IMPORTANT: how to save your camera & gimbal incase of crash
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Re: IMPORTANT: how to save your camera & gimbal incase of cr
How sturdy is the camera assembly just hanging from the rubber dampers? What are the odds of it just falling off when flying?
How sturdy is the camera assembly just hanging from the rubber dampers? What are the odds of it just falling off when flying?
Re: IMPORTANT: how to save your camera & gimbal incase of cr
Without the dampers, the entire gimbal is going to come off on impact and the camera is going to break when it impacts the ground. That or the wires are likely to rip apart. I think your crash was just fortunate.
Just as an aside, and not trying to bust on you, but people skills in a forum setting go a long way. Calling the moderator, or others, a "****" isn't going to win you many friends. And is it really necessary to use the F-bomb in every sentence?
Without the dampers, the entire gimbal is going to come off on impact and the camera is going to break when it impacts the ground. That or the wires are likely to rip apart. I think your crash was just fortunate.
Just as an aside, and not trying to bust on you, but people skills in a forum setting go a long way. Calling the moderator, or others, a "****" isn't going to win you many friends. And is it really necessary to use the F-bomb in every sentence?
Re: IMPORTANT: how to save your camera & gimbal incase of cr
SWEET!
Nice to know, did the wires just unplug themselves in the crash?
Thanks again!
Ps: " GOOSE-FRABBA "
( LOL )
Take care, Fly safe!
SWEET!
Nice to know, did the wires just unplug themselves in the crash?
Thanks again!
Ps: " GOOSE-FRABBA "
( LOL )
Take care, Fly safe!
Re: IMPORTANT: how to save your camera & gimbal incase of cr
What I realize is you won't be around for long. Good riddance... :roll:
H1enoKaveri said:
What I realize is you won't be around for long. Good riddance... :roll:
Re: IMPORTANT: how to save your camera & gimbal incase of cr
Mmmm... this a hard one.. Both make a good point.
It makes sense what the OP is saying, but DB is right also. It's a lose-lose situation. Either the whole system comes flying out or have the camera arm snap off?
One solution is to remove the anti-drop pins (that's what they are called) and replace them with loose zip ties or thin string that can slow down the momentum but acts as a safety device so the camera doesn't fall from the sky. The Achillies heel is the camera arm and that doesn't require much for it to fall out, just a small tug. And when the arm comes off, the ribbon is likely to be damaged..
Dirty Bird said:
Mmmm... this a hard one.. Both make a good point.
It makes sense what the OP is saying, but DB is right also. It's a lose-lose situation. Either the whole system comes flying out or have the camera arm snap off?
One solution is to remove the anti-drop pins (that's what they are called) and replace them with loose zip ties or thin string that can slow down the momentum but acts as a safety device so the camera doesn't fall from the sky. The Achillies heel is the camera arm and that doesn't require much for it to fall out, just a small tug. And when the arm comes off, the ribbon is likely to be damaged..
Re: IMPORTANT: how to save your camera & gimbal incase of cr
There is... just take off and climb straight up a hundred feet or so and remark the home location by flipping S2 switch rapidly.... then your RTH height will be 100ft plus the original 20 meters.
I dunno about this idea of removing the drop kit... it's like saying "don't wear your seat belt because you'll be ejected from the vehicle instead of burning alive inside"
In some odd cases it may help... but for the most part the gimbal is gonna get jacked up no matter what anyway.
H1enoKaveri said:
There is... just take off and climb straight up a hundred feet or so and remark the home location by flipping S2 switch rapidly.... then your RTH height will be 100ft plus the original 20 meters.
I dunno about this idea of removing the drop kit... it's like saying "don't wear your seat belt because you'll be ejected from the vehicle instead of burning alive inside"
In some odd cases it may help... but for the most part the gimbal is gonna get jacked up no matter what anyway.
