Modifying a H3-3D to fit a GoPro with rear port connector

[antares]

Hello guys i might be not the only one having a GoPro 3+ BE with broken mini USB? The very fragile ribbon connector did not convince me from the beginning, but the 10-pin mini USB gave up even before the ribbon... I opened the GoPro, but no chance to solder.
Here is the story how i solved the problem:
1. Get a video board like this http://www.getfpv.com/gopro-video-board-live-video-out-charge.html. It connects to the rear 30-pin flat port.

2. Remove the little aluminium plate (placeholder) sitting inside the H3-3D by unscrewing the two phillips screws.

3. Use a Dremel or similar tool to mill out the back of the H3-3D, so that the video board can easily pass through the cut-off. Make sure the video board is not obstructed by the aluminium frame of the gimbal.

4. Connect the video board to the GoPro and place the cam inside the gimbal. If the plastic cover of the usb / hdmi compartment lines up with the frame of the gimbal, the GoPro sits comfortable.

5. Mount the gimbal to your phantom.

6. Check the GC of the gimbal, it might have changed after removing some weight from the frame. I re-balanced my gimbal using a very little velcro with a piece of plastic eraser sticked to it (approximately 3mm thick, use a cutter knife to adjust the weight). Try out the proper weight, so that the gimbal is balanced properly.

7. Use some pvc electric tape to cover the back. This serves just as a dust protection.
The GoPro can easily be charged through the 3-pin servo connector that comes from the video board. I soldered a usb cable to a servo female connector to charge the GoPro while it is still mounted in the Phantom. To get the data from the micro sd card - remove the card from the cam and read out directly into your computer.
Enjoy! HTH

 

[QYV]

Re: Modifying a H3-3D to fit a GoPro with rear port connecto

there's a recent thread called "get rid of the USB ribbon cable!" in which several folks (myself included) detailed a similar process to yours. we started with that 30-pin (hero port) to AV cable, and then a few weeks later around page 6 someone posted this version of the hero port that has the H3-3D ribbon cable so you can go right into the port on the gimbal that the ribbon cable formerly occupied.
It worked great with the Hero3.

Unfortunately it does NOT work with the Hero 4 so I wound up having to mod back to the usb ribbon cable (yuck)
really hoping GoPro fixes the problem with a firmware update or something

 

[antares]

Re: Modifying a H3-3D to fit a GoPro with rear port connecto

Hello QYV, yes, actually i was looking for exactly that part before (the hero port AV cable with ribbon connector) with no success.
Also, i do not like the idea of sharing the power from the Phantom to the GoPro. Since the Phantom has to carry GoPro's battery for weight / balance reasons, so why not using it to power the cam. Even more, charging the cam during flight might substantially shorten flight time...
But of course i agree that involving a Dremel against the H3-3D is not everybody's cup of tea...

 

[OI Photography]

Re: Modifying a H3-3D to fit a GoPro with rear port connecto

Even more, charging the cam during flight might substantially shorten flight time...

Nah, the difference in flight time from the power draw of the gopro is so small it's almost impossible to measure in flight tests.

 

[QYV]

Re: Modifying a H3-3D to fit a GoPro with rear port connecto

yea I never noticed any significant different in flight time when I had the gopro battery in or out