Rotorpixel gimbal for Phantom Vision

[Happyflyer]

I'll probably, if I'm lucky, only be flying a few times between now and March... So... It'd be a real nice time to install that third motor and take my time tweaking it all in...

-slinger

Hey, Slinger, How many feet of snow do you have now?

 

[gunslinger]

I'll probably, if I'm lucky, only be flying a few times between now and March... So... It'd be a real nice time to install that third motor and take my time tweaking it all in...

-slinger

Hey, Slinger, How many feet of snow do you have now?

Nothing yet... It's just colder than a landlord's heart...

-slinger

 

[happydays]

It's just colder than a landlord's heart...

-slinger

I like that!

 

[Happyflyer]

It's just colder than a landlord's heart...

-slinger

I like that!

Me too!
Hey, Happydays, go check out the Bing homepage. That would be a nice place to fly.

 

[bywalker]

This may have been covered somewhere, so sorry for the duplicate message.

I have a newer rotorpixel with the updated smaller motors. Just received it about a month ago and everything was working fine. I have a p2v and decided to upgrade the remote to the newer one with the built in lipro battery. I paired everything and calibrated it. Everything seemed fine, however, when i turn the phantom on (if the remote is on) then the gimbal would point straight down. If I power the remote on, after the phantom, then this would not happen..

Well after some tweaking on it and toying around I found myself in a problem. I pushed the button on the alexmos board and reset the gimbal, and have tried to recalibrate etc and want to make sure I am doing this right. I have an older rotorpixel profile and am hoping someone with the newer version of the gimbal can upload a link to the newest profile? Also I need some instructions on how to get this thing back to factory. And a little clarification on the 6 point calibration.

I assume I need to do the following:

upload the profile and write it to the board
perform a 6 point calibration of the gimbal imu
perform a gyro calibration

Also do I perform the steps above with or without the phantom itself turned on?

plug into the p2v assistant software and make sure the rotorpixel settings are correct per their website
maybe do an advanced calibration
recalibrate my remote and x1 dial

test and make sure all is working?

I have emailed Keri @ RotorPixel, but have not heard back so I thought I would try my luck here. Its raining anyway so I have some down time, but would like to get this thing dialed back in the way it was before I pushed buttons I shouldn't have.

and FYI, it appears that there is no way around this problem with the new remote and the p2v. You must power it on after the bird or else the gimbal points down every time.

 

[bywalker]

I have done those steps, but because I did not save my profile my settings are incorrect within the SimpleBGC. I need the RotorPixel profile. Also that is the same as a basic calibration, correct? My understanding is that the 6 point calibration via the basecam software is the preferred method for advanced calibration? Does the step above overwrite a 6 point or vice versa? Are they one in the same?

Basically do I need to perform both or one or the other? Either way I need to load and write the correct profile before calibration, I assume.

Also the reason I need the profile is originally, I held the button down too long and reset the board completely when this all began..

 

[bywalker]

Thanks, I will wait for your link to the file.

 

[Happyflyer]

How about a fix for: Tip quad forward, no problem. Tip backward: no problem. Tip right, no problem. Tip left and rotoP starts to shake crazy. This is NOT a large amount of tip. It is just a couple maybe three degrees. A fix?

 

[bywalker]

Thanks! Were you able to locate this profile?

 

[bywalker]

Sounds good, thanks for the help!

 

[jadebox]

How about a fix for: Tip quad forward, no problem. Tip backward: no problem. Tip right, no problem. Tip left and rotoP starts to shake crazy. This is NOT a large amount of tip. It is just a couple maybe three degrees. A fix?

The gimbal is probably catching on a wire or something when it tilts that direction. Even the slightest contact can make a big difference.

It might only happen in flight because of the air flow. So, you might try just re-routing the wires to see if that helps.

-- Roger

 

[Happyflyer]

Thanks, but that is the first thing I looked for and found nothing. Agreed it is very sensitive and it doesn't take much to make it go nuts.

 

[bywalker]

Anything Geert?. I'm dead in the water without that profile and it's sunny today!

 

[bywalker]

Yea but I'm not comfortable with a $400 gimbal with the older, potentially improper settings. I will wait for the newer one. I also have an email in to Keri

 

[bywalker]

Keri got back to me with all the necessary files. The newer profile is significantly different than the one I downloaded earlier. All seems good with the new update and calibration steps. Will test my settings tomorrow and report back. Thanks!

 

[DKDarkness]

Keri got back to me with all the necessary files. The newer profile is significantly different than the one I downloaded earlier. All seems good with the new update and calibration steps. Will test my settings tomorrow and report back. Thanks!

Posting the files here would enable future users with the same problem to resolve it.

 

[bywalker]

1. Download the files here: http://bit.ly/1qKhLxD
2. Install the USB driver first.
3. Run the gimbal software (SimpleBGC_GUI.exe).
4. Disconnect motors and pitch control cables from the gimbal control
board, and take note of the orientation of the cables. Only the
multi-coloured IMU
cable should be connected to the gimbal control board board now.
5. Connect the gimbal control board to your computer via any mini-USB cable.
6. Select the appropriate COM PORT in the drop down menu from the box
in the top left, and click CONNECT.
7. If it gives you an error stating a mismatch of the firmware with
the GUI, then proceed with steps 8-10. If no error occurs, and the
live read-outs on the right side of the screen are active when you
move the camera, then skip to step 11.

8. Run "XLoader.exe, select the correct COM PORT, and select
"SimpleBGC_2_40b7.enc.hex", then click "Upload".
9. The green light on the gimbal control board should go out for a few
seconds, and in the XLoader program it will eventually say "Upload
failed" - this is normal!
10. Now, try clicking "CONNECT" in the gimbal control software again,
and it should connect properly.

11. Click "Load" in the top right of the screen, and select "RPG-FC200.profile"
12. Click "Write" in the bottom right of the screen.
13. Rigidly secure the camera in a perfectly horizontal orientation
(might be easier without the camera installed), and click the "Calib
ACC" button once, then wait 5 seconds for the calibration to occur.
This is the "basic" calibration, but we find that this usually does
very well on its own... the 6 position calibration isn't worth the
effort in my opinion, since re-calibration needs to be performed
periodically due to sensor drift, and whenever temperatures change
significantly as well. If you'd like to do the advanced calibration,
I'm happy to explain the steps to you, or you can read the steps
explained in the gimbal control board user manual here:
http://www.basecamelectronics.com/files ... _4_eng.pdf

14. Click "Disconnect" in the top left, and reconnect the motor cables
in their appropriate positions/orientations.
15. Make sure that the camera is installed, and then try powering the
system up again.

This new profile is only for the newest gimbal with the smaller motors.

 

[bywalker]

The above is direct from Keri @ RotorPixel.

 

[hbmak]

I have an email in to Keri as well, but have not heard back from him. I need the file also, I cannot seem to get my gimbal reset.

 

[bywalker]

I did and am back up and running perfectly. Thanks!