Smoooth Operator Gimbal Controller
Contents
1. gyro not calibrated properly sensor temperature drift enable startup gyro calibration Miscellaneous gt Sensors tab if disabled do not move gimbal plate during statup enable Temperature compensation everything is wrong inconsistent or wrong settings reset all controller s settings to the default using Tools gt Reset settings menu item Specification Controller Working current 110mA Weight 25g Sensor Working current 10mA Weight 15g Features PWM outputs 50 100 200 400Hz switchable refresh rates Infrared trigger 33 36 38 40 56Khz and constant carrier rates supported Angle accuracy max 0 01 user selectable2. Hardware Technically speaking controller board is manufactured in Europe with the use of fully automated production line so the risk of possible failure is significantly reduced v npe Controller hardware with the main parts marked is presented on the following pictures 1 main voltage main voltage USB transmision LED stabiliser status LED status LEDs external USB port status LEDs x radio RX pwr sw BINI 4 Ha tee radio 1 main power GND pe LH radi 10 17V Di 5 radio 4 video switch l 3in 1 out roll servo 1 roll servo 2 jm tilt servo 1 tilt servo 2 pan servo 1 pan servo 2 x E v AUX servo 1 IMU port ar ss AUX servo 2 video switch status LED reed switch 3in 1 out main processor servos power line J External IMU To calculate camera position controller uses external sensor called IMU consisting of 3 axis gyro and accelerometer which can be placed directly on the camera plate so called advanced mode or just on the gimbal frame aka simple mode IMU module is a very sensitive device and has to be placed in a possibly vibration free area and away from any sources of radiation transmitters etc Ideally in the advanced mode sensor board should be mounted near the center of the camera plate which in most cases means just under the camera Of course you have to check if wires between IMU and the controller are not limiting gimbal move
3. Input tilt 3 Servo middle plus assigned Input response in 100 range Input rate 1 Servo middle plus assigned Input response in Rate mode limited to 10 range Input rate 2 Servo middle plus assigned Input response in Rate mode limited to 10 range Input rate 3 Servo middle plus assigned Input response in Rate mode in 100 range Stabilization is working only if Stab disabled field is blank no option set Mechanics tab Inputs Outputs Assignment Tuning Mechanics Miscellaneous Controller Monitor Gimbal model rStabilization PIDs Roll l Tilt rPan Cinestar II b Preset Preset x Preset a 7 Warning Servo movements may get unstable E D D during manual tuning Before tuning pids reset Aggressivity to 40 Smooth to 0 Sensitivity to 90 and Speed to 100 on the Tunning tab If you can not tune your gimbal to work F properly consider 300 s0 jio using faster servos 300 60 1100 EA so 100 fioo fio4 fzo 200 with more torque Maximum I 200 Maximum I 200 Maximum I 2005 and less deadband Center aligned Center aligned Center aligned Jv Functionality of this tab is very important when using advanced mode refer to the Select IMU Algorithm Type B 7 Algorithm Type B x Algorithm Type B 7 D placement paragraph or pan axis stabilization and has direct impact on the stabilization loop outp
4. Level gimbal manually and push Start button MENNNNNNNNNI Allows instant accelerometer roll and tilt base levels calibration Gimbal plate with the IMU board has to be leveled to perform calibration and must not be moved during that process After calibration is done all changes to the controller are saved automatically Note that this function sets horizon only in the advanced mode in the simple mode you have to refine horizon using trims at the Tuning or Outputs tabs Note that Roll and Tilt trims at the Tuning tab are reset during level calibration Temperature compensation Bl Compensation Consult manual before performing sensor temperature calibration Temperature too high to start calibration N ul Sensor temperature Calibrate Compensation window lets you calibrate IMU sensor to compensate angles temperature drift which is especially noticeable in the below zero conditions Before final calibration you should perform a few IMU freeze heat cycles best done in 20 C 40 C range to smooth out sensor readings Next cool down IMU module to the temperature below 10 C 20 C recommended place it in the horizontal position connect to the controller and hit Calibrate button Remember to not move the sensor during the whole process At first let the IMU to heat up slowly but when the temperature is over 20 C you can use an external heat source such as lamp to warm it up to the final 35
5. calibration end changes have to be saved manually using SAVE SETTINGS button Outputs tab Inputs Outputs Assignment Tuning Mechanics Miscellaneous Controller Monitor rRoll i amp 2 rTit 1 amp 2 rPn1a2 rAw 1 rAux2 r Invert Invert Invert Invert Invert Invert Invert Invert E E E a a a E a overwrite Max Max Max 20004 20004 2o00 oo 2004 2o04 2o04 oo Servo test Max Max Max Max Max 2 2 x z B B Min Min Min Min Min Min Min Min joo oo ooz joo ooz joo 10004 joo Trim Trim Trim Trim Trim Trim Trim Trim dl oF dl oF dl of Ad ra Refresh Refresh Refresh Refresh Refresh 50Hz 7 50Hz z 50Hz z 50 Hz 50 Hz Outputs tab gives you direct view on the PWM output servos values refer to the PWM outputs section It means each slider shows signal level that is being currently send to the corresponding servo Output gt Invert inverts output value servo will move in the opposite direction Output gt Min minimum output value that is allowed in microseconds Output gt Max maximum output value that is allowed in microseconds Output gt Trim trim for the middle output value in microseconds Output gt Refresh refresh rate for the PWM signal higher means better but servo must support it Overwrite allows to manually overwrite output values by moving the sliders Test opens Servo
6. degrees Axis gt Stab disabled disables stabilization when selected using specific Disabled Types Axis gt Aggressivity scales response from the stabilization algorithm higher value means more aggressive response to the angle deviation too high value can cause instability and oscillation particularly for rapid shifts in case you are maxed out set to 50 and try to retune you PID values Axis gt Smoothing applies smoothing filter for stabilization algorithm higher value means more filtering and more fluent response too high value can cause instability and oscillation particularly for rapid shifts Axis gt Sensitivity sets algorithm sensitivity for small angle changes higher value means higher sensitivity and possibly better response resolution higher sensitivity will need servos with better resolution and lower deadband higher sensitivity will need gimbals with better precision and higher gear rate too high value can cause permanent servo play and jittering Axis gt Speed limits maximum angle change rate aka stabilization speed can be used if you don t want fast transitions Disabled types are as follows PWM off turns off PWM on both servos most servos will move freely Servo middle sets both servos to middle Outputs trim Input tilt 1 Servo middle plus assigned Input response limited to 10 range Input tilt 2 Servo middle plus assigned Input response limited to 50 range
