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E90 Fix for Gimbal Vibration

Steve Carr

Missed Approach
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If you have a E90 camera that buzzes or vibrates this may fix the problem.

Download the attached file.
Unzip (uncompress) the file. The file name should be gimbal.yuneec
Copy the file to a formatted sd card that you normally use in the camera.
Install the card in the camera and watch the video below (the fix is the same for the C23 & E90)

NOTE: The file will be renamed gimbal.yuneec.updated after the install.

The testing and procedure was a team effort including @DCH and @WTFDproject. They spend many hours to provide this information. Thank you both.


 

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  • gimbal fix.zip
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So... a firmware update. I’m guessing the version details (date code, et al) will be forthcoming.

Just curious... is the “manually holding the camera level” a form of calibration workaround, due to the gimbal calibration no longer a user option?

Or is my memory too foggy as to what calibrations have been locked out of user accessibility?

Hope this turns out to be the end all, be all for the fix!

Jeff
 
It's not a firmware update. It's a single file to update the gimbal only. I'm guessing it changes the PID settings in the gimbal but I have no way of knowing that. It is not a calibration.

Holding the camera during boot is a precautionary measure which gives the camera IMU a horizontal reference during boot. It may work without doing so, but it's best to follow this procedure.
 
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I hope that all the colleagues, with a little luck, with this method can solve their problems.

Steve, with your permission, I'll add it to the procedure thread, it's been a while since I added anything and even less as useful as this can be, thank you very much ?
 
I hope that all the colleagues, with a little luck, with this method can solve their problems.

Steve, with your permission, I'll add it to the procedure thread, it's been a while since I added anything and even less as useful as this can be, thank you very much ?
Yes, of course. I hope it will work for those who have this problem.
 
Oh, (expletive deleted), I'd like to come here with something good to tell but you guess how it is. I have had good times with this bird and have done good results with it but lately things have been going rather sour. Decided to try this gimbal fix and here is the outcome; anyone else?

 
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but lately things have been going rather sour.
That code is not firmware related. It is one of the initialization failure codes, and in particular is the IMU failure code. It generally results from a physical break between the IMU (inside the camera ball) and the gimbal control board (in the rear arm). The likely culprit is the main camera ribbon (YUNE90119SVC). The part is not available in the US. I do not know it's availability in the EU.
If you could expand on the statement about "lately things have been going rather sour", we might be able to diagnose something a little less dismal than currently seems the case.
 
Since the ‘gimbal buzz fix’ is a version of gimbal firmware that helps in many cases, you should try returning to the standard firmware. https://webdownload-global.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/E90/gimbal.yuneec
Gimbal firmware involves changing PID values for the gimbal motors to balance their reactions in changing flight conditions. Changing firmware will not kill the IMU.
 
Before changing the firmware, reset the camera. This avoids things that might interfere. Then put the firmware in.
 
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If you could expand on the statement about "lately things have been going rather sour", we might be able to diagnose something a little less dismal than currently seems the case.

I did wrote about this odd behaviour earlier this year here in two consecutive posts. This time I went with good hopes to do some roof inspections again. When I was almost ready to bring H520 down from first flight to cahnge the battery the reality did strike again. E90 spinning wildly with speed which is beyond gimbals normal function. When I got it down camera had stopped spinning but was again in position where it doesnt turn in normal conditions; this time that awful trembling didnt occur. A few deep breaths after this calamity I decided to give it a try again nag boy oh boy did fly with four more batteries and took about 150 good photos with zero problemas.

At some point I had thoughts this problem might be inside the H520 but since there have been reports of other cameras spinning, wobbling and vibrating I'm starting to believe it's just a feature to live with. This fix was just one thing amongst other things and tricks we seem to be forcet to try to cope with our hardware. Unfortunately this E90 didn't like this fix at all as seen but no worries since almost everything can also be undone.
 
