ARRIS CM2000 Brushless Gimbal for GoPro

[Gizmo3000]

I just placed an order for this gimbal, hopefully arriving in a few weeks or less, but figured as a very viable alternative to the rather pricey DJI gimbal, it deserves at least it's own thread, so we can share our knowledge and videos done with it.

http://www.hobby-wing.com/arris-cm2000- ... imbal.html

 

[Gizmo3000]

First off, apparently if you want to use the manual Tilt/Roll, apparently it will NOT work with the stock Phantom white transmitter, you'd need a Futaba T8j or similar (but hopefully/ perhaps some company will develop a workaround to use the Phantom Tx)

CORRECTION (edit),. Apparently people are indeed able to get it to work with the NAZA and stock Phantom transmitter using the hidden 7th Channel knob.
- potential dealbreaker has been eliminated.
plus it appears that both power and tilt control can be done using just a single cable going into the NAZA.

Lots of guys are getting them this week (mine is next week), so a lot will be learned about this gimbal soon.
apparently there are some other mods that are necessary to prevent the mounting screw from hitting a capacitor, as well as a bit of grinding to allow the battery door to fully open.

 

[Sac D]

I'd feel better about it if there was a better attachment method than a strap holding the GoPro in place. I know the strap will do the job, but it just looks tacky and makes an otherwise impressive device look cheap.

 

[Sac D]

$300 sounds a lot better then "under $1,000" for basically the same thing as DJI's product!

 

[Gizmo3000]

$300 sounds a lot better then "under $1,000" for basically the same thing as DJI's product!

Yes,. I'm sure DJI's gimbal will be tops, and I'm usually ok spending a bit more to get a solid product. but at 2-3x the cost, I'm willing to take a chance on this gimbal. - even tho the strap is ugly

I might try to add some Kyosho anti-vibration gel pads into the mix and use rubber bands.

 

[Capodrone]

$300 sounds a lot better then "under $1,000" for basically the same thing as DJI's product!

Yes,. I'm sure DJI's gimbal will be tops, and I'm usually ok spending a bit more to get a solid product. but at 2-3x the cost, I'm willing to take a chance on this gimbal. - even tho the strap is ugly

I might try to add some Kyosho anti-vibration gel pads into the mix and use rubber bands.

Watching the videos they have posted using their gimbal looks top notch... I ll wait for you to give a review once you install, then I'll purchase based on your thoughts.... Please update when possible! :ugeek:

 

[jumanoc]

I'm waiting for mine too. I forgot to buy additional cable/ connector showed on website. Did you ?
Titl control is "added value" IMO, just want to film stable videos.

 

[Gizmo3000]

I'm waiting for mine too. I forgot to buy additional cable/ connector showed on website. Did you ?
Titl control is "added value" IMO, just want to film stable videos.

I wonder how long it takes from placing the order until they ship it out.
apparently they personally test each unit before shipping.

I did not buy that additional cable, because I'm planning to power it from the Phantom aux cable. tho a bit unsure , since I also run my FPV off that same cable as well.

However, if it turns out I need that kind of cable to connect directly to my battery, I'll probably just make one of my own. looks simple enough.

 

[Gizmo3000]

Apparently people are indeed able to get it to work with the NAZA and stock Phantom transmitter using the hidden 7th Channel knob.
- potential dealbreaker has been eliminated.
plus it appears that both power and tilt control can be done using just a single cable going into the NAZA.

Lots of guys are getting them this week (mine is next week), so a lot will be learned about this gimbal soon.
apparently there are some other mods that are necessary to prevent the mounting screw from hitting a capacitor, as well as a bit of grinding to allow the battery door to fully open.

 

[jlcamp7]

I have one of these headed my way for review. I should have it in sometime next week or possibly even the end of this week. I will work hard to get review, helpful info and flight video's up ASAP.

As already mentioned it is possible to make manual pitch work with the stock Phantom setup. I probably won't setup the manual roll as I don't see there to be a need at the moment because the second you just slightly turn it then the landing gear will be in the way.

For those interested, this is a V3 Martinez board using a specialized SimpleBGC software.

 

[Gizmo3000]

Looking forward to hearing how it works for you jlcamp7!

curious, when did you order yours? (I ordered last Thursday night, but still have yet to get a confirmation email that they've shipped mine)

The landing gear gets i the way when you pitch down with this gimbal? (imagine it's the same for other brushless gimbals as well,
maybe I'll end up modifying the landing gear.