7. disable stabilization or change trim angle without the need for connecting the configurator In the simple mode where IMU is fixed to the gimbal frame refer to the Select IMU placement paragraph Proportional values are to be experimentally set for the roll and tilt axes to achieve best hold of the horizon It is highly advised that you should start with the frame mode first Using the advanced mode IMU at the camera plate you must first ensure right PID s are configured on the Mechanics tab and stabilization is at least roughly working before starting the fine tuning process Profiles group lets you create switch and finally remove profiles which simply are the named sets of settings from the Roll Tilt and Pan panels To create new profile just set all settings as desired and click Create button Then name field will appear where you have to input unigue name for your profile and finally push Save button The same button you will have to use in case you are going to update your profile s configuration Remember that after you modify profile which is already assigned to the input channel you have to use global SAVE SETTINGS button to make changes persistent in the controller also Profile named default means no custom profile was selected and controller is using base settings You have to be aware though that profile list is stored locally that is in the folder where configurator application is placed That means may not be visible aft
8. displays version of the controller s firmware and messages that are results of executing particular actions of the configurator errors are marked red SAVE SETTINGS button saves all changes made to the controller in its persistent memory so has to be used before disconnecting if you want them to last after controller s restart Connect CI x Choose proper COM port and push Connect Select COM port z I add extra wait time Before opening this window you should connect the controller and wait some time till the computer recognizes it and installs its communication port After that you can select appropriate port and hit Connect button In case of the connection error you can check if add extra wait time function helps or retry using another USB port If there are no available ports on the list verify if port is visible in the system device manager and if so look for errors in the application s log folder Important thing to note is that during connection is being made sensor calibration occurs the same way as during normal power up if startup calibration is selected Thus you should not move IMU plate till connection window closes itself or disable startup calibration on the Miscellaneous tab Select IMU placement Select IMU placement gimbal front Mounting type camera lens c piaia C frame IMU orientation normal C inverted FRONT quadframe Wires direction C front C right rea
9. inclination change for one wheel step To start controlling gimbal movement using a mouse you have to left click on the center of the small black box placed in the middle of the controller pad The magenta dot and the pink bar are indicating real horizontal vertical and wheel inputs position which are calculated using corresponding smooth factors Note that stabilization disabled types on the Tuning tab must allow gimbal to move similarly as in the normal operation mode Features group allows to instantly call some of the controller s features namely change one of the assigned profiles switch to one of the assigned inputs trigger infrared sequence for LOW or HIGH states and close in build relay switch What s more you can even assign shortcut keys to the listed functions by placing the cursor over the current shortcut key in the rectangular brackets and pressing alternate one on the keyboard Finally using select fields in the last column you can define mouse buttons that will trigger selected functions Both shortcuts and mouse buttons will work only if controller pad is active which means after left click on the center of the controller pad You can deactivate controller pad and release mouse cursor by pressing X button on the keyboard If you want to maintain activation state for the longer time just hold the appropriate key button for more than two seconds and then release it Movements Axis selects axis bound to the
10. mouse function Movements gt Smooth sets smooth factor for given function Movements gt Wheel amount sets move amount for the one wheel step Features gt Profile selects active profile from the assigned ones Features gt Video selects active video input from the assigned ones Features gt Trigger L triggers infrared sequence assigned to the LOW state Features gt Trigger H triggers infrared sequence assigned to the HIGH state Features gt Switch activates reed relay Monitor tab Inputs Outputs Assignment Tuning Mechanics Miscellaneous Controller Monitor Axis zoom x ag Monitor tab displays live output from the gyro and accelerometer sensors Thus you can monitor whether they are working and returning reasonable values For your convenience you can even select the graphs you want to show and change its scale using Axis zoom field Charts group selects group of charts to display Chart selector selects individual charts to display Axis zoom scale factor for displayed charts Initialization After unboxing the controller you have to gently connect it with the sensor board and plug to the computer using supplied mini USB cable Then onboard leds should start to blink and the operating system will install FTDI drivers to make the new communication port COM available After that you should unpack configuration program to the folder where it can be e
11. pot you must ensure it is not moving at all at this stage Otherwise modify Trim value for the first output Roll 1 to find the real servo center at which the servo is not rotating If everything is ok at this stage you are ready to enable stabilization for the first axis but before doing this disconnect servos power for security reasons Then go to the Tuning tab and select first empty item on the Stab disabled list for roll axis and return to the Outputs tab Now you can carefully power the servos but if roll axis and the corresponding output slider will immediately start to run in one direction without any sight of stabilization you have to quickly depower the servos to avoid mechanical damages In that case you have to enable Invert checkbox for 1 output to revert servo direction and try to power the servos once again After stabilization is roughly working for the first axis you should switch to the Mechanics tab and tune PID s values to achieve best result refer to the Mechanics tab paragraph Finally repeat above steps for the other axes and refine the stabilization with the Tuning tab At the end you can connect your RC receiver Calibrate it and assign to the appropriate features Troubleshooting Problem Possible cause Action needed configurator did not start Java 1 6 or later not installed operating system problem install Java JRE 1 6 or later check error log files in the log folder cou
