How to use heat shrink tubing?

[fly-catchers]

Well my Aeroxcraft Gimbal is on its way! Time to re-learn my soldering skills. Thankfully unlike the Zenmuse gimbal it only involves soldering the power cable to the Phantom aux cable. I don't have a heat gun (or hair dryer for that matter either!). Some youtube videos show using a lighter to shrink the tubing. Is that ok or is there a better way?

When you open up the Phantom to fit the tilt control cable is there a safe way of knowing you aren't going to snag any wires or put your screws back through them when closing up the casing! Hate to bugger up my Phantom at this stage!!

cheers

bill

 

[djidan]

Well my Aeroxcraft Gimbal is on its way! Time to re-learn my soldering skills. Thankfully unlike the Zenmuse gimbal it only involves soldering the power cable to the Phantom aux cable. I don't have a heat gun (or hair dryer for that matter either!). Some youtube videos show using a lighter to shrink the tubing. Is that ok or is there a better way?

All you need to do is tease the soldering iron over the surface of the heat shrink. The heat from the soldering iron will shrink it. I have the AeroXcraft Gimbal by the way. You won't be disappointing.

When you open up the Phantom to fit the tilt control cable is there a safe way of knowing you aren't going to snag any wires or put your screws back through them when closing up the casing! Hate to bugger up my Phantom at this stage!!

Just take your time and make sure that all internal wires are not laying across any of the holes in the lower frame where the screws will go.

 

[OI Photography]

@fly-catchers: just before you set the lid back down on the phantom, when it's about a half-inch above the lower shell, get right down to eye-level with the gap, and just look to make sure no wires slipped in to the spots above the screw holes like djidan mentioned (which are easy to spot).

@ both of you: are you using the NAZA as the gimbal controller with the aeroxcraft gimbal? Also, if I'm not mistaken they make both a belt-drive and a brushless gimbal for the GP3...which are you using?

Also, have either of you used the aeroxcraft landing gear? (Not on a phantom, just in general)

 

[Gizmo3000]

I do just what djidan does,. use my solder iron to shrink it.
I had considered getting a dedicated heat gun, but found that the soldering iron method works just fine and can targeted fairly well.

*VERY* important to take your time when soldering, as having to desolder is pain.
and be extra, extra sure to put the heat shrink on the wires BEFORE you solder them together!#@ :ugeek:
(I seem to make that mistake on a somewhat regular basis!@#)

 

[miskatonic]

I use a $15 heat gun. It is easier to use than running a soldering iron over the tubing. Make sure that you heat shrink the tubing just a little but, let it cool and then tuck it into whatever you are trying to protect.

http://www.amazon.com/Pit-Bull-CHIG...=UTF8&qid=1384542636&sr=8-6&keywords=heat+gun

Liquid electrical tape is also useful for spots that you want to insulate but cannot heat shrink.

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Brite-1-...542742&sr=8-6&keywords=liquid+electrical+tape

 

[Roadkilt]

I just set up my aeroxcraft gimbals tilt control. I'm no electronics tech so I felt a bit challenged at first, I don't even like opening up,the phantom or transmitter. But plugging in the the gimbal control wire to the NAZA box was no sweat, I did cut the wire to get it through a small hole I drilled in the phantom shell to plug into the gimbal board. I also wired a tiny on off switch in the power wire to the gimbal so could turn the gopro on and off with no power to the gimbal. I bought a tx lever to pop in the hole in the back off ebay, total garbage and never worked at all. After watching a great YouTube video on setting up a usable control on the front of the tx I ended up buying a small potentiometer at a local electronics shop, carefully detached the tiny yellow pot in the tx, soldered three wires, super simple, and put a knob on the front of the tx. Cost me about $12 all in, and about an hour of nervous wiring. Works great, you do have to move the pot slowly as the gimbal gets the jitters if you go fast. You need to turn on the gimbal in the NAZA software, cinch, just follow the aeroxcraft settings. No upgrade or any screwing around of any other settings. I marked the tx with lines to show where the gimbal is pointing, dead horizontal, just below props, 45 degrees and straight down. It was easier than I thought and has really opened up the potential of the gimbal.

 

[Dave Pitman]

I just set up my aeroxcraft gimbals tilt control. I'm no electronics tech so I felt a bit challenged at first, I don't even like opening up,the phantom or transmitter. But plugging in the the gimbal control wire to the NAZA box was no sweat, I did cut the wire to get it through a small hole I drilled in the phantom shell to plug into the gimbal board. I also wired a tiny on off switch in the power wire to the gimbal so could turn the gopro on and off with no power to the gimbal. I bought a tx lever to pop in the hole in the back off ebay, total garbage and never worked at all. After watching a great YouTube video on setting up a usable control on the front of the tx I ended up buying a small potentiometer at a local electronics shop, carefully detached the tiny yellow pot in the tx, soldered three wires, super simple, and put a knob on the front of the tx. Cost me about $12 all in, and about an hour of nervous wiring. Works great, you do have to move the pot slowly as the gimbal gets the jitters if you go fast. You need to turn on the gimbal in the NAZA software, cinch, just follow the aeroxcraft settings. No upgrade or any screwing around of any other settings. I marked the tx with lines to show where the gimbal is pointing, dead horizontal, just below props, 45 degrees and straight down. It was easier than I thought and has really opened up the potential of the gimbal.

