will the gimbal work without the camera installed?
- Thread starter cobieg
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The question is broad and subject to misinterpretation. Can you give us more detail of what you want to do?
Just wanting to use the gimbal for a fpv camera and vtx due to the lack of distance that this wifi puts out. I have owned this for 5 years now and have never been able to go more than 200 feet away before loosing video signal. Needless to say, it has not been very fun so it never gets used.
Changing the camera is not impossible, but it may be tricky. I can think of a couple challenges to consider ;
1.) Total mass. The gimbal system is calibrated to provide motor compensation for specific total mass. You will have to either recalibrate (uses software not available to the public), or you would have to come EXTREMLY close to the original total mass. If your intended rig has less mass than the original camera ball, adding weight might be possible. If your new rig is heavier, that's going to be a problem. If the mass isn't right, the gimbal will vibrate like crazy.
2.) Mass distribution. Similar problem. You have to match the original distribution or recalibrate. It has to match front/back, left/right of course, but it also has to match top/bottom, which is more difficult to measure accurately. Altogether, this would be getting the "balance" right, but is more than just an eyeball of "level".
3.) IMU Unit. An absolutely critical component for stabilization. Although it is a "gimbal" component, it is located in the camera ball. It will have to be transferred to the new unit, and it will have to be leveled to perfection for the system to maintain level.
4.) Frame alignment. This one is often overlooked. The flat mounting surfaces have to face each other perfectly in all dimensions. If your new rig requires a new internal camera frame arrangement that is of differing characteristics, you will have to spend some quality time adjusting the arms to avoid problems with the tilt that are caused by arm misalignment.
5.) Voltage. Your current system supplies 5v for camera operation. Not sure how much power, but I think it's about 2 watts. And certainly less than one amp total to the camera and gimbal combination. The new rig will need to operate within the existing power limitations, or some other power scheme will be required.
These are things I can think of right now. I've never tried it, and would assume more challenges will emerge. But It does sound like an interesting project.
That is way less than typical. Something is wrong. Have you posted a thread to look help look at the issue?
One quick thought is the firmware. I see a LOT of "US" cameras showing up with "EU" firmware. Not sure the history, but it is not rare. Have you checked your firmware version to ensure it ends with an "(A)" instead of an "(E)"?
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Even with EU-firmware (E) I have WiFi connection safe to 250m (800ft) and more depending on environment and antenna direction.
There must be something more wrong with the WiFi.
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There must be something more wrong with the WiFi.
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I bought this for real estate photography. The need to travel any distance didn't matter then. I got my part 107early on but when the FAA's "put in for a waiver 90 days in advance" thing, I had enough and shut down the company. I have an interest in cinematic soaring/flying videos. I have removed the camera from the gimbal of a spare camera, that IMU board is probably why it will not operate. I have made a solid mount for a camera and vtx using the top mounting plate to pick up power. I soldered a diode inline to protect the aircraft. I will be using my Fatshark goggles to fly. I can put an aftermarket gimbal on maybe with a sharkbite system. I never could see the screen on the transmitter or ipad anyway.
I contacted Yuneec right after I got it. Sent the camera to them and bought another one while waiting for it. The turnaround was quick and both arrived a day apart ( they said a ribbon cable was the cause ) but, it still would not go very far. The same with the new camera so, I shelved it when I closed down my company until now.
I was playing with the transmitter a couple of days ago. There are + and_ on the bottom of the touch screen. I touched the + and What I think is the wifi signal box apeared. Signal was down to about 20%. What is this! Is this to boost the wifi signal strength, like adjusting mW on a vtx? If so, I will be trying both goggle fpv, and orignal camera with this wifi cranked up to 100% tomorrow.
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The + and - on the lower left of the screen is the speaker volume adjustment.
If both cameras are exhibiting this behavior I will venture that there is an issue with the WiFi module in the ST16. You should be getting much more distance for video feed. If you are using the omnidirectional mushroom antenna it needs to be positioned so it looks like it is growing out of the ground when holding the ST16 in use. Off you are using the square patch antenna the flat surface needs to be pointed at the aircraft at all times.
If both cameras are exhibiting this behavior I will venture that there is an issue with the WiFi module in the ST16. You should be getting much more distance for video feed. If you are using the omnidirectional mushroom antenna it needs to be positioned so it looks like it is growing out of the ground when holding the ST16 in use. Off you are using the square patch antenna the flat surface needs to be pointed at the aircraft at all times.
Pretty much all the discussion is the same.
You mentioned Fatshark goggles. Have you tried those in the past? If the short video range is an ST10 problem, the problem would be bypassed by the googles. I am not familiar with the googles, but it would be interesting to know if the video range suddenly becomes more usable.
My mistake for not seeing which model for aircraft. Still would be a WiFi issue with the ST10.
Ok, I flew it with the stock camera and fpv with goggles. cg03 went 50 paces or around 150' before the screen locked up. The fpv with goggles, I went 3 times as far without losing signal before I turned around. 150', I have been so disappointed with this form day 1. Is there anyway to increase the yaw rate? Fpv flying with goggles is very fun but it could use some more yaw rate. I will keep the cgo3 to take pictures around the house and such as it works fine close in.
You said you got "3 times as far" with the googles, but also reported the same distance (150') as with the ST10. Did you mean 150 paces with the goggles?
You also said "without losing signal before I turned around." Does that mean you were you still getting good video on the goggles at that distance? If so, it would still be good to know how far the goggles will take you before video problems begin.
I went out about 450' with goggles. Also I should have mentioned that today was the first time flying with goggles on so it is going to be a learning curve. Also I am modifying the mount to have dampeners to smooth out the jello effect. I will be flying again tomorrow, I wish I could get a little faster yaw rate.
The ST10 does not have adjustment for Yaw Rate that I know of. The ST10 channel output gain is set at the factory, and without someone knowing how to hack the firmware, I would not know how to increase it.
However, the Q500 will bind to and fly just fine with an ST16. The CG03 camera does not do well on the ST16 screen, but it you are flying with goggles, maybe that won't matter so much.
So I went out back and did a couple of flights to compare yaw rates. Same Q500, different controllers. Both controllers in full "rabbit".
1.) ST10 - Factory gain unknown - Yaw rate was one full turn in about 5 Seconds.
2.) ST16 - Default gain~80%. Yaw rate was one full turn in about 6 seconds.
3.) ST16 - Gain increased to 150%. Yaw rate was one full turn in about 4 seconds.
These were quick flights, without precision time measurement or doing any real tuning of the controller. The results do suggest you can get at least a little faster Yaw rate by going to an ST16. And the values might be something you want to compare with your ST10 to see if it matches the Yaw rate noted above from my ST10.
I just got back from flying and with the camera now dampened the jello effect is pretty much gone and I flew it straight out to around 1000' with very good reception in the goggles. Very fun way to learn fpv without crashing all the time. I may buy a camera setup for my small drone soon.
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