Blogs

RCTimer Brushless Gimbal and Controller

Posted by Andreas on May 9, 2013 at 10:00am

It's amazing how quickly BLGs went from a novelty and costing thousands (zenmuse) to something you can get for $172 shipped!

3689521476?profile=original

I received my RCTimer Brushless Gimbal (BLG) and controller (Martinez v1) yesterday and of course had to try it immediately. Mark came over and helped with the build and documentation. The kit does not come with any instructions, so the RCGroups thread is the best source for build info.

Overall the quality of the RCTimer kit is not bad. There was one missing screw and a few things we had to alter to make it fit (see the build log link below for details). But the material is easy to work with. The default firmware and settings on the board seem to be pretty decent for a start. We initially had the IMU orientation and motor connections different, the result of that was shaking in the pitch axis. Once positioned and connected as shown above, it started to work fine without any parameter changes.

Build log with many detailed pictures:

http://eastbay-rc.blogspot.com/2013/05/rc-timer-brushless-gimbal-build-log.html

Video showing connections, start-up sequence and motion test:

Time lapse build video:

Next up: Connect to the GUI (no luck so far), connect the RC, fly...

Tags: blg, brushless, gimbal, gopro, martinez
E-mail me when people leave their comments –
Follow

You need to be a member of diydrones to add comments!

Join diydrones

Comments

  • John McGrath July 11, 2013 at 3:04pm

    I have a new rtf hexa from 3D. I had them put their pitch stabilized cam mount on it. I just figured it would be a good backup.

     I have the RC Timer/board setup and working fine. But my question here is how do I implement an additional manual pitch/tilt properly.  I have a connector that is for the org pitch servo on the 3D setup. So I went in and took the stabilize tilt off in the software and figured I could just plug in the RC timer board to this minus the 5 V and I get nothing.  Maybe I need to just go with a RC channel only direct on the receiver for this ?  Any ideas?

  • Andreas July 10, 2013 at 8:38pm
    I'm only guessing that the V3 refers to Martinez V3. Hence the same firmware should work.

    Great price! Good luck when you buy ;)
  • gustavo July 10, 2013 at 7:26pm

    hi,

    what about this one , is it the same controller ?

    http://www.goodluckbuy.com/dji-phantom-brushless-gimbal-camera-moun...

    thank you

  • Vince Hogg July 8, 2013 at 3:47pm

    I think most of my problems are due to a poor bearing alignment on the pitch gimbal. There is a slightly stiffer spot which I didnt think would be an issue but as its so weak it may be stalling the phases. It is the bearing shaft alignment that is not in line with the motor shaft. Have tried all the plates in different positions and filed off the burs. Just bad manufacture. Can probably be fixed but it has annoyed me.

  • Andreas July 8, 2013 at 9:58am

    I have roll issues in 0.49. Maybe you won't. Maybe your current issues are because of 0.49. I'm currently using 0.48 and restrict my RC tilt to 60 degrees.

    If you want a 90 degree down view by default, you might want to consider mounting the IMU 90 degrees offset.

    It's all a bit trial and error... just like the APM ;)

  • Vince Hogg July 8, 2013 at 9:48am

    Ok thanks. I think I put .49 on it. So it will tilt OK via RC, past the normal limit?

  • Andreas July 8, 2013 at 9:48am

    I modified the mount to better fit my TBS Discovery frame. The roll motor is mounted to an angle bracket that is directly attached to the frame. This greatly increases the ground clearance and moves the CG further back.

    3692766325?profile=original

  • Andreas July 8, 2013 at 9:42am

    1) Yes BLGs are VERY weak by design. That is why PERFECT balance is needed.

    2) Depending on the firmware version and on the tuning settings there can be some limitations to the range in which the gimbal operates perfectly. I get the best results with 0.48 instead of 0.49. However 0.48 has the disadvantage that RC tilt-down fails way before reaching 90 degrees (that is solved in 0.49). Also when flying my quad I found that the angles are much smaller. Hence even with a configuration that acts up on bigger angles, I was fine when flying.

  • Vince Hogg July 8, 2013 at 9:32am

    Received my RC timer gimbal and controller this morning and have just got it working.

    I am using is on a 4 cell pack but am surprised how weak it is. The slightest pressure will upset it.

    Also I was expecting 360 movement, limited only by the wires but it seems to ‘topple’ if the support is moved outside +- 30 deg. This is worse if I put any tilt on the pitch axis. Im hoping it will be happier with RC channel tilt.

    Is everyone else having this limited movement?

  • Chuck Derer July 8, 2013 at 9:16am

    Thanks Andreas, With fingers crossed I'm about to embark on a learning experience.lol

This reply was deleted.