Brushless Gimbal Controller Powering APM2.5

I have the brushless gimbal and controller (Martinez) from RCTimer. The gimbal is controlled by its own 1800mah 3S Lipo. I would like to be able to control the gimbal's pitch, so I connected a servo cable going from Ch. 7 on my Rx to the appropriate input pins on the gimbal controller. When I powered the gimbal, I was surprised to see that it also powered the APM. Naturally, not being an electrical engineer, that made me hesitant to connect the primary Lipo that usually powers the APM.

Am I missing something? Would it be safe to have both batteries connected at the same time if both appear to be providing power to the APM? If not, how do I connect my gimbal to my Rx without it also powering the APM?

edit: FWIW, I do have the APM power module piece between the APM and the primary Lipo, but I don't think that that would somehow make it "okay" to have two sources seemingly providing power to the APM.

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Replies

  • Hi guys,
    Does the IMU get connected to the bottom part of the camera holder on the gimbal or on the bottom of the camera itself before mounting?

    Thnks
  • Daniel.  I have just purchased a brushless gimbal kit RCTIMER ASP 2-Axis Nex-GH5 Series Brushless Gimbal from UAVObjects.  I am not confident I have soldered up the motors in the correct wiring order or that I understand how to wire it to the APM 2.9.  

    - Does any one have a wiring layout so I know what color wire to solder to which brushless motor input?  

    - Do I actually need the Martinez gimbal controller or can I power/control the Gimbal motors right off the APM?

    - Can I pull power off the 3S batteries powering the 3DR APM and lifet motors, or so I need a separate battery just for the Gimbal?

    - Which pins on the Martinez analog inputs are signal, plus and minus?

    Any help would be appreciated!

  • Developer

    Just don't connect the 5V line between the gimbal and rx, just ground and signal. (I have the same gimbal controller but I haven't flown it yet).

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