12. use Infligtor mode that allows you to modify PID parameters from your radio during flight Such function is available at the Miscelanous tab refer to the Miscellaneous tab section Gimbal Model selects preset for the particular gimbal model Axis gt Preset selects preset for the particular gear type Axis gt Algorithm selects stabilization algorithm to use Axis gt P proportional part of the stabilization algorithm Axis gt integral part of the stabilization algorithm Axis gt D derivative part of the stabilization algorithm Axis gt Maximum I maximum value of the integrated error due to factor Axis gt Center aligned if checked outputs are not incremented for servos without pots Roll and Tilt panels are disabled if mounting type is set to frame at the Select IMU placement window simple stabilization mode Miscellaneous tab Inputs Outputs Assignment Tuning Mechanics Miscellaneous Controller Monitor Sensors Voltages _ Inflightop Filter levels Current values Activation Gyro filter Level 1 v Controller av Tuned axis Roll Accel filter Level 3 Servos 0 0 V Tuned tab Tuning x Dynamic filtering I Voltages constraints Controller min 0 0 v o4 s4 Startup calibration i z Aggressivit Min Max Zero gyro readings M Servos min 0 0 v 99 H Zero roll amp tilt levels D I z gal Da Disabled typ
13. C If you get Temperature out of range message after you connect frozen to below 20 C IMU module just wait until the temperature increases to start calibration Note that the calibration data is stored in the controller and valid only for one IMU module so if you change the module you have to recalibrate Calibration data is erased after you reset the controller using Reset settings menu function Controller tab Inputs Outputs Assignment Tuning Mechanics Miscellaneous Co Fj Monitor Ia Horizontal Pan foo Vertical rite fo Wheel Roll 0424 Joo r Features Profile A default Video B disabled x Trigger L C OFF Left 5A Trigger H D OFF mid 2 Switch E OFF Right m rHint Ne Click on the center box to start The Controller tab lets you control some major functions of the device without the need to assign them to the input channels using the Assignment tab What s more current assignments are disabled when this tab is open Using the Movements group you can configure the way mouse motion will transfer to the gimbal movement Thus you can set gimbal axis for the Horizontal and Vertical mouse shift and also the axis which will correspond to the mouse Wheel scroll For each axis smooth factor second field can be applied as well to make gimbal movements more fluid Wheel setup has the additional field added to specify amount of axis
14. Smoooth Operator Gimbal Controller User Manual v1 2 Disclaimer For whom the controller is intended If you fly multicopter or other RC model if you have an experience in pilotage if you can make correct movie without vibrations etc if you have patience to read the manual if you can solve technical problems alone this controller is for you It helps to improve the quality of movies offering many additional features like camera shutter control switching signals from several video cameras etc For whom the controller is not intended If you are beginner pilot and have a problem with pilotage your movies are full of vibration and shocks you can t operate your model smoothly don t have the basic skills modeler you don t know how the Tx Rx BEC servo etc is working you don t have the patience to read the manual like this this product probably is not intended for you Remember that our controller isn t ready to fly before using it it s necessary to read the manual and to spend some time setting the proper parameters of the controller If you don t have enough time or patience DON T BUY IT What we DO NOT promise We don t promise a magic This controller is the electronic system not a magic wand If your movies are full of vibration and you can t operate your model smoothly movies done with gimbal and controller will be probably even worse Support As producer we don t offer direct technical support by pho
15. TX and sensor calibration leds should blink during connection is made and after that Inputs tab should open Remember not to move sensor plate while calibration led is blinking otherwise stabilization angles can drift Warning do not connect any servos at this time just IMU and USB cable After initial setup is done and controller is correctly configured to work with your gimbal you don t have to disconnect power from the servos to connect to the configurator Furthermore all changes made in the configurator are instantly transferred to the controller and activated Though do not forget to save changes permanently using SAVE SETTINGS button before disconnecting If any configurator error occurs its details should be written in the application s log folder so you can send files from there to the manufacturer for debugging purposes Overall MAr File Tools Help Inpt Reset settings Tuning Mechanics Miscellaneous Controller Monitor IMU placement rir t3 Input4 Input 5 Input6 Input7 r Input83 m Update software invert Invert Invert Invert Invert Invert Reflash controller a mi is mi al Overwrite v Check for update z Sa v Check for presets alibrate v Check for cameras amp x 2 5 AEE EEEE A 3 3 Ey 3 2 3 3 i rim Trim Trim fara o Pos Sof Ss Smooth Smooth Smooth Smooth Sm
16. asily accessible We recommend doing this on the removable drive e g pendrive to make switching to other computers simpler remember that some controller s configuration data is stored directly in the application folder Finally run the program and make connection to the controller active by clicking the Connect button and selecting appropriate communication port To verify if sensors are working properly switch to the Monitor tab and make sure all graphs are changing their values when moving the sensor board After initial testing is done unplug the USB cable and install the controller at the gimbal frame For now it will be enough to fasten the sensor board at the camera plate and connect all servos to their output pins Ideally IMU board should be placed somewhere near the middle of the plate e g just below the camera and of course in one of the supported positions consult External IMU paragraph for more information Roll axis servo has to be connected to the output pin 1 tilt axis servo to the output pin 3 and optionally pan servo to 5 Very important thing is not to power the servos until it will be clearly written to do so After everything is firmly fixed connect the controller to the configurator select your current IMU board orientation using the Select IMU placement window and save changes with the SAVE SETTINGS button We are strongly suggesting that you should start with the frame mode IMU sensor set on the frame because it
