Gimbal vibration / uneven footage help

[Maddog]

Thanks for the input, Maddog.



Does the GPS upgrade in fact void the warranty? I read posts about guys sending their birds back with the mods in them to have them serviced. Or did I read this wrong.

So I tried what @RichWest suggested and took out the battery tray to have a good look and indeed I could see how the HDMI is supposed to hover in the front. I even got a piece of soft tape like he did to make a soft bracket to hold it above the gimbal.

Now, I absolutely cannot get the feed to display anything other than a green pixelated mess. I know this is from the HDMI cable not being seated properly as it happened to me before, so I make sure it's firmly plugged into the gimbal and every time I turn it on, there isn't a proper feed. I've only fully unplugged the HDMI a couple times so it can't be worn. Any suggestions? I was supposed to film tomorrow and this is just pissing me off.

Is it possible the HDMI cable has come loose from the circuit board? Not sure if you already checked that.

 

[SARDG]

Is it possible the HDMI cable has come loose from the circuit board? Not sure if you already checked that.

SteveReno's 'fix' will alert him, if so.

 

[Fenti]

Thanks for all the suggestions and links to helpful articles. I did get the feed going by removing and replacing the HDMI from both ends--who knows where it was not connected well, it seemed solid at both ends. I have tried everything I can to get rid of this without replacing cables and doing mods.

I really don't think this is a case of a micro vibration that I'm trying to get rid of though. See this latest video--it's really terrible. I have a ticket in with 3DR but I haven't heard from them in a week.

Pretty bummed because I don't have a working gimbal (wife would not be happy with another gimbal purchase). I missed all of the fall colours here and some good opportunities to start putting together a demo reel.

Once I get both birds with working gimbals, I will look at doing a GPS mod in one.

Oh, anyone get a cable made here?: Custom HDMI Cable Builder - Aerialpixels

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[rwijnhov]

I have the exact same issue. I am replacing the gimbal and see if that fixes it. I got if for 52$ on ebay.

 

[TJC64]

Hey folks,

I don't have more than three hours on my back up Solo (the first one is being repaired), and I just started trying to film with it. After reviewing my footage I noticed that in any slight wind, there is a pretty major vibration from the gimbal. I included a link to a Youtube video where you can see the vibration at the beginning and again at the end. Is this a normal amount of vibration? My other Solo seemed to record video just fine in the same amount of wind.

I balanced my props prior to this flight. I read about the cables and checked that both were connected well and not touching anything. I also understand that replacing the cables will help, but in the videos I have seen from others, there doesn't seem to be a vibration like what I am seeing. I will be replacing the cables when I get more familiar and comfortable with working on the Solo. (Very new to RC)

When I test the Solo and hand hold it and lean it to the right, the gimbal motor gets pretty loud and shudders the whole bird and often keeps working when I lean the Solo back to level. Is this normal to have this happen on one side?

Also, It's a little hard to tell from this footage, but most of my video is not straight. I have done a stick calibration to help clear this up. I have also attached a photo of my gimbal at rest and you can see how much tilt there is. Does this look normal? I understand this is supposed to correct when actually flying, but as my footage is always tilted, something else is up. Is there any other troubleshooting or calibration I should be doing?

The video is 1080p at 60fps. Stock lens.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

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Did you ever figure out what was causing the vibrations?

 

[DocBr]

hello guys!)
I want to share my research in search of vibration removal on video .. I seem to have read everything .. and made all known modifications - softening HDMI cable and its correct laying, softening the data cable, balancing engines and propellers, the use of gels Moongel gaskets.).
I replaced the factory anti-vibration dampers with gel Tarot.
It helped a lot, but still the problem was not completely solved. In windy weather and sharp movements of the drone, the vibrations on the video were periodically repeated. And I made the assumption that maybe the flow of air from the propellers could put pressure on the gimbal. After all, the gimbal is not compact ..
I tried to shield the gimbal. And it worked great!
and it still blocks the sun's rays on the lens, and the flicker of the shadows from the propellers in the oncoming sun.