Re: IMPORTANT: how to save your camera & gimbal incase of cr
I like the idea of using rubber bands through the dampners and then cable tie the 2 ends together. Should act like shock absorbers
I like the idea of using rubber bands through the dampners and then cable tie the 2 ends together. Should act like shock absorbers
Re: IMPORTANT: how to save your camera & gimbal incase of cr
Ok c'mon don't ban him ! We all feel like this sometimes ,
Ok c'mon don't ban him ! We all feel like this sometimes ,
Re: IMPORTANT: how to save your camera & gimbal incase of cr
The simple-minded are easily amused...
H1enoKaveri said:
The simple-minded are easily amused...
Re: IMPORTANT: how to save your camera & gimbal incase of cr
I posted on this topic a couple of weeks back and totally agree. I have been flying without the plastic pins for 2 months.
H1enoKaveri said:
I posted on this topic a couple of weeks back and totally agree. I have been flying without the plastic pins for 2 months.
Re: IMPORTANT: how to save your camera & gimbal incase of cr
How many times have you crashed since you removed the pins?
wharfbanger said:
How many times have you crashed since you removed the pins?
Re: IMPORTANT: how to save your camera & gimbal incase of cr
It is possible that the camera/gimbal will break if they impact the ground at speed. But this was apparently not the case in Heno's accident. By the time the camera/gimbal break free, much of the energy of impact will have dissipated elastically into the rubber dampers. In other words, by allowing the rubber dampers to stretch out to their maximum extents the camera/gimbal has an opportunity to decelerate gradually. This opportunity is not available if the high density plastic pins arrest the fall of the camera/gimbal very suddenly. It is this sudden arrest that causes the camera shaft/ribbon cable to shear Its sort of like the suspension on an old car reaching the end of its travel on a big pot hole, which releases a big shock through the cabin of the car (and your body)!
Dirty Bird said:
It is possible that the camera/gimbal will break if they impact the ground at speed. But this was apparently not the case in Heno's accident. By the time the camera/gimbal break free, much of the energy of impact will have dissipated elastically into the rubber dampers. In other words, by allowing the rubber dampers to stretch out to their maximum extents the camera/gimbal has an opportunity to decelerate gradually. This opportunity is not available if the high density plastic pins arrest the fall of the camera/gimbal very suddenly. It is this sudden arrest that causes the camera shaft/ribbon cable to shear Its sort of like the suspension on an old car reaching the end of its travel on a big pot hole, which releases a big shock through the cabin of the car (and your body)!
Re: IMPORTANT: how to save your camera & gimbal incase of cr
None, but I am on my second camera. My first camera sheared off after a crash. The plastic pins survived the crash just fine so I got rid of them.
Dirty Bird said:
None, but I am on my second camera. My first camera sheared off after a crash. The plastic pins survived the crash just fine so I got rid of them.
Re: IMPORTANT: how to save your camera & gimbal incase of cr
I completely understand your hypothesis, but it is only theoretical. Unlike a car's shock absorbers, where the direction of impact to be dampened is known and relatively straightforward, you don't know in which direction the forces are going to be applied in an aircraft crash. Will the Phantom crash perfectly level, upside down, at a 37 degree angle on one nacelle, etc.? Anti-drop pins or not, the Vision+ gimbal/camera mechanism is light and fragile, and highly likely to be damaged with or without the pins.
It is true that Potty Mouth's camera survived, but occasionally a gimbal survives a serious crash. Witness MidWestJeff's bird crashing after striking the tower. There's just no hard evidence that the gimbal is going to fare any better with or without the pins installed. If you feel more comfortable with them removed that is, of course, a personal decision. Hopefully you will never discover whether their removal aids in a crash.
wharfbanger said:
I completely understand your hypothesis, but it is only theoretical. Unlike a car's shock absorbers, where the direction of impact to be dampened is known and relatively straightforward, you don't know in which direction the forces are going to be applied in an aircraft crash. Will the Phantom crash perfectly level, upside down, at a 37 degree angle on one nacelle, etc.? Anti-drop pins or not, the Vision+ gimbal/camera mechanism is light and fragile, and highly likely to be damaged with or without the pins.