17. e for sure will help you solve it Please remember to respect someone else s time so first read the manual then eventually ask for help if you are still confused Introduction Smoooth Operator is an advanced electronic device designed to stabilize camera gimbals with up to three axes It has built in presets for the major types of gimbals available on the market e g Cinestar Photohigher Photoshipone Moreover stabilization algorithm can be tuned via the configuration program to suit almost all gimbals including hand made ones All axes can be controlled manually with the standard RC receiver using normal or rate mode In the normal mode inclination angle is directly proportional to the stick position while in the rate mode stick position determines angle change rate Roll axis can be controlled in 40 range and tilt pan pitch yaw in 360 range which means can perform continuous rotation Additionally controller is packed with a bunch of extended features like infrared trigger video switch electric relay and more All of them are handled and can be tweaked by the configuration tool hereinafter called the configurator Basics e external IMU 3 axis MEMS gyro and accelerometer e 8 PWM outputs 50 100 200 400Hz selectable e 4PWM inputs 8 channels in PPM mode e 3tol video switch high speed low glitch switching e infrared trigger experimental learning capability e reed relay galvanic isolation high speed
18. er to the PWM inputs paragraph you have all eight channels active and only four otherwise Input Invert inverts input value Input gt Trim adds subtracts selected amount from the input value in microseconds Input gt Smooth smoothes input value by the selected factor PPM controls PPM support on Input 4 disable in case of problems with the ordinary PWM Deadband introduces a deadband to the channel reading to eliminate noise in microseconds Overwrite allows to manually overwrite input values by moving the sliders Calibrate opens Calibrate inputs window Calibrate inputs Catorateinputs E Reset sub trim s expo s etc and move all regulators from min to max position to setup input boundaries Calibrate function should be activated if you want controller to know actual ranges and middle values of the input channels Namely at the first run and every time you change radio or its settings Before doing calibration you should reset all radio settings e g trims expos ranges to the default Calibration process is done in two steps At first channel ranges are determined so you have to move all regulators from min to max position while progress bar is visible In the second step input readings boundaries are corrected in case middle input value is not exactly in the half way of the min and max position Correction is made only if deviation is small so you don t have to center knobs etc After
19. er you connect the controller to the different instance of the application Using tuning panels for the roll tilt and pan axes you can modify simple mode s proportional factor base inclination of the gimbal plate disable stabilization and at least fine tune the way controller will respond to the gimbal movements Fine tuning is a very subtle process and often has to be done in case of the new camera model weather conditions or even flight style changes Fortunately it is often enough to change only Agressivity setting but in some cases there is also a need to modify PID variables on the Mechanics tab advanced mode only or pan axis To perfectly refine tuning settings you can use Infligtor mode that allows you to modify Aggressivity Smoothing and Sensitivity factors from your radio during flight Such function is available at the Miscelanous tab refer to the Miscellaneous tab section Profiles Profile List selects current profile Profiles gt Create displays the new profile Name field Profiles gt Name defines name for the new profile must be unique or profile will be replaced Profiles gt Save creates updates profile configuration Profiles gt Remove deletes current profile from the list Axis gt Proportional horizon hold factor simple mode only IMU on the gimbal frame 0 means no stabilization negative value means inverted response Axis gt Trim base level changes base plate position in
20. erimental function that enables the controller to learn new infrared sequences from the existing remote To do that you have to select the NEW option from the cameras list last one Technical aspects of the infrared function are described in the Infrared trigger section Note that direct sunlight can blind IR receiver module in the camera so it may not respond to the command send by the controller Input field selects input that will be assigned to trigger infrared Interval sets activity interval in seconds if trigger state hold set O for continuous and 99 for single Low selects command that will be assigned to the input s LOW state High selects command that will be assigned to the input s HIGH state Learn IR seguence Learn IR seguence x Connect IR receiver to the Input Pin 1 press Learn and trigger desired function with IR transmitter Name Freguency mA Learn Try Save Learn IR window can be opened from the Trigger or Panorama cameras list It is an experimental feature so you must understand we cannot guarantee it will work in every case First thing you have to do is to prepare IR receiver unit and connect it to the PWM input pin 1 In the scenario where IR carrier is modulated with frequency in 33 to 56Khz range as in most IR remote controllers receiver schematic is relatively simple and costless Unfortunately there are also remotes where carrier is not modulated at all e g Cano
21. es Smoothing Min Max Instant calibration Roll disabled H 54 100 Gyro zero readings Sensitivity Min Max Tilt disabled v Accelerometer levels hd HIGH z 5 Pan disabled v Temperature compensation Save State Miscellaneous tab lets you configure three separate groups of the controller s functions Sensors group can be used to configure sensor reading filtering properties change startup calibration procedures and at last run instant calibration routines You may want to raise sensors filtering levels in case IMU board is exposed to high frequency vibration and stabilization behaves abnormally Otherwise you should set Gyro and Accel filter field value possibly low to achieve maximum gimbal responsiveness lower value means less filtering and quicker response Be aware that too high value can cause angles drifting and improper stabilization Dynamic filtering algorithm can be activated in case you prefer aggressive style of flying and noticed that gimbal levels are getting fuzzy Zero gyro readings checkbox is active by default what means every time you power on the controller or connect it to the configurator gyro sensor s zero level will be calibrated red led will blink Thus you cannot move IMU board and the whole gimbal till controller will fully initialize If you don t want to be concerned about motionless startup deactivate that option You must be aware though gyros are very sensitive devic
