A drone is among the technologies that are making waves as more and more people are buying them. Nowadays, you will find thousands of drones used for inspections, surveys, military, and other commercial applications. However, drone motors can get spoiled after long-term use, and you may decide to repair them instead of buying a new drone. If you need a drone repair in the NYC area, please contact Fixable Device! We'll come right to your door.
In this article, we will help break down everything you need to know about the parts of a drone and how you can repair a drone motor.
It is common knowledge that all the drone parts and components are important for a drone pilot to enjoy a smooth and safe flight. This is why a pilot needs to know all the drone’s parts to help boost their confidence during flight. Furthermore, it will be easier to know the components that you can inspect regularly and the parts of the drone that can be easily replaced or upgraded.
Some of the components that are essential for a drone to work properly are stated below.
There are two types of propellers in a drone. You will find the tractor propeller at the front of the drone, and it is used for pulling the drone through the air. There is also a pusher propeller found at the back of the drone, which helps push the drone. Furthermore, propellers usually spin in opposite directions to help provide lift.
The motor is important for the battery life and efficient flight of a drone. Your drone can either have a brushed motor or a brushless motor. Most of the latest drones available now have a brushless motor.
This is used for mounting the motor. The motor mount can be built as a part of the UAV frame or into combination fittings with landing struts.
As the name implies, the landing gear is used for landing the drone. Although most drones usually have a fixed landing gear, high-end drones have retractable landing gear that provides a 360-degree view when in the air.
Booms can be part of the main body or as a separate part of a drone. Booms help with the stability and maneuverability of a drone. A drone with shorter booms has increased maneuverability, while those with longer booms have increased stability. However, a boom needs to be very tough to hold up in a crash, and it should not be interfering with prop downdraft.
This is known as the central hub, where the battery, processors, mainboards, cameras, avionics, and sensors are housed.
The electronic speed circuit is used for converting the DC battery power into a 3-phase AC to drive a brushless motor.
The control is important as it controls all the functions of a drone. It is used to regulate motor speeds through the ESC, steer the drone, trigger cameras, and several other functions.
The GPS helps give the exact location such as elevation, latitude, longitude, and drone bearing.
It helps in receiving inputs into the receiver unit.
It helps to provide the drone with power
This is a pivoting mount that can stabilize and control cameras or other sensors on a drone.
Note: the makes and models of drones usually vary from one another. This means you will find several sensors mounted onboard your drone according to its version and its use.
Before we dive into repairing drone motors, some of the ways that drone motors can get spoilt are stated below.
Overload of the drone motor: this is a common cause of motor core burnout. It happens when you load your drone more than its mass propellers can lift, and this will make the motor heat up quickly and lead to internal isolation melting. After the enamel is melted, it will cause a short circuit in the winding and will cause wire melting and motor destruction.
The motor overheats because of insufficient cooling: This occurs if the rotor of a drone is poorly designed and there is insufficient airflow to ensure proper stator internal core cooling.
Mechanical damage of power supply wires and internal winding junction will cause a break in the connection of a wire that powers the motor and stator internal core wires.
Here is a video showing how you can repair a drone motor (courtesy: Tech Arrange): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqUl7ChTcek
Here are some steps that you can follow to repair the drone motor.
Instruments needed: wire cutter, screwdriver, soldering iron, magnetic screw tray, solder.
Disassembling the drone’s body
You should try to write down the rotation of the motor that you want to replace before you start disassembling a drone.
After writing the rotation, you can then remove the propellers and battery.
You can use a propeller remover if your drone’s propellers are very tight.
Remove the screws
Carefully open the latches and remove the upper cover of the drone.
Remove the damaged motor
You will notice that the main board of the drone is connected with the motor through two cables. The red and blue wires are for motors that spin in a clockwise direction, while the black and white wires are used for motors spinning counterclockwise.
Write down the wire colors and connection point before you remove the two wires carefully.
Heat up the solder that is holding the wires to the mainboard using the soldering iron.
Installing the new drone motor
Cut the new wires to the length of the wires used before.
Carefully remove 2mm of insulation from the top of each wire.
Solder the new motor wires on the mainboard (ensure the wires are soldered to their proper position and for a secure connection, and provide around 2mm of the wire tip is covered in the solder.)
Inspecting the new motor
If you use the proper color codes, the motor should be spinning in the right direction. However, you will need to swap the wires if the motor is spinning in the wrong direction.
Note: hold the motor body during motor rotation testing to prevent the motor from rising.
Assembling the drone body case
After testing, you can then install the drone.
Ensure you do not clip any wire between the shell’s body. Furthermore, the drone body shells should also fit perfectly without resistance.
Mount the screws and ensure it is not too tight.
Put battery and propellers back in their position.
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