ARRIS CM2000 Brushless Gimbal for GoPro

[porl_hopkins]

Got my V4 over a week ago. Installed with no problems. Got the pitch control lever from 3dprintler in Canada (Fleabay). Connected it the "hidden" 7th channel only to find when I move it a fraction the gimbal does a 90 degree pitch .
Really waiting for the **** rain to stop so I can get it in the air

i might be a little too late on this,. but did you connect to the Arris GUI software and turn off INC mode? (making the white box under INC mode grey instead of white).
that should make it work properly. as expected.
you can also change the SPD (speed) to a slower setting by making the number higher or lower.

Hi Gizmo3000... Yeah all sorted now mate. Thanks for your input
Heres the last vid I did
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYEmS6jW8vk
No pitch control on this one (as you can plainly see)

 

[FangsCPO]

This is an awesome thread!!! I wish I would have found it when I first got my gimble. It would have been very helpful. Thanks for posting.

 

[mintakax]

Hi,

I've been using the V5 version of the CM2000 with the GP3 carbon frame successfully for a couple of weeks. I am not using the NAZA pitch control (yet). I had some weird fast oscillations yesterday in the pitch axis that persisted even after several power cycles. They have now magically disappeared, however this prompted me to install the software and hook the gimbal up to my PC and this has led to a couple of questions, my apologies for the length of the post:

1) As to when the GUI software should be run with battery connected or not : Off for CALIBACC, ON for Basic Tuning ?

2) With no power or usb hook up should the camera be balanced (level) ? Mine rolls considerable to the right (facing GP3) and would take quite a bit of weight on the left of the cage to balance it. If so, how are people doing this ? After plugging in power the gimbal levels itself.

3) Should my PID controller values match the stock settings shown on the jpeg that comes on the CD ? If they don't should I RESET TO DEFAULTS ? Then do I need to WRITE ?

4) This depends on the answer to 2) but when I connect the gimbal to the PC with no battery power the gimbal just oscillates between level and its "at rest" roll (considerably the right), is this normal/expected ? If I put a weight on the left side of the cage to balance the camera this does not occur.

5) Regarding the CALIB ACC: Any manual change in the gimbal's (sensor) position (using my fingers) results in chattering oscillations, so how does one level it and keep it steady to initiate the CALIB ACC ? After the CALIB ACC do I need to click the "write" button ?

Sorry for all these questions. I did RTM and I realize that the content of my questions is addressed there, but its not quite clear enough to me. Also, aside from the oscillations I experienced yesterday, everything has been working pretty good so I'm hesitant to change anything.

Thanks !

 

[mintakax]

Either everyone is out having fun or this was just too stupid of a question to answer (if so, apologies). I think I've been able to answer some of my questions but still would like some clarification on the balancing (question #2)

1) Yes
2) ?????
3) Doesnt seem to matter as my gimbal is working fine
4) Depends on the balancing but seems to be normal
5) That rest period when you first hit the calibrate button is when the gimbal should be positioned ?

If any kind person has the time, I sure would appreciate any guidance that was offered.

Hi,

I've been using the V5 version of the CM2000 with the GP3 carbon frame successfully for a couple of weeks. I am not using the NAZA pitch control (yet). I had some weird fast oscillations yesterday in the pitch axis that persisted even after several power cycles. They have now magically disappeared, however this prompted me to install the software and hook the gimbal up to my PC and this has led to a couple of questions, my apologies for the length of the post:

1) As to when the GUI software should be run with battery connected or not : Off for CALIBACC, ON for Basic Tuning ?

2) With no power or usb hook up should the camera be balanced (level) ? Mine rolls considerable to the right (facing GP3) and would take quite a bit of weight on the left of the cage to balance it. If so, how are people doing this ? After plugging in power the gimbal levels itself.

3) Should my PID controller values match the stock settings shown on the jpeg that comes on the CD ? If they don't should I RESET TO DEFAULTS ? Then do I need to WRITE ?

4) This depends on the answer to 2) but when I connect the gimbal to the PC with no battery power the gimbal just oscillates between level and its "at rest" roll (considerably the right), is this normal/expected ? If I put a weight on the left side of the cage to balance the camera this does not occur.

5) Regarding the CALIB ACC: Any manual change in the gimbal's (sensor) position (using my fingers) results in chattering oscillations, so how does one level it and keep it steady to initiate the CALIB ACC ? After the CALIB ACC do I need to click the "write" button ?

Sorry for all these questions. I did RTM and I realize that the content of my questions is addressed there, but its not quite clear enough to me. Also, aside from the oscillations I experienced yesterday, everything has been working pretty good so I'm hesitant to change anything.

Thanks !

 

[Gizmo3000]

Hi,

I've been using the V5 version of the CM2000 with the GP3 carbon frame successfully for a couple of weeks. I am not using the NAZA pitch control (yet). I had some weird fast oscillations yesterday in the pitch axis that persisted even after several power cycles. They have now magically disappeared, however this prompted me to install the software and hook the gimbal up to my PC and this has led to a couple of questions, my apologies for the length of the post:

1) As to when the GUI software should be run with battery connected or not : Off for CALIBACC, ON for Basic Tuning ?

