Gimbal data cable - Admitted wrong theory

@RichWest , I share your obsession with reducing vibes. I've been following this forum for 2 years now since getting my first Solo in hopes of finding the silver bullet. I followed your remedy for the isolators/ dampeners and the results were encouraging. The data cable does seem to be the last link. Are you also flying with the modded isolators in the video above?
 
Looking forward to the video. I don't think I have micro vibrations, after a couple hundred flight hours my Solo seems to have broken in..

I do get macro, or gimbal shake in my videos especially when it's windy out. Im curious if this mod will help.
 
So next move is to coerce a member to make me a new data cable with silicon wires... @pious_greek . But for now the video is fairly spectacular. Obviously removing the source of the vibration is very important, bearings and balancing of the motors and props. Possibly I'm finely done with vibes....;)

Since we are doing a lessons learned....

A fully stripped HDMI cable (removed all pvc casing, aluminum shielding and stranded copper? shielding) will interfere with GPS reception and you will lose GPS lock periodically even in open flight. At least that was my experience. I imagine this would apply to a lesser extent to partially stripped HDMI cables as well.

Also, in my experience, counter-intuitively, a fully stripped HDMI cable did not yield any reduction in vibes, although my testing was limited given the GPS issues.
 
It might be easier to compare the various "fixes" you are testing by setting up a smart shot and running Solo through the same smart shot after each change.

That way you could compare the results of a fix more easily.
For the most part I'm done. Not much can be done on the mechanical side that I haven't tried. I like the actual flying part more than anything, why I've never set up a smart shot.

Obviously lighting is the other issue. Part of the looping around the field is to see where is the best angle. The setting sun seems best at around a 90 degree angle perspective. Just don't get many morning or midday opportunities to fly, always the afternoon lighting.

Speeding up the video was just to show what can be done, not an option prior. I'll make a short one with some editing at standard speed.

Are you also flying with the modded isolators in the video above?
Yes, I've flown with them since the idea was developed. The foam inserts have changed a bit, I now have them as round rather than oddly punched shaped. Either shape will work, just that I wanted a more consistent dimensional shape for testing various diameters. It appears B&H is offering the rubber dampeners once again....

Looking forward to the video. I don't think I have micro vibrations, after a couple hundred flight hours my Solo seems to have broken in..
I agree, your videos looks great, just a little too dark. But it's why I questioned you on filter usage on your recently shown video. The micro vibes will spike the highlights, it's the oscillation seen by the sensor.

A reminder, I'm still on end of life bearings...

At the end of the day guys, I'm just sharing ideas and by no means are they perfect. I've got no agenda to make money off of Solo or its users. I appreciate so much the small group we still have here that is loyal to the idea of Solo. This shared endeavor is my only ability to contribute to the community. #Iflysolo
 
For the most part I'm done.

Your cable is made and will be in the mail tomorrow.

I agree with the sentiment that at some point, mechanically, nothing more can be improved. Hanging a camera underneath 4 whirling propellers is bound to impart vibrations, and you can only reduce them, not eliminate them.

With the modifications, I've been able to reduce them from obvious and distracting to where you have to really be looking for them. Most people I show video to don't notice them until they're pointed out. Even still, I just run software stabilization on all my video to eliminate even that.
 
Even still, I just run software stabilization on all my video to eliminate even that.
I'm looking at some video I just shot. For the common eye it's a wow, but I'm tainted and see all the flaws... Wish I had a better eye, but sure better software would go a long way in helping....;)

Looking forward to installing the patch cable. Other than 7 screws, zero effort to install....like it was meant to be. Thank you!
 
LOL no I mean the part number or sku for what kind of pins I need to buy to replace the wires
 
Again, not the best of editing...but it about the vibes right...

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anyone know the pin specifics
I can make one if I find that out

The housing and terminals Rich linked to is the same as what's on the end of the data cable - the part that plugs into the gimbal.

