I have just received in the post two motors and fibreglass parts to build my own gimble frame for a small camera weighing up to 200gms.  I am still waiting for the Gimbal Controller to arrive from China.

While I wait for the Controller, may I please ask if it is best to connect the gimbal to its own battery supply, or let it use the battery which power's my newly purchased Iris, which arrived today?

If it is best to use an extra battery, then what size, strength of LiPo battery would I need?

Cheers

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  • Alll original AlexsMos gimbal control boards work with 4S,no problem with mine(I buy board at http://flyduino.net/Brushless-Gimbal_1)...also  new 32 bit board can handle 6S as well(that's what I experiment with at the moment)...also new software aloud gimbal to work same thru entire range of battery means eaven if you drain it lets say to half it will still work whatz was not the case before when gimbal stop when no enough voltage....

  • A gimbal probably will work best at 2-3 S. 4 S is a little harsh (if the controller crashes, the motors could get pretty badly overloaded). I would run it off the flight battery if it is 3S for sim
    • plicity. Else use a small 450 or 800 mAh battery. You might consume 200-500mA for the gimbal, depending on trim.
  • Thank you everybody for your help.

    As yet I do not have the Gimbal controller yet, however when it arrives I will read all the advice again in ernest.

    Another reason for asking about a battery is because I want to make a hand-held gimbal which will obviously need a power source of its own.

    Thank you everybody.

    :-=)

    • Yep,I agree with above about weight for a small flying rig. Handheld is what I do most of...gyromatic.com.au  

      We use 12v 1500mah lithium Ion. I still like the idea of eneloop style Nicads powering a handheld gimbal. You can leave it for a month and grab it to film and there is still some juice left.

  • Hi Mr Lemming,

    As for me, I chose to connect to the main LiPo that powers my quand, using a 12V UBEC like this one.

    http://mikrokopter.altigator.com/ubec-12v-45a-p-40518.html

    (sorry it's in French).

    Main advantage would be simplicity, but downsize is it pulls on the main battery (though I haven't noticed significant impact on flight time).

    No ESC noise for me (as far as I can see).

    Just one thing: when connected to a 4S LiPo, the UBEC can run very hot, so make sure you put it where it can be cooled and doesn't heat up other parts, or double sided tape, for instance ;)

    As many said, typical AlexMos-like gimbal controller boards usually run on 2S to 4s batteries (although I've read somewhere that 4S was not really recommended - please don't ask why)

    Cheers,

    Mathieu

    UBEC 5V/6V/9V/12V - 5A : Drones, UAV, OnyxStar, MikroKopter, ArduCopter, RPAS : AltiGator, drones,…
    Drones, UAV, OnyxStar, MikroKopter, ArduCopter, RPAS : AltiGator UBEC 5V/6V/9V/12V - 5A - Adjustable switched mode regulator (UBEC) 5V/6V/9V/12V and…
  • Nicads are very heavy and most of our stuff is not "high discharge" unless your blowing your battery in under 5 minutes (I shoot for 25c max ).  I would never use a nicad in anything that flies .  Twenty years ago I did, but the only alternative was alkaline non rechargeable.

    • +1

  • MR60

    On my alexmos compatible gimbal (2 axis) I use a separate 3S 1000mah battery. That is the same battery powering all of the fpv Equipment. I prefer a separate battery to avoid ESC noise or any other EMI conducted noise through the wires.

    It is also a backup in case the main battery fails (I would keep FPV vision if I may say so)

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