22. es and calculated angles can drift if not properly calibrated You can also enable startup calibration for roll and tilt axis using Zero roll amp tilt levels fields but doing this you enable controller to hold roll and tilt levels that are set on the startup advanced mode only You can also instantly reset gyro zero and accelerometer levels using the Instant calibration panel Note that due to sensor temperature drift it is strongly recommended to leave controller on for a few minutes in the flight environment and then restart the controller to perform gyro startup calibration once again Voltages group allows you to monitor controller s voltages and additionally configure low voltage battery protection Minimum voltages constrains can be set using Controller min and Servos min inputs Whenever one of these voltages will drop below minimum green led will start to blink and disabled types will be activated If Disabled types are not selected stabilization will continue working Inflightor group enables you to perform gimbal behavior tuning during flight To set it up you must choose axis you want to tune using Tuned axis field assign input channels to modify selected properties properties group can be switched with the Tuned tab field and set Min and Max values to limit available ranges Lastly select input that will Save modified values if selected channel State is triggered To run controller in the Inflightor mode you have to toggle Activat
23. f a new version is available or version check fails relevant information is shown on the bottom status bar You can read about the changes in the latest version by placing the cursor over the product line After update is completed you have to restart the configurator and in case new Firmware was downloaded update the controller manually using Tools gt Reflash controller function Reflash controller Reflash controller x Select firmware version and COM port Push Upload to reflash controller Available firmwares ha COM ports com16 im Upload Close After new version of the firmware is downloaded by the Update software function you can upload it to the controller using this window We are sorry but for now that function works only on Microsoft Windows Inputs tab Inputs Outputs Assignment Tuning Mechanics Miscellaneous Controller Monitor Input 1 pInput2 Input 3 Input 4 Input 5 r Input6 Input 7 Input 8 Invert Invert Invert Invert Invert Invert Invert Invert E a ia fa oO Overwrite PEEEEE EI E E Trim Trim Trim Trim Trim Trim Trim 4 4 0 0 4 0 3 0 AH 0 Smooth Smooth Smooth Smooth Smooth Smooth Smooth Smooth PPM Disabled il oj ye w4 0 14 14 0 AH 0 e E Inputs tab is directly related to the controller s PWM inputs and displays values for all available input channels In case of using PPM signal ref
24. hanics and or Tuning tab Input field selects input that will be assigned to that axis Max angle sets max angle for the input control Rate mode sets angle change behavior Rate factor sets amount of angle change in rate mode AUX This module lets you assign input channels to move auxiliary servos at PWM outputs 7 and 8 If inputs are calibrated properly Inputs tab whole range of the regulator should correspond to the full servo range set on the Outputs tab with min and max values If you want to reverse servo movement just Invert assigned channel or appropriate output Servo 1 selects input that will be assigned to the output 7 Servo 2 selects input that will be assigned to the output 8 Profile This very important feature lets you assign input channel to switch between configuration profiles created at the Tuning tab Thus you can simply change gimbal behavior e g its dynamic trim angles or just enable disable stabilization during flight To use that feature just select adequate profiles in the subsequent fields that correspond to the input channel s low mid or high states Profile named default means no custom profile was selected and controller is using base settings Important thing to note is that function does not work if configurator is connected to the controller Input field selects input that will be assigned to switch profiles Low selects profile that will be assigned to the inpu
25. ion button save settings and restart the controller after disconnecting by depower power sequence To simplify tuning process you can simply connect Remzibi OSD ARDUv1 73 firmware to the controller s communication port TX RX GND and that way you will see values handled by the Infligtor right on the screen For security reasons all other inputs assignments at the Assignment tab will be disabled after Infligtor is activated Sensors gt Gyro filter selects level of the internal gyro filtering Sensors gt Accel filter selects level of the internal accelerometer filtering Sensors gt Dynamic filtering enables dynamic filtering algorithm Sensors gt Zero gyro readings enables gyro startup calibration Sensors gt Zero roll amp tilt levels enables accelerometer base roll and tilt levels startup calibration Sensors gt Gyro zero readings opens Calibrate gyro window Sensors gt Accelerometer levels opens Calibrate accel window Sensors gt Temperature compensation opens Temperature compensation window Voltages gt Controller displays controller main voltage Voltages gt Servos displays servos input voltage Voltages gt Controller min defines controller voltage under which controller will use Disabled types Voltages gt Servos min defines servos voltage level under which controller will use Disabled types Voltages gt Roll disabled selects disabled type for the roll axi
26. late inclination using your RC regulators you must assign appropriate inputs to the angles that are to be changed Primary thing to consider is whether you will use normal or rate mode to control each angle In the normal mode current angle directly corresponds to the regulator s position in range specified by the value of the Max angle field field value For example if the regulator is in middle position you will always get neutral angle If max angle is set to 40 and you ll move your regulator to the min position corresponding angle is set to 40 degrees from neutral Similarly for max regulator position angle will be set to 40 degrees from neutral In the rate mode by holding regulator off from neutral position you will be constantly adding or subtracting some amount of degrees to the current angle Rate of the angle change is proportional to the regulator s position and the value of Rate factor field Though max angle constrain Max angle field is still valid so you cannot exceed its value As you see in the rate mode middle regulator s position does not mean neutral angle but just not to change angle at all Do not forget to properly calibrate your radio using the Inputs gt Calibrate function before doing assignment if you haven t done it before Note that axis movements are coordinated by the same algorithms as the main stabilization so if you can not achieve satisfactory results it may be required to modify settings at the Mec