Reading the posts you mention, it seems like you saw the spinning on two different cameras, mounted on the same drone, and under similar circumstances. Is that correct?
Yes, that is correct. The first camera is the one which did sat on a pine branch and it does start spinning instantly when powered on, despite several resets and different firmwares tested. It can stay without spinning if kept in place when power is put on; however there is no control working with it and on first touch on gimbal controls it will go berzerk. But that E90 probably is somewhat broken, though it did work several flights and missions after it and the H520 were repaired after that crash.

This new E90 is the problem. If the H520 is not broken in any way, there's no way to explain its behaviour. It may work well on several missions an suddenly start spinning. Gimbal makes strange noise when powered on and camera looking forvard; tilting it downwards seems to ease it.
 
If the H520 is not broken in any way, there's no way to explain its behaviour.
Actually, yes there is a way to explain it. The signal from the IMU is carried to the gimbal board via the camera main ribbon, which is vulnerable to damage at the two flexible joints in the gimbals mechanical structure, and involves three connectors. There is some damage somewhere that is allowing contact sometimes, but loosing it other times. The intermittent characteristic will likely worsen into a complete failure.
The focus falls on the IMU because the camera is loudly announcing the presence of an IMU fault via the beep code in the video. The code only sounds if the IMU failure is already present during boot up. If the camera successfully initializes, then the weak connection is lost later, you get radical behavior, but not a beep code. The ribbon carries a lot of other signals as well as the IMU. It is likely other functions are intermittent also.
The C23/E90 cameras are extremely vulnerable to damage if they get bumped past the travel stops (either tilt axis or roll axis). They also are vulnerable to a rubbing damage from contact with a certain screw in the left side hub of the tilt axis.
 
Not directly related to your event, but this might be a good time to mention something.

Placing an H-plus or H520 in the storage case without the gimbal lock in place is almost a death sentence to these cameras.

The reason? These cameras are unusually heavy in relation to the frame strength. And they are off balance, with the center of balance above and slightly forward of the tilt axis. For example; If the unsecured camera is placed in the case, and the case is placed in a moving vehicle with the carry handle up, it doesn't seem to take much of a bump in the road to slam the camera against the lower travel stop. And the travel stops are not strong. If the camera goes past the travel stop, the stop is damaged, and the main camera ribbon suffers the brunt of the force at an elbow near the spiral.
The susceptibility to travel damage is not limited to the "handle up" position. Any time the camera is bouncing around, the ribbon damage can occur. (Even if the "bounce" is just a rough landing.) But I suspect travel damage when the camera is unsecured happens more often than is realized.
 
Not directly related to your event, but this might be a good time to mention something.

Placing an H-plus or H520 in the storage case without the gimbal lock in place is almost a death sentence to these cameras.
The old one might well be damaged like this or any other way, but if the new E90 suffers for these reasons damage has been most likely done before it got on my hands. I haven't done accelometer/gyro calibrations at all with it since it feels and sounds sickening when the gimbal is fighting through different positions. And this camera has never at least as far as i know been hanging on H520 outside flights. It is always travelling in its own slot on the case.
 
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Not directly related to your event, but this might be a good time to mention something.

Placing an H-plus or H520 in the storage case without the gimbal lock in place is almost a death sentence to these cameras.

The reason? These cameras are unusually heavy in relation to the frame strength. And they are off balance, with the center of balance above and slightly forward of the tilt axis. For example; If the unsecured camera is placed in the case, and the case is placed in a moving vehicle with the carry handle up, it doesn't seem to take much of a bump in the road to slam the camera against the lower travel stop. And the travel stops are not strong. If the camera goes past the travel stop, the stop is damaged, and the main camera ribbon suffers the brunt of the force at an elbow near the spiral.
The susceptibility to travel damage is not limited to the "handle up" position. Any time the camera is bouncing around, the ribbon damage can occur. (Even if the "bounce" is just a rough landing.) But I suspect travel damage when the camera is unsecured happens more often than is realized.

Very good point WTFD. I never thought of this I must remember to always put the camera steady back on when finished flying.
Cheers.
Mike
 
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