2) With no power or usb hook up should the camera be balanced (level) ? Mine rolls considerable to the right (facing GP3) and would take quite a bit of weight on the left of the cage to balance it. If so, how are people doing this ? After plugging in power the gimbal levels itself.

3) Should my PID controller values match the stock settings shown on the jpeg that comes on the CD ? If they don't should I RESET TO DEFAULTS ? Then do I need to WRITE ?

4) This depends on the answer to 2) but when I connect the gimbal to the PC with no battery power the gimbal just oscillates between level and its "at rest" roll (considerably the right), is this normal/expected ? If I put a weight on the left side of the cage to balance the camera this does not occur.

5) Regarding the CALIB ACC: Any manual change in the gimbal's (sensor) position (using my fingers) results in chattering oscillations, so how does one level it and keep it steady to initiate the CALIB ACC ? After the CALIB ACC do I need to click the "write" button ?

Sorry for all these questions. I did RTM and I realize that the content of my questions is addressed there, but its not quite clear enough to me. Also, aside from the oscillations I experienced yesterday, everything has been working pretty good so I'm hesitant to change anything.

Thanks !

1- Yes, I found that running Calib-ACC is best when there's no power going to the gimbal.

2- yes, with no power at all to anything, the camera and gimbal should be balanced,. this is important.
it should be balanced fairly well to begin with. Not sure you should add any additional weight.

3. PID controller values are set at the shop when they put the gimbal together, and should be ok out of the box without any fiddling.
I do a screen grab as well as save my out-of-box settings just to be sure prior to making ANY further chances. as they do not always match the screen grab that comes on the DVD and serve as a backup to go to if things get mucked up.

4. again, no additional weight should be necessary to add,. but you can perhaps make adjustments to the cage so that the camera is better balanced,. the better the balance the less energy the motors need to move things.

5. as for Calib-ACC, I've only set mine by hand. but might try to use objects or similar to try to steady it without motion.

 

[kinglou]

Help!

I need help with manual pitch. Everything seems to be setup right. Except when I got to do the manual pitch (put the little screw driver in the back of the controller) nothing happens. I wired everything according to online videos and the Arris manual. When in the naza controler software enabled the gimbal, etc.

Please am I missing anything?

 

[Gizmo3000]

Help!

I need help with manual pitch. Everything seems to be setup right. Except when I got to do the manual pitch (put the little screw driver in the back of the controller) nothing happens. I wired everything according to online videos and the Arris manual. When in the naza controler software enabled the gimbal, etc.

Please am I missing anything?

Open up the Naza assistant and check to see if the X1 channel is altered when you do turn the screwdriver/potentiometer.
if it's changing i the NAZA assistant, then it's in the gimbal, make sure that you're connected to F2 in the Naza as well.
(and make sure the servo cables are connected properly)

 

[kinglou]

Help!

I need help with manual pitch. Everything seems to be setup right. Except when I got to do the manual pitch (put the little screw driver in the back of the controller) nothing happens. I wired everything according to online videos and the Arris manual. When in the naza controler software enabled the gimbal, etc.

Please am I missing anything?

Open up the Naza assistant and check to see if the X1 channel is altered when you do turn the screwdriver/potentiometer.
if it's changing i the NAZA assistant, then it's in the gimbal, make sure that you're connected to F2 in the Naza as well.
(and make sure the servo cables are connected properly)

thanks Gizmo. I opened up the Naza asst and went the view page? And watched the X1 channel while I turned the knob. No values were changing. So I am not sure what to do next? Is there something wrong with me RC controller?

 

[kinglou]

Help!

I need help with manual pitch. Everything seems to be setup right. Except when I got to do the manual pitch (put the little screw driver in the back of the controller) nothing happens. I wired everything according to online videos and the Arris manual. When in the naza controler software enabled the gimbal, etc.

Please am I missing anything?

Open up the Naza assistant and check to see if the X1 channel is altered when you do turn the screwdriver/potentiometer.
if it's changing i the NAZA assistant, then it's in the gimbal, make sure that you're connected to F2 in the Naza as well.
(and make sure the servo cables are connected properly)

thanks Gizmo. I opened up the Naza asst and went the view page? And watched the X1 channel while I turned the knob. No values were changing. So I am not sure what to do next? Is there something wrong with me RC controller?

Ok! Now its working. Did a full caleb and it started to roll. One think though is that I can't stop it mid way through its roll. I turn it a little and it keeps on going.

 

[PTCX]

Ok! Now its working. Did a full caleb and it started to roll. One think though is that I can't stop it mid way through its roll. I turn it a little and it keeps on going.

In the Simple BCG open the RC Settings tab and find the RC Control section.Look at the Angle Mode check box in line with Pitch,and click on it to make it blue.That should make the pitch move to where you want and stop there.

Don't ask me how to uncheck those boxes as I can not do that.It's not just another click to uncheck as most of those type of options do.