That's cool, but you forgot the part about the shrink tubing. :?

 

[Roadkilt]

Oops....yeah...and I used a **** load of shrink tubing

 

[djidan]

@ both of you: are you using the NAZA as the gimbal controller with the aeroxcraft gimbal?

I am using the Naza for Tilt Control only, by connecting to F2. See the following instructions I used for fitting the Gimbal.
http://www.aeroxcraft.com/content/downl ... l_v1.1.pdf

Also, if I'm not mistaken they make both a belt-drive and a brushless gimbal for the GP3...which are you using?

It is the brushless Gimbal. I wasn't aware that they did a belt driven type for the DJI Phantom.

Also, have either of you used the aeroxcraft landing gear? (Not on a phantom, just in general)

No. Although I do plan on changing the landing gear to the following as the Gimbal can tend to touch the ground when initializing pre-flight and causes it to not sit level.

 

[fly-catchers]

Thanks for all the advice and information. I don't think I will risk cutting any holes in either the Phantom or tx as my DIY skills completely suck and drilling holes ALWAYS ends badly!
Roadkill- Was it the genuine DJI tx lever that was garbage or a third party solution? As I was intending to get just that basic lever. The control on the front does look and sound a lot better- but as I said it would be a disaster if I tried it!

Having got the gimbal today I noticed that the online instructions photos of the board and its connections bear no resemblance to the board fitted to my gimbal- I guess they have updated it along the way. You no longer plug the power cable into the board but use the jst socket at the end of the prefitted lead. Also I am assuming that you plug the tilt cable into the pins marked Ground to A1 on the board. There are four other pins after that on the board. Still working out how you open up the cage that holds the GoPro! Do you just remove a few of those small screws and nuts!! The days of decent instructions seem to have gone out of fashion!

cheers

bill

 

[djidan]

Bill, you don't have to remove any screws. Just apply a little pressure on the horizontal carbon fibre strip at the front base of the cage and then pull the front part of the cage towards you. I nearly made the same mistake.

 

[fly-catchers]

Thanks for that!
One other question regarding the aeroxcraft gimbal. On the instructions the aux power lead is first shown emerging from the gromet that actually holds it. But in later photos the aux power lead and the tilt cable are emerging from the hole in the Phantom where the compass cable also emerges. Is this ok to do as I can see that it would help keep any cables away from the camera lens. At the moment I have fed both these leads through the one feeding the compass cable. But have yet to solder the power cable to the gimbal power lead.

 

[OI Photography]

I am using the Naza for Tilt Control only, by connecting to F2. See the following instructions I used for fitting the Gimbal.
http://www.aeroxcraft.com/content/downl ... l_v1.1.pdf

Understood, thank you. Run in to any problems setting it up that way?

It is the brushless Gimbal. I wasn't aware that they did a belt driven type for the DJI Phantom.

No, you're right, the other one is just for their 550 landing gear, my bad

I'm planning on using their landing gear with my upcoming 550 and was looking at the brushless gopro gimbal too (the same one you have...I think)

 

[Roadkilt]

On the aeroxcraft gimbal box for the gopro don't bother with the plate that pops in front of the camera. It is so snug in there that it will NEVER fall out on its own unless you crashed the whole thing hard. That front plate is fussy and unnecessary weight. The tilt control plug on the board is a little different from the guide that comes with it. But it's close enough and with a head lens you can see the lettering for a1 ground etc. The orientation is the same as the diagram in the handout. I would recommend putting that inline power switch regardless of whether you hook up tilt control or not. It's hard on the gimbal motors to turn the gopro on and off with power on.

 

[fly-catchers]

Well I did the soldering today but it looks far from neat and nice like the examples on the photos! However the leads stay together when tugged and after a brief test the gimbal powered up ok. I put a few layers of insulating tape on as the heat shrinking tubing would not actually fit over the soldered area! And that join is inside the casing and taped in position so it can't move. So hopefully my poor effects will still be ok...

Roadkill- Good idea about the switch- but does it involve soldering? :roll:

cheers

bill

 

[Roadkilt]

Well I did the soldering today but it looks far from neat and nice like the examples on the photos! However the leads stay together when tugged and after a brief test the gimbal powered up ok. I put a few layers of insulating tape on as the heat shrinking tubing would not actually fit over the soldered area! And that join is inside the casing and taped in position so it can't move. So hopefully my poor effects will still be ok...

Roadkill- Good idea about the switch- but does it involve soldering? :roll:

cheers

The inline power switch can be any tiny sliding on off switch. Although soldering is best, and pretty straight forward for this project since you aren't near a circuit board. But just twisting the wires together will work in a pinch, or use conductive wire glue, available in hobby shops. Takes a little longer to set up but no soldering required.