I need a gimbal servo cable
0Ok guys, I broke my servo cable again. I'm not sure if I saw a link on this site (old single thread forum) or another site, but someone posted a link with a servo cable that matched mine. It's a 4 pin servo cable. I called two local hobby shops and they said 2 or 3-pin servo cables are common, not 4-pin. They use these really tiny connectors. Know what these connectors are called (they are smaller than the balance plug connectors - JST-XH)? Maybe I can buy them at my local fry's if I knew the names of those connectors. I can buy another servo board which comes with a cable, but that will be $15 :(.
The cable looks like this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BGC-3-1-MOS-Large-Current-2-Axis-Brushless-Gimbal-Alexmos-Orignal-Controller-/261755879201?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cf1ddbf21
Also, I had another issue with my fpv. I have to move the camera to the right about 1/2 inch to the left to accomodate the GoPro Hero AV cable. That dramatically shifted the weight of the camera load. That and the tension from the AV wire (either or, or BOTH) causes the gimbal to shutter to the left. I wish I had video taped the stuttering so you guys can see what's going on. When I power up the gimbal, the gimbal will start to level the camera by rotating it clockwise until level. As it's doing that with the new set up, the camera keeps falling back down or stuttering as it tries to lift it up again.
Is there a gimbal setting in the naza menu I can set to fix/resolve this? I know these gimbals also have a settings menu, but I never got software for it and a youtube video shows a guy who tried setting his configuration and screwing up big time and he had to get another controller board to fix it.
Any help would be appreciated.
And I thought I was done with my fpv project - laugh. It was easy getting to this point but the minor issues I'm having is holding me back.
- 5 comments, 17 replies
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Whew I found a servo cable for $3.44! They're called sensor cables :).
If you have a BGC 3.1 gimbal here's the software to configure it:
http://www.basecamelectronics.com/files/v10/SimpleBGC_GUI_2_2b2.zip
Just sharing what I'm learning to make it easier on the next guy :).
Thanks. IMO we should make generic threads for stuff like this so it's all in one place - e.g. - the battery / charger thread, the gimbal thread, the camera thread.....
This is better than "one big thread" - but it still lacks a lot of the finesse of a standard forum
But then I suppose I should just "graduate" to a "real" RC forum as I'm sure there's a lot out there....
@Pufferfishy I've not seen mobile UI that is as clean / clear to use as this. Maybe it's something basic that would help organize things?
@snapster I'm old. While I own several tablets and "capable" phones I really don't do much "mobile". So if that's the case there's certainly nothing wrong with what you've set up. But I do think making "catch all" topics might be a good idea (or maybe not - who can tell, lol)
@Pufferfishy rcgroups.com
@Pufferfishy yep, agreed. there's an extra level of hierarchy that's not on display here yet as it wasn't needed in previous forum uses. Depending on interest and utility of this over time we can expand out and create these catch-all groupings.
@snapster "Maybe it's something basic that would help organize things?"
You're just inviting people to say 'pagination,' right?
@Pufferfishy There may be other forums out there… but the real question you should be asking is are there other forums out there that end in .horse?
I worked around the gimbal stuttering issue. If anyone is interested:
@garyhgaryh This will put your GoPro back closer to where it belongs. About $3 and much lighter than the robust cable you have plus quarters.
@garyhgaryh Another view, showing how much thinner it is than the one you're using:
@garyhgaryh Buck and a half from China, about $4 from US http://www.ebay.com/itm/171759368224
I wish I could find those little male mini-usb circuit boards. So far no luck.
@Pufferfishy @ruouttaurmind Remember guys, I have the old Hero HD which uses a 2.5mm jack. I did order the ones you guys mentioned for the AEE S71 which should be coming in a few days, but it won't work on the Hero HD.
@garyhgaryh Ya, that's right, I forgot about that. And watching the video on my phone I didn't notice the connector, or the part where you clearly spell out in your video "2.5mm AV cable". :-)
@Pufferfishy Well, there's some right there Puffy!
@ruouttaurmind When I make / test my cable I will have parts for 10 of them - I will send those of you that want one for "cost"
I am going for "light yet sturdy" so the jack end will be minimal (male plug with heat shrink) and the servo-side will be individual "pinned" connections (I plan to remove the pins from my x-mitter and hard wire mine)
It amazes me how cheaply you can get this stuff shipped to your door from China....
@Pufferfishy I believe it's because China subsidizes shipping. I read an article (WSJ maybe?) stating that many small goods could be shipped to the USA at very little or no cost to the seller.
@Pufferfishy yes shipping is cheap with epacket, whatever that means. I got my servo sensor cable for less than $3.50! And I bought a hero 3 us AV cable for less than $2 (.99 + .99 shipping) for the S71.
@Pufferfishy that would be great puffy (cable at cost). We can drum up business for you as a satisfied customer. :)
Hey guys, I got the pitch control wire hooked up. I hooked up the signal and ground. Removed the red power wire (don't need it). In the settings menu I had to change my max=610, center=0, min=0. I couldn't get it to point all the way down - the gimbal will just oscillate.
About my camera, i flipped it upside down to the plug will be on the outside. I had issues with the heavy wire so I tied as much of it onto the legs and keeped it in line with the camera. Seems to work. I'm about to go outside to test, for the first time, my fpv and pitch mod.
Oh I ran my 1000mah battery down to 6 volts. That's pretty bad! :( It's a brand new battery too.. how much damaged did I do? I heard you can't go below 10 volts else you'll do some permanent damage to the cells.
Running times:
~11-12 mins - Phantom with just a GoPro
~8 mins - Gimbal and GoPro
~6 mins - Vtx, Gimbal, and GoPro
I pretty much cut my runtime in half. It's half as fun I guess. If I put the new 9443 propellers, I'm sure I can get back 2 minutes. If I remove my prop guards, that'll also increase the time, but the prop guards have saved me a few times.