Waiting on the postman

[jagnew]

Hi Folks,

I'm new here so thought I would say hello and ask a question or 2

I've been reading like mad since I put my order in for a new Phantom 2 with H3-3D Gimbal. I already have a go-pro3 so thought it would be best to buy at the same time and I expect(hope) it will be installed when it arrives. If not, I've read enough to be confident of fitting it myself.

1. With the Gimbal fitted, can I fly without the Gopro attached? I would want to do some practice flights without my camera being at risk but saying that....
2. perhaps I should remove the Gimbal also just in case?

I've had a bit of experience with normal helis(not much) and also have an AR Drone, saying that I want to be very careful/safe when flying my expensive Phantom(I dare not tell the wife what it cost) and as such, I have been reading/watching lots of setup/pre flight videos the last 48hours. I expect I will also add some sort of FPV system in the next few months, not for flying out of sight really but just so that I can see what I'm recording.

Thanks for any advice in advance, I expect there will be lots more questions when I have some hands on.

John

 

[chapsrlz]

never turn on the phantom if theres no camera attached to the gimbal.

if you want to practice,remove the gimbal, but youll have to adjust the gains.

 

[RDCF550]

Remove the Gimbal if you're not going to attach the GoPro to it. The Gimbal can not balance itself if that added weight of the camera isn't on there and it can damage it, that would be a $400 mistake.

If you plant to fly some with the Gimbal removed, then after putting the Gimbal and GP on it, expect to fly a completely different machine, as it's not going to act the same at all.

Also, some caution about the Gimbal. That plastic bracket that holds the GP on there is pure garbage IMHO. I wouldn't even use it and just put a rubber band of two on there or some velcro strap instead. Both mine and a friends broke at almost the same time, and neither of us were rough on the install, as making those bolts too tight will break it for sure. It's just a bad design and may eventually crack or break, and there are more than a few people that have had it happen.

 

[jagnew]

Thanks for the info guys and I'll watch out for that bracket.

Could I just disconnect the cable to the Gimbal if I wasn't using it? Would seem a lot of work to strip it out for a short time. I would of course make sure the Gimbal was made secure before flying.

I see you can fit some protectors to the landing legs to protect the camera and gimbal. Are these a worthwhile addition?

 

[RDCF550]

You could just disconnect it, but then you 'll have that lopsided weight up there even if it's secured, and again adding the camera weight will change how it flies some. It's easy enough to just remove completely versus only disconnecting it.

You'll also want to ditch those anti-drop pins, as they can interfere with the Gimbal moving on it's Yaw axis, and if you need to take them off they pretty much get ruined right there anyway. Use some small Zip-ties or the like instead there. They're cheaper, can just be cut off and replaced if you need to remove the Gimbal, they don't interfere with it's movement if installed correctly and are every bit as secure.

If you land it properly, even and on a flat surface, the stock gear is fine, though the gear with a little wider stance is a bit more stable as well as getting out of the cameras view. If it's falling out of the sky from any decent height, there's not much that's going to protect it besides what it's going to fall onto.

 

[jagnew]

Well the postman arrived but I was left dissapointed :-(

I was expecting the new model with the updated controller but find I have the old type with lever on the back instead of the thumb wheel for adjusting the camera angle and only one LED at the on/off switch instead of the multi LED's

I now wait on a reply from the shop and hope they have the newer version.

 

[malibusteve70]

How much did you pay? I know the new 2.0 is in the $940 range

 

[jagnew]

I'm in the UK M8, and it was advertised as the Phantom 2 with the H3-3D Gimbal so I was expecting the latest model. There was no mention of it being old stock so I didn't give a thought to not receiving the latest model with the revised controller.

 

[RobertMfromLI]

The Gimbal can not balance itself if that added weight of the camera isn't on there and it can damage it, that would be a $400 mistake.

You'll overheat the motors and likely burn them out pretty quickly. Or get the GoPro platform part stuck and fry the motors even quicker.

Remove the Gimbal if you're not going to attach the GoPro to it.

But that part (removal) is actually not necessary. Mount the gimbal, wire it up, but only fly with the gimbal POWERED if there's a GoPro attached. Unplug the gimbal (VERY carefully) via the cable that goes into the back of it if you are flying without the GoPro. There is no switch or separate power lead, so, it's that grey ribbon cable that you need to plug and unplug.

 

[jagnew]

The Gimbal can not balance itself if that added weight of the camera isn't on there and it can damage it, that would be a $400 mistake.

You'll overheat the motors and likely burn them out pretty quickly. Or get the GoPro platform part stuck and fry the motors even quicker.

Remove the Gimbal if you're not going to attach the GoPro to it.

