Static Grounding

[dknguyen]

Quick question. Some RC helicopters use a belt drive that runs through the tail boom to spin the tail rotor. This causes friction which produces static build up that screws around with the electronics.

RC modellers wire the tailboom, the belt pulley, tail rotor shaft, and the bearing it sits on together in order to keep everything at the same potential. THey also then connect this to the ground on their electronics. Is everything clear?

My question is...wouldn't it be better to connect it to the electronics through a leakage resistor similar to those found in ESD wrist straps rather than a direct connection? Because if you touched say the tailboom and there was a sudden ESD discharge it would make its way back into the electronics via that ground connection?

 

[duffy]

I would think so, less of a sharp-risetime "snap" to induce noise.

 

[arrie]

Do they all use belt drive trains?
Would a lightweight drive shaft and gearing not solve the issue?

I think so
But I'm not RC heli expert.
Hobby is too expensive. I crash too often

 

[dknguyen]

The term for an RC shaft-driven tail rotor is a "torque tube". Both belts and tubes are used. THere are advantages and disadvantages to both. ESD being one advantage of the torque tube. But the damage incurred from a tail rotor strike goes to the belt drive.

Other differences are mainly initial setup work, regular maintenance, and performance (though it only makes a difference if you fly really eratically).