Gimbal wire diagram for aftermarket gimbal

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I'm not sure if this has been covered yet on this site, but I wasn't able to find it after doing a search, so I thought I'd ask herer. I'm new to the Solo but learning fast. As most of you know the stock pile of Solo Gimbals are dwindling down and the suppliers that have them are charging more and more everyday, even for used ones. I have an aftermarket 3 axis gimbal that I'm trying to install on my Solo. After pulling out the inside tray, found the wires, color codes and how they are market on the circuit board, but not sure of a few things, hence the reason for posting this thread. I have an aftermarket GoPro (Chinese knock off) that works fine with the Solo's HDMI cable and the stock Solo GoPro anti vib mount, video shows on my phone just fine during flight. I'd like to wire another HDMI or MicroUSB (like on the Solo Gimbal) so I can just plug in my aftermarket GoPro (knockoff) and use my aftermarket 3 axis gimbal. I figured out most of the wires so far (BATT, RX, TX, GND, 5v) for hooking up the aftermarket gimbal, but not sure about the D+, D-, and GND. I think those wires (BLU, PUR, & BRN) are the video or microusb input cable to the GoPro on a stock Solo Gimbal. I not sure if those are the wires that move the Pitch of the stock Solo Gimbal. Perhaps the UART4 RX and UART4 TX move the pitch of the gimbal. Has anyone else tried to figure out this wiring for an aftermarket Gimbal? Thanks so much for any help. Below I've listed the wires, colors and what they say on my Solo's circuit board.

Solo Gimbal Wires
RED - Gimbal batt
WHT - UART4 RX (not sure what UART4 mean?)
GRN - UART4 TX (not sure what UART4 mean?)
BLK - Gimbal GND
YEL - Gimbal 5v (not sure what this wire is for, I'm guessing its for the gimbal controller)
BLU - GoPro - D+
PUR - GoPro - D-
BRN - GoPro - GND
 
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Jonathan over on the mod group just got a storm working and is now thinking of building a cable for solo
 
so if there's a cable and diagram for the connections, then that would make it possible to add new gimbals/camera options?
 
Pyrate - Thanks man, I'll see if I can link up with Jonathan in the mod group like you said.

Mike H. - That's what I'm trying to figure out and/or make happen. It's ridiculous how expensive some of the stock Solo Gimbals are getting. Plus it's mainly made for a GoPro, which I don't own ( Too expensive as well ). If I can figure out how to wire up this Walkera G-3D that I found on HobbyWow.com for $48 bucks, then I'll be in business. I know there are more Solo Drone owners that would like to a less expensive option if at all possible to the Stock Solo Gimbal.
 
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well, i came across the Lumix DC-zs70, on sale at best buy ($399). Shoots 4k, and weighs 322 grams (.71lbs), built in wi-fi, hdmi out, OIS, etc. I'd love to be able to use something like this instead of investing in another go pro 4 (3 years old now) for my solo.
 
So, i was just doing some web surfing, and came across a company that offers an infrared camera and Gimbal that is fully functional with Solo ($2000)

So I'm guessing there's a for sure way to do it without a GoPro camera.

have you had any more success Sniper?
 
Pyrate - Thanks man, I'll see if I can link up with Jonathan in the mod group like you said.

Mike H. - That's what I'm trying to figure out and/or make happen. It's ridiculous how expensive some of the stock Solo Gimbals are getting. Plus it's mainly made for a GoPro, which I don't own ( Too expensive as well ). If I can figure out how to wire up this Walkera G-3D that I found on HobbyWow.com for $48 bucks, then I'll be in business. I know there are more Solo Drone owners that would like to a less expensive option if at all possible to the Stock Solo Gimbal.


Did you ever get the gimbal and camera set-up working?
 
I got a Storm32-based third party gimbal working recently. It took a good amount of time and tinkering and a custom wiring solution (you need access to three wires in the gimbal data cable) as well as some support from Jonathan and Israel over at the mod group on facebook (they were the first to get this running). The result is a gimbal that works well and has pitch control from the controller as well as smart shots support. However you cannot control the camera settings from the remote (like you can with the Solo gimbal). Good enough for me. If you try this, then please don't blame me for any damage to your drone!

This is the parts list that I used:
You need to find a way to mount the gimbal (zip ties for me), and a way to tap into the gimbal data cable. Wire it up like this: red and black wires from the gimbal data cable to Storm32 + and - respectively for power. Green and white from the gimbal data cable to the Storm32 board's UART Tx and Rx respectively (serial communication). Brown from the gimbal cable to UART ground on the Storm32 (serial ground).

Then follow these guides:
Update firmware: How to flash firmware - STorM32-BGC Wiki
Configure gimbal: Quick Start Guide - STorM32-BGC Wiki
Enable Mavlink Heartbeat in "expert settings"
Connect to Mission Planner:
To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.
Change the following parameters:
SERIAL4_BAUD from 230 to 115
SERIAL4_PROTOCOL from 1 to 2
MNT_TYPE from 2 to 4
RC6_FUNCTION from 0 to 7​

This should give you a functional gimbal. You then need to spend time tuning the PID variables:
Tuning Recipe - STorM32-BGC Wiki

Cheers!
 
I got a Storm32-based third party gimbal working recently. It took a good amount of time and tinkering and a custom wiring solution (you need access to three wires in the gimbal data cable) as well as some support from Jonathan and Israel over at the mod group on facebook (they were the first to get this running). The result is a gimbal that works well and has pitch control from the controller as well as smart shots support. However you cannot control the camera settings from the remote (like you can with the Solo gimbal). Good enough for me. If you try this, then please don't blame me for any damage to your drone!

