I am going crazy looking for a Mini-sized camera gimbal similar to those on DJI drones that can accept ArduCam style cameras to use with OpenHD/OpenIPC or similar; to have an open source solution for a non-DJI non-locked down actually usable MAVLINK compatible camera drone.
Obviously, this excludes Siyi with their special proprietary apps and air units and whatever else you need to use them.
There is the Caddx GM3, however i am not sure at all that it fits the purpose of a stable camera drone with digital zoom, and i’m not sure it’s even compatible with cameras and control protocols that aren’t their own.
And I am obviously not talking about the typical gigantic ardupilot Storm32/Gopro/DSLR gimbals, i am talking about something that has a shot at keeping a drone under 249 grams, not something that weighs that alone without even the camera.
Is there really nothing at all out there?
Have you saw the HEQ? Is a bit bigger than the Caddx - There are issues (shaking sometimes) but works (HEQUAV G-port 3-Axis Gimbal-for DJI O3 Camera /Caddx Camera Gyroscope – HEQ UAV)
Hear hear! We have resorted to designing our own sub 50gram, sub 40mm-cube waterproof retractable servo gimbal. It does the job of pointing in the right direction, but I wouldn’t exactly call the stabilization stable - just not fast enough. And it’s a mess building and setting up. What you are asking for is high on my wish list. Just starting to explore the Caddx GM3. It’s still a bit big for my use case, and I would need to figure out a way to put a camera on it that can output video over Ethernet or MIPI for cellular streaming. Has anyone tried using it as an Ardupilot gimbal?
The HEQ is is very nice!
Any recommendations of something that can work with Go-pro?
Thanks,
Are you using digital servos or PWM servos? I was looking at servos for a stopgap solution but it’s definitely not perfect, there are small low-KV gimbal motors available for sale but designing your own gimbal is an artform i really don’t want to dedicate myself to if i can get away with it. Digital servos would be a lot better but if you’re already using those then we’re really at the limit of what can be done, EIS would have to compensate for the rest. The HEQ looks interesting, i don’t know if the same as the Caddx, all these gimbals look like simple white-label rebrands of the same Xianfei C-20
Have you seen these gimbals?
3-Axis:
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256801087005802.html
2-Axis
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2251832511761799.html
I believe they will hold a GoPro.
It’s hard to believe how inexpensive these are now.
The XF-C-20T (also the Caddx gimbal) appear to be the same as the C-20 gimbal. The G-Port gimbal is significantly different than the C-20 gimbal.
I have the O3 versions of both the XF-C-20T and G-Port gimbals. The G-Port is larger than the XF-C-20T gimbal. The XF-C-20T gimbal’s smaller size comes at the cost of requiring a more involved installation process.
I’ve only flown with the XF-C-20T gimbal so far. The normal PWM inputs don’t provide a way to roll the camera. The headtracking add-on uses an UART to control the gimbal. The UART has commands which can roll the camera. (The camera will roll when you roll your head.) I’ve captured the UART commands with a logic analyzer and I’m confident the protocol could be reversed engineered with a bit of work.
I think the G-Port gimbal would likely be easier to use with an OpenIPC camera since it provides a bit more room to mount the camera. I personally like how small and compact the XF-C-20T is compared to the G-Port gimbal. (The XF-C-20T weights significantly less than the G-Port.) I don’t like having to swap enclosures of the O3 camera when using the XF-C-20T gimbal.
One problem with using either gimbal with your own camera is routing the wires to the camera. Both types of gimbals require you to select which camera you plan to use. This allows them to route the appropriate set of cables through the gimbal. I imagine it should be possible to route your own wires through the gimbal but I doubt this would be an easy task.
My G-Port gimbal claims to have an operating voltage from 12V to 14V. I’ve seen other ranges listed from other sources but I think the 12V to 14V range is a save range to use. The XF-C-20T gimbal claims to be able to accept the same voltage range as the O3 camera (2S-6S). This makes powering the XF-C-20T easier than the G-Port.
If the camera you want to use will fit in the space allowed by the XF-C-20T, I’d use this smaller and lighter gimbal. On the other hand, it may be easier to mount your camera in the G-Port gimbal since it has more room available.
I just received a Caddx GM3 and it does look identical to the XF-C-20T. It’s also reasonably small, even though I wouldn’t mind having something even smaller.
I am eager to follow your progress on reverse engineering the UART protocol, @ddegn! If it could be used with Ardupilot for locking at regions of interest etc., that might be very useful.
Cable routing is still an issue though.
Thanks @ddegn, Those are certainly inexpensive.
I think I am looking for something from a reputable brand for support ect.
If you have any ideas, they are appreciated. Thanks.