Gimbal's worn (softer) vs. new (stiffer) rubber dampers comparison

[JulesTEO]

A while ago I noticed one of my CGO3+ camera/gimbal's rubber dampers had become a bit softer than they used to be.

I've removed/reinstalled the same dampers over and over several times. And now it's easy to notice how softer they are, specially when comparing them to a newer set on another CGO3+ camera I have.

On the camera with softer dampers I have noticed some vibration on the recorded video, while on the camera with stiffer ones I've rarely noticed any. I suspect the culprit is the worn, softer dampers.

I designed a very simple shake test (which most likely lacks any scientific value but turned out to be very interesting) to compare both cameras' response to vibration. I have to mention I tried my best to make it look nice, but it was something I improvised last night.

Anyone concerned on the integrity of the gimbals/cameras you can rest assured this shaking is nothing compared to the forces they are subject to upon landing; specially on rough bouncy landings. (This might make you consider performing less aggressive, softer landings!)

I removed the damper cover on both units to have a better view. I hope you find it as interesting as I did!

I'm not sure if it just me, but I definitely notice larger movement on the softer dampers (right side), they seem to compress and extend more.

What do you think?
Have you considered dampers to cause vibrations/jello-effect on your videos?

Greetings!

 

[rdonson]

Jules,

Looking at the video the dampers on the right do look a bit squishier (not exactly scientific ).

Do you think the damper material ages over time or is it more likely that use causes some degradation?

I haven’t noticed jello effect although to be fair my dampers were replaced in the summer due to pilot error.

Regards,
Ron

 

[Murray Martz]

A while ago I noticed one of my CGO3+ camera/gimbal's rubber dampers had become a bit softer than they used to be.

I've removed/reinstalled the same dampers over and over several times. And now it's easy to notice how softer they are, specially when comparing them to a newer set on another CGO3+ camera I have.

On the camera with softer dampers I have noticed some vibration on the recorded video, while on the camera with stiffer ones I've rarely noticed any. I suspect the culprit is the worn, softer dampers.

I designed a very simple shake test (which most likely lacks any scientific value but turned out to be very interesting) to compare both cameras' response to vibration. I have to mention I tried my best to make it look nice, but it was something I improvised last night.

Anyone concerned on the integrity of the gimbals/cameras you can rest assured this shaking is nothing compared to the forces they are subject to upon landing; specially on rough bouncy landings. (This might make you consider performing less aggressive, softer landings!)

I removed the damper cover on both units to have a better view. I hope you find it as interesting as I did!

I'm not sure if it just me, but I definitely notice larger movement on the softer dampers (right side), they seem to compress and extend more.

What do you think?
Have you considered dampers to cause vibrations/jello-effect on your videos?

Greetings!

Absolutely they would break down over time. What happens is that they stretch and therefore become longer with time which could, but not for sure, cause problems with the video. Replacing them should be done on a regular basis as they are fairly cheap to buy. Replacing them every 6 months for an average user would make sense and more often for someone that flys as a business. Costing these and other parts into your quote only makes sense. They are like shop supplies and should be priced into a job always.

 

[CraigCam]

It’s why I always take my camera off the drone. I don’t let it hang unless in flight. The Q500 gimbal cover squishes the rubbers in storage on purpose as those are really loose due to the different flight behavior of the 500.
I believe the 480 needs stiff rubber dampeners like they first had but they seem to be getting harder to find.