actually I find that having a FAQ part in the beginning of the thread and keeping the front pages current reduces the questions being asked time and time again through the thread.... hence it helps the OP's who have better things to do (like build stuff for us) than answer the same things over... and over.. and over....

besides it was "just a suggestion" and no idea what you are talking about with manual... I fly in atti and could care less what anyone else flies

Steve

Yes, I do think it might be time for a new thread. I'll do this tomorrow.

-- Gary

TY Gary! I agree, if you just found this thread today the gimbal you see initially is MILES from where we are today.

also, I may do a product thread in my blog to keep more basic information

Having a lesson learned area would be cool.

Originally Posted by jbdww

Having a lesson learned area would be cool.

Add: Don't land your Lobster in a tree while testing to that list

Askman - I'm curious why you went with a belt drive vs gear drive? I have been looking at gimbals and I notice they are split on drive type, some belt and some gear. Is there an advantage to one or the other?

biggest advantage of belt drive is lack of back lash, thus they are smoother. smoothness is paramount on gimbal. you can get there with gear, but it is much harder to achieve. why many uses dual servo or dual gear system. there are other minor advantages as well, but backlash is the most important.

Makes sense, thanks.

One more question. Does the external pot on tilt give any improvement in performance or just allow the use of a continuous rotation servo so you can look straight down?

external pot only gives you expanded range of motion when it is geared down. . it is not continous rotation servo. rather it is modified servo so that positional feedback pot has been moved from internal to external.

I'll get to the new thread a bit later. For now, I've done a couple more test flights on the Shrimp, mainly with the Hero3 Black. Like the Lobster, the Shrimp seems to handle the winds really well. It is probably the most stable platform I've flown, save the Lobster.

In testing this setup, it surprised me that I was getting a small amount of jello, in the H3B video. The platform is so stable that the video from the Hero2, which is hard-mounted to the frame, has no jello. You can even read the fine print on the back of the H3B in the inset video. In any case, I believe there are two reasons for this. First of all, the H2 is set to the 720/60p mode, which I think makes it inherently less prone to jello. The second reason seems to be that for whatever reason the 2.7k/30p mode is just more sensitive to jello. The RX100 is a lot more sensitive, when the SteadyShot is enabled, and in the "Active" mode.

So, what I decided to do is use the secondary EAR isolation, not just for the RX100, but also for the H3B. Andrey is making up some upgrade kits today, and I will be sending these out to the few of you who already purchased an AG500. Attached are a couple of pics.

Below is a flight I did yesterday, late in the day. The sun had already passed over the hills, but there was still a fair bit of light. The first video is without any stabilization. I did use MBL to reduce the fisheye effect, and to punch up the color a bit., but there is no stabilization at all. There's no bouncing going on, which is good, but there is a slight bit of movement because I don't have the HFG board's accelerations set perfect. Speaking of the HFG board, this flight has the latest v1.8r0 firmware installed, and I don't see any horizon or yaw-coupling issues.

AG500 H3 2 Axis Gimbal Test 07r (3 min 38 sec)

With the ability to use a good stabilization plug-in, like Mercalli, due to the "extra" resolution (2704x1524 vs. 1920x1080...), I don't really worry about getting the accelerations just perfect. Still, the better the input, the easier it is for Mercalli to do its "magic". I've been playing with the myriad of settings within Mercalli, and I'm just scratching the surface, but the version below is close. It has a very smooth "floaty" feeling to it. :-)

AG500 H3 2 Axis Gimbal Test 07s (3 min 38 sec)

I did another flight this morning, with better lighting, and with a bit more fast forward flight. I'll post this up later, after I get it edited and uploaded.

-- Gary

That's great to hear about the new HF 1.8 firmware. The yaw/tilt issue still drives me a little nuts. After you do some more flights, please let us know if it is still working out and I'll go and update mine!

I got the tripod screw standoff for my 18-55 lens cradle kit today, thanks Gary. Tried to install so I could test it tomorrow, and it appears that the new plate is too wide? The tube on the back of my yoke is too short for these holes to work. Also, the lens cradle kit came with the longer metal standoffs that need a screw for each side, where the original came with nylon and a screw all the way through. One step forward, 3 steps back

Bill Davenport
AMA 28141

Originally Posted by badbill

I got the tripod screw standoff for my 18-55 lens cradle kit today, thanks Gary. Tried to install so I could test it tomorrow, and it appears that the new plate is too wide? The tube on the back of my yoke is too short for these holes to work. Also, the lens cradle kit came with the longer metal standoffs that need a screw for each side, where the original came with nylon and a screw all the way through. One step forward, 3 steps back

Bill Davenport
AMA 28141

I noticed the same thing about the tube length when trying to mount the new tray. But I was able to get it to fit by having the two end tube clamps overhang the end of the tube by 2mm on each side or so. I might order a slightly longer tube from Andrey one day, but this works for now. Mine came with the screws to screw into the aluminum standoff, so I just screwed it on from both sides, no nut needed. The other issue I had was the 2 curved lens cradles were cut too tall, so if the camera was mounted on the tray, the lens cradle was about 1/4" too tall. I fixed this by making my own isolation tray using the old baseplate that originally came with the AG550V2. I cut the ends off, drilled holes in it to match the new baseplate, used countersunk screws and silicone isolators and bolted it down. It raised it enough that the lens now fits and I can still mount it to the front or back slots depending on the lens I want to use. The isolators are compressed enough that I don't get any wiggle between the plates, so tilting isn't a problem. Although it probably isn't absorbing much vibration, but jello isn't much of an issue on the NEX 5N.

Sorry for the crappy camera phone shots.

Morning Gang,

Received my Shrimp and AG600 last night. (Thanks Gary!)

I was hoping maybe Gary or Andrey (or someone) could post a few close up pics of their Shrimp setups?
I'm looking for electronic placements and the attachment points of the gimbal to the IMS. (I think the bolts that go through the tube clamp/attachment plates should be small "pan" head bolts, similar to the ones used on the frame of the shrimp. The "full-size" 3mm head bolts slightly rub the upper plates which must be wrong because it negates the purpose of the isolation grommets. Unless the 4 small 1/4" tall standoff are to be used on the bottom of the isolation grommet, between the washer and the carbon plate??? ( I think it's the first option, smaller head bolts...)

I think a few close up photos will go a long way in helping people assemble their seafood multi's and allow Gary some breathing room to get the written instructions up on his website. ( I will take and post build pics as I go to also assist others)

Thanks!
Ant