CGO3 Camera tilting when using pistol grip

The SpaceSloth · May 10, 2018

Hello, everyone.

I work for a realty company, producing property tour videos and have been flying the Q500 4K for a little over a year now. But about six months ago, I started experiencing issues with the CGO3 camera while using the pistol grip.

When filming, specifically wide panning shots, the camera begins to roll, causing everything to go from beautiful landscape shots, to looking like they've been filmed on rough seas. It appears that during boot up, the camera fixes it's original point as level, but if you pan left or right, it begins to roll in that respective direction, like a dog rolling over.

Even crazier, at one point I affixed the pistol grip on a solid surface and shot about 5 minutes of nonstop footage to later turn into a timelapse scene. After speeding up the footage, it became apparent that every 10 seconds or so, the camera begins to roll on its own! Keep in mind that the entire unit, grip, gimbal, camera and all were sitting motionless for 5+ minutes.

When I first experienced this issue, I had been flying on a large mountain and had chalked the wonkiness up to elevation, iron deposits throwing off the camera or just general hardware issues. We all know the Q500 has them. But it has persisted.

Now, I will admit that I have not regularly updated the firmware on the CGO3 as I should have. Could this be a fix? I have also read on this site where someone mentioned a knob on the back of the camera as a possible fix, but I have been unsuccessful in finding it.

Any insight into what's going on? This does not affect my in-flight footage as it doesn't use the horizontal axis. I'd like to find a solution as I really enjoy this model of camera and the bright, wide footage it provides.

The SpaceSloth · May 10, 2018

Here is the time-lapse video I mentioned:

Jagerbomb52 · May 10, 2018

CGO3 cameras don't have a knob to adjust, only the CGO2+ and it is a balance point only. You should be up to CGO3GB v2.4 STD on camera firmware depending on how old your unit is. The only calibration that can be done has to be done by Yuneec or one of their satellite places. It takes special equipment so they say.

Steve Carr · May 11, 2018

As Agustine mentions, you should update the firmware to the latest version.
What batteries are you using in the SteadyGrip? Many people get better results with a Lipo conversion on the grip.

You could also try to reset the camera. There are two small buttons that must be pushed at the same time. They are hard to reach when the camera is on so use a mirror under the camera to see them. Break the tips off two toothpicks and tape them together with the same spread distance as the buttons. The hold the camera steady and push the buttons. Continue to hold the camera level until the gimbal takes over. If none of these work then Yuneec is the last step for repair.

Jagerbomb52 · May 11, 2018

Good point about the two reset buttons Steve, I forgot they were even there since they never did anything for me other then add more frustration to the problem.
Having a good set of batteries is a good point as Steve mentioned but you also said you noticed the camera roll when connected to the quad so I don't think that will solve your problem. There are parts inside that could be worn out or just need calibration which again only Yuneec can do. There is whats called a Triple-Axis Accelerometer that might be bad or just in error. Personally I would either upgrade to a newer platform or look for a refurb. This could end up being cheaper. CGO3 cameras on ebay are still darn expensive for just the camera.

Steve Carr · May 11, 2018

Agustine said:
Good point about the two reset buttons Steve, I forgot they were even there since they never did anything for me other then add more frustration to the problem.
Having a good set of batteries is a good point as Steve mentioned but you also said you noticed the camera roll when connected to the quad so I don't think that will solve your problem. There are parts inside that could be worn out or just need calibration which again only Yuneec can do. There is whats called a Triple-Axis Accelerometer that might be bad or just in error. Personally I would either upgrade to a newer platform or look for a refurb. This could end up being cheaper. CGO3 cameras on ebay are still darn expensive for just the camera.

Perhaps I misunderstood. I read it to mean that the camera works properly on the Q and only has the tilting issue on the SteadyGrip.

Jagerbomb52 · May 11, 2018

Steve Carr said:
Perhaps I misunderstood. I read it to mean that the camera works properly on the Q and only has the tilting issue on the SteadyGrip.

You might be right but he did post this:
"When I first experienced this issue, I had been flying on a large mountain and had chalked the wonkiness up to elevation, iron deposits throwing off the camera or just general hardware issues. We all know the Q500 has them. But it has persisted."

The SpaceSloth · May 11, 2018

Thank you all for the great advice! I did post about "flying on a large mountain," but with each property I film I'll use both the Q500 and the pistol grip. I should have been more specific. But to confirm, I haven't had any issues with the CGO3 camera while it's attached to the UAV. Only when I use the pistol grip.

Again, I appreciate everyone's advice. Next week, since we're due for some bad weather in my area, I'm going to take a few hours to update the firmware, try the reset function and see what a difference that makes.

The SpaceSloth · May 11, 2018

Steve Carr said:
As Agustine mentions, you should update the firmware to the latest version.
What batteries are you using in the SteadyGrip? Many people get better results with a Lipo conversion on the grip.

You could also try to reset the camera. There are two small buttons that must be pushed at the same time. They are hard to reach when the camera is on so use a mirror under the camera to see them. Break the tips off two toothpicks and tape them together with the same spread distance as the buttons. The hold the camera steady and push the buttons. Continue to hold the camera level until the gimbal takes over. If none of these work then Yuneec is the last step for repair.

View attachment 9609

Thank you for your advice! I do have some questions regarding the reset buttons:

-Is there a specific time during startup that I need to depress these two buttons?

-Do I perform this action while the unit is off?

-Will I have to rebind everything?

-What can I expect in order to get back to filming?

In the meantime, I'll take a look through some youtube tutorials to see if it clarifies anything, but again, thank you for your help to resolve this issue!