First videos of the ultimate Phantom 3 axis gimbal

[SamurAchzar]

Edit - new abuse video!
https://vimeo.com/81292853

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Edit - new on/off video here:
https://vimeo.com/81101913

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If you had 1/10 as much fun watching these as I did making them, mission accomplished

Actually, the gimbal itself is an extremely simple 3D printed thing, with cheap Chinese motors - not a CNC chassis and Maxon .

The story here is really about the gimbal controller. The controller name is Phobotic Centerpiece, it obviously does 3 axis and has a combination of software and hardware that makes a Z15 Zenmuse look like an Apple II.
The idea behind these videos was not showing static hover (which the controller does, pixel-perfect) but to show how hard you can push this system in dynamic flight, which easily throws other gimbals off.

The Phantom used here is beat up, with unbalanced Zinger 9x5 props that have seen better days. You can sometime see the tiniest vibrations developing and then immediately arrested by the gimbal controller. Stabilizing a camera on a hovering DJI S800 with a Zenmuse is much easier than getting usable results from a Phantom, a 3D printed gimbal and flying of this kind Obviously, there isn't ANY post stabilization used here.

And yes, you could buy it for your own gimbals in the near future!

https://vimeo.com/80665271

https://vimeo.com/80665272

And this was testing the roll follow function, for fun and games
https://vimeo.com/80665270

Edit - And here it is, a daytime video. At the beach in the beginning of the Israeli winter, so fair winds (Phantom is seriously fighting the position drift in GPS mode).

https://vimeo.com/80906924

Watch how there's about zero jello. Some minor pitch vibrations can be seen on occasion, these originate in resonance from the 3D printed gimbal, but the controller suppresses them nearly immediately (other controllers would go into resonance and you'd get nasty jello).

 

[rilot]

Pics of the gimbal please.
What software are you using on the controller? What output frequency?

 

[Ksc]

That National Theater building is pretty cool looking.

Can you tell me what the 3rd axis helps with? The videos are incredibly clear and amazing so I'm also super interested but not sure why I need a 3rd axis. Does it basically "slow" down the turning of the camera so that even if you turn hard, it doesn't appear that you've turned hard.

 

[SamurAchzar]

Pics of the gimbal please.
What software are you using on the controller? What output frequency?

The gimbal itself is a custom 3D print. Not any better or worse than any other gimbal. The controller is what making the difference. The controller isn't anything like Alexmos or Martinez boards, it's a completely custom developed thing. Different processor, IMU, architecture... I'll follow up with more details as soon as I can, but being that this is in the final phases of development it'll take some time.

Can you tell me what the 3rd axis helps with? The videos are incredibly clear and amazing so I'm also super interested but not sure why I need a 3rd axis. Does it basically "slow" down the turning of the camera so that even if you turn hard, it doesn't appear that you've turned hard.

Yea, you got it right. It "buffers" the movement on the 3rd axis (yaw) so that small disturbances disappear, but the gimbal still follows the chassis around. This is called "follow mode" in gimbal-speak; the opposite of that would be "heading lock" mode where the gimbal keeps pointed in an absolute direction. Heading lock on the pan axis would of course be useless on a Phantom, but comes in handy when you have a dedicated camera operator like on the larger systems. A 3rd axis is especially useful on a Phantom sized multirotor as their pan stability is awful (and the better you stabilize in 2 axis, the weirder the unstabilized pan movements get; you see it very well in H3-2D videos, unless the operator is really smooth and the air is dead calm).

Notice that in the first and second videos, the roll and pitch axis are set to "heading lock" (keep their absolute positions at all time), while the yaw has a "follow" mode; however, in the third video, only the pitch axis has "heading lock" mode, while both roll and pan follow the chassis. This gives more of the "alien spacecraft flight" feeling

 

[LeoS]

You need to make a version that can be used with the stock Phantom Vision camera!
That way PV owners can get proper gimbal while keeping FPV and app connectivity (telemetry, remote messages, remote camera control, etc)

 

[SamurAchzar]

Unfortunately the PV camera has no provisioning for a gimbal. In my opinion DJI kinda missed the mark there, making it useless for professional video photography. A V1 Phantom carrying our gimbal can very easily become an S800/Zenmuse Z15 replacement when you want to film in close range and tight spaces.

 

[LeoS]

Unfortunately the PV camera has no provisioning for a gimbal. In my opinion DJI kinda missed the mark there, making it useless for professional video photography. A V1 Phantom carrying our gimbal can very easily become an S800/Zenmuse Z15 replacement when you want to film in close range and tight spaces.

What are you saying, mate??
"No provisioning" for gimbal; what does that specifically mean??

I'd think they'd sell 'upgrade kits' that can make P2V become full blown Phantom 2 Pro after they've released the Pros...

 

[Ksc]

ok. where do I get it and how much?

 

[SamurAchzar]

Unfortunately the PV camera has no provisioning for a gimbal. In my opinion DJI kinda missed the mark there, making it useless for professional video photography. A V1 Phantom carrying our gimbal can very easily become an S800/Zenmuse Z15 replacement when you want to film in close range and tight spaces.

What are you saying, mate??
"No provisioning" for gimbal; what does that specifically mean??

I'd think they'd sell 'upgrade kits' that can make P2V become full blown Phantom 2 Pro after they've released the Pros...

