Why You Should Test Your Drone's Motors and Propellers

 In the world of drones, UAVs and eVTOL aircraft, having an optimized motor-propeller configuration not only allows your aircraft to fly, but to perform optimally.

Manufacturers’ data can give you an idea which motors and propellers will work in your design, but testing is not standardized, so it is impossible to compare parts across manufacturers. 

Here are just a few of the reasons why you should test your motors and propellers (expanded below):

•  Increase your flight time	•  Diagnostics
•  Increase your payload	•  Safety
•  Increase your range	•  Certification
•  Noise Level Testing	•  Structure design
•  Vibration testing	•  Quality assurance
•  Reliability	•  Throttle response
•  In flight icing	•  Flight replication
Preventative maintenance	•  Motor thermal testing

Increase Your Flight Time

A major reason for testing your motors and propellers is to increase your drone’s flight time. Increasing your vehicle’s air time will allow you to shoot longer videos, collect more data, maintain visual contact on a target, and fly farther on a single charge. Simple tests and modifications can add precious minutes to your flight time, giving you a competitive advantage over competitors. A great example comes from two mechanical engineering Masters students at the University of Ottawa who were able to more than double the flight time of their reconnaissance helicopter drone by testing various motor-propeller combinations.

Throughout the  testing multiple motor/ propeller process, the students were able to determine that lighter electrical components would perform equally well and found a more efficient motor than the one they were previously using. The result was that they increased their helicopter’s flight time from 3 minutes to 7 minutes without compromising on noise or payload (and they came up with an idea for a greataerospace company). This example goes to show that flight time can be improved through basic modifications to your design that centre around increasing efficiency.

Conclusion

We hope that this article has demonstrated the multitude of benefits that come with testing your drone's propulsion system. We offer several tools that can perform these testing functions and help you take your design to the next level:

LY-10KGF Thrust Stand

LY-30KGF Thrust Stand

WF-CO-30KGF Coaxial Thrust Stand

LY-70KGF Thrust Stand and Dynamometer