Wrecked My Little Mini 2

[Sneak]

So i just got this drone 2 weeks ago.. I was flying sideways by this pond during sunset last night and boom.. I hit a tree and it flipped a bunch of times and hit the ground. I freaked out I didnt know what to do! I think it was still trying to fly on the ground Idk tho. I just dced the controller and drove and got it out the field. Looks like nothing is broken on it. It was scuffed up a little and one of the propellers has a small nick in the blade at the tip. I'm worried about the camera lens. It doesnt looked scratched or damaged. I took it home and sat it down after checking for damage and I started it up and flew it. It still goes around 33mph in sport mode and seems to hover correctly it still seems stable.
What should I do in the future if something like this happens again. When i found the drone it was upright and it wasnt spinning so thank god for that.
What should i look for on the drone to see if its ok still??? Should i completely switch all the propeller blades out or just switch that one out? Do I even need to switch them out yet? Its a small crack through the tip of the propeller blade. I just want to make sure this thing isnt damaged. Thanks for the help! Thank God shes ok though! If you guys wanna see the video let me know ill post the wreck. I really thought it was gonna be broken.

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

Propellor blades are balanced pairs so if you change one blade on a motor you should also replace its companion.
With regards to cracks in the blade I would check and see if it grows but ultimately I have always replaced a cracked blade and its companion.

With regards to the rest of the drone, look it over CAREFULLY for cracks or displaced joint seams. The rear arms seem to tear off the body shell or take their mounting points on the shell with them so pay attention to differing gaps etc. between the inboard end of the arm and the drone's shell.
Compare the positioning and angles of left arms with those of right arms, left and right arms should have the same positioning and angles. Hover the drone at eye level and check that the propellors, left vs right, clear the drone's body by the same amounts.

 

[izometric]

Propeller blades are not balanced pairs. Each blade is a stand-alone mix and match (with the same directional spinning blades). You can definitely change only one from the pair.

 

[Sneak]

thanks for the replies .

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

Propeller blades are not balanced pairs. Each blade is a stand-alone mix and match (with the same directional spinning blades). You can definitely change only one from the pair.

Really????
Just for clarity are you suggesting that the manufacturing tolerances are so tight that blades from one mould are, for balance purposes, identical to blades from any other mould?
I have seen it suggested that providing the mould numbers on individual blades are identical they can be 'mixed and matched', whether or not that it true I do not know.
If indeed the manufacturing tolerances are that tight then yes it might be possible to "mix and match".
But "balance" is an important consideration in rotating objects.

Incidentally your advice is also contrary to the drone's manual. page 20.

 

[Clintoops]

I changed my props same damage
When received it.
Just to be safe low in cost compared to drone loss for one blade braking.
It's best to learn flying an open space no trees or things to run in to. Fly in Cinema mode until you learn to fly better .

 

[Gagey52]

Replacing props after an incident is cheap insurance, highly recommended.
Regards

 

[ICHOTT]

These props are 100% ‘not’ provided as a matched balanced pair. The manufacturing is very accurate and no one is going to sit down and balance these into pairs!
The difference is probably imperceptible.

You can indeed change just one of the pair though it is good advice to replace both blades.

Balanced props are though a different ball game with 2 bladed helicopters. The rotors are massive in comparison and precision balance is important.

I’ve seen tests on you tube where someone has cut the ends of a drone blade and it makes little to no difference so a small nick is likely to be ok

 

[umanbean]

But "balance" is an important consideration in rotating objects.

Yes it is... on a fixed blade prop such as a Phantom it is important to balance one side against the other. But I'm having a hard time figuring out how you would 'balance' two separate props.

so a small nick is likely to be ok

Unless that 'small nick' causes the prop to come apart in flight

OP, replace the one nicked prop and go fly!

