lens filter on the H3-3D

[spitfire44]

I want to put an ND filter on my GoPro. It pushes straight onto the camera lens and weighs about 11 grams (a little less than 1/2 and ounce). Is there anyone who knows if this will burn out my motors or cause any undue stress on the system?

thanks,

Eric

 

[IrishSights]

If the gimbal motors are working hard (noisy) to keep it level then you might want to think of balancing it. If its buzzing noisily when tilting it could eventually burn out the gimbal motors. If the weight is too much it may just disengage. Its hard to tell what you might need to do as people have reported different balancing scenarios with different models of GoPro's. Others are flying without additional balancing. You just need to try it then decide what to do. I do have mine balanced.

 

[Diesel31]

I've used the Polar ND filter for several months and I have never counterbalanced it. It seems to work fine and I've yet to burn out a motor. I've done this on all 4 of my H3-3Ds. However, I've noticed if I make aggressive moves, sometimes the gimbal will "drop", meaning it'll tilt straight down and re-center itself. I'm pretty sure that's due to the additional weight of the filter because I tried to replicate it w/o the filter, but it won't do it. It's kind of alarming when it happens because I'm looking through my goggles and it appears as if all hell is breaking loose, but since I know what's happening, I just wait for it to reset and that's usually a few seconds.

Btw, not saying NOT counterbalancing is the way to go, just sharing my experiences. My reasons to not counterbalance were because I didn't want to add more weight and I just didn't want to go through the trouble.

Counterbalancing or not counterbalancing....if it works for you, then you're doing fine and that's all that matters, right?

 

[IrishSights]

I've used the Polar ND filter for several months and I have never counterbalanced it. It seems to work fine and I've yet to burn out a motor. I've done this on all 4 of my H3-3Ds. However, I've noticed if I make aggressive moves, sometimes the gimbal will "drop", meaning it'll tilt straight down and re-center itself. I'm pretty sure that's due to the additional weight of the filter because I tried to replicate it w/o the filter, but it won't do it. It's kind of alarming when it happens because I'm looking through my goggles and it appears as if all hell is breaking loose, but since I know what's happening, I just wait for it to reset and that's usually a few seconds.

Btw, not saying NOT counterbalancing is the way to go, just sharing my experiences. My reasons to not counterbalance were because I didn't want to add more weight and I just didn't want to go through the trouble.

Counterbalancing or not counterbalancing....if it works for you, then you're doing fine and that's all that matters, right?

+1

 

[FlyingHigh]

I had my h32d counterbalanced and it worked fine. When I switched to the H33d the gimbal for some reason hated the counterbalance. Horrible buzzing from the motors and it twitched all over the place. Yet if I put on the lens without and counter balance it seems just fine.

 

[cokeaddict]

These gimbals are a precision engineered tool. They are designed and BALANCED to do what they were designed to do and that is .. carry a gopro.
ANYTHING you add to the gopro MUST be counter balanced, no exceptions. Otherwise trouble will come and that's expensive trouble too (replacing a 3d gimbal is not cheap).
I run the Polar ND and polarising filters on mine, depending what i am shooting at the time. When I add a filter I have a counterweight that goes on and this needs to balance the extra weight off - center to the filter added to the front over the lens. You cant just add a weight and put it anywhere on the back. It has to be put perfectly opposite the added weight on the lens. That means it sits over the gopro battery side NOT directly behind the filter.

It might work for now without counterbalancing but it will die eventually and I am not one to throw money away if I can do it right first time.
I am not having a dig at anyone, I am just stating a fact for the novist before they ruin an expensive tool.

 

[willis]

Coke addict do you have any pictures of your setup with the counter balance? Just curious to see how you did it

 

[spitfire44]

Hi there, can you post a picture of your set up?

thanks, Eric

I run the Polar ND and polarising filters on mine, depending what i am shooting at the time. When I add a filter I have a counterweight that goes on and this needs to balance the extra weight off - center to the filter added to the front over the lens. You cant just add a weight and put it anywhere on the back. It has to be put perfectly opposite the added weight on the lens. That means it sits over the gopro battery side NOT directly behind the filter.

 

[FlyingHigh]

Does anyone have first hand knowledge of a motor going bad due to a filter being on and not counterbalanced?

 

[willis]

IrishSights,

How exactly are you balancing your weight? a stick-on like the use in pinewood derby? or something else?

Do you have a picture you could post of it?

I ask because I plan on shooting on water and if it turns out I'll need a polarizer I'd like to be prepared for that in the moment. Thanks in advance!

If the gimbal motors are working hard (noisy) to keep it level then you might want to think of balancing it. If its buzzing noisily when tilting it could eventually burn out the gimbal motors. If the weight is too much it may just disengage. Its hard to tell what you might need to do as people have reported different balancing scenarios with different models of GoPro's. Others are flying without additional balancing. You just need to try it then decide what to do. I do have mine balanced.

 

[IrishSights]

IrishSights,

How exactly are you balancing your weight? a stick-on like the use in pinewood derby? or something else?

Do you have a picture you could post of it?

I ask because I plan on shooting on water and if it turns out I'll need a polarizer I'd like to be prepared for that in the moment. Thanks in advance!

If the gimbal motors are working hard (noisy) to keep it level then you might want to think of balancing it. If its buzzing noisily when tilting it could eventually burn out the gimbal motors. If the weight is too much it may just disengage. Its hard to tell what you might need to do as people have reported different balancing scenarios with different models of GoPro's. Others are flying without additional balancing. You just need to try it then decide what to do. I do have mine balanced.

I use what ever I have around so my personal solution is just that...personal! Here is an older post (below) I did on my Zenmuse 3D. The only difference I have made since then is I heated the pen core and bent inwards every so slightly. This stops the arm occasionally hitting the leg in strong yaw movements in gusty winds. It done me for hundreds of flights now. It is adjustable as I interchange the lens itself, sometimes use a polarizer, sometimes a variable ND filter and some times no filter. In all these configurations it is 100% balanced I.e when not engaged it will sit in any position I tilt/swing it and no buzzing overload of the motors.

Like I said in this post...it works for me.

See:
viewtopic.php?p=188171#p188171

 

[cokeaddict]

Hi Guys,
Sorry for the delay. I had to take the pictures for you as requested. Here they are. Remember, this setup works if you are adding Polar Pro filters ONLY. the weights are calculated perfectly to the filters weight addition. You will notice that my filters have been flattened on one edge to avoid any chance of hitting the leg ( you will see what I mean in the pictures). This mod has dropped my filters down to 10 grams each.
I hope this helps some of you.
I do stress though, If you want to save the life of your gimbal then you MUST counterbalance it to what you add to it, otherwise in due time it will burn out.

P.S. Forgot to mention that in the pictures your looking at, the gimbal is balanced perfectly on its own. (Phantom is switched OFF)

 

[willis]

Thank you very much! I am not certain if I will need this yet, but the way I had pictured it in my mind was completely different. I only pictured the coin weight, didn't think about the extra weight that would cause the horizontal balance to not overwork...

Both of you guys advice and photos are invaluable, thankfully so because I'm not brave enough to experiment on my own with this $tuff.

how did you come up with the calculation of the grams necessary for the filter?

Lens weight = back of gopro weight
Horizon lock side weight = lens weight + lens?

 

[IrishSights]

...how did you come up with the calculation of the grams necessary for the filter?

Lens weight = back of gopro weight
Horizon lock side weight = lens weight + lens?

For me its suck it and see. As its not just the weight but the distance the weight is on the arm away from the centre of the motor shafts. You can get away with less weight the further the weight is down the arm.

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