 

[RichWest]

I replaced the factory anti-vibration dampers with gel Tarot.

I looked at those previously...curious which version did you receive? There are two sizes depicted now, TL10A05 Med. or TL10A04 Small. Back when I only found the small size, which was to small for Solo based on my prior experimentation with a variety of damper balls.

Really awesome to see someone try the wind shield idea. I'm sure it helps out a lot. I never fully tried it as my wind loading was of concern, thinking it would make flight times shorter and/or create stability issues.

@user_name made a 3DP cover plate for the roll arm. It covered up the channel in the upper exposed arm from prop blast. I know it worked well, I had DIY'd tape over the channel and saw improvements when flying laterally. Still flying with one gimbal mod'd with this feature.

I'd be interested in seeing an example/results video.

 

[DocBr]

I looked at those previously...curious which version did you receive? There are two sizes depicted now, TL10A05 Med. or TL10A04 Small. Back when I only found the small size, which was to small for Solo based on my prior experimentation with a variety of damper balls.

Really awesome to see someone try the wind shield idea. I'm sure it helps out a lot. I never fully tried it as my wind loading was of concern, thinking it would make flight times shorter and/or create stability issues.

@user_name made a 3DP cover plate for the roll arm. It covered up the channel in the upper exposed arm from prop blast. I know it worked well, I had DIY'd tape over the channel and saw improvements when flying laterally. Still flying with one gimbal mod'd with this feature.

I'd be interested in seeing an example/results video.

here is a photo report of the installation of shock absorbing balls Tarot TL10A05

but now I see that there are also large balls .. This is just the right size! TL10A08

 

[RichWest]

Wow, that was a lot of innovation and effort to get those Tarot's fitted. As well your cable and body padding, you spent a lot of time isolating all the HDMI cable's points of contact. Interesting use of moon gel. I'm impressed!

I took the minimalist approach once I developed jello in the gimbal's video, reducing contact rather than adding. If you will, under-damped rather than over-damped gave repeatably better results. The constrained envelope of the gimbal bay is challenging, I applaud your efforts.

In the end, gimbals see a Z biased elliptical oscillation of about a 3:1 ratio from my testing. The culprit, is the neutral area of travel between compression and tension by any damping system. Without more weight, it's challenging to overcome, but it can be done...

Appreciate you sharing your efforts, I always learn something from other's efforts.

 

[just_bruce]

Wow, that was a lot of innovation and effort to get those Tarot's fitted. As well your cable and body padding, you spent a lot of time isolating all the HDMI cable's points of contact. Interesting use of moon gel. I'm impressed!

I took the minimalist approach once I developed jello in the gimbal's video, reducing contact rather than adding. If you will, under-damped rather than over-damped gave repeatably better results. The constrained envelope of the gimbal bay is challenging, I applaud your efforts.

In the end, gimbals see a Z biased elliptical oscillation of about a 3:1 ratio from my testing. The culprit, is the neutral area of travel between compression and tension by any damping system. Without more weight, it's challenging to overcome, but it can be done...

Appreciate you sharing your efforts, I always learn something from other's efforts.

I wonder if viscous hydraulic damping would be able to handle this 'dead zone' a bit better? I admit it adds some weight, but really I'm just thinking out loud here....

 

[RichWest]

I wonder if viscous hydraulic damping would be able to handle this 'dead zone' a bit better?

I guess that is what DJl and Tarot have tried with their gel filled dampers. Just a more contemporary version of a hydraulic pot. But even so, there is still that neutral spot to deal with...that their solutions can't solve.

In the end it is the propulsion system that produces the vibes. Perfect that and you have a solution. FreeFly Systems developed a prop damping solution for their Alta-X quad, it's marketed as ActiveBlade technology. Interesting approach to a universal issue.