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XPROHELI Silk Gimbal User Manual

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User Manual
XProHeli Silk Gimbal
TheAppTimes
[
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Silk Gimbal User Manual
This user manual provides information on the specifications, installation and functions of
the XProHeli Silk Gimbal system.
Silk Gimbal
Page i
©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.

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Summary of Contents for XPROHELI Silk Gimbal

  • Page 1 User Manual XProHeli Silk Gimbal TheAppTimes Silk Gimbal User Manual This user manual provides information on the specifications, installation and functions of the XProHeli Silk Gimbal system. Silk Gimbal Page i ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.

  • Page 2: Revision History

    User Manual XProHeli Silk Gimbal Revision History Version Date Revision Description 7/21/2014 Manual Creation Silk Gimbal Page ii ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Mounting to your XPX: ......................26 Single Operator: ..........................27 Dual Operator: ............................ 29 Mounting XPX Flight Pack: ....................31 SILK SOFTWARE ........................32 Overview ..........................32 Connecting Silk to Your Computer ....................32 Silk Gimbal Page 0 ©2013 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.

  • Page 4: Welcome

    Welcome Message from CEO: On behalf of XProHeli I would like to thank you for your support and purchase of the new Silk 3 Axis gimbal system. Countless hours of in shop R&D and flight testing have gone into the Silk.

  • Page 5: Warning & Disclaimer

    User Manual XProHeli Silk Gimbal Warning & Disclaimer! The SILK gimbal is capable of capturing incredible footage, and as exciting as it is we at XProHeli want to remind customers that operating RC aircraft (multirotors, drones, quadcopters etc…) with the SILK should be done with great care and precaution.
  • Page 6 User Manual XProHeli Silk Gimbal INDEMNITY XPROHELI AGENTS, REPRESENTATIVES AND EMPLOYEES ARE TO BE HELD HARMLESS FROM ANY AND ALL CLAIMS, LIABILITIES, DAMAGES, AND EXPENSES (INCLUDING ATTORNEYS’ FEES ACTUALLY INCURRED) ON ACCOUNT OF DEATH OR INJURY TO ANY PERSON OR DAMAGE TO ANY PROPERTY ARISING FROM OR IN CONNECTION WITH ANY PRODUCTS SOLD OR SUPPLIED BY XPROHELI.

  • Page 7: Overview

    Powering the Silk is a 3S Lipo 4200mAh battery pack – providing enough power for 2-2.5 hours of continuous run time. The Silk is powered on by a LED rocker switch mounted on the top rear frame tube: POWER Silk Gimbal Page 4 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.

  • Page 8: Fpv Video

    Mode 4 - Lock Mode (camera remains pointed forward at all times - does not follow hands)  Mode 5 - Customized by user in Software package RC Control Inputs (Sig, +5v, Gnd) Operation Modes Mode Button Silk Gimbal Page 5 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.

  • Page 9: Remote Operation

    (< 900g) + Landing Gear Weight (Silk Stand 330g) If you are flying a custom multirotor system or other non-XProHeli platform, make sure that your multirotor is cable of lifting the payload of the Silk. The Silk is not compatible with DJI Phantoms!

  • Page 10: Supported Cameras

    User Manual XProHeli Silk Gimbal Supported Cameras The Silk gimbal is capable of supporting any small DSLR camera in the 300g to 850g weight range with a wide variety of lens combinations. When making a choice in lens size XProHeli recommends a wider size lens to use with the Silk.

  • Page 11: Silk Specifications

    4200mAh Li-Po 11.1V (used handheld) Battery Weight: 333g Run-Time: 2-2.5hrs (4200mAh) Materials: Aluminum & 3K Carbon Fiber 100% Designed and Assembled in Bend, OR USA *compatible up to 5S input power, not recommended Silk Gimbal Page 8 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.

  • Page 12: Silk Setup Videos

    Silk Care: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_dfyVp0p3M Battery Charging: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10sI2esiEjk In the Box: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S048rT5TTrg Balancing your Silk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSfPxMQeWxA Mounting Handles & Rods: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxPSZ31L_hI Mounting to Multirotor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GS71Bh3DtIA Software Configuration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjdlhiBAxFc 6-Point IMU Calibration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xb64-QisyvE&feature=youtu.be Silk Gimbal Page 9 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.

