How to pitch/tilt a gimbal with your transmitter

[Jurriaan]

Hi guys,

I bought a gimbal as mentioned earlier at this forum. This weekend I mounted the gimbal and everything works like expected (see attached images). But if possible I need a little help to push me in the right direction. I would like to tilt (pitch) the camera with my radio transmitter (so the camera will be pointed to the ground when I want to). But how do I wire up the gimbal controller with the receiver and or flight controller? And how and where to configure this in the open pilot software?

Can anyone give me a push in the right direction?

Some details:

• CC3D flight controller
  
• BGC 2 Axis Brushless Gimbal
  
• Flysky FS-T6 transmitter with FS R6B Receiver

Thanks!

 

[glowingturnip]

easily done, you just need to run a servo wire from a spare channel on your rx straight into the basecam board - flip the basecam board over and it'll tell you which of those connectors is which (i think the rx-roll is the second from the right in your pic, but please check). Then go into the basecam GUI software and configure it to use the rx input (and set the end points). No need to involve the FC. I've got mine configured to a potentiometer control on my tx, works great.

 

[ringolong]

Just like glowingturnip stated under RC Settings in simplebgc, and it should show you the version that is on the board if you get the wrong version. (Take a backup before you start changing settings just to be safe)

https://www.basecamelectronics.com/downloads/8bit/

 

[Jurriaan]

Thanks guys! Yesterday I reconnected the gimbal but calibration isn’t working fine and a green light is fast blinking. I have to push 3 times on gimbal controller button and position the gimbal by hand. So first tonight I have to solve this issue (think I will flash the board (hex file)). A couple of days ago the gimbal was operating very good, so don’t know what happened. However, I connected a wire between one of the output pins (signal) on the gimbal controller board and connected the other end to de rx (channel 6). Now I was able to roll the gimbal with the potentiometer on the remote control. Still don’t know how that works, how does the remote control knows to use that specific potentiometer to control the roll. Maybe during FC configuration? The roll is working but I want to use the pitch control. So I changed the pin on the gimbal controller board (the other signal output pint). I thought now I can use the potentiometer for pitch control, but the gimbal doesn’t stop the pitch (it’s continuously turning). Long story, in a nutshell:

1. First I have to fix the fast blinking green light on the gimbal controller board.
   
2. Figure out how the remote control knows when I turn the potentiometer “he” has to roll or pitch the gimbal. Where did I told him to use that button?
   
3. Roll is working with the potentiometer, pitch isn’t working (keeps turning, maybe due to issue 1).
   

Feel free to advise me!

 

[glowingturnip]

In reverse order...

3) I think your problem might be that you don't have the end points set right on the pitch control in the basecam board, so when you power it on, the board tries to follow the pitch control it is being sent, and turns the gimbal in pitch until it reaches one of the physical limits of the gimbal and starts that juddering thing it does when it can't go any further, and then the green light flashes because it can't do a gyro calibration

Connect your gimbal to your laptop and power up the simpleBGC (8-bit) software that ringolong posted a screengrab of above - in the RC settings tab, at bottom-left, you have the two end points for the pitch control - +90 degrees and -90 degrees in the above example. Adjust those until the gimbal behaves properly along the full range of travel of your tx potentiometer - I think from memory I have mine set to -70 and 0.

2) you will have your channel 6 mapped to that potentiometer somewhere in your tx settings. The rx sends a pwm signal that the basecam board can read directly - it doesn't go through the FC and doesn't need to. But you do need to make sure you have the correct settings in the basecam board (there's a manual that comes with that software download that you should read)

1) probably due to the above - if you disconnect the extra wire, does your gimbal behave normally again ? If not, it's because it's having a different problem trying to calibrate the gyro, not sure what would cause that, you'll have to investigate.

 

[glowingturnip]

also in settings, make sure the RC control is set to 'angle mode', not 'speed mode'. Page 5&6 of the manual, here

 

[Jurriaan]

Wow! Great help, I understand what you're saying. Tonight I continue my investigation. I will post the results!

Ps: and yes, when I disconnect the extra wire it behaves normal again.

 

[Jurriaan]

My earlier questions:

1. First I have to fix the fast blinking green light on the gimbal controller board.
2. Figure out how the remote control knows when I turn the potentiometer “he” has to roll or pitch the gimbal. Where did I told him to use that button?
3. Roll is working with the potentiometer, pitch isn’t working (keeps turning, maybe due to issue 1).

It was a short night

1. The fast blinking light issue has solved. I remember me the issue started when I pushed and hold the button on the gimbal controller for a while, the board did a reset to probably a faulty default factory configuration. I flashed the board with the specific hex file, without any result (upload failed). When I changed the senor axis top (basic tab Simple BGC GUI) to –Z the issue resolved. Now the gimbal can perform a good calibration. I have to tune a few settings more (because roll is a bit shaky when I move the quadcopter fast from left to right) but this issue is solved with changing settings, that’s the good news.

2. I configured the potentiometers during CC3D GUI setup. That’s why I was lucky and the gimbal responds to my commands. I think CC3D configured my transmitter during setup (during the transmitter wizard).

3. Issue 3 resolved when I fixed issue 1.

So, thanks again for all your tips!

Maybe a good idea to share our settings from the basic, advanced and RC settings tab for other people?

 

[Gogocopter123]

Hi I have the same problem I dont know where I can get the pitch signal from flight controller (Xiro Xplorer). I would like to tilt the camera with my radio transmitter.
One of the pictures shows an input for the original Xiro gimbal but the voltage of the middle pins changes when I turn the quad on and off one time its 2.7V and other 10V.

 

[Jackson]

shows an input for the original Xiro gimbal

What are you using now? How many axis was it?

 

[Gogocopter123]

Original 3 Axis the new one 2 Axis
its a cheap china gimbal.

 

[Jackson]

Are all the voltages you listed using the common ground on the right for all the various pins? Have you tried to power up the gimbal using 12V from that connector?

 

[Gogocopter123]

Sorry I did a mistake... when I measure:
- gnd to middle pin there are 2.7V
- middle pin to 12V pin there are 10V
- and the 12V

 

[Jackson]

Try the top ground to the top middle pin and work your pitch pot, look for any voltage changes. Also try it (same ground) to the bottom middle pin and look for voltage changes.

 

[Gogocopter123]

There is no voltage change.