But manual pitch is a must for me, not only does it make for cooler video, but when I'm snapping stills of homes and stuff it's critical to be able to pitch down a bit to get the shot.
and will also help eliminate the props from showing up on the top side when flying forward.

 

[jlcamp7]

Allan H. got his in and here is a nice description of how he setup the pitch function on his Phantom:

OK, I have to go to a graduation tonight, but will be working with jlcamp7 to get this cleanly documented.

Basically for the Phantom, I removed the plug from the front right leg and ran the yellow, green, and blue wires supplied through that hole. Inside, the yellow wire goes to the top pin on F2 (ground), the blue wire goes to the bottom pin on F2 (the middle pin is left open, that's +5v). The green wire connects to the bottom pin on F1. That's it inside, but I did pull the gray/red wire through the front left hole to use to power the gimbal.

Now, on the gimbal, you have 3 pins to the right side of the edge with the USB connector. Left is yellow, center is green, and right is blue. The blue is not used on the Phantom, but can be used on an 8 channel radio system.

In the NAZA software, you need to enable the gimbal, set the frequency to 400, and I changed both gains to 5.00.

In the BGC software, I changed the pitch min angle to 0, so when the 7th controller screw is all the way counterclockwise (as viewed from behind), the camera will be straight ahead. If not, the camera will point straight up, and I didn't want to chance that flying FPV. Also turned off the INC.MODE. so the 7th controller screw will set absolute position, not relative.

I do have some screen shots of the software, and will take the Phantom apart and take a few more shots there.

Also, I somehow wiped all the settings from my gimbal, and screwed up the calibration. I figured out how to reset everything last night, so I'll type that up and get that to you or out on this site soon. It's not hard, and no one should need to send anything back if the calibration is off or there are no settings in the software.

Thanks.

 

[jumanoc]

Allan H. got his in and here is a nice description of how he setup the pitch function on his Phantom:

OK, I have to go to a graduation tonight, but will be working with jlcamp7 to get this cleanly documented.

Basically for the Phantom, I removed the plug from the front right leg and ran the yellow, green, and blue wires supplied through that hole. Inside, the yellow wire goes to the top pin on F2 (ground), the blue wire goes to the bottom pin on F2 (the middle pin is left open, that's +5v). The green wire connects to the bottom pin on F1. That's it inside, but I did pull the gray/red wire through the front left hole to use to power the gimbal.

Now, on the gimbal, you have 3 pins to the right side of the edge with the USB connector. Left is yellow, center is green, and right is blue. The blue is not used on the Phantom, but can be used on an 8 channel radio system.

In the NAZA software, you need to enable the gimbal, set the frequency to 400, and I changed both gains to 5.00.

In the BGC software, I changed the pitch min angle to 0, so when the 7th controller screw is all the way counterclockwise (as viewed from behind), the camera will be straight ahead. If not, the camera will point straight up, and I didn't want to chance that flying FPV. Also turned off the INC.MODE. so the 7th controller screw will set absolute position, not relative.

I do have some screen shots of the software, and will take the Phantom apart and take a few more shots there.

Also, I somehow wiped all the settings from my gimbal, and screwed up the calibration. I figured out how to reset everything last night, so I'll type that up and get that to you or out on this site soon. It's not hard, and no one should need to send anything back if the calibration is off or there are no settings in the software.

Thanks.

Great starting info. I'm waiting my Arris.... but you a¿nswered some of my own questions for "..how to..." we'll wait your pics and more info. Thanks

 

[Capodrone]

Keep this thread updated! :!:

 

[jlcamp7]

Christmas time just came from the mailman.

 

[Gizmo3000]

Merry Xmas jlcamp7 !
jealous, as mine arrives later next week at the earliest.

imagine you'll be staying up late tonight!

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it. (how do you plan to hook it up? Phantom Rx?)

 

[editor71]

Can't wait to see and hear how it performs!

 

[jumanoc]

Christmas time just came from the mailman.

Don't forget to take pics or video for share... Im waiting at least 10 more days for mine ....

 

[Adam]

I really like how they test each unit and give you a video on the CD of your own unit flying.

 

[jlcamp7]

Alright video #1 is up. I will be working on video #2 regarding manual tilt in the next day or two. Also will hopefully get some real footage pretty soon. I flew it a little more today and really and enjoying how well it flies. I am definitely going to have to work on the landing gear or invest in one of the shapeways designs as I'm not comfortable with how low this sets to the ground. I kept it simple for even the newest person to the hobby to hopefully understand.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPpxj_R1 ... e=youtu.be