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Pixhawk with BaseCam (AlexMos) SimpleBGC Gimbal

Posted by airmazingvideo.com on September 17, 2014 at 9:56pm

Hello,

Does any of you have experience to install a BaseCam (AlexMos) SimpleBGC gimbal to the Pixhawk, or have the technical knowledge to inform me if this is possible?

More information about the brushless gimbal controller can be found here: http://www.basecamelectronics.com/simplebgc/

I used this gimbal in combination with DJI Naza V2. I assume the Pixhawk can be used as well to control the gimbal (if DJI can do it, Pixhawk should definitely be capable). The gimbal controller board will take care of stabilizing the 2-axis tilt & roll. I only want to be able to control the camera pitch. Is this possible?

Thanks for suggestions.

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Tags: basecam (alexmos) simplebgc, pixhawk, simplebgc, gimbal
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Replies

  • Emanuele Della Volpe April 5, 2018 at 6:06am

    Dear All...

    I'm using the gimbal ARRIS cm3000 (SimpleBCG32-Alexmos). I'm practice the wiki of ardupilot which is about gimbal connection --> (http://ardupilot.org/copter/docs/common-simplebgc-gimbal.html#commo...).

    During the BaseCam SimpleBGC software setting all works fine about the frame follow mode (enabled for the yaw and disabled for the pitch and roll)…

    than, when i connect to the "Telemetry2" port, the remote controll seem to be right about DO_MOUNT-CONTROL orientation (command of Mission Planner GCS for the yaw, pitch and roll gimbal orientation) but the problem is the inconsistence between the yaw reference angle of the gimbal that does not follow the frame yaw during the fly.... it should be ever the same...


    I would be grateful if you could help me to understand how is possible that the gimbal works fine for the FOLLOW YAW exclusively when it is not connect to the Pixhawk. In fact just i connect on the "telemetry2" port of pixhawk the gimbal lost its follow mode for the yaw and keeps to point a wrong specific direction ( like pitch and roll)...

    I'm deeply studing the wiki ardupilot, i'm searching about a parameter that enables the YAW FOLLOW MODE in ardupilot but nothing until now.

    I know that ther is a Mavlink connection possibility (using different configuration and wiring) but I'd like to try with Alexmos first.

    can somebody help me? every advice is very helpful..thank's lot.
    Emanuele

    SimpleBGC Gimbal (aka AlexMos gimbal) — Copter documentation
  • David November 14, 2016 at 7:25pm

    Josh, 

    I have nearly an identical set up. I can control my gimbal and shutter with my RC. And I can control the shutter on Auto missions. But I can't control the gimbal with the mission planner mount command. Have you tried that? Any success? I've been banging my head against the wall for at least a few days trying to figure out how to get the autopilot to control the gimbal. Thus far, no luck. I am using an AlexMos 8 bit controller. If you got it working. I'd love to know how. 

    thanks, 

    Dave


    Josh Lewis 4 said:

    I am running a very similar set up. Turbo Ace Matrix-S with their gimbal, 6s, 12 volt voltage regulator, the BaseCam 8 bit flight controler, a Sony A7, and the Pixhawk Flight Controler. It took me months to get this it all working. I am using channel 6 to to control the pitch. I guess you got it figured out by now. Anyway nice setup. If it makes you feel any better I crashed mine 4 times, burned up 3 imu bords, murded 2 lipo batteries, and spent enough money to buy a second Turbo Ace. 

    Josh3701895944?profile=original3701896056?profile=original

  • Chuck Joga May 8, 2016 at 9:01am

    Check out my video.  It may help.  I have manual control of the pitch of the gimbal and also use the FC to provide input.

    https://youtu.be/hii5YAncazc

  • John G. October 6, 2015 at 3:44pm

    Fixed mine by re-calibrating the radio, to include the ch-6 knob.

  • SKYBORNE August 23, 2015 at 10:52am
    I'm trying to use the Pixhawk to run my pitch on my Alexmos gimbal. I'm using RC9 to control the pitch but it's really wonky, not steady and wont just stop wherever I set the slider to, it either pitches all the way forward or back and is kind of wonky as it's transitioning. I'd love to by-pas the Pixhawk and use the RC Rx, as I know this works, but I'm using the Hitech Aurora-9 with Optima 9 Rx and telemetry for the Optima-9 Rx to the Aurora-9 Tx on channel 9. Basically the Pixhawk uses my PWM Channels 1-8 and the Hitech Telemetry module uses channel 9, no Rx channels left.
    So, could someone help me figure out what's going on with my pitch from the Pixhawk? I'd love some help.


    Will.
  • Ivan R June 10, 2015 at 10:58am

    I want to do this too, but then i lose manual pitch control because the Pix will be using it to send to the Alexmos for stabilization....any other way around it so that I can still maintain pitch control?

    • Ray Gamero > Ivan R June 20, 2015 at 8:28pm

      I don't know what you mean?  If you did what I did, it works like you say.

  • Ray Gamero June 2, 2015 at 2:59pm

    In my setup I use channels 9 and 10 for pitch and roll of the camera.  I set the RC9_FUNCTION/RC10_FUNCTION to 7 and 8.

    I use a spare channel on my s bus receiver to bypass the pixhawk to get the yaw axis.  I set it up similar to the Tarot 2d gimbal in the wiki.  It works well; see this video  https://youtu.be/DCV9T7fFA1Y

    My next goal is to add bank as the copter banks.

    • Ray Gamero > Ray Gamero June 2, 2015 at 4:03pm

      haha.  That was easy.  I just hit stabilize roll in the gimbal setup.  Now the pixhawk tells the gimbal to bank as the copter banks.  It is really reverse stabilization.  The gimbal and the pixhawk are both generating similar stabilization results.  The pixhawk's is adding to the bank, the gimbal is subtracting the bank.  Together they have a pleasing damped cancellation. Result: The gopro banks with the heli.

      Now let's try a flight test.

       

  • Joe Dietrich May 20, 2015 at 4:37pm

    Instead of using the pitch control (output of an AUX channel on the PIX), simply select an open port on your RX and connect straight to the Alexmos board.

    Or you can follow this Wiki:

    http://copter.ardupilot.com/wiki/common-optional-hardware/common-ca...

    The idea is the same, just different gimbal.

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