Motor bearing upgrade

[bocabearingstommy]

To chime in on the sealed and shielded topic-

Rubber sealed bearings are most of the time a contact seal. This does a great job at keeping lube in and dirt out. At the same time those contact seals are creating drag which is our worst enemy.

Shielded bearings have metal shields that are non contact. These will allow the bearing to spin as free as possible but at the same time its doing nothing in particular to protect the internals of the bearing. It really acts as a dust cover.

In this type of application shielded bearings should work fine with a drop or two of oil on them regularly. As stated before too much oil will attract dirt.

Keep in mind, oil is thinner and will allow a freer spinning bearing but dissipates much quicker. A grease in this application would do a great job at keeping the bearings lubed longer and keeping dirt out, just would cause to much drag.

We have a lite weight oil in a syringe which makes it really easy to apply http://www.bocabearings.com/bearing-inv ... tning-Lube

We do have a bearing cleaner as well http://www.bocabearings.com/bearing-inv ... tning-Lube

Bearings are not sexy and people don't want to think about them unless they have too. At the same time they do require some love and care.

Also a ceramic hybrid which we have available as well would be a more maintenance free alternative. Ceramic bearings can be run dry. In an effort to take care of your stuff, keeping them lightly oiled is always recommended for long life. These bearings will run smoother because of the glass like surface of ceramic. They will also help reduce motor running temps because they are virtually friction less. As asked earlier ceramic does weigh less but with a bearing this small you probably wouldn't really notice the difference. Orange seal ceramic hybrids

I also have non contact rubber sealed ceramics. Best of both worlds. No added drag but still keeps lube in and dirt out.

 

[PhantomFan]

Posting to this thread for future reference. I'm also a big believer in taking good care of my beaings. Thanks to those who posted links and photos.

To the gent who drilled the hole in his Phantom...that's now an excellent entry point for dirt and grime, especially at time of landing. Do you plug or tape over those holes when flying?

PF

 

[Jdacal]

Here are some pictures I took of a brand new set of Boca Bearings Orange seal ABEC 7 Ceramic hybrid bearings. I'll try to keep a log on these and post before and after pictures in the future.

I prefer to use grease because I'm lazy about oiling regularly. In the pictures they are shown with the oil they come standard with.

There was a noticeable difference in the sound on the phantom with the ceramic bearings. Much quieter and smoother sound. Grease does add friction. I measured about an 8 degree temperature difference in oil versus grease bearings. However, that drops after a few flights when the excess grease is released and the bearing breaks in.

EDIT: Specifically two of the images are close-ups of one of the ceramic balls inside the bearing. The other is a close-up of the orange seal. You'll need to click on the images to see the full image.

 

[Ton4]

After two flight already one of the motors made a bit more noise, now after 20 or so flights a second motor started making even more noise.

Ordered Boca bearings.

Next day I opened up the Phantom and tried to remove the bearings of tbe worst sounding motor. They won't move a millimeter. In the YouTube movies it all seems easy, but mine are stuck. Even used a hammer to force them out, no luck

Gave it no thought anymore and ordered the TMotor anti gravity motors.

Both the Bocas and the motors are still on the way, while the Phantom rests in its hangar.

Bad motors

 

[Jdacal]

Yes, I was surprised how easy they popped out in the YouTube videos. They are fairly tight to remove. It helps to spray them with freeze spray so they contract a little then tap them out. Usually a firm tap will do it.

The spray also helps for inserting the new ones.


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[Simon Manners]

Hi Guys,

Would a silicon spray be appropriate? In my mind this would reduce the amount of dirt/dust getting stuck in the motor and around bearings. Not sure though if silicon based lubrication would be appropriate for this type of application.

Cheers