Good news for all you gel-filled headache sufferers, there is now relief and it's spelled F-O-A-M!
That's right, @Steve Carr recently posted a video of him installing CGO3+ dampers on his C23 gimbal and stuffing foam in them. This raised some good points from @PatR about camera weight and damper design, as well as some good ideas in my head. Both the C23 & E90 use this damper, in this report I will only reference the C23.
So with input and advice from Steve and @Ty Pilot, we took Steve's idea a step further to the next level. I drained the gel out of one of my C23 dampers - designed for the extra weight- and filled it with foam like Steve did. Prior to mounting I performed many comparison tests between a gel filled, a foam filled, and an air filled (emptied) C23 damper, all compared to an air filed CGO3+ damper. Despite the similar appearance, the C23 damper is quite different in design than the CGO3+ and exhibits different characteristics. (Full test details on request)
I discovered some interesting properties when using foam as opposed to gel or air in the C23 dampers. The foam adds a definite dampening effect on rebound after compression, gel and air spring right back like a Pogo Stick. When extending to the limit, the gel and air offer light linear resistance up to the limit. The foam is progressive, offering light resistance at first and gradually increasing as you reach the limit. The rubber damper by itself acts like a spring, adding foam is like putting a shock absorber in it and makes it more like a suspension system. Also, without the gel inside, the C23 damper never collapses and looks stretched, this is a function of the internal vacuum formed in the gel filled by stretching them. The resistance offered by the foam eliminates collapse, and helps to hold the shape and prevent over stretching.
The foam filled comparison results were so impressive I converted a set and mounted them up for some test flights. I flew two batteries down and performed countless tests with the sole intend of making the worst video ever recorded. I tried my best to do anything that would make the gimbal shake, shudder, vibrate, swing, and sway violently. It wasn't a pretty sight (I'm glad I didn't have an audience!)
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None of the videos showed any abnormalities or anomalies The proof is in the pudding, literally. There is no jello, jitters, shakes, shudders, or vibrations in any of the countless videos I shot, they are all as smooth as pudding. But don't take my word for it, see for yourself. I have uploaded two very short but telling clips of two such tests with the landing gear in the frame for reference -otherwise you would not know anything abnormal was going on.
This one is showing me slapping the sticks (Max rate slider) to produce violent and sudden movements of the camera: Loose Thumb Stick Slapin
This one is showing a rapid descent from about 100', because some have reported the camera swaying under this condition. The video remains smooth despite the Plus experiencing some Vortex Ring State during the drop: Gear Down Rapid descent
Okay now that I have your attention and you're ready to try it, here is how you want to go about it and what to watch out for, because the gel is NOT some benign silicon substance, it is aggressively sticky and spreads like the plague. You need to be prepared to manage it.
C23/E90 Dampener Upgrade Mod
That's right, @Steve Carr recently posted a video of him installing CGO3+ dampers on his C23 gimbal and stuffing foam in them. This raised some good points from @PatR about camera weight and damper design, as well as some good ideas in my head. Both the C23 & E90 use this damper, in this report I will only reference the C23.
So with input and advice from Steve and @Ty Pilot, we took Steve's idea a step further to the next level. I drained the gel out of one of my C23 dampers - designed for the extra weight- and filled it with foam like Steve did. Prior to mounting I performed many comparison tests between a gel filled, a foam filled, and an air filled (emptied) C23 damper, all compared to an air filed CGO3+ damper. Despite the similar appearance, the C23 damper is quite different in design than the CGO3+ and exhibits different characteristics. (Full test details on request)
I discovered some interesting properties when using foam as opposed to gel or air in the C23 dampers. The foam adds a definite dampening effect on rebound after compression, gel and air spring right back like a Pogo Stick. When extending to the limit, the gel and air offer light linear resistance up to the limit. The foam is progressive, offering light resistance at first and gradually increasing as you reach the limit. The rubber damper by itself acts like a spring, adding foam is like putting a shock absorber in it and makes it more like a suspension system. Also, without the gel inside, the C23 damper never collapses and looks stretched, this is a function of the internal vacuum formed in the gel filled by stretching them. The resistance offered by the foam eliminates collapse, and helps to hold the shape and prevent over stretching.
The foam filled comparison results were so impressive I converted a set and mounted them up for some test flights. I flew two batteries down and performed countless tests with the sole intend of making the worst video ever recorded. I tried my best to do anything that would make the gimbal shake, shudder, vibrate, swing, and sway violently. It wasn't a pretty sight (I'm glad I didn't have an audience!)
.None of the videos showed any abnormalities or anomalies The proof is in the pudding, literally. There is no jello, jitters, shakes, shudders, or vibrations in any of the countless videos I shot, they are all as smooth as pudding. But don't take my word for it, see for yourself. I have uploaded two very short but telling clips of two such tests with the landing gear in the frame for reference -otherwise you would not know anything abnormal was going on.
This one is showing me slapping the sticks (Max rate slider) to produce violent and sudden movements of the camera: Loose Thumb Stick Slapin
This one is showing a rapid descent from about 100', because some have reported the camera swaying under this condition. The video remains smooth despite the Plus experiencing some Vortex Ring State during the drop: Gear Down Rapid descent
Okay now that I have your attention and you're ready to try it, here is how you want to go about it and what to watch out for, because the gel is NOT some benign silicon substance, it is aggressively sticky and spreads like the plague. You need to be prepared to manage it.
C23/E90 Dampener Upgrade Mod
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