- Joined
- Mar 17, 2015
- Messages
- 24
- Reaction score
- 4
- Age
- 51
Would like to know when these are available.
Anyone tried these folding props?
- Thread starter BrenC11
- Start date
Mine will arrive May 2. If you go to the site, there should be some info. Ask them a question. They are great at answering.
Florida Drone Supply
Approved Vendor
Sure thing...we will keep everyone up to date on them (both availability and our thoughts on their performance). If they are as good as we hope they are going to be we will continue to import them in larger quantities for everyone.
Florida Drone Supply
Approved Vendor
We have made these (I1 and I2 folding props) available on our website now - just click the new items link on the homepage. We will not get the first shipment until probably the end of the week - and will have more shortly there after. We ordered all of the products made by Heliengadin in smaller quantities to test them before making large orders of the ones that we think will be the best received by everyone. You are welcome to order them now - or wait for their arrival and testing. I just thought I would make sure people knew they could be ordered from us going forward. It will not help with the conversion of Euro to Dollar (makes these props cost $219) but will definitely save you the cost of shipping from Switzerland.
Later today we will also update this thread to include the new props, new I2 Car Charger, new Remote Charging Cable and a few other items.
Secraft Trays, CrystalSky, Hand Catch Handles and More New Accessories
Also, there are currently no marketing photos of the new Inspire 2 Folding Props (just a shot of one with a Coming Soon stamp on it). We have asked the manufacturer for marketing photos and will take them ourself when we get our shipment in.
Thanks!
Later today we will also update this thread to include the new props, new I2 Car Charger, new Remote Charging Cable and a few other items.
Secraft Trays, CrystalSky, Hand Catch Handles and More New Accessories
Also, there are currently no marketing photos of the new Inspire 2 Folding Props (just a shot of one with a Coming Soon stamp on it). We have asked the manufacturer for marketing photos and will take them ourself when we get our shipment in.
Thanks!
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2016
- Messages
- 316
- Reaction score
- 139
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2016
- Messages
- 316
- Reaction score
- 139
flight was great success noise level is lower as these props don't flex like the plastic ones so less air disturbance. i did some heavy braking and stopping and no issues at all. only down side is the case needs so modification to fit. and there is no markings on the prop to indicate which is CW or CWW once the plastic label is removed.
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2016
- Messages
- 316
- Reaction score
- 139
yes you need to apply a lot of effort to loosen the thread lock. you also need to mark the CW and CWW in some way as there is nothing on them. i have reverted to nail varnish
What do you think about some read and white paint as marking? By chance, are there any CW - CCW markings on the props themselves?
I think I will grab one of these from the local hardware shop.
padre Schraubendreher mit Quergriff für Torx 9 mm, 761: Amazon.de: Baumarkt
padre Schraubendreher mit Quergriff für Torx 9 mm, 761: Amazon.de: Baumarkt
Florida Drone Supply
Approved Vendor
Props look great...thanks for posting photos. We are anxiously awaiting our arrival of them.
Florida Drone Supply
Approved Vendor
I would think a small white dot on the mount for the white ones would be enough to identify which ones go where. But you could certainly mark both red and white to make sure.
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2016
- Messages
- 210
- Reaction score
- 75
I wonder how well these folding props are balanced? How would one check the balance?
Have had great results so far with the HE.EN folding blades - did have some doubts when we ordered (mainly due to HE.EN site-page being similar in aesthetics to a middle schooler's attempt at webpage design) but was pleasantly surprised by the build quality and design. It's clear the company decided on the Swiss Approach - very well thought out and designed in regards to aerodynamics and also efficient stowing.
We had to modify several GPC carrying cases to make room for the hub attachment points and the blades fit extremely well with minimal movement during travel (the blades came with four foam locking attachments per set for use during transit, but we lost those in just under two weeks. No surprise there, the foam pieces are small-ish and according to the guys that lost it, 'random few chunks of foam easily misplaced - probably rode low level air currents during pre-flight testing... to the Maldives'). We CNC'd somewhat H-shaped locking attachments out of commercial plexiglass, and they've worked fine so far.
