How much play is in your P2V gimbal (video related)

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I noticed after a very jello ridden video tonight that my gimbal seems to have some play where it connects to the servo. If I grab the camera and hold the plate above it firm I can tilt the camera about a cm each way. Is this normal and something I am just noticing?

Also is anyone getting color flickering in your video? Some of the trees I filmed tonight were flickering different shades of green (the sun was behind the camera). I also had some banding across the video when the sun hit the lens at a certian angle.

Do white balance and the anti-flicker settings work while recording video?
 
Mine isn't loose when power is applied. Check yours that way? However, it does have a mind of its own. When I first power up, it will lock to one side or the other and refuse to move until I recycle the power - or it won't come up at all. Does it almost every time. Works fine once it gets its brains, though. I think it might have something to do with being past the normal electric stops - if it is all the way to one side or the other (up or down) then it fails when power is applied.

You shouldn't have jello - if I can use mine as an example. It is rock solid.
 
I still have some play with power on as well. I can tilt camera up and down a few degrees each way before it's firm. Hmmm, jinxed myself today saying I haven't had any issues yet.
 
Fixed it!

I removed the rubber guard on the side of the camera and there is a small Phillips head screw behind there that attaches the P2V camera to the stock 1 axis gimbal. The screw was very loose so I cranked it down about 4 rotations. No more play!

Will report back tomorrow if this fixed the jello I experienced from this evenings flight.

Still longing for a relatively priced multi-axis gimbal!
 
gfredrone said:
Fixed it!

I removed the rubber guard on the side of the camera and there is a small Phillips head screw behind there that attaches the P2V camera to the stock 1 axis gimbal. The screw was very loose so I cranked it down about 4 rotations. No more play!

Will report back tomorrow if this fixed the jello I experienced from this evenings flight.

Still longing for a relatively priced multi-axis gimbal!
Well done gfredrone, thank-you! :: EVERY VISION OWNER SHOULD CHECK THIS GIMBAL SCREW ::

I just checked mine and found exactly the same thing... loose by several turns & the camera had a few mm free-play in its tilt. Looks like the factory doesn't apply any glyp or thread lock to keep that screw from getting loose. If it weren't for the rubber plug that screw would've eventually backed-out and fallen away, possibly followed by the plastic gimbal gear.

iDrone :geek:
 
Yes same as.
Just looked at mine and very loose.
Definitely one for people to check!
Glen.
 
[/quote]
Well done gfredrone, thank-you! :: EVERY VISION OWNER SHOULD CHECK THIS GIMBAL SCREW ::

I just checked mine and found exactly the same thing... loose by several turns & the camera had a few mm free-play in its tilt. Looks like the factory doesn't apply any glyp or thread lock to keep that screw from getting loose. If it weren't for the rubber plug that screw would've eventually backed-out and fallen away, possibly followed by the plastic gimbal gear.

iDrone :geek:[/quote]

Well, I messed up :( and should have stopped with the initial fix but this was probably bound to happen in time anyway.

I went back in to apply some thread lock and after getting it back together the interior teeth of the plastic piece (the part that the philips screw goes through) are stripped. The camera can be moved by hand throughout the entire range of the axis without much force. It still works with power applied but is very sloppy and if bumped will drop all the way down to the lowest position.

I'm thinking from the initial looseness and movement of the plastic piece that the metal gimbal gear had slowly worn away at the teeth on the interior of the plastic piece. I put it under magnification and it's teeth are nearly smooth.

Soooo, now what? Can this tiny plastic part be found or am I looking at shipping the entire unit back to Amazon for replacement? Any suggestions?
 
gfredrone said:
Fixed it!

I removed the rubber guard on the side of the camera and there is a small Phillips head screw behind there that attaches the P2V camera to the stock 1 axis gimbal. The screw was very loose so I cranked it down about 4 rotations. No more play!

Will report back tomorrow if this fixed the jello I experienced from this evenings flight.

Still longing for a relatively priced multi-axis gimbal!