27. ld not connect to controller FTDI drivers not installed serial connection library error Operating system problem verify if new COM port is visible after controller is connected with the supplied USB cable manually install FTDI drivers check error log files in the log folder green status led is blinking voltages constrains reached examine Miscellaneous gt Voltages section red status led is blinking sensor communication errors check sensor cable move nearby transmitters away restart the controller green status led is on red status led is on performance issues check sensor cable restart the controller contact manufacturer green status led is off red status led is on serious hardware failure restart the controller contact manufacturer servos are not moving no enough voltage PWM outputs disabled verify if enough voltage is supplied examine Outputs gt Stab disabled fields stabilization behaves abnormally sensor calibration inaccurate incorrect IMU placement set sensor communication errors examine Tools 5IMU placement window calibrate sensor once again move nearby transmitters away restart the controller gimbal plate is off the horizon accelerometer not calibrated incorrect angle trims incorrect output trims calibrate levels at Miscellaneous gt Sensors tab correct angle trims at Tuning tab correct output trims at Outputs tab angles are drifting
28. ments and are free from entanglement Luckily there are many supported module orientations as described in the Select IMU placement paragraph Due to sensor temperature drift it is strongly recommended to leave controller on for a few minutes in the flight environment and then restart the controller to perform gyro startup calibration again PWM outputs Controller is equipped with eight PWM Pulse Width Modulation outputs so it can drive up to the eight servos Six of them are directly driven by the stabilization algorithm two for each axis and the last two are auxiliary and can be assigned to the input channels with the configurator Very important thing is to understand that due to the high demand on current of modern servos PWM outputs are not powered by the controller itself Therefore external voltage regulator must be used and connected to the PWM out voltage pins center and bottom to supply the servos You have to choose your regulator wisely keeping in mind one digital servo can draw several ampers dependent of the load External voltage should be in 5 10V range but if higher than 5V for faster more torque servo operation you should double check if all connected servos support that AUX servo 2 ff AUX servo 1 PWM inputs There are four PWM inputs on the controller so you can connect maximum number of four receiver channels to control gimbal movements and extended features If
29. ms that are available via the Algorithm field Basically there are three major types of them A B and C where each one has P factor calculated other way Consequently algorithms with the D suffix have slightly modified D factor calculation General type A is the most aggressive one and can usually be applied only if servo with internal or external pot is used Moreover for the higher gear ratios servo has to be very fast and with enough torque to quickly respond to the change of its PWM steering input Practically for that type only the P and D factors are to be changed during tuning Types B and C are more universal and should work even if type A cannot be setup to work without oscillations For this algorithms P and I factors play major role and it is often enough to modify them and leave D factor default Generally at first always try to modify P factor leaving remaining parameters at the default levels for the given type of the preset Then you can proceed to the next factor that is D for the A algorithm or I for the B and C algorithms Usually you will have to return to the P factor after that and repeat whole sequence some more times to fine tune axis behavior For servos without potentiometers you can enable Center aligned checkbox to inform the controller to not increment axis outputs by the value returned from the PID algorithm but rather add that value to the outputs middle position To perfectly refine PID settings you can
30. n and you have to use plain IR photodiode and some amplifier to handle that Note that infrared trigger function supports only seguences where carrier is modulated with 33 36 38 40 56Khz freguency or not modulated constant You also have to remember that the new IR seguence definition and the whole cameras list is held in the application folder not the controller Learn executes IR learning function Try sends received IR sequence to try whether it is working active only after sequence received Save adds IR sequence to the cameras list active only after sequence received Frequency selects carrier frequency for the transmission visible only after sequence received Name sets name for the new camera visible only after sequence received Panorama By using this feature you can automate making panorama photos or just simple 360 degrees look around effects while filming Ordinary panorama mode is chosen if you select appropriate IR sequence in the Camera field If this mode is activated by holding appropriate input state gimbal will move on the pan axis by the angle specified with the Factor field value After desired angle is reached controller will send IR sequence to make the photo wait for some time and then move on to the next angle unless full circle is made Remember to use short exposure times sometimes needs higher ISO sensitivity and manual focus set to infinite aka Landscape scene for best aerial pho
31. ne Skype e mail etc If you have any problems look for the solution in the manual or discussion forum Last if you can t solve the problem feel free to write to us if that problem really exist we will try to write the solution in our FAQ Except for exceptional cases we are not able to answer individual e mails with request for technical help Warranty We guarantee that controller works as manual described for 3 months from the date of purchase Failure that occurred during this period of time we will repair at our own expense In case of any damages done by the user for example because of wrong connections etc we can try to diagnose and repair at cost of parts and labor If controller is completely destroyed we can replace board with the new one at 1 3 of the stock price we don t cover parcel cost in that case Specifications and designs are subject to be changed without prior notice for further improvement Trademarks and product names used herein are for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective companies Thank you for purchasing of our controller We hope you will be satisfied and you will enjoy using it Before you start of using gimbal s controller you should read this manual first If you don t understand it try to read it again or ask for advice more experienced friends or you can also use discussion forum like RC groups Internet is endless source of information if you have a problem someon
