Camera Gimbal Drop kit Mod

[Mako79]

This may/may not save your camera/gimbal.
This is untested and to be honest I don't want to know the answer. Prevention is best!!!
I don't fly beyond my skill level so I know the difference between cockiness and confidence.

I've taken the gamble and removed the anti-drop pins. What does the anti-drop pins do?
They act as a contingency device that stops the camera and gimbal assembly from falling out of the sky, which is good.

However, it has its downfalls. On crashes, the sudden stop causes camera to snap off or sometimes bend the arm. The anti-drop pins is doing its job but I think its too aggressive. Even in light crashes, the arm is bent slightly and off by 1 or 2 degrees or sometimes it shows as a gimbal error.
If you remove the anti-drop pins, the gimbal and camera is held by 4 dampeners and 3 cables, 1 clicked on and 2 pressed on.
If a crash happens and the gimbal and camera pops out and there is no sudden stops and the momentum is carried on. You'll get a scratched camera/gimbal and I think the clicked on cable will probably sheer off leaving the pins exposed (I think).

Solution: 2 cable ties and a rubber band. Installed on the battery end so it doesn't appear on cam.
Also, the band cannot get tangled as the props are blowing down on it.
This should stop it from falling from the skies and keep it near the phantom if it pops off on a crash.

On a side note, I think the reason for not releasing parts to the public is to prevent the previous Vision units to remove the FC200 camera to do an upgrade.

 

[joefuller757]

Like it. I'm waiting for my replacement gimbal/camera assembly. After a crash, I replaced the broken shell and bent the gimbal arm back but the unit had the "flipped out" disease. This is like the drop-the-egg-from-the-roof-without-breaking-it challenge. My fear is that the assemblies are so weak (by design to allow for the smooth video) that in a hard crash, something is going to break. Your idea is probably as good as their pins. Obviously, no one wants to test the solutions against one another!

 

[denofr]

I like it but I think the rubberbands are too long. What happens if the Phantom hits the ground hard? I posted a write up a few weeks ago where I described a possible solution that included longer landing gear and a set of screws in place of the anti-drop pins. The screws would be about 2-3 inches long and starting at the head of the screw would have a washer, then a spring, then another washer, then threaded up from below through the same two holes you're using, followed by another washer and finally a self-locking nut. Presumably the springs would take up the force and the longer legs would prevent the camera from hitting the ground. Like you I have no idea if it would work. Feel free to take as much or as little of that idea as you like. I do believe you're on the right track.

 

[Mako79]

I like it but I think the rubberbands are too long. What happens if the Phantom hits the ground hard? I posted a write up a few weeks ago where I described a possible solution that included longer landing gear and a set of screws in place of the anti-drop pins. The screws would be about 2-3 inches long and starting at the head of the screw would have a washer, then a spring, then another washer, then threaded up from below through the same two holes you're using, followed by another washer and finally a self-locking nut. Presumably the springs would take up the force and the longer legs would prevent the camera from hitting the ground. Like you I have no idea if it would work. Feel free to take as much or as little of that idea as you like. I do believe you're on the right track.

I like that idea with the spring loaded bolt/screws and I will look into it.

Need to remember that it still needs a lot of force to make the gimbal and camera system to pop out from the dampeners.
If the phantom comes down with that much force, either way, there's going be something broken.

My rubber band is a more of a security device in the case if all the dampeners fail, and if in crash, the camera can be found close by.

I hope that the parts are going to be available soon.

 

[dezunka]

I don't know if longer landing skids is the answer!? The skids are weak as it is and they will bow under pressure and the camera will strike the ground on even an 8 foot drop. If there was a way to reinforce the skids by putting a plate on the bottom which would prevent the camera from hitting the ground or hitting any unforeseen objects, I think it would work better. The tricky part is making the reinforcement in a way that wouldn't obstruct the camera pointing straight down.