Zenmuse H4-3D swap from H3-3D on P2v2

[KrasherX]

I posted these questions on another forum before I found out about this one and thought, since this is a DJI Phantom-specific forum, I'd have better luck here. As you may be able to tell, I'm new to drones and electronic gimbals in general.

I have been using a P2 v2 with H3-3D bundle with a Hero3 Black so far. I just ordered a Hero4 Black and wanted to know:

Is the H4-3D model shown here (http://www.amazon.com/DJI-Zenmuse-H4-3D-Gimbal-Phantom/dp/B00SG9D3IS/) a complete drop-in replacement for the H3-3D?

Will I need anything else to get my Hero4 balanced on my existing P2 (like a H4-3D GCU http://www.amazon.com/Zenmuse-H4-3d-Gimbal-Control-Unit/dp/B00U6OHN5U/)?

Will the Hero4 and H4-3D sufficiently clear the ground using the stock P2 landing gear? My Hero3 with H3-3D barely clears and the LayerLens actually touches the ground during startup.

 

[QYV]

yes, that $399 item is a complete gimbal setup (for Phantom 2), everything you need to replace the H3-3D.

You do NOT need the separate GCU on a DJI Phantom 2 series quadcopter.
(you DO need the separate GCU to run a Zenmuse gimbal on any other multi-copter)

GCU (gimbal control unit) has nothing to do with the "balance" of the GoPro in the gimbal if that's what you were asking. Do you understand what "neutral balance" is?
The only differences between the H3-3D and H4-3D are:
1) H4-3D should already be neutral balanced with the weight of a Hero 4 mounted, as opposed to the H3-3D where you simply need to check for balance and add some counterweight
2) since the settings/wifi button on the Hero 4 sticks out a bit where the Hero 3 does not, the mounting plate of the H4-3D is designed not to press that little button.

There is/was a lot of variance in the production of the H3-3Ds... some people could mount a Hero 4 in there and the settings/wifi button was never pressed... others it was super tight and the button was always pressed. Same goes for balance: doesn't matter which gopro you're running on what gimbal, you should always manually check for neutral balance and add counterweight accordingly. In the H3-3D family there was quite a bit of variance, one person's gimbal would be perfect but many people's were completely off when mounting hero 3.

it's really not that hard to lightly modify a H3-3D to accommodate a Hero 4... usually a little counterweight will do the trick for balance and/or removing the battery from the hero 4 makes it almost exactly the weight of a the Hero 3. The "hardest" part is the settings/wifi button, I personally used a dremel and just nicked the metal in the right spot until the button was no longer pressed. just nicking the metal slightly is harmless as long as you are careful not to get any metal shavings into the nearby motor. I had a friend hold a vacuum cleaner right there as I worked, took me literally 2 minutes.

on the other hand if you don't care about $400 and/or you want to sell the H3-3D on Ebay afterwards where they still command a very good price (usually between 250-300 for perfect condition and all peripherals) and don't mind spending the time... go for the H4-3D.

 

[KrasherX]

Thanks for the detailed response. This was exactly what I was looking for.

The H3-3D that came with my bundle balanced my Hero3 perfectly...until I added a LayerLens to protect it, then I had to tape two Euro dimes to the counterweight to get it to balance correctly. By doing searches, I've already read about people doing the same thing to balance their Hero4s but I was worried that adding even more weight (two more dimes?) it might stress out the gimbal motor leading to early failure. Do you think this is a valid concern? Will 4 or more dimes (or 2 quarters or whatever) adversely affect the function and/or reliability of the gimbal? I mean, like any sane person, I'd really rather not flush $400 if the H3-3D can handle the extra weight without breaking.

 

[QYV]

If you take the battery out of the hero 4, it's pretty close to the same weight as a hero 3 with battery. Sure, now every time you power cycle the Phantom you have to turn on the gopro, but at least you won't have to add lots more weight to the gimbal.

I feel like you can tell if the motors are being overworked, they'll whine and screech and make unhappy noises. you certainly won't kill it right away so I'd say try the battery trick, counterbalance, then turn the Phantom on and move it around in your hands. If the gimbal isn't making terrible noises as it tries to hold position, you're good. If it sounds like it's really struggling go back to your original plan, get a h4-3d and sell the h3-3d on ebay to recover at least half your money back probably more

 

[KrasherX]

I'll definitely give that a try. I didn't know you could even turn on a Gopro with the battery out. I knew the H3-3D interface supplied power but I thought the Gopro was like a laptop: no battery, no power. Good to know that's not the case. Getting my first Hero4 delivered this Friday so I can finally get to try out smooth 4K video.

 

[QYV]

cool! for what it's worth, I prefer 2.7k 60fps over 4k when filming from the drone. Unless you have a 4k display or TV (which most people don't), you're never actually going to see that resolution when you play back videos. In my opinion, higher framerates make aerial videos look so much better and smoother.

of course experiment for yourself, I'm just sayin don't get too hung up on running 4k because it's the highest, 2.7k is wicked good

you'll probably need a firmware update there was one recently which unlocked 60fps in 2.7k, the original firmware only did 48.
(it also unlocked 240fps 720p)