Can you show a picture of where the rubber guard covering the screw is on the side of the camera?
 
gfredrone said:
Fixed it!

I removed the rubber guard on the side of the camera and there is a small Phillips head screw behind there that attaches the P2V camera to the stock 1 axis gimbal. The screw was very loose so I cranked it down about 4 rotations. No more play!

Will report back tomorrow if this fixed the jello I experienced from this evenings flight.

Still longing for a relatively priced multi-axis gimbal!

Mine was exactly the same. I think if not for the rubber guard, it would have simply fallen out. I hadn't even noticed that my camera was a bit sloppy. Now it's tight as a drum.

Thank you !!! :D

-slinger
 
In my opinion it should be tight. In my case I think the brass (brass colored) gear on the gimbal ate the teeth on plastic part which it inserts into on the camera housing . I'm thinking my only option is to return the whole unit for replacement since this part is not available to purchase.

I just emailed DJI USA and will see if I get a response on sending me the part and will update if I hear back. I'm going to try this route before replacing through Amazon since I have 22 days left for a full return/replacement.

Here is my email to DJI:

After filming a very bumpy video I noticed there was a lot of up and down play in my camera’s tilt axis. Upon inspection I removed the rubber cover from the camera housing to find the black Phillips head screw had backed nearly all of the way out. I tried tightening the screw and it just spins without stopping. I then removed the camera from the gimbal and popped out the plastic gear receptacle on the camera housing. Under magnification the teeth on the plastic receptacle part are worn to the point that the metal gimbal gear can’t gain traction which is causing the play on the tilt axis.

How can I get a replacement of the plastic receptacle part on the camera housing where the metal gimbal gear inserts and the Phillips head screw which secures the plastic receptacle to the gimbal gear?
 
Not to make your decision harder, but just beware that if you wait to return to Amazon you risk them running out of stock as they are one of the 30 on the TRO. They'll no doubt give you a refund, but if all you want is a new Phantom then you can't beat their RMA/swap policy. I RMA'd mine last Friday (dead RC) and had a replacement on Monday.

Geoff
 
gmtx said:
Not to make your decision harder, but just beware that if you wait to return to Amazon you risk them running out of stock as they are one of the 30 on the TRO. They'll no doubt give you a refund, but if all you want is a new Phantom then you can't beat their RMA/swap policy. I RMA'd mine last Friday (dead RC) and had a replacement on Monday.

Geoff

Good point! Did the new one you received have the updated battery terminals and the usb port on the TX. Just and FYI for all, the one I received on Jan 22 from Amazon had the rounded pins and no usb on the TX.
 
Nope - same as the first one I got - no external USB - not sure about the pins, I'll have to take a look.

I just checked the screw on my gimbal and it sure feels like it's stripped. It turns freely and then sticks a little and then turns freely again. The gimbal seems solid though - no wiggle - so now I don't know what to think. I hate to RMA another one and I haven't even flown the thing yet!
 
gmtx said:
Nope - same as the first one I got - no external USB - not sure about the pins, I'll have to take a look.

I just checked the screw on my gimbal and it sure feels like it's stripped. It turns freely and then sticks a little and then turns freely again. The gimbal seems solid though - no wiggle - so now I don't know what to think. I hate to RMA another one and I haven't even flown the thing yet!

I don't think the screw is stripped it's just too short to fully engage the threads on the metal gimbal gear also causing it to back out easily for those with threads that are partially engaged.

If you take the screw and put it directly into the metal gimbal gear it tightens down just fine. I went and got a longer screw from the hardware store today, dremeled about a mm off because it was bottoming out too soon, and it tightens all the way down. If the plastic receptacle teeth weren't stripped on mine this would be a quick fix.

I going to use a longer screw out of the box on my new one once received. I didn't write down the size of the new screw but when I make it back to the hardware store I'll post it.

Hopefully someone prices their multi axis gimbal right in the near future so I can be done with the stock gimbal setup.
 

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