This is the header that's on the gimbal. So if you wire the housing Rich linked to, to this, you'll have a little extension cable. As for what's on Solo's main board, my first Solo (early production) has the data cable wires soldered directly to the board. My newer Solo's have them going into some sort of housing that looks like it could be removed, but I've pried on it as hard as I've dared, and it hasn't budged. If I have the main board completely out at some point, I'd investigate this connector further, it would certainly be cleaner to just replace the cable entirely than use an extension, although I've not had any trouble with the extensions since installing them.

Regarding the pinouts, it's probably safe to assume the black and red are power, but I don't know what any of the other colors are. I've just matched the colors from header to housing to whatever they are passes directly through.
 
got a busy weekend coming up right before a week off
green cube is finally stateside and cleated customs so I will be able to fly solo 2 on arducopter and solex next week
My DIY PH2 went south when I tried to do the service bulletin fix, I think it was my fault. But my distributor stood behind it, and So my DIY will be taking flight again as I finish up my last airframe adjustments before putting a camera on it
And I have my first 107 gig, wohoooo
 
The data cable bothered me from day one with my first Solo. Absolutely no justification for using such stiff wire going to a component that needs to be isolated from vibrations as much as possible.

Let me see if I have any remaining connectors and I'll make you one of the little extensions I've put on all my Solo's (bottom). It's a few inches long, just enough to put a little loop of soft silicon wire between the stock cable and the gimbal.
Patch cable arrived, that is first class work! Really is a great solution being that it just plugs into the existing cable. Very flexible and appears an ample length to dampen the vibes well before getting to the gimbal. Very well thought out!

Like I said previously, will test prior to changing out my motor bearings. Just as a benchmark from known vibes and cause. This should be really interesting. Thank you again!

PS: That was at least an hour's worth of work, just for the crimping and soldering....Again very kind of you to have sent it. I'm running out of stuff to send you in return....;)
 
Patch cable arrived, that is first class work! Really is a great solution being that it just plugs into the existing cable. Very flexible and appears an ample length to dampen the vibes well before getting to the gimbal. Very well thought out!

Yea, I didn't want it so long that it would add to all the cabling that already needs to be routed not to interfere with the gimbal board and motor, not a lot of space up there.

PS: That was at least an hour's worth of work, just for the crimping and soldering....Again very kind of you to have sent it. I'm running out of stuff to send you in return....;)

Didn't take that long, I've crimped enough of those little connectors (and smaller!) that they go quick. I'll be interested to hear what you think of any improvement it makes. It seems to have improved the vibs on mine, but I didn't do anything approaching a rigorous test.

And no problem... you've sent me more than enough stuff already!
 
Well I just got the last bit of any usable light for the day, which wasn't much. A lot of wire to deal with, as stock, and then add in the patch cable. I got it all stuffed in under the hood, seemly clear of contact of at least half of the patch cable. The gimbal powered and all the control functions worked as well, so kudos for correctly wiring and that I didn't break anything in my haste to install....;)

The raw video looks good, but I used low sharpening with a CP filter so I'll need to edit to see a better representation. More light would have been much better, it was pretty soft. ETA: The street level video looks clear. Best indicators for me have been high contrast objects, mortar lines in brick and shinny objects. They are close in objects, 150' or less, so the parallax effect from any vibration is obvious. For the initial flight, it's a winner of a mod. Looking forward to this weekend's opportunity to fly.

No question that the silicone cable is the way to go. The wire is dead soft. Truly, what was 3DR thinking? My apology to anyone that had mentioned this to me in the past. I really feel stupid thinking I had no issues with the data cable previously. The T-Motors must have been that good...that it wasn't a problem.

I think I will either hard wire to the main board or shorten the factory cable to accept the patch as is. Again just too little room to expect it to be clear of contact with something. What was your experience in placing the patch cable?

The crimps are really small and you say there are smaller...I'm straining to see these...;)
 
I'll pop the top off my Solo and take a picture of how I have the cable routed, I don't recall specifically how it was, but I did fiddle with it trying different routes until I found one that cleared everything. I agree on just replacing the stock cable outright, when I have an occasion to remove the main board entirely, I fully intend to solder my extension directly to the board.

And yes, JST-SH connections are quite a bit smaller! I darn near need a magnifying glass, and I have pretty good close up eye sight. The Click-Mate connectors are a relative breeze!
 

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