DJI Phantom 2 Vision Brushless Gimbal

thingiverse

April 2, 2014 Update: In-flight testing of the new holder GimbalBase8 was conducted, as GimbalBase7 had a design flaw that prevented mounting a motor. The jello effect was still present; however, upon video analysis, Felix discovered that videos recorded at 25 frames per second exhibited jello, while those at 30 frames were improved and those at 60 frames were perfect (http://youtu.be/Qj32H0mnQfI). The design process has now been finalized. People reported difficulty in obtaining the rubber buffers mentioned earlier. It was suggested to use M3 Flex-Loc buffers with Damper80 caps and 20 mm screws along with white stock buffers for better accessibility. The current gimbal damping design is similar to that used by other gimbal systems, but DIY enthusiasts can opt for those if they are not comfortable with 3D printing and soldering. March 30, 2014 Update: The new GimbalBase7 design features a vertical PCB mount, an increased distance of 8 mm from the camera to the ground, 9.5 mm diameter for original dampers, no holder for an additional tracker, and moving the camera backward by 5 mm. However, this design has not been tested in flight yet. March 29, 2014 Update: Vibrational damping is crucial to the success of this gimbal. The recommended solution involves equipping stock dampers with a cap on each side (8 mm diam for one and 7.5 mm diam for the other), placing a 6 mm long rubber damper with M3 screw ends in the center. Alternatively, M3 Flex-Loc dampers can be inserted from the top into stock dampers and a printed counterpart with an M3 thread from the bottom. Both options provide a better connection to reduce oscillation. The current PID parameters are: Roll - pwr 60, P 10, I 0.1, D 40; Pitch - pwr 50, P 10, I 0.1, D 40, but they are not yet optimized. Comments and suggestions are welcome. The original article discusses the author's modification of a brushless gimbal for a Hero 3 to hold the DJI Vision cam. This was their first project using SolidWorks, so design flaws may exist. The GPS tracker is mounted on the gimbal base plate, the PCB is secured with components facing the plastic, and the sensor is attached to the cam holder with double-sided tape. The camera snaps into the holder securely without damaging the PLA. Power for the gimbal is sourced from the camera cable via a 3.5 mm 4-pin extension. The base holder has a hole for a female connector, and the camera connects with a rectangular plug. Mounting is critical for success, requiring stiff dampers, silicone pads between the copter and base plate, and careful adjustment to maintain the center of gravity. No modifications to the landing gear are necessary due to tight space. The servo output connects to the RX-Pitch input of the gimbal with ground and signal only (no 5 V connection), allowing tilting all the way down. SolidWorks 2012 files for the design can be found at http://www.stoeckli.net/?p=124.