  • Page 13: Unpacking Your Silk

    (2) 10" Rods 15mm w/coupler  (2) Adapter Clamps 15mm w/ Mount Screws  (1) D-Ring Screw for Camera Mount  (2) 4200mah 3S LiPo Batteries  (1) Basic E4 LiPo Charger Silk Gimbal Page 10 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.

  • Page 14: Silk Setup

    2. Landing Gear / Stand Setup 3. Mount gimbal to landing gear stand 4. Mount Camera 5. Adjust Pitch Balance 6. Adjust Roll Balance 7. Adjust Yaw Balance 8. Mount Handles 9. Power up Silk Gimbal Page 11 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.

  • Page 15: Landing Gear / Stand

    The two upper plates of the Silk allow two different landing gear configurations when mounting to a multirotor: #1 Locked to Airframe #2 Locked to Stand Landing gear Landing gear rotates fixed to Airframe With gimbal Silk Gimbal Page 12 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.

  • Page 16: Assembly

     Rear cross brace (optional, but recommended) Upper stand Left Right Rear cross brace On flat surface begin assembling Upper Silk Stand vertical tubes to left and right leg tube clamps: Silk Gimbal Page 13 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
  • Page 17 (2.5mm hex). You can now tighten the left/right leg tube clamps to the upper silk stand (7/64” hex). The stand is now assembled and ready to use. Yours should look like this: Silk Gimbal Page 14 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.

  • Page 18: Mount Silk To Landing Gear/Stand

    This plate is also used to ‘rest’ the gimbal on the stand when used for handheld operation. Silk Gimbal Page 15 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
  • Page 19 User Manual XProHeli Silk Gimbal Use lower plate for 2 operator use or handheld stand Silk Gimbal Page 16 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.

  • Page 20: Mounting And Balancing Your Camera

    Basically you need to make sure your camera is in the same configuration as it would be when you film. Silk Gimbal Page 17 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
  • Page 21 User Manual XProHeli Silk Gimbal Camera Tray Mount Camera using provided D-Ring Camea Mounted Silk Gimbal Page 18 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.

  • Page 22: Adjusting Balance

    The left and right side of the camera tray tube should remain parallel and square with the back roll frame to prevent binding of the pitch axis. If either side is uneven to one another this can cause alignment issues. Silk Gimbal Page 19 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
  • Page 23 For wider cameras or cameras that are weighted heavier to one side you can fine tune the roll adjustment using the 4 set screws at the back of the roll frame: Silk Gimbal Page 20 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
  • Page 24 A perfectly balance pan axis will hold position by its self in all 360 degrees of motion. Silk Gimbal Page 21 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
  • Page 25 Also if you are running multiple lenses or cameras now would be a good time to make index marks for this balanced position. Using different color markers works well. Silk Gimbal Page 22 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
  • Page 26 You can now tighten the inner clamps and install the handles. If you have any accessory clamps you can of course put those on prior to the handles. Silk Gimbal Page 23 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.

  • Page 27: Mounting Battery

    Velcro to the rear of the rod clamp: Your battery pack (4200mah XPH 3S) comes with a strip of long sided Velcro. Mount the battery pack horizontally to the back of the clamps as shown: Silk Gimbal Page 24 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.

  • Page 28: Powering On Silk

    To power on, simply switch the rocker switch to the on position. The LED on the rocker switch will illuminate indicating that it is in the ON position: Silk Gimbal Page 25 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.

  • Page 29: Xpx/Xp2 Installation

    Silk setup instructions above. You should know how to fly your quadcopter and your Silk should be operational and working good. Before your first flight be sure that all the active Silk Gimbal Page 26 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.

  • Page 30: Single Operator

    Line up the two through slots on the front of the top plate and fasten the mounting plate using the ¼-20 toggle screws to the left and right lander pem nuts on your XPX: Silk Gimbal Page 27 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
  • Page 31 – This is typically setup on AUX 3 output port of your AR8000 receiver and controlled on the FLAP switch of your DX8 radio. Silk Gimbal Page 28 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.