It is true that Potty Mouth's camera survived, but occasionally a gimbal survives a serious crash. Witness MidWestJeff's bird crashing after striking the tower. There's just no hard evidence that the gimbal is going to fare any better with or without the pins installed. If you feel more comfortable with them removed that is, of course, a personal decision. Hopefully you will never discover whether their removal aids in a crash.
Re: IMPORTANT: how to save your camera & gimbal incase of cr
I dunno DB, on my original vision non plus I crashed on the first day and the whole camera assembly came off and rolled away like a golf ball, now I know its the old camera im talking about here and they are much more robust but the second crash I had after that which was less violent did more damage because I had 2 cable ties through 2 of the dampeners. This time because it was stuck to the frame the camera detached from the servo gimbal damaging the servo and the plate of the servo had a crack 50% through it. On my pv2+ ive taken the dampener bars out and just this morning added 2 thick enough elastic bands with each end cable tide to itself.
I dunno DB, on my original vision non plus I crashed on the first day and the whole camera assembly came off and rolled away like a golf ball, now I know its the old camera im talking about here and they are much more robust but the second crash I had after that which was less violent did more damage because I had 2 cable ties through 2 of the dampeners. This time because it was stuck to the frame the camera detached from the servo gimbal damaging the servo and the plate of the servo had a crack 50% through it. On my pv2+ ive taken the dampener bars out and just this morning added 2 thick enough elastic bands with each end cable tide to itself.
Re: IMPORTANT: how to save your camera & gimbal incase of cr
I must admit the tower crash survival surprised me. Also true that my hypothesis is just that. I take your point that an impact could occur in any direction, but would counter that elasticity should give some advantage if the Phantom impacts the ground approximately the right way up, or even sideways. Conversely, the plastic pins probably mean a higher risk of damage for equivalent impacts. Neither option probably helps much if the Phantom lands directly upside down, but any kind of oblique impact is more likely to be mitigated by elasticity than ridgidity.
Alas I doubt many will be inclined to remove the pins and put the hypothesis to the test, but I was encouraged that PM did, with results that seem to support this idea.
Dirty Bird said:wharfbanger said:
I completely understand your hypothesis, but it is only theoretical. Unlike a car's shock absorbers, where the direction of impact to be dampened is known and relatively straightforward, you don't know in which direction the forces are going to be applied in an aircraft crash. Will the Phantom crash perfectly level, upside down, at a 37 degree angle on one nacelle, etc.? Anti-drop pins or not, the Vision+ gimbal/camera mechanism is light and fragile, and highly likely to be damaged with or without the pins.
It is true that Potty Mouth's camera survived, but occasionally a gimbal survives a serious crash. Witness MidWestJeff's bird crashing after striking the tower. There's just no hard evidence that the gimbal is going to fare any better with or without the pins installed. If you feel more comfortable with them removed that is, of course, a personal decision. Hopefully you will never discover whether their removal aids in a crash.
I must admit the tower crash survival surprised me. Also true that my hypothesis is just that. I take your point that an impact could occur in any direction, but would counter that elasticity should give some advantage if the Phantom impacts the ground approximately the right way up, or even sideways. Conversely, the plastic pins probably mean a higher risk of damage for equivalent impacts. Neither option probably helps much if the Phantom lands directly upside down, but any kind of oblique impact is more likely to be mitigated by elasticity than ridgidity.
Alas I doubt many will be inclined to remove the pins and put the hypothesis to the test, but I was encouraged that PM did, with results that seem to support this idea.
Re: IMPORTANT: how to save your camera & gimbal incase of cr
Over time we will find out if the gimbal fares better with or without the anti-drops installed. I guess that's really sort of unfortunate.
My plan is to avoid crashing!
Over time we will find out if the gimbal fares better with or without the anti-drops installed. I guess that's really sort of unfortunate.
My plan is to avoid crashing!
Re: IMPORTANT: how to save your camera & gimbal incase of cr
Mine too mate!Dirty Bird said:Over time we will find out if the gimbal fares better with or without the anti-drops installed. I guess that's really sort of unfortunate.
My plan is to avoid crashing!
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