The Speedy™ Prop Balancer PB-1 (patent pending)
- Minimizes Prop Vibration
- Improves Motor Life
- Increases Efficiency
- Maximizes Image Quality
The PB-1 is a precision instrument designed specifically for the DJI Phantom® brand 8” and 9” props and includes the Prop Balancer Base and the Balance Rod. It was conceived, designed and produced by brothers Joe and Speedy Peacock . Both avid DJI Phantom 1 & 2 pilots, they were dissatisfied with other balancing devices on the market that tend to give ambiguous results ending in a “compromise” or “that is good enough”. Their pursuit for repeatable results went on for months and many prototypes before finalizing the PB-1 as THE solution to propeller vibration reduction. Prop Balancer Rod included!
DJI Phantom 1 & 2 props are color coded on their hub for thread direction. Silver indicates a right hand thread and black a left handed thread. The left-handed thread end is marked by the shallow channel you see next to the threads.
The importance and value of precisely balanced props:
Balanced props on multi rotors are very important for two reasons. Out of balance props are hard on the motors and make them work harder. Also, out of balance props induce vibrations in the airframe that manifest themselves through the airframe down to camera equipment such as the GoPro® camera. This causes instability and a “jello” effect in the final image capture. If you are a videographer and/or photographer using the DJI Phantom for image capture, propellers balanced with the Speedy™ Prop Balancer are a “must have” in your tool box.
There are two main criteria to accurately balancing Phantom® propellers - an accurately machined Prop Rod and a mechanically accurate Balance Base.
The 5” long Prop Rod is made from a rod of aircraft grade aluminum that is precision threaded on both ends to 6mm on a $150,000 CNC lathe to a tolerance of .0005” (1/2 thousandths!) On the CNC lathe the rod is held in place with a friction collet to protect the extra smooth surface of the rod. The left hand thread for the black nosed CCW props is indicated by the 3mm shallow channel milled near the end of the threads and is easily visible.
The Prop Balancer Unit is produced on a $40,000 laser CNC laser cutting system from 1/8” thick acrylic for both the base and the vertical pillars. The key to the design of the base is that all surfaces are “square with the world” with both pillars being precisely aligned with the base at 90º and the two support rods front and back being precisely parallel to the base. This design utilizes only two contact points on precision steel .047” rods unlike the DU-BRO and other devices that can depend on up to eight contact points and can possibly introduce undesirable variables due to friction at each contact point. The Speedy® Prop Balancer eliminates the “hesitation” in rotation in other devices rather than the smooth silky movements with the Speedy™ Prop Balancer.