Plug-N-Play 3DPower 2-Axis Gimbal (aka Taco Supreme)

Mal_PV2_Ireland · Jul 18, 2014

Daniel, Richard or any other Taco guys out there?
I have a problem, my gimbal wont tilt up and down through the app since I was adjusting some setting in the bgc. Everything else in the app is working. I hooked the gimbal back up to my laptop, reset defaults, and went through all the steps from Daniel's youtube video as I did a few weeks ago but still the gimbal wont tilt. Have any of you come across this? I think its something silly thats looking me in the face as it was working yesterday before I went to play with the bgc settings today. Dont think its mechanical, more a software issue. Anyway of resetting it that im missing so I can start from scratch?

amrflyingdude · Jul 19, 2014

Lts start from the basics, check and Double check that:

1- The Phantom is off and battery out of the housing
2- Gimbal plug is firmly plugged in
3 - Camera plug is firmly plugged in
4 - Tilt cable is connected properly, check this again and again and make sure its making contact

Did this fix it?

Mal_PV2_Ireland · Jul 19, 2014

Thanks Daniel, I removed all plugs and put them back in while power was off. I'm having a few beers watching our boy Mcgregor fight in the ufc so I'll give it a go in the morning. One thing I noticed was when I plugged the usb into the gimbal and laptop it made a different tone, kind of muted. Thanks for getting back to me mate, I'll post back in around 12 hours or whenever my hangover lets me

amrflyingdude · Jul 19, 2014

The board we have is not really a SimpleBGC board, instead it is a slightly modified replica (not to say a cheap knock off), therefore there is always room for a buggy interaction between the SimpleBGC software and the board the Taco gimbal has, I believe this is what sometimes disables the tilt function. So no worries this is common and I will show you how to fix it, can be a pain but none the less will be fixed.

1 -Make sure you cover the basics i discussed above, usually the tilt cable is the one to blame as it is not tightly plugged, I actually had to solder mine to the board because it was always falling. if that does not work then:
2- plug your gimbal in to he BGC and reset the gimbal to defaults, your gimbal will act crazy because all values are back to "0" so not panic.
3 - Load a fresh profile, preferably a profile you have saved before the tilt function stopped working

Usually this fixes the problem, if not:

1 - Go to NAZA software and suable your gimbal, re start the NAZA software and Phantom
2 - Re enable gimbal in Naza software and re start phantom

This should do it.

Thanks.

Daniel.

Mal_PV2_Ireland · Jul 19, 2014

Thanks mate,
I'll do all that tomorrow and let you know the results.
You're a gent

Mal_PV2_Ireland · Jul 20, 2014

Got it fixed, followed all your steps but it didnt fix but I was tryimg to fix it on my new laptop. Hooked it up to my old laptop, reset it to defaults and then loaded your profile and it worked again. Looks like it was some sort of software glitch when using the new laptop thats working on windows 8.

Thanks for the help Daniel!

Mal.

gunslinger · Jul 21, 2014

Mal_PV2_Ireland said:
Got it fixed, followed all your steps but it didnt fix but I was tryimg to fix it on my new laptop. Hooked it up to my old laptop, reset it to defaults and then loaded your profile and it worked again. Looks like it was some sort of software glitch when using the new laptop thats working on windows 8.

Thanks for the help Daniel!

Mal.

WINDOWS 8 ????

:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: (Makes the sign of the cross)

-slinger

Mal_PV2_Ireland · Jul 21, 2014

Haha, its ready to go in the bin!

GLOCKer · Jul 23, 2014

Well, it finally happened. After a couple of months of flying my Taco and saying to myself, "I'll locktite those dampener protectors the next time I fly this thing," I lost one of the dampener protectors. Has anybody had this happen and been able to get replacements?

Mal_PV2_Ireland · Jul 23, 2014

Hasn't happened to me and ive glued and un glued mine withoit fail. Think mine are unglued at the moment but they have at least 3 screw threads showing clear at the far end. I got 3 and ahalf extra dampner screws and nuts in my pack which woukdnt make me surprised if you got less. Try get a pack of mini cable zip ties and replace it for the missing screw. It will be trial an error to get the right tension but hopefully it will do the trick

pugnacious · Jul 24, 2014

GLOCKer said:
Well, it finally happened. After a couple of months of flying my Taco and saying to myself, "I'll locktite those dampener protectors the next time I fly this thing," I lost one of the dampener protectors. Has anybody had this happen and been able to get replacements?

i contacted taco, and they kindly sent me a replacement - free of charge ;o)

RichW · Jul 24, 2014

I had a nightmare yesterday. Stored the quad in the boot of the car and with the very hot weather the UK is getting at the moment found the two arms melted and fouled up. Full strip down last night and heating with a hair dryer has them straightened out again but be careful how warm you let it get

pugnacious · Jul 24, 2014

oh no! im in the uk, mine is in my boot now and has been all week! was that the phantom or the taco that melted?!

RichW · Jul 24, 2014

It was the taco gimbal arms that melted. From the weight of the camera alone it was enough to warp both out of shape

Mal_PV2_Ireland · Jul 24, 2014

Ouch, yep its been hot here too. 27 degrees yesterday and 29 today. I had mine in the van all day yesterday and took it out for a flight and the gimbal went nuts, altoight that has happened before which I put down to being beside the speaker in the van door. Recalibrated it when I got home and it seemed fine. Havent flown since but will check tomorrow morning. You could probably add 20 to 25 degrees Celsius of the outside temp to the inside of a vehicle with the windows closed and in direct sunlight. Yep very good warning, thanks for the heads up. We dont get heat that often so it wouldnt be the first thing on oir minds. I'll share this now on my local fb flyers page.

DKDarkness · Jul 24, 2014

RichW said:
It was the taco gimbal arms that melted. From the weight of the camera alone it was enough to warp both out of shape

I guess they are still printing the parts in PLA. ECO friendly (it is basically sugar), but will melt when hot. You might be able to use the MotorPixie 2D gimbal ABS parts as spares, if you have access to a 3D printer.

Mal_PV2_Ireland · Jul 24, 2014

Hey I think its a very good warning that should be made a new post, although you may not have any 3d printed parts who knows what else could fail in your phantom.

RichW · Jul 24, 2014

Ironically I'm now getting steadier footage than before. I found every single nut / bolt was loose when I started dismantling it to sort it out. Now its all back together and lock tight secured the footage is rock solid

I had similar thoughts about printing replacement parts and already looking at the motorpixie stl files. We have an open fabrication workshop nearby where you can go along and make things and all you pay for is material and small charge to use the equipment. Worth popping along and having a chat with them I think.

I'd also wondered about replacing those parts with carbon square tubes. Experiment time I think