Just had to tell all of you about this $59.95 three axis gimbal deal on EBay:

3689656824?profile=original

This seemed like a great deal and looks to be identical to DYS Gimbal on Hobbyking which is $200.00.

I got one and quality appears excellent though I haven't tried to use it yet (I will probably get another.) 

I'm planning on converting to a Storm 32 for a laser rangefinder scanner.

Apparently DSLRPros has moved on and is wholesaling them out.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DSLRPros-3-Axis-Gimbal-for-the-GoPro-3-3-and-4-/161735430984?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item25a82ed348

I get nothing from anybody for this, but if you want a real 3 axis gimbal, this is the best deal you'll ever see.

Heres a link to the manual for the DYS: http://www.getfpv.com/media/wysiwyg/documentation/3AxisbrushlessGimbalManual.pdf

Heres a link to the Basecam (Alexmos) Home page: http://www.basecamelectronics.com/

And a link to download the appropriate 8bit Alexmos Gui: http://www.basecamelectronics.com/files/SimpleBGC_GUI_2_40b7.zip

And a link to download the Alexmos manual PDF file: http://www.basecamelectronics.com/files/v10/SimpleBGC_manual_2_4_eng.pdf

(This does include the Alexmos 3rd axis expansion board.

Best regards to you all,

Gary

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Comments

  • Hi Dan,

    Just a quick thought, I have read that when you power the board from the USB it doesn't power the 3rd (yaw) axis ESC (although on mine Yaw does work to a degree, sort of, somewhat, not very well but it's trying).

    I am using a 7.4 volt battery and with direct battery power Yaw follow actually works pretty much as it's supposed to when powered.

    I have now updated my firmware (required to use the GUI I downloaded from Basecam) and now the Alexmos boards clearly need recalibration and reinitialization.

    It is stable but if you move the base of the gimbal to fast or far it can lose sync.

    But at least it now comes up and shows a green LED solid connection rather than a (green LED blinking) error.

    I am going to follow the initial setup instructions linked to at the DYS Manual PDF link I posted originally and see if that helps:

    http://www.getfpv.com/media/wysiwyg/documentation/3AxisbrushlessGim...

    I do think that actually getting yaw to work is dependent on using the battery for power not the USB.

  • Hey Gary,

    Thanks for your message. Actually, DSLRPros felt the gimbal was bad too and sent me a new IMU and processor. I just replaced it today, and things are significantly better, but not fixed.

    Now, it only seems to freak out in the yaw direction. I fired up the software and disabled the yaw-follow and it works like a normal 3 axis gimbal, holding the camera in one spot exactly. The problem is, that doesn't work great either - I need the yaw to "track" or at least stay pointing forward, not hold heading. The instant I turn the yaw follow back on it just starts randomly spinning back and forth again.

    Will have to keep messing around I guess..

  • FYI update,

    I finally had a chance to plug in and test my DSLRPros / DYS gimbal at least as far as basic stabilization with the following result.

    No additional firmware programming or testing has yet taken place on my Gimbal.

    With laser rangefinder attached to the Camera tray and counterbalanced for roll and pitch, when the 7.4 volt power was applied the laser rangefinder immediately leveled to horizontal and level in roll.

    When the chassis was pitched and rolled the rangefinder remained level.

    When the chassis was yawed, the camera remained stable and followed the yaw with a short < 2 second lag (which is what I would expect of yaw stabilization).

    I think this is a good opening test for the rangefinder and if it doesn't do this I think it is safe to assume something is wrong.

    And Dan, from the results you have reported above, it seems pretty likely (to me at least) there is something wrong with your Gimbal.

    You will need to have a GoPro or weight simulating the GoPro in the camera mount pod so that you can achieve good static balance.

    I used a 7.4 volt battery but note that on the DYS web site that their 3 Axis Gimbal is listed to work with anything from 7.4 to 25 volts.

    If anyone can do so I would greatly appreciate clarification of the input voltage range of this DSLRPros version - Mike Perhaps???

    Obviously 7.4 volts will work and is safe for testing, but I suspect that 11 volts (3 cell or higher might achieve faster tracking) if it is OK.

    Best Regards,

    Gary

  • Mike?

  • Mike,

    I tried every single one of the profiles you sent, and none work. It's still seizing as much as before. Even sitting still with the motors turned off, the gyro and accel readings are all over the place, which just doesn't make sense for something sitting still. A real bummer as I lost a weekend on the water's worth of aerial shots.

    I know this was an eBay auction, but is there any chance of exchanging it?

    Thanks

  • Dan,

    I'll make sure that's sent in the morning. Sometimes you need to do a 6DOF calibration on the IMU to get a good value. Usually, though, the problem is either the IMU value is off, or the motor direction isn't set up right. I've rarely had a bad gimbal rear its head during testing. We can help you through this.

  • Mike,

    Thought I saved the profile (I do have a file) but may have missed a step. Would be great if you could resend. FWIW, it was going crazy from the second I plugged it in, only started messing with it in an attempt to fix.

    Thanks
  • Dan, when you updated the firmware, had you saved the settings from the factory? When I get into the office tomorrow, I can send you a config file. The default settings in the gimbal software are not the same as what is shipped from the factory.

  • Dan - Got mine sitting in the box still and haven't fiddled with it yet.  Will have a look over the next couple of days and let you know.

  • I had a similar experience after updating mine. Solved by correcting the IMU orientation on the basic page.
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