Airy Brushless Gimbal from Helipal

[Jack87]

Hello All!

I'm fairly new to the whole Phantom game but enjoying it none the less and its time to get myself a Gimbal!

Has anyone used one of these before - http://www.helipal.com/brushless-camera ... om-v2.html or had any experience ordering with HeliPal to the UK? It looks ok for the price and fairly straightforward to install. I am after something that is fairly cheap and doesnt involve to much wiring work, unless I can find someone to do it for me. I also looked at the Tarot but this one seems to fit under the landing skids a bit better.

I am also looking at an FPV setup at some point, I'm not to fussed about going all out with Fatshark goggles, but a screen I can stick on top of the controller would be ideal. If anyone has any advice or tips on what is best to get that would be great.

Thanks

Jack

 

[Peter Patricelli]

Looks like a relatively new entry into the gimbal market. I haven't heard anyone review it yet. 1) If it is truly all tuned...plug and fly...that is a positive over the Tarot which needs upgrading but also allows fine tuning multiple parameters during connection to computer. 2) it is significantly lighter than the Tarot by 40+ gms = 40 more seconds of flight. 3) The vibration isolating ball setup is not the same as the Tarot which uses compression versus suspension...not really sure one can see the difference. 4) It DOES allow tilt control through 7th channel...as do all the others. The setup sounds more simple to complete than the Tarot. 5) To my eye not THAT much difference in clearance. You aren't going to want to land in damp grass and the camera lens would still be vulnerable if pointed down. I would want to extend legs, and there are weight savings potentially in doing so, so that is a wash with the Tarot. 6) The Velcro strap is better that the Tarot bolts...but one can buy and use the same Velcro strap with the Tarot. 7) the seller might be available for support....which is not true for the Tarot. 8) It appears to have an aux power cable that is 11V...can be used for FPV TX without opening the bird and soldering. On the other hand, the Tarot offers a 5V outlet to use either to charge/support the camera (really a +/- with downsides in my mind) but one CAN use the 5V for a front strobe...without a BEC....a real positive.

The biggest issues in my mind are the 40 gm weight saving AND, and this is unknown, whether the gimbal stays level during YAW rotation. That was/is a problem with the Tarot which has been addressed in the latest firmware but one must do a careful calibration to get it rock solid fixed on a level horizon while yawing. With this gimbal....no idea unless someone reports.

And finally, quality and longevity of the build and components is unknown.

If you get it, please report back for us.

 

[Tuscan]

A very useful post, thanks peter. I've been thinking the same thoughts as jack on this one - tempted to get this airy gimbal myself. The test videos look pretty good and it seems one of the best value gimbals if the helipal website's anything to go by.. Look forward to seeing further results.

 

[Colombus]

Hi. I do not have this gimbal but I've been looking for information.

I am a very frequent user of Helipal and I really like their service. Specially posting service is very quick (for Eruope-France) if you compare it with HK (endless wait and I had experience of having issues with customs entering the contry).

I've found the following review of this gimbal at Helipal website that may be useful:

"Recieved my Gimbal yesterday and built it to my DJI Phantom with the Gopro Hero3 black. Had a little difficulty with the wiring, but found more on this at the (updated) web page of this store. The white wire is for Roll-control, you don't use that. The black and red wire of the black connector are the pitch-control. Put this to the F2 connector of the Naza module. Then there is a red power connector. Connect this one to your battery. In NAZA software enable 'gimbal control' and set all gains to 0. Don't forget to calibrate X1 of your controller with the same software. That was the easy part. BUT now I wanted to connect the Hero3 USB for my FPV-videotransmitter. That was impossible (almost) because there is no room. The pitch-gimbal should be on the other side! I managed it by using the useless, but very flexible white wire of the roll-control. However, I had to shift my Hero3 one cm (1/2 inch) of set. If the pitch gimbal was on the right hand side, the usb port of the Hero3 was free. Because there seems no programming software available for this gimbal, I cannot put the pitch gimbalmotor to the other side. It needs reprogramming for the right direction. All in all this gimbal works as it should be, but be aware, there seems to be no software and if you want FPV via the Hero3 usb, you have to pioneer a lot (works for me now). Good value for money, but product can be better with the pitch-gimbalmotor on the other side and the availability of programming software."

 

[Tuscan]

Thank Columbus - good to know that Helipal provide good service. I watched the instruction video on the helipal site yesterday and it seems very clear and relatively simple.

Does anyone know how much it would cost to import something of this size through UK customs?

 

[EMCSQUAR]

Looks suspiciously like the Goodluckbuy gimble available on Ebay from $90 - $115

 

[Jack87]

As a gimbal novice.....is that a good or a bad thing.

Will I still be able to acsess to gopro side panel so I can hook it up for FPV?

