Anti-Jello Effect Propellers

Fpvpilot · Jun 16, 2013

What is the best brand and size of propellers for reducing, or eliminating, the "jello effect" in the video?

Alveprinsen · Jun 16, 2013

I don't know of any specific jello removing props, but I have picked up a thing or two about jello in general...

1. Fasten your camera mount to the Phantom using Velcro... only Velcro.. no screws... This will take almost all of the jello, unless your phantom is shaking like crazy.
2. Whichever props you use, balance them. This will help allot also.
3. Using GoPro? Shoot in 60 fps....
4. Want to go all out? Get a ND or polarization filter and find a way to mount it in your gopro. It will force the shutter of your gopro to operate a bit slower, thus removing shakiness and jello. Its not really "removing it" tho, it is simply making those areas a bit more blurry. Video will still look great. I'd rather have a bit of blur, then a whole lot of shaking and jello.

Sincerely, Alveprinsen.

auck · Jun 16, 2013

there are no such thing.

no matter which brand or where you buy it from, you will always have to check the balance of your props. i bought 2 sets of "pre-balanced" props from two different places, and i still had to balance them when i got them. the manufacturers and re-sellers will do what they can to get it close, but if you want perfection, it's up to you to do it yourself.

along with the list above, i would also add balancing your motors.

Fpvpilot · Jun 16, 2013

Alveprinsen and auck,

Thank you for those helpful tips. I will definitely implement them.

Fpvpilot · Jun 16, 2013

Alveprinsen said:
I don't know of any specific jello removing props, but I have picked up a thing or two about jello in general...

1. Fasten your camera mount to the Phantom using Velcro... only Velcro.. no screws... This will take almost all of the jello, unless your phantom is shaking like crazy.
2. Whichever props you use, balance them. This will help allot also.
3. Using GoPro? Shoot in 60 fps....
4. Want to go all out? Get a ND or polarization filter and find a way to mount it in your gopro. It will force the shutter of your gopro to operate a bit slower, thus removing shakiness and jello. Its not really "removing it" tho, it is simply making those areas a bit more blurry. Video will still look great. I'd rather have a bit of blur, then a whole lot of shaking and jello.

Sincerely, Alveprinsen.

Alveprinsen,

What kind of velcro do you recommend? I am amazed that velcro would be able to support the camera and mount's weight. The thought of only using velcro to secure them makes me nervous.

Alveprinsen · Jun 16, 2013

Fpvpilot said:
Alveprinsen,

What kind of velcro do you recommend? I am amazed that velcro would be able to support the camera and mount's weight. The thought of only using velcro to secure them makes me nervous.

I bought my velcro from a local dealer. They just call it "strong velcro".... I dont know if it even has a brand.

I was nervous about it keeping the weight of mount and camera too, but in fact; its difficult to get it off once its stuck on there.

Right now I am using a camera gimbal from QuadFrame. The entire gimbal is fastened using velcro only. It sits so well, its a problem for me when I have to take it off. I have to really apply force in order to release it.
The smaller the surface area of velcro connecting the two parts, the easier it will be to get off.
I first used the standard mounting option that came with the DJI Phantom. The velcro had no problems holding the mount and camera in place. It even stayed on as I crashed it into a tree. It only came off after I shook the tree in order to get the drone down, subsequently sending it crashing down... Only then did it loosen to the point it was hanging by "a thread".

Anyways, if you are nervous about it falling off, just secure it with some paracord or something. So if it DOES fall off, at least its still hanging onto the drone.

Sincerely, Alveprinsen.

Audaciter · Jun 17, 2013

Alveprinsen,

What kind of velcro do you recommend? I am amazed that velcro would be able to support the camera and mount's weight. The thought of only using velcro to secure them makes me nervous.

The reason you never see anyone attach a $400 GoPro to a Phantom with Velcro, is because " IT'S A BAD IDEA ".
Sure, there won't be any jello, because the camera will fall off.

I'm sure by now, you've seen "Anti-Jello" mounts to attach the GoPro to your Phantom. They all seem to be made the same way, so the method must be effective, get one and try it, you can afford it now that you haven't lost your GoPro.

The filter is a good idea, especially on bright days.
Snake River Prototyping.com has what they call a "Blur fix adapter ". They have one for the waterproof housing, or one for the naked GoPro, which will allow you to use a ND4X filter, which they also sell. These things are not cheap, but will give
the desired results.

As Auck mentioned, make sure to balance your props with a good balancer such as Du-Bro, and your motors may need to be balanced as well, start by removing the DJI labels on the motors.

Later, you may want to get a gimbal, to control pitch, and roll.

GeneL · Jun 17, 2013

Audaciter said:
As Auck mentioned, make sure to balance your props with a good balancer such as Du-Bro, and your motors may need to be balanced as well, start by removing the DJI labels on the motors.

I just removed the stickers from my motors this afternoon and did a sort of backwater before and after vibration measurement with an app on my Android phone. It seemed to show a relative reduction in vibration after the stickers were removed, so I think it may help. I'll probably never know just what the effect is, since other factors play into jello production, but I guess every little bit helps. A gimbal is the ultimate solution, though.