This is the parts list that I used:
You need to find a way to mount the gimbal (zip ties for me), and a way to tap into the gimbal data cable. Wire it up like this: red and black wires from the gimbal data cable to Storm32 + and - respectively for power. Green and white from the gimbal data cable to the Storm32 board's UART Tx and Rx respectively (serial communication). Brown from the gimbal cable to UART ground on the Storm32 (serial ground).

Then follow these guides:
Update firmware: How to flash firmware - STorM32-BGC Wiki
Configure gimbal: Quick Start Guide - STorM32-BGC Wiki
Enable Mavlink Heartbeat in "expert settings"
Connect to Mission Planner:
To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.
Change the following parameters:
SERIAL4_BAUD from 230 to 115
SERIAL4_PROTOCOL from 1 to 2
MNT_TYPE from 2 to 4
RC6_FUNCTION from 0 to 7​

This should give you a functional gimbal. You then need to spend time tuning the PID variables:
Tuning Recipe - STorM32-BGC Wiki

Cheers!
Awp0
Thank you for sharing your findings. I also have a storm 32 on Oder and have been following the others on the F/B group but had a few questions that you have cleared up for me. This was such a great help. Thanks again for taking the time to post.
 
there are so many different settings being published, those look totally different that others I have seen.
There could be multiple paths, but hey so long as it works
 
Yeah, my guess is that there are multiple paths toward getting a Storm32 up and running with the Solo. The MP parameters I posted above are for the Mavlink2 protocol. I think some other people have been working with a standard Mavlink config, with varying success.

Anyway, this worked for me. I;ve never used the normal Solo gimbal so I really can't say how it compares. Here's a video I took a few days ago with the Storm32. I'm sure the PID settings can be further improved, but it's a good start:
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For more detailed information, see our cookies page.
 
Yeah, my guess is that there are multiple paths toward getting a Storm32 up and running with the Solo. The MP parameters I posted above are for the Mavlink2 protocol. I think some other people have been working with a standard Mavlink config, with varying success.

Anyway, this worked for me. I;ve never used the normal Solo gimbal so I really can't say how it compares. Here's a video I took a few days ago with the Storm32. I'm sure the PID settings can be further improved, but it's a good start:
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For more detailed information, see our cookies page.
Hey awp,
When you said "Green and white from the gimbal data cable to the Storm32 board's UART Tx and Rx respectively (serial communication)" you used the USB serial adapter? Did you just solder the rest?
 
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I got a Storm32-based third party gimbal working recently. It took a good amount of time and tinkering and a custom wiring solution (you need access to three wires in the gimbal data cable) as well as some support from Jonathan and Israel over at the mod group on facebook (they were the first to get this running). The result is a gimbal that works well and has pitch control from the controller as well as smart shots support. However you cannot control the camera settings from the remote (like you can with the Solo gimbal). Good enough for me. If you try this, then please don't blame me for any damage to your drone!

This is the parts list that I used:
You need to find a way to mount the gimbal (zip ties for me), and a way to tap into the gimbal data cable. Wire it up like this: red and black wires from the gimbal data cable to Storm32 + and - respectively for power. Green and white from the gimbal data cable to the Storm32 board's UART Tx and Rx respectively (serial communication). Brown from the gimbal cable to UART ground on the Storm32 (serial ground).

Then follow these guides:
Update firmware: How to flash firmware - STorM32-BGC Wiki
Configure gimbal: Quick Start Guide - STorM32-BGC Wiki
Enable Mavlink Heartbeat in "expert settings"
Connect to Mission Planner:
To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.
Change the following parameters:
SERIAL4_BAUD from 230 to 115
SERIAL4_PROTOCOL from 1 to 2
MNT_TYPE from 2 to 4
RC6_FUNCTION from 0 to 7​

This should give you a functional gimbal. You then need to spend time tuning the PID variables:
Tuning Recipe - STorM32-BGC Wiki

Cheers!
Appreciate the info, nicely done. Thank you!
 
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I am going to try to design a mount that will work with the solo and storm together. Can anyone tell me if this is something worth trying. I will need just one person how all ready has the storm working on a solo to work with me. I will print the parts and send them to that person. In return I will need feedback. Maybe this can help the guys that don't want or have $400 for a solo gimbal.
I volunteer to be the person to test it out
 
Hey awp,
When you said "Green and white from the gimbal data cable to the Storm32 board's UART Tx and Rx respectively (serial communication)" you used the USB serial adapter? Did you just solder the rest?

I believe you only need the USB--serial adapter for upgrading the Storm32 firmware to the latest version. You shouldn't need it after that. For connecting the wires between Solo and Storm, I found a member here who was selling gimbal data cable extensions. I used that to connect these individuals wires to the Storm board without damaging the original Solo gimbal data cable. Alternately you could cut the original cable, and solder the header-style female connectors on.
 
I am going to try to design a mount that will work with the solo and storm together. Can anyone tell me if this is something worth trying. I will need just one person how all ready has the storm working on a solo to work with me. I will print the parts and send them to that person. In return I will need feedback. Maybe this can help the guys that don't want or have $400 for a solo gimbal.

I would also be interested. Mine is attached with zip ties currently. Works fine, but it's a bit of a hack.
 

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