I don't think attaching a gimbal to the PV camera is easily done, and asking it to carry both its own camera and a gimbal may be pushing it. But then I've never seen a PV up close... I think the right platform for this gimbal is a V1 Phantom on better props, and if you're into FPV, maybe it's time for something a bit bigger.

ok. where do I get it and how much?

It will take some time to hit the market. I don't expect it to be on sale before late January, and we're only talking about a controller at this point. You'll need to provide 3 axis mechanics.

 

[Ksc]

if you can make it plug and play, that would be grrrrrrrrrrreat.

 

[SamurAchzar]

if you can make it plug and play, that would be grrrrrrrrrrreat.

The thought hasn't escaped our mind

 

[Dave Pitman]

if you can make it plug and play, that would be grrrrrrrrrrreat.

The thought hasn't escaped our mind

SamurAchzar, Looks promising.

I think if you coupled your board with the mechanics, you will have a much larger audience for your product. Even in you just use other manufacturers parts to put together a kit that will work well with your board, I think you will sell more units. With how fast this element of the industry is expanding, the amount of different parts and pieces is growing exponentially. Folks that want to have a nice aerial platform don't necessarily want to take the time to research and purchase all the parts. You could sell the controller by itself, and perhaps a couple different kits that are demonstrated to play well with the board.

Certainly DJI and other vendors are going to bring similar products into the market, and many will be plug and play. Keep us posted.

 

[The Editor]

ok. where do I get it and how much?

I've already ordered one of these -----> http://www.hobby-wing.com/arris-cm3000-gopro-hero3-brushless-motor-gimbal.html (Took advantage of the Thanksgiving discount)

It's on its way to me and I am awaiting the mailman!! :lol:

It's been out now for a couple of months and is based on the version 5 CM2000 (which has been around a while and is well tested)

. This is the kind of results you can expect from it ---> http://vimeo.com/78693475

 

[SamurAchzar]

ok. where do I get it and how much?

I've already ordered one of these -----> http://www.hobby-wing.com/arris-cm3000-gopro-hero3-brushless-motor-gimbal.html (Took advantage of the Thanksgiving discount)

It's on its way to me and I am awaiting the mailman!! :lol:

It's been out now for a couple of months and is based on the version 5 CM2000 (which has been around a while and is well tested)

. This is the kind of results you can expect from it ---> http://vimeo.com/78693475

That was a really slow flight, mounted on a Tarot T810. This is a more typical result:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIWpKcf7mcQ
It's decent, but nowhere near how our gimbal performs.

 

[SamurAchzar]

And here it is, a daytime video. At the beach in the beginning of the Israeli winter, so fair winds (Phantom is seriously fighting the position drift in GPS mode).

https://vimeo.com/80906924

Watch how there's about zero jello. Some minor pitch vibrations can be seen on occasion, these originate in resonance from the 3D printed gimbal, but the controller suppresses them nearly immediately (other controllers would go into resonance and you'd get nasty jello).

 

[EliWeber]

Would you mind contacting me? I'm moving to Israel in 3 weeks, really looking people to fly my vision and hopefully my phantom 2 with.

 

[sehested]

And here it is, a daytime video. At the beach in the beginning of the Israeli winter, so fair winds (Phantom is seriously fighting the position drift in GPS mode).

https://vimeo.com/80906924

Watch how there's about zero jello. Some minor pitch vibrations can be seen on occasion, these originate in resonance from the 3D printed gimbal, but the controller suppresses them nearly immediately (other controllers would go into resonance and you'd get nasty jello).

It looks really great Looking forward to when you got more info about how to release your product and what a complete ready to use gimbal with your board will cost.

How does the added third motor in the gimbal impact flight time? What is the weight of the proto type you have onboard your Phantom?

 

[SamurAchzar]

The third motor for this application, depending on the manufacturer, is an addition of approximately 65g.

The ready to fly weight of the Phantom with this gimbal, with a GoPro and a Zippy 3S 2200mAH 25C battery, is about 1300 grams.
I'm using Zinger 9x5" props. It can still fly quite dynamically, but you're aware of the added mass and inertia. It doesn't climb fast, but as you can see from the videos it does climb and fly well even in windy conditions, and in forward movement it's a rocket.

I get about 5 minutes when flying, down to 30% battery capacity.

With these props and the added gimbal weight, you need to set your LVC to a lower threshold as heavy throttling drops the battery voltage into LVC zone while there's still capacity left. With this setup, the main difference from a stock Phantom when flying is that you better avoid full throttle climbouts, as these are taxing the powertrain.

We had some performance concerns when we started trials with the Phantom but honestly, with the right prop and some awareness when flying it's a blast; The V1 Phantom, coupled with our gimbal technology, can produce professional quality video in confined spaces and without the environmental disturbance and dangers something like an S800 creates. I can take it out anywhere and immediately produce amazing HD video needing no post stabilization - all for the price of a DJI A2 flight controller...

 

[Hiway]

... The V1 Phantom, coupled with our gimbal technology, can produce professional quality video in confined spaces and without the environmental disturbance and dangers something like an S800 creates. I can take it out anywhere and immediately produce amazing HD video needing no post stabilization - all for the price of a DJI A2 flight controller...

I am an early adopter sort with my hobbys... when money allows. I'm sold my flying friend, and as KSC stated- how much and where do I order?

 

[SamurAchzar]

I know many people here wanted this video, so here it is. Strapped two GoPros on the Phantom (one fixed, the other on the gimbal), and went out shooting in the windiest day we've had here for a while:

https://vimeo.com/81101913