 

[PTCX]

Has anyone ever done a board reset on the Arris gimbal?
Mine is shaking and rolling wildly after a crash and I can not stop it and get it to operate normally through calIbrations.
So I am going to reset the board using the connections on the board where there can/should be a button,in the user manual it is referred to as the Menu Button.One long press resets the board.
I would like to know exactly what to expect from doing this before diving in,so if anyone can enlighten me I'd appreciate it.


This shows the current state of the board,
flat line where there should be some activity,
accelerometer is not calibrated,can not calibrate it.

 

[Gizmo3000]

Has anyone ever done a board reset on the Arris gimbal?
Mine is shaking and rolling wildly after a crash and I can not stop it and get it to operate normally through calIbrations.
So I am going to reset the board using the connections on the board where there can/should be a button,in the user manual it is referred to as the Menu Button.One long press resets the board.
I would like to know exactly what to expect from doing this before diving in,so if anyone can enlighten me I'd appreciate it.
.

Well before you hit that button, make sure to save your profile settings (which you can reload later on if necessary).

However, I fear that you might have possibly damaged your gimbal's IMU, which will cause such a shaking (that, or you might have accidentally swapped the pitch motor for the roll motor cable if you might have had to re-assemble your gimbal at one point).

But remove the GoPro and visually inspect the 4 little wires that are connecting to the sensor, hopefully none were broken.
- you might also get a "No Sensor" error as well.

 

[PTCX]

Thanks for the tips Gizmo.
I checked all the wires for continuity and one of the wires to the sensor seems to be broken.The one with the white trace if it matters.
Shopping day tomorrow so I will try to find a suitable replacement cable and swap them in the evening and see how it goes then.

 

[PTCX]

It's alive! Yaaay!!
I repaired the sensor cable and re-calibrated,CALABACC,and it came strait back to life and it seems to be working properly.
Weather permitting I will fly tomorrow and give it a work out.

Once again,thank you Gizmo for prompting me to check those wires,I appreciate it.Words from a clear mind removed from the frustration is always a good thing.

UPDATE:
I took it out for three flights today and the gimbal performed perfectly.

 

[mediaguru]

Well friends I'm welcoming myself to this thread.

I have the CM2000. It has been sitting here for a few weeks. I finally got around to getting this thing installed. Got power to the unit via the JST connector. That's as far as it goes.

The unit was supposed to be RTF but it won't move at all. There are some flashing lights on the board which I understand mean it needs to be calibrated or setup with software.

That's the big problem. I'm on a Mac. It has been tough to figure out how to install the software, drivers and all that without wanting to jump off a cliff.

I may just try to do it all on the windows side as I can boot my mac in windows XP.

Any pointers? Thanks.

 

[Gizmo3000]

Well friends I'm welcoming myself to this thread.

I have the CM2000. It has been sitting here for a few weeks. I finally got around to getting this thing installed. Got power to the unit via the JST connector. That's as far as it goes.

The unit was supposed to be RTF but it won't move at all. There are some flashing lights on the board which I understand mean it needs to be calibrated or setup with software.

That's the big problem. I'm on a Mac. It has been tough to figure out how to install the software, drivers and all that without wanting to jump off a cliff.

I may just try to do it all on the windows side as I can boot my mac in windows XP.

Any pointers? Thanks.

Well,. it should have functioned properly right out of the box (or close to that).
unfortunately, just like with the NAZA software, you probably should be running Windows in emulation on your PC. (or boot with windows)
I"ve not had much luck figuring out how to use the Mac version of the Alexmos GUI

But once you get it connected, safe the profile settings before trying to do anything with it.

Probably best to contact Hobby Wing for tech support on getting it to boot up properly tho, or visit their official support thread here
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1892797

 

[mediaguru]

Shoot I hope it isn't bad. I didn't purchase the gimbal from Hobby Wing. Got it on Amazon but it is the same one.

Next chunk of time I have to mess with it I'm going to do it all in windows. I think that will eliminate some of the headache.

 

[mediaguru]

After many infuriating hours of trying to get the software, drivers, and com ports setup, I finally established connection between my mac (via windows) and the CM2000 gimbal board.

Not able to do anything at this point. The gimabal's green error light is flashing quickly and I'm getting a sensor is not connected error (see image).

I've checked all the wires and connections and that "look" fine. What do I do now my friends?

 

[Gizmo3000]

Not able to do anything at this point. The gimabal's green error light is flashing quickly and I'm getting a sensor is not connected error (see image).

I've checked all the wires and connections and that "look" fine. What do I do now my friends?

Crap, that's not a good sign.
you might want to contact the company, especially if everything looks connected.
include that picture.

you might want to carefully visually inspect the wires where they are attache to the sensor boar (you'll have to unplug and remove the GoPro), I've had those wires break free in a crash before, had to replace the boards.

 

[mediaguru]

Thanks Gizmo3000 I'll take a look. This gimbal has never flown, so it certainly isn't due to a crash!

I sent a note to the seller I purchased from, who is unfortunately from China. Boo. Should have bought here. Didn't realize it until the order was placed on amazon.