New Gimbal - Feiyu Tech G3 (FY G3) 2 Axis Gimbal Review

[DeweyAXD]

Just posted this in DJIGuys having got the Feiyu Tech G3 2 Axis Brushless Gimbal today and have just finished the write up/review and vids.

Full details with loads of still images, assembly details etc can be seen on my RC Groups blog page (click 'continue reading' to see it all): http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/member.php?u=499128

First glimpse (yes it can work that way up!)

If you just want to watch the vids (not my finest work!) then they are here. Don't judge the gimbal on the flight test too harshly.... it was mounted with zip ties, no dampening, upside down on top of the F450 (yes it can do this) and was causing havoc with the centre of gravity so the poor NAZA was correcting all over the place to stop it toppling.

More detail in the blog as I say and I will get a proper 'underslung' flight test on the F450 and the Phantom too when the weather permits!

Unboxing:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca5xGt10KUQ[/youtube]

Review/Non flight test:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ok_roLigt0o[/youtube]

How to invert it so it can sit ontop of a craft or object (great for hand held steadycam)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5h0XC_-_asM[/youtube]

First Flight Test (see above warning... kinda unfair first test)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwdwI_2mRI0[/youtube]


Too soon to really know if its Amazing, Good, or just average in flight. I can already tell it is a very good option for hand held use and I suspect the underslung shots will be very competitive against similar priced units.

Most important is it started first time and is REALLY tough and not too heavy. Updates to come on this thread.

 

[Peter Patricelli]

The weight and $$ are basically the same as the Tarot. A big plus is that the pitch servo is mounted on the left side of the camera leaving the usb port and sd card slot unobstructed. Assuming that the basic stability and jello dampening is good...then the next 2 questions I would want to know is whether it is YAW stable....does not tilt and holds a steady flat horizon when yaw-rotating, and 2) how easy it is to set up tilt control....wiring into the NAZA and set up configurable, simple, tilt control.

 

[DeweyAXD]

Well YAW stability I will test when the weather recovers a little.

Can you use the NAZA to control pitch: YES

Do you need to fiddle with any software/gimbal firmware to do this: NO (unlike the Tarot I believe?).

Do you have to change settings in the NAZA Assistant: YES

How you do this will (of course) be a video soon but in brief:

1) Plug the servo cable into F2 port of the NAZA (white cable goes to bottom row). Other (4 pin) end plugs into the gimbal power board.
2) Enter NAZA Assistant, go to 'Advanced' and 'Gimbal' tab
3) Select Gimbal switch to 'ON'
4) Zero the F2 values Max = 0 Center = 0 Min = 0
5) Zero the F2 Auto Gain setting
6) Power the gimbal on.... it will likely pitch to a weird pitch angle
7) Change the 'center' value to say 500, press enter and watch where the gimbal stops. Change it again to a higher value and adjust as needed until it sits centrally.
8) When happy enter '1000' in Max and -1000 in 'Min' - this then gives it full rotation.
9) Turn your gimbal channel lever (if on a Phantom TX) to watch it move.

 

[Peter Patricelli]

To test yaw stability you don't need good weather, or even to be flying at all. In fact, you don't even really need for the bird to be activated/energized. All you need is for your gimbal to be powered up and functioning. Set the bird on a level tabletop. Powered up the camera should be level WRT the table surface. Simply yaw the bird by hand, rotating it on it's center axis 45=90 degrees. If there is yaw-roll you will see the free end of the camera lift or drop putting it out of level WRT the tabletop. If it stays absolutely level....perfect. My Tarot, which is un-calibrated yet, rolls quite visibly and it is just as easy to see it there on the table as to see the effect on the video. it will slowly re-level...over about 10 seconds.

 

[DeweyAXD]

Well I've done a yaw test as suggested. These motors are super torquey so no sign of drop at all:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAe7AfF7TPk[/youtube]

The gimbal will fit under the Phantom if mounted properly. I attached it to an old undertray so 25mm lower that if directly held agains the base of the Phantom. For this reason I used the lipos for boosting.

Hoping I can get it in the air again Saturday if not sooner.

 

[Peter Patricelli]

Dewey,
Your yaw test looks rock solid. If I weren't on vacation and away from my bird I would post an example of what real yaw-roll looks like. In fact, it looked so good that until toward the end when you demonstrated that it was, in fact, pitch stabilized....I was wondering whether it was turned on at all.

BTW...the second most common reason for a Lipo battery fire/melt-down is physical damage (first is unbalanced cells/overcharging), such as dropping a battery on a hard surface. The battery covering is soft and dent-able...and the internal array of thin plates is delicate and vulnerable. One physical blow/dent will short out a plate array and you are set up for fireworks.

I would seriously re-think using your batteries on the bottom of your landing gear to gain height. That would be, in my mind, the WORST possible place to mount them to avoid physical damage.

 

[DeweyAXD]

I would seriously re-think using your batteries on the bottom of your landing gear to gain height. That would be, in my mind, the WORST possible place to mount them to avoid physical damage.

Please tell me you didn't think even for a split second I was going to try and use that setup for actualy in flight landing gear???!! I am bordering on a little insulted at the thought (though I am sure there are people out there that have tried it!) :roll: :lol:

I shouldn't laugh at those people though after what just happened.....

In the attempt to get a test flight before sunset i borrowed a Fatshark power filter cable from the Phantom. Got outside, plugged my new 5800mah 4s in (F450 not Phantom) and was treated with a scary as f*ck smoke show. Thinking I was about to have that size Lipo blow up in my face was not nice.

Turns out the Fatshark cable was reversed so 16+ volts calved its way through the negative lead all the way to the Gimbal!!

The good news from making this total balls up is I have proved the GY F3 clearly has very good voltage protection as it works fine still. No burnt connections on the power board, no signs of any heat getting near the control board. Goes to show that rushing is never a good idea!!

Anyway I'm off to was the Phantom (shell is a bit dirty)... 20mins submerged in bath tub should do right? :lol:

 

[OI Photography]

20mins submerged in bath tub should do right? :lol:

Just be sure to leave the battery plugged in so the Active Repellant Field will work (that's what ARF stands for, right...?) :lol:

 

[DeweyAXD]

20mins submerged in bath tub should do right? :lol:

Just be sure to leave the battery plugged in so the Active Repellant Field will work (that's what ARF stands for, right...?) :lol:

:lol: I'm all set to for the drying phase now... Petrol disperse the water and the heat gun to dry it

 

[Peter Patricelli]

Dewey,
Sorry....no insult meant. One of the realities of a forum such as this is that one has NO WAY of knowing how experienced...or INexperienced....someone might be. We've had people on here wondering why every flight ends in a crash..."the Phantom is supposed to land itself...right?" and wondering why every flight with the GP3B wifi on ends in a crash...."what would be the use of making a craft for the GoPro is you can't use the wifi"....which is actually a fair question...but is an example of some level of naivete, hardheadedness, or worse. So, seeing lipos strapped to the skids...which would (otherwise) be a brilliant, weightless solution to both the height and mounting issue....I felt moved to clarify. God knows we've seen just about everything ELSE strapped to the skids to get more clearance.

Good flying and give us some gimbal stabilized examples.

 

[The Don]

Is anyone here a Firefly fan? I don't know any Chinese, but I thought that "feiyu" was a bad thing.

 

[DeweyAXD]

Is anyone here a Firefly fan? I don't know any Chinese, but I thought that "feiyu" was a bad thing.

:lol: Not personally.... If I set fire to anything else during todays testing then it would be appropriate though! Who knows maybe they are all cursed!