My operations team and I were also initially concerned about the folding stress points and their operational / operating tolerances - half expected them to shear off during high power maneuvers in gusty wind conditions (20 - 35 knots at an altitude range of 30m - 70m by pilot's estimate over the Indian Ocean). They didn't shear off thankfully - however, we noticed significant negative control issues in the yaw and pitch department including extremely noticeable shaking occurring at all four engine mounts. Of course, winds aloft in those locations tend to pack slightly more punch and should not be attempted to be flown in unless you had a good reason to.
My main concern at that point was the high probability of the i2 flipping over and going for a kamikaze run. Switched to ATTI as soon as the first problems started, trained and experienced pilot being a lot better than possibly malfunctioning equipment. GPS lock in those situations tend to dig the proverbial hole even deeper - overcompensates for less than optimal flight control in high wind and you're left with an even slower to respond flight system. Had to rapidly lose about 40m in altitude within 2 - 3 seconds in order to regain nominal control. Lots of back and forth between team members as to why it happened etc etc, but I'm not going to get into the details of that right now.
We submitted the drone and props to a specialist in structural stress testing - mostly in part to the CYA theory, but also just to be thorough. I'll probably post his results when I get them, on this thread.That being said, we only have had that problem with those four specific blades. Our other Inspire 2 units running the same prop setup have had no such problems, but then again we haven't flown in 30+ knots yet. And sorry for the somewhat long spiel, tend to do that when thinking of '**** hitting the fan' events.
I'll give this a shot; note, I'm not a certified technician / mechanic - I generally break more drone related gear than I can fix but the critical thing to remember here is....I SEEN IT DONE!
You either remove the blades from the hub, remove the collets and tightening lugs / nuts, get them blades direct linked to the hub itself (blades extended to their flight positions) or lock them down tight from the beginning in their fully extended positions so they don't collapse inwards - these HE.ENs don't seem to have the easy option, clearly a Swiss design flaw. You have to make sure they're both symmetrical obviously, I'm also not a mathematician so you're going to have to use your Mk1s for that, and probably a small level (no idea if that'll work but gives you something to do).
Right, so you got that sorted, you stick the hub + prop unit onto a small spin axle and fix it in place. And you're left with.... a prop with a small stick coming out the hub - for all non creatives reading this that would be in the shape of a T. Should have an idea what I'm talking about.
Grab that T and stick the axle in the twin V mount of the prop balancer, and if you've done it right it'll cause the axle to spin until it expends all it's directional energy at the bottom of the V. The directional energy has nothing to do with this by the way - just put that in there because it has a couple syllables more than the average word. Ultimately, what you should be left with are the props at roughly horizontal alignment, that is, parallel to the ground. If it ain't horizontal, and your level says it isn't level - you've got balancing issues. Now, I'm sure you're all trusting my expertise at this point, get a dremel tool with grinder attachment and go with your 'gut' feeling.
Once it's level, and you're sure it's level - unscrew / loosen depending on what you did in the first step, and then put it back together again. And voilaaaaa, you got a bespoke balanced folding prop.
IMPORTANT: In all seriousness, my company nor myself or any of our pilots etc have expressed the need for balancing drone rotors - all our enterprise RPAS units have folding carbon props, and we have never had a balancing issue or problem. Some argue that it wears on the motor, that's definitely true if you've got a lopsided piece of garden tool made from re-cast iron. So far none of our inspections have shown any damage in that respect.
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2016
- Messages
- 316
- Reaction score
- 139
I have checked the balance and find no issues I can see on each prop someone has already made minor adjustments as the surface in small areas are rough from some minor removal.
I plan to test for performance on Saturday as the weather here in UK is very blustery and would produce bad results.
Have a GP back arriving in next few days so will see what needs to be done to accommodate these props. The DJI cast was adjusted to fit in less than 10 minutes
I plan to test for performance on Saturday as the weather here in UK is very blustery and would produce bad results.
Have a GP back arriving in next few days so will see what needs to be done to accommodate these props. The DJI cast was adjusted to fit in less than 10 minutes
Similar threads
