Installed H3-3D on Original Phantom 2

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I finally got my H3-3D Gimbal. The box has a sticker on it that say's "For Phantom 2 Only" Of course it doesn't clarify which version of Phantom 2 it is for. There was the Anti Interfernece Board inside the box.

I apologize for not photo documenting the install but I will tell you what to expect if you plan on installing the gimbal on an original P2.

1. Yes and No about cutting a hole on the bottom of your P2.

I have a Tall Landing Skid on my P2 so the method shown below does not affect ground clearance with my GoPro

a. You can cut a hole to accommodate the new 3rd axis motor. This does not solve the biggest problem. If you mount the gimbal normally after you cut the hole. The top of the 3rd Axis Motor WILL at some point come in contact with the bottom of the battery. The Gimbal moves around a bit when flying and the gap under the battery is about 1.5mm from the motor. Trust me on this!! Don't go complaining that the Gimbal jerks around occasionally when flying. That motor does or will hit the battery.

b. You can install the Spacer plate made by DJI to drop the Gimbal to the proper height for clearance. Good luck finding the spacer as it is not available.

c. If you cut the hole, you will need to add some washers in between the gimbal mouning plate and the bottom of the Phantom. I would suggest Nylon Washers.

d. If you go the washer route, you might find that now, the mounting screws are too short. Fortunately I had a set of P2 Prop Guards that I never installed. It comes with long mounting screws which are the same diameter as the Gimbal mounting screws.
You might need to go to a hobby store for the longer screws.

e. I opted for 1/4" thick tiny Nylon Washers to space the Gimbal. Not only does it now clear the battery, It clears the entire bottom of the P2. Hence, I did not need to cut a hole in my P2. The 1/4' gap between the P2 belly and the Gimbal Mounting base around the sides of the washers, gives a perfect location to stick the Anti Interference board.

2. I tried the FPV through the GoPro with and without the Anti Interference board. I did not notice a difference with my TS832 Video TX and Boscam Monitor. I just tested this on the ground. I did not have time to fly it yet. I think the board is only for a problem that might happen when using the DJI AVL58.

I gotta run right now but i wanted to put this thread up for anyone wanting to do the H3-3D Gimbal on their Original model P2.
 
I opted for 1/4" thick tiny Nylon Washers to space the Gimbal. Not only does it now clear the battery, It clears the entire bottom of the P2. Hence, I did not need to cut a hole in my P2. The 1/4' gap between the P2 belly and the Gimbal Mounting base around the sides of the washers, gives a perfect location to stick the Anti Interference board.

Excellent solution! I'll buy the H3-3D soon, but I don't wanna cut the hole in my P2 neither, and this seems the best workaround without using the adapter which I haven't seen for sale yet. Thank you.
 
So I went for my first flight with the H3-3D Gimbal today. I ended up updating all the software and firmware just to make sure everything was up to date. I wasn't going to go to 3.0 but ended up doing it.

The H3-3D performed flawlessly! No yaw back and forth detected when going forward, backwards and skidding sideways. The image remained stable under hard stops and accelerations.

BUT! Now I have a slight vibration. Not enough to cause the image to Jello but I can see the slight murmur in the image.
It's possible I had the vibration with the H3-2D and didn't notice it. The H3-3D is much smoother.

I checked everything attached to the P2 and nothing is loose or shaky.

I am thinking 2 scenarios.
1. Maybe the Props need to be balanced
2. Maybe the White Vibration Absorber balls need to be swapped for the other colors. Black used to come stock on the H3-2D but the H3-3D comes with the Whites Installed. Also the H3-3D comes with 3 additional sets of absorbers. There's a Grey Pack (A40) Those feel like the Black ones that came on the H3-2D. There's also 2 other packs with some different looking Black absorbers. (40) and a (50) Both of those are super squishy.

Any ideas?
 
Xrover said:
I am thinking 2 scenarios.
1. Maybe the Props need to be balanced
2. Maybe the White Vibration Absorber balls need to be swapped for the other colors. Black used to come stock on the H3-2D but the H3-3D comes with the Whites Installed. Also the H3-3D comes with 3 additional sets of absorbers. There's a Grey Pack (A40) Those feel like the Black ones that came on the H3-2D. There's also 2 other packs with some different looking Black absorbers. (40) and a (50) Both of those are super squishy.

Any ideas?

Those are exactly the things I would try first, in either order. For dampeners, you want to use whichever ones are a bit stiffer than the ones you have on now. Unbalanced props can contribute to the issue as well.

And thanks for the feedback on the installation, that's very useful info.
 
OI Photography said:
Xrover said:
I am thinking 2 scenarios.
1. Maybe the Props need to be balanced
2. Maybe the White Vibration Absorber balls need to be swapped for the other colors. Black used to come stock on the H3-2D but the H3-3D comes with the Whites Installed. Also the H3-3D comes with 3 additional sets of absorbers. There's a Grey Pack (A40) Those feel like the Black ones that came on the H3-2D. There's also 2 other packs with some different looking Black absorbers. (40) and a (50) Both of those are super squishy.

