Compression versus Tension - Gimbal

[John Githens]

I bought 10 sets of isolators back when B&H sold them online. In my experience the isolators break in fairly quickly, 1-2 hours worth of flight time as they become consistent to vibes exhibited. So known used isolators should be usable.

Normal flight doesn't degrade them further or make them softer beyond break in. Truly a subjective opinion on my part, that's with many hours of flight time and testing.

Having said that, crashing a bird hard will stress the isolators. Example would be that an isolator has pulled off either mounting hole due to the crash. At that point replacement should be done.

At this time I work from two gimbals and three sets of isolators, makes the task of testing easier and it allows some confirmation to duplicate results as things are changed.

I'll continue to work on the hardware side, as I enjoy the challenge and what I've learned from the experience. But in general, stabilizing video in post is the final fix based on other people's examples. Doesn't hurt to start processing with stable video though.

Well count me in as one of the converted to punching and stuffing the stock Solo Gimbal dampener balls. I was unable to get enough vibration correction with PowerDirector15, and had tried most of the other suggestions.

The arrival of my third GoPro, upgraded by Peau to their 8.25mm lens, drove me to invest more time in removing vibrations from my videos. The videos to-date were OK for most of my work with the 3.97 and 3.37 lenses, but I suspected that the 8.25 lens might reveal more vibrations than I could tolerate, and it did. At least to my eyes when staring closely at a 55" display. I had already installed the super flexible data cable from User Name, and stripped a couple of inches of insulation (but not the braid) from the end of the HDMI cable nearest the gimbal, and even pushed in a small bunch of plastic stuffing from a small pillow to keep that cable from touching the Solo body. (On top of all that, I added four, 3/8" circles of 3/16" thick Sorbothane near the Cube's mounting screw heads, to press against the bottom of the battery tray.)

For stuffing the dampeners, I bought two small, yellow foam replacement paint rollers, then used a razor blade to make four pieces to wad up and stuff in the dampeners with a Q-tip. One can get 8 wads from each roller. I was going to also grind away some of that plastic post near the HDMI connector, but it appears that I may not need to do that. Time (and more wind) will tell.

Anyway, after applying PowerDirector15's default 50% vibration reduction in post, to my eyes the vibrations are effectively gone. I am amazed. Now on to upgrading my other gimbals. Thanks for all your investigative work!

 

[RichWest]

Glad it's working for you John. Would be interested to see some video with the 8.25mm lens with your setup...

iirc, the poly foam balls bounce (micro vibes) more than the memory foam. I tried about 10 different foams, you name it as far as chemistry and density, the blue memory foam performed the best. I have a few inserts left over from that testing, would be happy to send you a couple of sets to see if your results improve further.

fwiw, I've been prototyping and testing my PlanB solution over the last year. The one you are using is PlanC, which I have not used since then. I still recommend having replacement stock ball dampers in hand before doing the PlanC mod. If PlanB ever did release, it has no need for holes...just saying.

Also check out @hardhat068 videos, he seems to have his gimbal setup nicely. Worth looking at as a comparison. I think he uses moon gel and possibly ear plugs.

Thanks for the feedback. Here's to better video.

 

[John Githens]

Glad it's working for you John. Would be interested to see some video with the 8.25mm lens with your setup...

iirc, the poly foam balls bounce (micro vibes) more than the memory foam. I tried about 10 different foams, you name it as far as chemistry and density, the blue memory foam performed the best. I have a few inserts left over from that testing, would be happy to send you a couple of sets to see if your results improve further.

fwiw, I've been prototyping and testing my PlanB solution over the last year. The one you are using is PlanC, which I have not used since then. I still recommend having replacement stock ball dampers in hand before doing the PlanC mod. If PlanB ever did release, it has no need for holes...just saying.

Also check out @hardhat068 videos, he seems to have his gimbal setup nicely. Worth looking at as a comparison. I think he uses moon gel and possibly ear plugs.

Thanks for the feedback. Here's to better video.

Rich, thanks for the offer of the blue memory foam! Would be good to see if there is any improvement. Will send a PM with my address.

>Here< is a link to a test video shot with the 8.25mm lens. This was done quickly with scenes from 8AM this morning followed by scenes shot at 2PM under bright haze. Only 13 sats locked, and flying between roofs so there's a bit of position drift. I didn't spend any time tuning with PowerDirector15 other than to set Video Enhancement to 30, and Video Stabilizer to 50. (Realized late that an ND8 filter was on the GoPro, when I normally shoot with an ND16. Might have used an ND32 for the afternoon shots.)

The attached photo shows a 1/4" punch, a thin wooden piece from a craft store as a base for punching the holes, and the remaining yellow wads cut from two, 3" paint rollers. I found that rotating the sharp punch back and forth while pressing down makes nice cuts.

 

[RichWest]

I think you will see improved results with the blue foam....

Thanks for posting the video, I really like what the 8.25mm lens provides. Besides, your scenery is much more appealing than what I can see from my house...