  • Page 32: Dual Operator

    (preferred for 2 operator) mount your yaw motor top plate to the Silk Stand as shown: Use lower plate for 2 operator To begin find a flat clean area for the assembly: Silk Gimbal Page 29 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
  • Page 33 – This is typically setup on AUX 3 output port of your AR8000 receiver and controlled on the FLAP switch of your DX8 radio. Your XPX should now look like this: Silk Gimbal Page 30 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.

  • Page 34: Mounting Xpx Flight Pack

    Plugging in a 6S (22.2V) pack will fry your gimbal! If you ordered a RTF XPX with the Silk we will provide a DC to DC down converter (BEC) which can be used to power the Silk and any other 3S FPV accessories. Silk Gimbal Page 31 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.

  • Page 35: Silk Software

    Future firmware releases will be carefully monitored and test at DO NOT LOAD ‘USE XProHeli before making a recommendation to upgrade. If there is a DEFAULTS’ and firmware version that we feel is superior to the original shipped...
  • Page 36 The first thing you should do prior to making any adjustments or changes to the the software is save a backup of your gimbals Profile settings to your computer. To do this connect the gimbal to Silk Gimbal Page 33 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
  • Page 37 3. Configuration – Central part of the window, organized into seven tabs: i. Basic Tab – Basic gimbal stabilization settings. Do not change these settings unless you are familiar with their functions. See performance tuning section for more details. Silk Gimbal Page 34 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
  • Page 38 5. READ, WRITE, USE DEFAULTS buttons are used to transfer settings to/from the controller board. *NOTE: USE DEFAULTS BUTTON WILL OVERWRITE ALL SILK SETTINGS* 6. MOTORS ON/OFF button – manually turn on/off power to motors. Silk Gimbal Page 35 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.

  • Page 39: Performance Tuning

    Profile 2 you must make sure to copy those values from Profile 1 to Profile 2 and write them to the controller as both profiles are independent of each other. Silk Gimbal Page 36 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
  • Page 40 A larger value here will give your hands more freedom of movement to the left and right before the camera begins to follow. You can set this range where your preference suites Silk Gimbal Page 37 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
  • Page 41 – causing the gimbal to act erratic. If a high value is desired make sure to have the acceleration limiter set so that it will help to set a larger speed value without causing the motors to skip or miss steps. Silk Gimbal Page 38 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
  • Page 42 PITCH. If so, reduce P and D slightly for PITCH. Cross-axis interference is most pronounced when the gimbal construction is less rigid. vi. Repeat steps i through v for YAW. Silk Gimbal Page 39 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.

  • Page 43: User Manual Page

    Each axis should have a smooth return in the Realtime Data tab as shown: Camera Smooth/Quick Deflection Return In general a well tuned configuration will net less than 1 degree of error on ROLL, PITCH and YAW axis in normal operation. Silk Gimbal Page 40 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
  • Page 44 (for Futaba and Sum-PWM refer to online Basecam Manual for proper setup). Typical 2 operator setup using Normal PWM receiver: Tilt (RC_PITCH) Roll (RC_ROLL) Pan (RC_YAW) Pinout: Signal/+5v/Gnd Silk Gimbal Page 41 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
  • Page 45 “SPEED” and acceleration limiter settings. SPEED MODE – The RC transmitter will control the rotation speed. If the stick is centered, the camera stands still. If the Silk Gimbal Page 42 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
  • Page 46 LPF – Sets control signal filtering. The higher the value, the smoother the reaction to stick commands. This filter avoids fast stick movements but add commands. This filter avoids fast stick movements but adds some reaction delay to stick movement. Silk Gimbal Page 43 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
  • Page 47 When complete the INVERT boxes will be checked or unchecked for proper motor direction. b. Click Write 7. Copy INVERT values and make sure they are the same for Profiles 2 & 4. Silk Gimbal Page 44 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
  • Page 48 9. With motors ON and gimbal frame level, go to Followmode tab and Click AUTO in OFFSET section – When finish click write. Make sure these values are the same through Profiles 1, 2 & 4 Silk Gimbal Page 45 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.

  • Page 49: Troubleshooting

    Lower P Value, Increase D value Oscillations parameter Wrong COM port Try different COM port – check GUI cannot connect selected. GUI and driver installation. Check Firmware to board firmware version and GUI version mistmatch Silk Gimbal Page 46 ©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.

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