Gimbal Newbie

[DharanFlyer]

Hey guys and gals -

So, looking to add a gimbal to my FPV rail on the Elctrohub at some point in the future. While browsing the HK website I am not 100% sure I know everything I need to succeed in this. I am picking up the Turnigy ActionCam today and was just looking into the gimbal gear I would need. Evidently there is a controller just for the gimbal?

Would anyone mind pointing out the basics of what I would need for a decent gimbal set up? Or an article that I could read through on what I need?

If anyone has any suggestions on some stuff from HK that they are using that would be fantastic! I am not looking to be cheap, but price aware for a decent to good gear for first setup.

Also on the same note, I have a DX6i and from what I can tell I may need to change over my Tx at some point to something with a few more channels with sliders or nobs?

 

[Snarls]

The basic parts for a brushless gimbal are: a frame, brushless motors, and a controller with IMU. The number of motors corresponds to the number of axes you want stabilization on. Then there are two and three axis controller boards available. Three axis controllers are more expensive, but they have really come down in price and increased in popularity since just a year or two ago.

You could scratch build your gimbal frame and buy the motors and controller. Here is a link to an article I wrote about a simple scratch built gimbal. Doing this you will probably have to spend a good deal of time balancing and tuning the gimbal (yes you have to tune PIDs like you have to tune a multirotor).

Another option is to buy all the parts and assemble everything. You could get a frame such as this one for two axes, or something else for three axes. You would still have to do the tuning and balancing though.

Personally for a three axis gimbal, I would just buy this one. Unfortunately it is out of stock, but it looks of very nice quality for the price. It's made for GoPro you make sure your ActionCam can fit.

 

[The-One-Who-Never-Crashes]

I agree that the FeiYu Tech Mini 3-axis gimbal is a great choice. It will fit the Turnigy HD Actioncam. If you watch the product video on the camera, they'll tell you that the only "mod" you have to do when mounting it is to use slightly longer screws since the camera is a little thicker than a GoPro.

 

[DharanFlyer]

Thanks Snarls -

For the controller - does that have to be linked up the the Rx, or is that optional? E.g. if I don't does it just keep the camera in a level position?

 

[DharanFlyer]

Would this one make any sense? I just like that it is a all in one package.

 

[Snarls]

No it does not need to be hooked up to the RX. If you do hook it up to the RX it will allow you to manually adjust pan/tilt/yaw.The stabilization will continue, but the gimbals idea of 'level' will be different. So you would want that it the case where you're filming the ground then slowly sweep the camera up. Roll and yaw are rarely manually controlled.

Would this one make any sense? I just like that it is a all in one package.

That is a similar product, but it does not look as reliable. It costs more and the wiring is all exposed, unlike the FeiYu Tech which looks like it uses slip rings to avoid messy/tangled wires. Looks like you can get the FeiYu gimbal on Amazon for the same price.

 

[DharanFlyer]

Very good to know. Didn't pick up on that and wouldn't of thought to look for it either.

I will put the FeiYu on my list for future purchase with a controller.

Thoughts on the Tx from the original post? Move to one with a slider for the pan control?

 

[Snarls]

I will put the FeiYu on my list for future purchase with a controller.

Thoughts on the Tx from the original post? Move to one with a slider for the pan control?

The FeiYu comes with its own gimbal controller so you don't need another board.

I would stick with DX6i for now. You can probably program a switch to pitch the camera all the way down and back up in a smooth motion. Otherwise if you want to upgrade get a Taranis and you'll have more knobs and sliders than you'll ever need.

 

[DharanFlyer]

That's awesome. Thank you for all of the help Snarls. I will let you know when I do the upgrades. Be a bit out. Will most likely do it in spring closer to when I can get the most use out of it. That is unless work follows through with me flying it for some fun internal promotional videos.