32. nfrared remote you can use gimbal controller to mimic its functionality and for example send command to take a picture start stop recording or zoom in out To achieve that optional infrared transmitter must be connected to the IR port Configurator contains list of supported cameras amp functions and will be gradually updated by the internet update function What s more controller can learn new infrared commands but we cannot guarantee it will work with every remote control unit You can initiate learning process from within configuration tool after connecting IR receiver to the PWM input pin 1 Electric switch Controller is equipped with the reed relay that is galvanically isolated from the controller circuits so can handle relatively high voltage and current max 250V and 1A Relay can open close its circuit controlled by the input channel s data after doing appropriate assignment in the configurator Status leds There are several leds on the controller board to signal status of the major components Thus there is a yellow main power led yellow PWM outputs power led bi color USB connection transmit receive RX TX led and finally red and green controller status leds As of the controller status leds its outputs are duplicated to the external pins to allow connection of the bigger and more visible ones one bi color or two separate leds Meaning of the status led colors as follows e cons
33. ooth Smooth Smooth 4 w4 Tas 1 14 14 HA Deadband a Main window consists of the menu bar the central workplace area and the bottom status bar Menu bar has the following options File gt Connect opens Connect window File gt Disconnect disconnects from the controller File gt Import imports all controller settings from file all current values will be lost File gt Export exports all controller settings to file profiles are not exported File gt Exit exits configurator Tools gt Reset settings resets all settings of the controller to the default Tools gt IMU placement opens Select IMU placement window Tools gt Update software opens Update components window Tools gt Reflash controller opens Reflash controller window Windows only Tools gt Check for update verifies if controller or configurator update is available on connect Tools gt Check for presets verifies if Mechanics tab presets update is available on connect Tools gt Check for cameras verifies if camera s infrared codes update is available on connect Help gt About you know what Workplace area contains tabbed panels where functions that allow to tweak particular settings of the controller are grouped by type Content of the tabs are described in the next paragraphs Status bar consists of information block and the SAVE SETTINGS button Information block
34. r C left Accept IMU placement window is available only after the controller is connected to the configurator and is designed to define the actual placement of the IMU board Mounting type field is very important and configures the controller to use simple frame or advanced plate mode for the roll and tilt axes stabilization In the simple mode where IMU has to be fixed to the gimbal frame its not moving part only proportionals for roll amp tilt axes have to be set refer to the Tuning tab paragraph In the advanced mode aka plate PID loops are responsible for roll amp tilt stabilization so proper values are to be set for these axes at the Mechanics tab Pan axis requires PID tuning for both mounting types Horizontal arrow describes if board has normal or inverted position and vertical arrow means which way sensor wires go Very important thing is to disconnect power from servos or at least disable stabilization on all axes before changing placement s settings to avoid abnormal gimbal behavior Update components Update components x Click Download and follow instructions if new software version is available Configurator I Firmware Presets I Cameras Update Using this window you can internet update some parts of the configurator application in case any update is available from the provider Version check occurs while the connection to the controller is being made and i
35. s in case voltage is below minimum Voltages gt Tilt disabled selects disabled type for the tilt axis in case voltage is below minimum Voltages gt Pan disabled selects disabled type for the pan axis in case voltage is below minimum Inflightor gt Activation activates inflightor function Inflightor gt Tuned axis selects axis to modify Inflightor gt Tuned tab selects group of parameters to modify source tab Inflightor gt Aggressivity selects input to use for Aggressivity factor modification Inflightor gt Smoothing selects input to use for Smoothing factor modification Inflightor gt Sensitivity selects input to use for Sensitivity factor modification Inflightor gt Factor P selects input to use for P factor modification Inflightor gt Factor selects input to use for I factor modification Inflightor gt Factor D selects input to use for D factor modification Inflightor Save selects input to save modified values to the persistent memory Inflightor gt State defines input state to trigger Save function Calibrate gyro Catbrate ayo x Do not move gimbal during calibration AT Allows instant gyro calibration Gimbal plate with the IMU board does not have to be leveled to perform calibration but must not be moved during that process After calibration is done all changes to the controller are saved automatically Calibrate accel catbrate acel MEI
36. s setup is simple and gives very good results note that this mode works only for servos with internal or external pots If there already exists prepared settings file for your gimbal you have to import it using the File gt Import menu item and all desired options should be set automatically Otherwise you have to configure initial settings manually Configuration is dependent on the gimbal model and mode you are going to use Frame mode At first you have to be sure your servos have internal or external potentiometers connected to use that mode otherwise use plate mode You can now carefully connect power to the servos line and enable roll stabilization at the Tuning tab by selecting first empty item on the Stab disabled list Next move gimbal in the roll axis and at the same time change Proportional field value for that axis to compensate movement At last enable stabilization for the tilt axis and set suitable proportional value Now you can modify Aggressivity settings for both axes to fine tune gimbal behavior Plate mode Start from the Mechanics tab where you can select the model your gimbal is similar to or just choose single preset for every axis Then go to the Tuning tab and disable all axes first one Roll in that case with the Servo middle setting and the other two with the PWM off Now switch to the Outputs tab and carefully connect power to the servos line In case you are using servo without internal or external