Any ideas?

Those are exactly the things I would try first, in either order. For dampeners, you want to use whichever ones are a bit stiffer than the ones you have on now. Unbalanced props can contribute to the issue as well.

And thanks for the feedback on the installation, that's very useful info.

Thanks..
I am waiting for my P2 Prop Balancer shaft to come in from Atlanta Hobby.
I'll stick the Grey balls on. Those are the only other ones that are stiffer than the Whites.
Some people say go softer some say stiffer re: the balls. LMAO! You know what I mean't.
 
Xrover said:
OI Photography said:
Xrover said:
I am thinking 2 scenarios.
1. Maybe the Props need to be balanced
2. Maybe the White Vibration Absorber balls need to be swapped for the other colors. Black used to come stock on the H3-2D but the H3-3D comes with the Whites Installed. Also the H3-3D comes with 3 additional sets of absorbers. There's a Grey Pack (A40) Those feel like the Black ones that came on the H3-2D. There's also 2 other packs with some different looking Black absorbers. (40) and a (50) Both of those are super squishy.

Any ideas?

Those are exactly the things I would try first, in either order. For dampeners, you want to use whichever ones are a bit stiffer than the ones you have on now. Unbalanced props can contribute to the issue as well.

And thanks for the feedback on the installation, that's very useful info.

Thanks..
I am waiting for my P2 Prop Balancer shaft to come in from Atlanta Hobby.
I'll stick the Grey balls on. Those are the only other ones that are stiffer than the Whites.
Some people say go softer some say stiffer re: the balls. LMAO! You know what I mean't.

lol yes, I do. If I were you I'd just test all the different...colors. What matters is whichever ones (if any) help smooth out your video.
 
I know a lot of people who switched to the H3-3D are complaing about more vibration than the 2D. I was hoping someone already tried all the different balls and would weigh in on their findings. Juggling balls can be a Pain :lol:
 
Has anyone noticed that the H3 3D gimbal is not as heavy built as the H3 2D? I think I saw on the spec sheet that it is several grams lighter and a saleman told me that it appeared to be made of lighter materials? Wonder if this may contribute to more vibration or make it more sensitive when filming in windy conditions? Less weight could be a small advantage for flying time tho.
 
It's much lighter. Definitely not as robust as the 2D. It has some epics moments while filming so far, it has not been consistantly perfect. I am pretty disapointed that it cost nearly as much as the bare P2.
 
It's actually alot lighter. The Z2 was 230gs, the Z3 is 168gs. That probably explains DJI including white vibration dampners as the default.
 
I put on the grey Dampers and am going to try a test flight today.
I have had to waste so much time when editing my videos applying stabilization in Final Cut pro. Sometimes it works out and other times the shaky footage just has to end up on the cutting room floor so to speak.
 
Xrover said:
I know a lot of people who switched to the H3-3D are complaining about more vibration than the 2D. I was hoping someone already tried all the different balls and would weigh in on their findings. Juggling balls can be a Pain :lol:

I just went through the testing & tinkering phase with my new H3-3D. It was a pain to say the least. I had severe jello. In my experiences testing, and talking with others, people were having success with the soft black 50 balls but on a lot of peoples P2's they would cause the craft to shake and become unstable. People solved this by adding some sorbothane anti-vibration padding between the gimbal plates. The grey balls, when I tested them, were the worst of all and I have yet to hear of anybody settling on them. I solved my problem by adding a ND filter to the Go Pro which did solve the jello issue so far (I have only flown once with it), but I do still have some micro-bounces. You might also want to mess around with your gains a little as sometimes this can have an effect. I ended up going back to the stock gains (remember that stock gains are different than default).

I would say from what I have seen, it is close to a 50/50 split on people using white balls with stock gains, and people using the black 50 balls with higher gains and/or sorbothane added. In any scenario I would reccommend the ND filter as it will help smooth out any jello issues (by slowing the shutter speed of the GP), and it also eliminates some of the rotor strobing that happens when you see the blades in sunlight.
 
I really wish the Specified that there are TWO PHANTOM 2's!!!!
Better yet there is already an OLD Phantom 2.... the new ones hole for the h3-3d is something they should be akin more clear... :shock:
 
I hope this H3-3D will be compatible with the future GoPro 4 coming soon... Never ending story...:(
 
sergekouper said:
damoncooper said:
Fyi I posted my experience installing the 3D on my original P2 here: http://phantompilots.com/viewtopic.php?t=12870. No issues with vibration or jello so far at least.



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Thanks for sharing, and the photos/video as well.

That is a really good thread.
I changed out to the Dark Grey Balls and no more vibration on the video.
 
Thanks for sharing, and the photos/video as well.[/quote]

That is a really good thread.
I changed out to the Dark Grey Balls and no more vibration on the video.[/quote]

you have issues with the white balls ? just install the white and read this..hope works fine.
Btw how to unclip the long transparent stick, i tried but looks really fragile as plastic is it possible?
 

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