First of all, if you're sick and tired of looking at Arducopter official frame builds, you might decide to skip the whole post right about now ;)
Yes, it really is going to be just another ArduCopter build (my first quad, actually), but i hope people doing the same can learn from some of my mistakes and, perhaps, avoid them. So let's get on with the show, shall we...
Since i've been having some pretty nasty vibration issues with a traditional heli i've been messing with for the past 3-4 years, i felt somewhat queasy about just straight on mounting the motors to the holders. I've originally intended to pad both contact planes of the arms with foam, but decided i'm being too OCD about it and did just this:
![_4021726.jpg](http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1702513/ArduCopter/_4021726.jpg)
![_4021728.jpg](http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1702513/ArduCopter/_4021728.jpg)
![_4021729.jpg](http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1702513/ArduCopter/_4021729.jpg)
It looks like (and is actually billed as) a two-sided sticky tape, but is really a transparent gel used for mounting things on uneven surfaces (i.e. a mailbox to a wall). Like a permanently non-setting hotglue that's not really hot.
Okay, you got me, it's really nothing like hotglue.
The thinner variants usually have higher strength (20kg/m), while the thicker one (1mm) i've used has lower (10kg/m). But since i'm not actually using it to bear any weight, thickness is all i'm interested in.
Here's what it looks like from the other side:
![_4021731.jpg](http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1702513/ArduCopter/_4021731.jpg)
How well does it work?
From my initial tests - surprisingly well. It filters the high frequency buzzzzz vibe from the engines pretty nicely. Without it, you could clearly feel it at the end of the arms. With it, it's nearly all gone, except at lowest RPMs. I'm now considering padding the screw holes with it as well (punching through it with a screw, like through a washer).
Coming up next: devising a semi-permanent, practical way to hook up motor mount LEDs to the A8-A14 ports of the IMU shield.
Comments
Seriously, though, i don't know yet. I've never exposed it to high (enough) temps. If it starts to go rigid, i'll just replace it.
Since tightening them down will reduce your padding and increase vibrations you have to leave them just loose enough right?
I suppose, that your Quadrotor has become more stable on fly, isn't?
I like it!
How the pads bear heat produced by the motor?