didnt help, but she came out. Thank fully they changed it to a 2.0mm screw.
I had to do that after my first ever maiden... all 4 motors with mud, and I cleaned the bells with water and a toothbrush.
Joshua I learnz something today 😃
Here in the uk blue tac is a common product that everyone uses ! Great for posters on the wall 👍🏻
Thank you Joshua! 🙏
This exact thing happened to me yesterday. My motors were covered with this metallic dust stuck to the magnets that would not go away.
Hey Joshua, I don't know if you remember back in Sarasota Kwad Camp. I had set my motors down on my work bench next to my drill press. The LeDrib HL were pretty screwed. Drew suggested I use gum to get the shavings out and it worked like a charm. I'm still flying 3 of the original motors. Great info.
Really useful and interesting video, especially that "balancing mud". Good to know!
Looks like a perfect job for a kneeded eraser. Self cleaning, so use it forever!
Joshua. I am so thankful for this video
I'm from New Zealand. You guys should consider yourself lucky. 95% of our beaches are volcanic iron sand. When we crash, the motor literally attracts so much sand, it looks like just a giant ball of sand. You can't even see the motor. When I clean, I use compressed air to get rid of most of it, followed by using blu-tack to grab all the excess sand particles. I use a knife to help push the blu-tack into every little gap.
I use always a big Electric Magnet to pull out the irondust.
Nice trick to clean motors using bluetack.
Thanks bro
.
1 drop of lochtide on a plastick plate, count the threaded passages of the bold,,, pick up something from lochtide with the needle and spread it over the drawers 2 or 3 courses ,, (not the entire bolt)
tighten the bolt in the motor / hollow shaft.
C clips ,. keep a magnet with it, to prevent the c clip from jumping away! (if you shield with your hand, how to make the space small .. always work!
suc 6
Nice looking motors
I would just get an airline an blow it out. But not everyone would have access to an airline. Good job josh 👍🏽
that's a cool trick. a friend found out there's a lot of magnetic dust at the bottom of rivers. i might try to salvage them to use in airplanes or something, might not trust them in quads
You are the best sensei 🙈
your motor is so beautiful!!! im from L.A. and i always have this issue. thanks!
There is a way to know how much heat, but iv not done it on something this small. On all my cars iv thread locked i use a flame, sometimes you can smell or see the threadlock burn off, the hotter it is, the easier it unscrews
Thanks JB. You should show how to replace bearings. I've already watched a couple how-to's, but if you got vlog block.
take a bit for the screw fix it so it fit the solderiron and use it as a hot screwdriver
My 1st set of motors were racerstars, current are the $9. DYS (samguk?) freaking love them for the price. Both have tiny c clips. Does that mean they’re cheap/poor quality ? My samguk motor bell popped off during a crash. Didn’t have my parts bag or tools with me at the time. I popped it back on and finished my day without any problems. Iron shavings are common minerals throughout the world. I like the blue tech 💡.
C clip shafts are cheaper to manufacture but they hold the bells on fine. Just harder to get off and replace if you maintain the motor.
Joshua Bardwell how do you get them off?
@@K9TPT Snap ring pliers is the tool. Doing it inside a plastic bag so it doesn't shoot a tiny part across the room is the technique.
Joshua Bardwell I like the idea of a screw over those clips. They work ok but you have to un mount the motors from the frame and flip them over to get at them. Ok by me but a screw would be easier.
ive done the same with over tight prop nuts
as a matter of practice, i like to oil my bearings whenever i have to pull a motor apart, and periodically. sad bearings = soon to smoke motors
What kind of oil do you use ? I used some brake fluid cleaner to clean debris out and didn't realize that was a bad idea at the time lol..
Lol oh I’ve accidentally discovered the down sides of breakkleen before, requiring the replacement of my phone screen! So consider it a cheap lesson! I use “Dynamite light oil for ball bearings in mini and micro sized motors” by Horizon Hobby. Should be able to pick it up from any local RC hobby store as well as directly online
@@sneakattackfpv8560 hahaha I guess I'll be keeping it away from my phone screen too! Thanks man, I'm gunna try and pick some up tomorrow if I can...gotta get back in the air and new motors won't be here till next week
Hey Josh! Your video are always so helpful and are soo easy to follow. The one video that i couldent follow and was not successful with was the 2 switch arming. Is a updated version possible?
Haha! I’ve been using this stuff for getting metal shavings out for a hot minute!!
Hey Josh can you make a video on how to change motor bearings properly?
I once tried to do that and it was a disaster.
Omg😨 no way! What happened?
You can buy compressed air in cans - always helpful to have at hand!
I live in a volcanic field, flagstaff Arizona, and all the dirt here is ferrous it really sucks for flying quads
JB the only motors I've cleaned had c clips
Great video thanks a million 👍👍👍
Nice video, love the caution about the head snapping. Been there, learned that. About 4:30 in I was just thinking, doesn't he have a flir camera? And bam, there it was!
plz make another video about cleanning hollow cp motor. plz
I'm on the Ring of Fire in Central California. I get natural iron chunks stuck to my motors on ocassion.
😣 my GEPRC Dolphin sounds like that demo. I ended up behind a fence next to the Pacific Railroad tracks. There is definitely more iron on the ground around tracks (duh.. I didn't realize until it happened.) Yeah. I have two bells off and using the foam pack that came with it but the motors are resting on when you buy it to brush a lot of the iron out between the magnets on the bell and it's working nicely.
Instead of Blue Tack, use Plumber's Putty. Pretty much the same consistency and tackiness. A small tub can be bought for around $2 at most hardware stores and home improvement stores.
For my bells I use an ultrasonic bath for 2 minutes with 50% simple green crystal and 50% water and follow that up with 90% IPA rinse. my bells come out like new all mud and dirt is gone.