Drone Maintenance - Take Care of UAVs For a Long Lifespan

(Photo: Lee Lynch)  While we can all agree that it would be nice to install motors, ESCs and propellers once and then never worry about them again, that’s not reality. In order to get the most out of your UAS, including a long lifespan and safe durability, drone maintenance needs to be high on your list of priorities. Drone maintenance extends the lifespan of your multirotor and helps increase performance across the board.

Preventative Drone Maintenance 

Significantly reduce mechanical issues with these preventative drone maintenance tips:

• Keep and document a routine pre-flight inspection list, to prevent any errors or missed steps before operation
• Visually inspect the condition of all propellers, motors and ESCs - any signs of fatigue, cracks, loose hardware, or failing bearing need to be immediatley corrected before flight
• Check for any motor interference or lodged debris - all motors should move freely when spun by hand before arming the system
• Closely inspect the condition of all battery connectors and control lines
• Check the state of all wiring and solder-joints monthly, as cyclic fatigue is the reality of physics and will eventually creep up 

Routine Drone Maintenance

One of the most important factors in regular drone maintenance is keeping electronics up-to-date via software and firmware updates. By upgrading to the latest version of firmware for your drone, you’ll be able to get the latest features and upgrades - including bug fixes, which could have an impact on flight time and efficiency.

Propellers are often the first components to be damaged in the event of a crash. Additionally, they are crucial when it comes to keeping your drone in the air. In order to avoid extended downtime, it’s smart to keep an additional set of propellers and propeller adapters on-hand in order to get flying again immediately.

When it comes to routine drone maintenance, it helps to have shaft and bearing replacement kits available for optimal brushless motor performance. In addition to shafts and bearings, routine maintenance also includes the occasional replacement of bullet connectors and new-solder joints. By replacing shafts, bearings and bullet connectors as part of your routine drone maintenance, the life of your UAS and equipment and enhance performance is greatly extended throughout its lifetime.

Remember to perform regular preventative maintenance checks on your drone in order to prevent unexpected physical damage and unsafe operation conditions. While electromechanical systems always have the chance of failure, performing routine drone maintenance you can give your UAV the best chance of survival.

KDE Direct offers multirotor replacement kits - including bearings, shafts, bullet connectors, and lead extensions - in addition to replacement motors, propellers and ESCs. When it comes to routine drone maintenance, KDE Direct is your resource for new and replacement components.