Brushless gimbals

[R_Lefebvre]

No, I don't think any of them will do a 3rd axis. I think the simple reason is that these were developed with smaller Multi-rotors in mind, and normally these are single-person operations, where the airframe is yawed to control pan. There really isn't any need for independent pan axis.

So there's still an opportunity here, since this is all open sources stuff, for somebody to make another board with that 3rd pan axis.

But I have noticed that Flyingcam don't use a pan axis either so...

[SFACV]

I personally don't have a use for pan axis either. With the DJI it is easy enough to fly whatever direction you want and use rudder to do a fly by following the subject. Most importantly I don't have a second person to man the camera. I just need a decent rig that will stabilize the footage and give me ability to adjust vertically. And carry a 5-8lb camera.

[R_Lefebvre]

Even 5-8 lbs might be pushing it. I haven't seen anybody use this with DSLR yet. Nex 5 is working though. One guy did one test flight, and put his AV130 and RSGS up for sale.

Maybe it'll work, I just haven't seen it yet.

[hareedy]

U dint really need a stabilized pan axis
A servo driven pan axis will do the trick if your helicopter is set rite

[R_Lefebvre]

Yeah, that's kind of what I was thinking too. A nice, slow, stable and strong pan axis driven by a servo might be better than a BL motor. This would only be used for pans, not stabilization. Or setting the camera to look sideways for a tracking shot.

But, it must be noted, having the BLGC turned sideways might mess up the BLGC controller. You'd need to get the control system all set up right. So we're a little ways off from this yet.

[R_Lefebvre]

Here's a gimbal somebody is working on for DSLR.

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1858227

[hareedy]

Originally Posted by R_Lefebvre

Here's a gimbal somebody is working on for DSLR.

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1858227

Dj From Photoship one is working on something
he should have a prototype in a week or 2 but it will not be ready before the end of the summer as he mentioned and that's a bummer cause i will have to wait for him
i dealt with him allot on the last couple of years and Dj is always there for you on the phone or email with lots and lots of very useful information
so i will wait for his new product

[Trnquill]

Originally Posted by R_Lefebvre

Even 5-8 lbs might be pushing it. I haven't seen anybody use this with DSLR yet. Nex 5 is working though. One guy did one test flight, and put his AV130 and RSGS up for sale.

Maybe it'll work, I just haven't seen it yet.

I have built a prototype for Panasonic GH2. Works OK! I'm using 40mm DualSky pancake motors and AlexMos board from Viacopter. GH2 is certainly at upper limit of what the motors/board can handle it but performs quite nicely, still.

My gimbal has servo for pan axis. I'm not planning to use it right away but decided to add it nevertheless. I would need a stabilization unit for pan axis alone and I'm not planning on buying Radian or anything that would cost twice as much as rest of the gimbal (including electronics). So, I'll have to figure it out how to stabilize the pan. In first phase I'll be running the pan with no input. Then with direct control from the receiver. And maybe at some point add some kind of stabilization to the mix if needed. Based on my experiences with Skyline I know I'll miss pan stabilization. Even in one man operation (the way I usually roll) it really helps if you can stabilize the pan when needed. Many multicopters tend to sway from side to side in yaw just a hair. And this effect really jumps up from video when other two axis are stabilized rock solid.

I don't have pictures or video yet of the gimbal. I try to pull something together during next weekend.

[R_Lefebvre]

I just ordered an AlexMos board from Viacopter too. I have not quite sure yet on the gimbal... I'm starting smaller. Either my ContourHD, or a Sony WX10. I want to be able to do high speed filming, and I'm a little concerned about the effect of aerodynamic loads. I've seen some evidence that the systems struggles to stabilize a Nex5 with dynamic movements (a bit of jitter). I've been thinking about using big motors for the small camera to help this. Not sure if there's any reason not to?

[gauchovolador]

Originally Posted by R_Lefebvre

I've been thinking about using big motors for the small camera to help this. Not sure if there's any reason not to?

Go ahead with a bigger motor (better holding torque) it will help in resisting the added load in high winds.

[SFACV]

So am I missing something or is it possible to get larger brushless motors and a controller that will handle more current and build a mount to handle a DSLR up to 8 lbs? Really if you just grow the whole thing up it should work fine shouldn't it. Is the problem that nobody yet is making a controller to handle the current of a larger setup??? Seems like a simple solution to me but I could be missing something.

[SFACV]

If someone has a link to where I could get my hands on the controllers and motors I would build a mount and test it. I have all the material and machining equipment now to build, just waiting on a solution. It has to be able to carry 6-8lb camera though. I have checked with Photoshipone but am not sure if his will be ready in time.

[hareedy]

well photo ship one worth waiting for
in the mean time i am still using the 2xpt and happy with it

[stmpngrnd]

many are working on solutions for larger cameras

[SFACV]

Originally Posted by hareedy

well photo ship one worth waiting for
in the mean time i am still using the 2xpt and happy with it

I agree that it is worth waiting for but not if I loose 10k or more in sales because of waiting. I need to get a better camera to meet the needs of my best customer and that means a larger mount, I want to go stabilized this time but don't want to start over and use last years technology if you know what I mean. Would rather build once and use cutting edge, it gets obsolete too fast to not get the new stuff.

[Trnquill]

You guessed it right: there's no board available at the moment that could handle bigger currents. And I'm guessing even the largest light weight BL-motors (in range of 50mm in diameter) are not enough for really heavy cameras. One would need some special motor with 70-80mm diameter yet light weight for optimal performance. I'm sure some "ordinary" motor will also work when rewinded, though.

If you want something right now, go and buy something that's available right now. Waiting for things not yet on sale or even released is not the way to go if you have clients waiting in line for your services.

[hareedy]

My clients are already happy with my services I am the one who is not happy
I am kind of perfectionist but at the same time I don't want just get anything I need the best gimbal I can afford
It would be a dream to fly in relatively high wind and get a good video without post stabilization
Rite now I am using the 5d but I wanna move to the Sony fs 700 that I already have
If the zenmuse could handle the 5d weight with a 20 mm lensI would of gotten it the moment it hit the market
I am sure dji are already working on something for bigger cameras
But it's just like any other company they can't put all the card on the table

[Trnquill]

I'm sure dudes at DJI are working their undersides off on new gimbals. But if the schedule for 5D-sized gimbal is as slow as for GoPro gimbal, don't expect it anytime soon... I guess it's over a year now since GoPro-Zenmuse was first introduced and you still can't buy it. And up until now there's no word on 5D-sized Zenmuse, so...

At the same time open source community and some lonesome propeller headed cowboys are pushing out better and better BL controllers. Here's my gimbal prototype based on AlexMos controller board from Viacopter.net and rewinded DualSky motors:

Harjaton v0.1 (3 min 26 sec)

[hareedy]

Tranquil
Your gimbal looks very promising
What's the weight of your camera with that lens
And what's the weight of the gimbal it self ?

[R_Lefebvre]

Markus, that is amazing!

Easily the best performance I've seen from a large camera gimbal. Congrats.

How did you do it? Was it just in the tuning? From what I've seen, jitter becomes a problem with the heavier cameras, but this might be just due to the PID tuning.

What are you doing for vibration damping too?