 

[Peter Patricelli]

Re: the problem of the pitch servo being on the USB-port side of the HB3B......lack of room to connect even a 90 degree mini-usb and 2) access to the micro SD card....without removing the camera from the gimbal. This is a very large problem with the Tarot gimbal especially if using the OEM hex bolts. I would like to charge the camera and take out the SD card without un-mounting the whole camera. A possible alternative-fix would be to flip the HB3B upside down....you can program is to internally flip it's recorded video/pictures so they come out upright AND puts the USB and SD card completely exposed. There is nothing about either gimbal that absolutely requires the camera to be upright to function. There might be some mods required to fully expose the top (now bottom) button, and the balance might shift (the HB3B is asymmetrical). An additional benefit is that the lens shifts to a lower position....greater FOV forward without getting propellers.

I am winging this in my mind as I sit here, will actually try it out on my Tarot and report.

 

[EMCSQUAR]

In re: to Peters' comments - I've flipped the GPH3B and inverted video/pic to upside down via GoPro software and it worked as well. Granted you can access cables and SD card easier but you have to set GoPro to 1 button operation (because you don't have access to top button when upside down) and velcro strap is around the base bracket vs through pre cut slots.
In the upright position yes the cable & SD card are a PITA to access, but for me cable runs to NAZA and FPV are running down same side.

Either way it's not a big deal - it's more of convenience factor.

 

[Colombus]

Thank Columbus - good to know that Helipal provide good service. I watched the instruction video on the helipal site yesterday and it seems very clear and relatively simple.

Does anyone know how much it would cost to import something of this size through UK customs?

I am based on France and I had never had to pay any custom using Helipal, (they normally declare a small value and a "toy")

What I heard from other European customers is not to use the premium delivery, because apparently it is much likely to have issues.

Something that I've found is that Helipal delivery cost is normally higher than other shops.

Another option to check is the Goodluckbuy gimbal that is much cheaper and I've heard good reviews.

 

[Jack87]

Pulled the trigger and orderd the Airy gimbal. Will report back once I have tried it!

 

[fizzviic]

If a 15 second effort constitutes a "very large problem" then life must be quite a struggle.

If folks continue to struggle with this "very large problem" there is a "very complex solution" as seen below.

[/quote]

You are such a nice, helpful person. Thank you so very much for your input here. I am certain it is highly appreciated and I am so sorry for the burdens placed upon you by all these poor souls you counsel with your superior knowlege.

 

[Peter Patricelli]

Fizzviic,
Yes, I thought of that. But lingering memories of a rather sudden stop against a telephone pole...and an ejected SD card....and what would happen to the GP3B held in only by the "low tech" solution...has kept me from that one. I am currently using the Velcro strap....more secure against an a forward ejection.

For the record, yes it IS totally a matter of convenience. On the Tarot gimbal one CAN flip the camera. Both buttons are still accessible. It actually, without lens filters, seems to balance better. Any strap or rubber band put in the usual position would cover the power button and LCD....and not have much traction on anything. What I did fins is that the Velcro strap CAN be used but in a horizontal position...secured on the lens as usual and tightened around the top half of the camera mount. The USB port and SD card are exposed. I am actually not using that yet because I would have to re-route the and re-solder/lengthen the video cable to FPC-Tx to the other side of the gimbal.

But it IS an option....for convenience.

 

[Driffill]

Looks suspiciously like the Goodluckbuy gimble available on Ebay from $90 - $115

I thought the same thing, they have bought them, set the FW correctly, and selling them for a profit. Hey, if it works I'm not complaining, one thing to note is for it to fit with standard legs the gimbal must be sitting level, or the motor/bracket will be touching the ground! I looked at this gimbal myself, (I'm pretty sure I still have one on my watch list) but when buying a quality gimbal, I wanted something better than Velcro to hold my gopro. The last thing that sold me on the tarot is that it has an optional gopro hero3 video output cable.

I concede almost every brushless gimbal will require troubleshooting and tuning at some point, but if these are truly plug and play, I'd expect to see them popping up everywhere.

 

[maher]

Hi,

I bought this gimbal with my Phantom V1.1.1 from Helipal a month ago, but I fried some electronic on the control board by reverse plugging the balance connector of the battery to power up the gimbal.

I ordered a second one, who work fine, but I would like to try to repair the first one and use it in a hand held filming device. On the goodluckbuy web site there's a whole lot of choices for separate gimbal control boards at around 40$ but I'm not sure which one to pick and if the swapping procedure will be simple or not.

Anyone try this before? Is it possible to download the firmware/settings of my working gimbal and transfer it to the replacement board to prevent the tedious task of recalibrating everything?

Thanks,

Maher

 

[iChrisChatt]

I just got my Airy Gimbal...A couple of things for the $$$ it can't be beat. I originally went cheap with GLB gimbal and it was scetchy at best... I wound up frying the board after several failed attempts of balancing it. First ... This was a sinch to install and balance.... Second Helipal was great .. They notified me every point of delivery.. and it took about 3 weeks to deliver...Considering I live the DFW area I thought that was good. Here is some test footage https://vimeo.com/81766716