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

I’ve seen tests on you tube where someone has cut the ends of a drone blade and it makes little to no difference so a small nick is likely to be ok

I have actually done such tests with a mavic 2 pro.
See post 20 in Need Help Determining Cause of Crash .
Whether or not the drone could be flown depended on whether or not the unbalanced prop was on the front or rear motor.
When the unbalanced prop was on the rear motor the drone flew and was steady and controllable. When it was on the front motor the drone was all but uncontrollable.
I had a second damaged prop and cut an fair and equal amount off both blades, the drone flew perfectly well in indoor flights with that prop though the motor speed were increased.
Those considerations aside, the affected motors and arms were obviously shaking and that would not be good for the longevity of components.

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

This thread got me thinking, ignoring weight and possibly disturbution of weight (second moment of area?), if old and new blades are used on the same motor it is possible that the blades will, through wear or deformation etc., differ in pitch and perhaps shape. If so will they not consequently differ in drag and lift?
If so will not the differing drags and lifts themselves produce and apply unbalanced rotating loads to the motor and the motors bearings?

 

[AZDave]

This thread got me thinking, ignoring weight and possibly disturbution of weight (second moment of area?), if old and new blades are used on the same motor it is possible that the blades will, through wear or deformation etc., differ in pitch and perhaps shape. If so will they not consequently differ in drag and lift?
If so will not the differing drags and lifts themselves produce and apply unbalanced rotating loads to the motor and the motors bearings?

You're making WAY too much of this. The props naturally have a certain amount of flex to them, and when making various maneuvers the props are spinning at different speeds ... which is likely to alter their pitch and probably even their effective length, making "balance" between opposing props a mute point. Balance between blades on the same prop would be a far more important consideration, and that is strictly controlled by the manufacturing processes.

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

Maybe so but I think the advice to swap a single blade is bad advice and it is contrary to that given in the manual.
When arguing against such advice I think reasons are called for, so I present them.
I'd rather waste a blade in error than have someone else find out, the hard way, that I was correct.

 

[umanbean]

if old and new blades are used on the same motor

What th'??
As far as I can tell, that's not what is being discussed here at all.... swapping the entire prop is what was being recommended, not swapping one blade on a folding prop.

 

[zeusfl]

Swapping the propellers in the Mini 2 is very inexpensive. Just swap all of them if you are not sure. For habit, I swap propellers from my Mini 2 every 6 months. Depending on how you store your drone, the propellers tend to bend or lose the pitch (especially in the Mini and Mini2). In my other drones since the propellers are stronger, they last more.

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

What th'??
As far as I can tell, that's not what is being discussed here at all.... swapping the entire prop is what was being recommended, not swapping one blade on a folding prop.

This is the Mini 2 being discussed, in the Mini series propellor blades are lose and are mounted or remove singly.

In post #3 Izometric said "Propeller blades are not balanced pairs. Each blade is a stand-alone mix and match (with the same directional spinning blades). You can definitely change only one from the pair."

 

[umanbean]

in the Mini series propellor blades are lose and are mounted or remove singly.

Ok, so you were talking apples and I was talking oranges, sorry for the confusion.

Still, I've never heard or read of anyone swapping a single blade on a folding prop. In that case, take both blades off the hub and weigh each one with a good digital scale.

 

[izometric]

This is the Mini 2 being discussed, in the Mini series propellor blades are lose and are mounted or remove singly.

In post #3 Izometric said "Propeller blades are not balanced pairs. Each blade is a stand-alone mix and match (with the same directional spinning blades). You can definitely change only one from the pair."

Buddy, propeller. Not propellor.

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

ah, a bad habit, sorry.

 

[Sneak]

Thanks guys good advice. I gotta be honest... I'm really suprised with quality of this forum. Like if I post a question, within 2 hours when I check back there is already a few comments trying to help me solve the problem. I'm glad I found this site. You guys are awesome thank you. I'm really wanting to get into the space commercially. I think that would be an awesome job and I bet if i continue to get better with it and start to build my personal portfolio, I'll probably get some good ideas on starting a aerial photography business like for real estate etc. Thanks again. I need to get that FAA 107 license.