But that part (removal) is actually not necessary. Mount the gimbal, wire it up, but only fly with the gimbal POWERED if there's a GoPro attached. Unplug the gimbal (VERY carefully) via the cable that goes into the back of it if you are flying without the GoPro. There is no switch or separate power lead, so, it's that grey ribbon cable that you need to plug and unplug.

Thanks for the info M8 but I was checking out some setup videos etc yesterday and I notice in the software there is an option to de-activate the gimbal? please correct me if I'm wrong as I can't access the NazaM mode untill I connect a Phantom to my pc and I don't see the option in the Phantom mode.

 

[jagnew]

I've been thinking about the controller and if there are no other changes to the Phantom in the new version, I could just settle for the controller as it is as I was seriously looking to change over to a Futaba system sooner rather than later. I'll wait on the shop getting back to me and see if they have the newer version ready to ship. If not I may just keep hold of it.

Gimbal is not fitted so I think I may try the Phantom before fitting it anyway. I know you guys are saying loaded up will feel a lot different but just for the 1st couple of flights I would feel better knowing if the worst happens I won't lose a gopro and a £250 Gimbal ;-)

 

[jagnew]

Ah, my mistake. I now see on the shops website there is another option to buy the Phantom 2 with new style controller and motors. Cost is only £40 more but I assume this is worth it to get the new motors?

 

[RobertMfromLI]

Ah, my mistake. I now see on the shops website there is another option to buy the Phantom 2 with new style controller and motors. Cost is only £40 more but I assume this is worth it to get the new motors?

The new motors and new props (9450's) combined, increase carrying capacity. They are supposedly more efficient as well at "original" speeds. The gimbal lever on the old remote sucks. I haven't tried the new one, but it looks like a much better design.

 

[JayRob]

I was very nervous first flight too. When I ordered mine, I actually bought two. I got one phantom 2 without the gimble FPV and all to use as a trainer for myself and my son. The second one was the Phantom 2 vision+ with all the bells and whistles. I figured the base model can always be upgraded with camera and all and will be my sons after he gets good at flying. So far we have had zero crashes or tip-overs (knock on wood) and are totally addicted to this new hobby. You will find all the info you need on here and some super guys to chat with and help you become the best pilot you can be. Welcome to the club.

 

[jagnew]

Thanks JayRob, I've dabbled in copters, planes etc before so i know how much fun they can be. really looking forward to 1st flight hopefully at the weekend.

I decided not to return the Phantom 2 to exchange for the newer version. By the time I piad the £40ish extra and then the return postage, my plan to switch to the Futaba system soon(watching stuff on ebay now so could be very soon), I thought it might be best just to hold on to this one. Hope to get out at the weekend for a fly and will pop to local model shop and pick up a 2nd battery.

 

[jagnew]

I managed my 1st flight today...wow, this is really easy to fly(with GPS) ;-) I stopped of at the local playing field this morning on the way to the shops for my sunday paper and although there was a bit of a strong breeze it flew well and held it's position. I flew around only for about 10 mins and just tried course lock, home lock, GPS and atti just to check everything was fuctioning as it should. I didn't fly it very high this 1st time(30ft'ish) and didn't try the failsafe...I wasn't ready to see it shoot 20m into the sky...lol but it does kick in if I switch it on or switch off the TX while it sits on the ground.

So with the 1st flight over and feeling good, I came home and installed my new Futaba T10J, it was a very easy install after watching many videos and I had already pre programmed the TX the night before. I've just ran the assistant software all functions/switches are working as expected I'll try another flight with the Futaba system and if all checks out I'll fit my Gimbal and gopro for next weekend.

 

[d4ddyo]

I have V2... The higher pitch props and upgraded motors are very nice. That alone is worth the extra bucks.

I never really liked the old gimbal control but the new gimbal control sucks. it's more smooth but the old gimbal control is more precise. at least you can control at what incremental angle you want. this you can too but its hit or miss. smoother in a way because it's basically just up and down... rate is set in software. spring to middle stops. I think they should stick to an analog control of some sort.

The lipo on the controller is nice too.

My gimbal came defective and is being replaced but i think overall the upgrade is worth it.

 

[BigPig]

Mine arrives tomorrow and I'm wondering if since I bought it with the gimbal but it won't come installed, will I need to adjust the gains or is it set up originally to fly without the gimbal and after it is installed do I then adjust the gains?

 

[SteveMann]

never turn on the phantom if theres no camera attached to the gimbal.

if you want to practice,remove the gimbal, but youll have to adjust the gains.

Why?
I received my P2NV without the camera, so I simply removed the gimbal and practised flying while waiting for the Hero 4. When the Hero 4 arrived, I reinstalled the gimbal and camera and took my first FPV flight. I did notice the Phantom was heavier, but it performed quite well. What gains should I have adjusted? Are there any guidelines somewhere on tuning the gains?

 

[BigPig]

^^This^^