37. t s LOW state Mid selects profile that will be assigned to the input s MID state High selects profile that will be assigned to the input s HIGH state Video You can utilize video feature in case you have connected up to three video sources to the controller and want to switch between them To use that feature just select adequate video inputs in the subsequent fields that correspond to the input channel s low mid or high states Input named disabled means video output is disabled blank Technical aspects of the video switch function are described in the Video switch section Input field selects input that will be assigned to switch video inputs Low selects video input that will be assigned to the input s LOW state Mid selects video input that will be assigned to the input s MID state High selects video input that will be assigned to the input s HIGH state Trigger Assuming you own infrared transmitter diode and the camera that is capable of receiving commands from the IR remote you can use that panel to assign commands to the input channel s low or high state Therefore you can trigger up to two separate functions on your camera To use that feature just select adeguate commands in the subseguent fields that correspond to the input channel s low or high states You can also configure the behavior in case trigger state is hold for some time with the Interval field Moreover there is also an exp
38. tant green controller is working properly slow blinking green controller or servos voltages are below constraints set in the configurator Refer to the documentation of Miscellaneous tab fast blinking red sensors are calibrating Very important thing is to not move sensors during this process otherwise calculated angles may not be accurate and can drift e slow blinking red some sensor s 12C bus errors occurred Check if IMU s wire is properly connected and no external interferences exist e g strong electromagnetic field e constant red controller program is halted due to serious hardware error If problem persist contact customer service More status leds color combinations can be found in the Troubleshooting paragraph EEN LED external status LED Configurator To initialize Smoooth Controller and setup for use with your rig you have to run configuration tool aka configurator It is very straightforward application written in Java so in general can be run on most operating systems that supports its native serial communication library Windows Linux Mac For now it was only tested on Microsoft Windows 2000 XP 7 though Configurator has no installer so it only needs to be unpacked from the archive and run using one of the dedicated executables After application windows appears just connect the controller with your computer using supplied USB cable and hit Connect Controller RX
39. test window only for servos with pots Servo test Ser test Select outputs you want to test use only for servos with pot it lt lt I w x xl E S B Pek ae Gah Start Close Servo test window lets you check if your servos are moving smoothly in their full range which means from the defined by the configurator min to max value Very important thing to note is that function will only work properly with the servos that have internal or external pot connected so for example pan axis servo will be probably not suitable Assignment tab Inputs Outputs Tuning Mechanics Miscellaneous Controller Monitor Roll Profile Max angle na rdefaut rdefaut defautt x Low Mid High Rate mode I Rate factor 3044 7 ideo Tilt raisabled 7 disabled z raisabled 7 Max angle 405 Low Mid High Trigger Rate mode Rate factor 3024 94 Low Interval High rPan Max angle oo Panorama a fa Poa eee Rate mode Rate factor 3044 Camera Factor LOW Mid High AUX Switch 4 1 E Low Mid High Servo 1 Servo 2 Hold Content of this tab is related to the controller PWM inputs that can be configured at the Inputs tab Here you can assign input channels to change inclination of each axis and to control all additional features controller provides Roll Tilt Pan If you want to alter camera p
40. to hold closed state after channel is released Low if checked relay will be activated if LOW state is set Mid if checked relay will be activated if MID state is set High if checked relay will be activated if HIGH state is set Tuning tab Inputs Outputs Assignment Tuning Mechanics Miscellaneous Controller Monitor Profiles Hints default zi After selecting right PID s use sliders to fine tune gimbal to suit your needs You can store settings in the named profiles and assign them to the radio inputs Profile list is stored in the application folder not in the controller Create Roll Tilt Pan Proportional 1804 Proportional 130 Trim base level 0 0z Trim base level 0 0 Trim base level 0 0 Stab disabled M Stab disabled M Stab disabled M Aggressivity ee Ba Jat St Tan Deel J Aggressivity Ke ea Teh a Ea Aggressivity mt ESCUT UNETE R Smoothing CE yaa SI Sa E VT Det E Smoothing Dag Ya INA Tana Ha S TR aj Smoothing ae pol Je ea DI Tag ee Sensitivity KONG eee WOR EN Hos teal F Sensitivity METE SEN NA AK OT iE Sensitivity OGLE see oy II Fe SA TA s F Speed Speed Speed ro Tuning tab allows you to tune gimbal behavior and additionally create some custom sets of settings and save them in a numerous profiles Furthermore up to three profiles can be assigned to the input channel and switched whilst in midair That way you can for example change gimbal responsiveness
41. tos experience Movie panorama mode is chosen if you leave Camera field blank In this mode gimbal will do full circle with the speed specified by the Factor field value Note that you have to hold activation state during the whole process unless function will be interrupted and gimbal will return immediately to its initial position Pan axis stabilization must not be disabled using PWM off type for the panorama function to work Be aware though that if other disabled type is set it will be automatically reset by the Panorama mode and therefore Pan stabilization must be configured and working properly Input field selects input that will be assigned to activate panorama Camera selects IR sequence that will be executed after angle reached Factor sets angle in degrees between photos or rate of rotation if camera is not selected Low if checked panorama will be activated if LOW state is held Mid if checked panorama will be activated if MID state is held High if checked panorama will be activated if HIGH state is held Switch To use that feature you have to assign reguired input and select which states will close the relay If you want to hold closed state for some time after input is released you can configure that using the Hold field Technical aspects of the switch function are described in the Electric switch section Input field selects input that will be assigned to activate switch Hold time in seconds
42. ut and thus on the behavior of your gimbal Luckily in most cases such configuration is reguired only once for each setup since further tuning can be made using the Tuning tab If you own one of the gimbals listed in the Gimbal model field it can be enough to select it and use presets that were prepared by the controller s manufacturer itself List of the gimbals will be gradually updated by the internet update function to handle new models In case your gimbal is not present on the list you can still use presets from the Preset field to set coarse configuration for every axis and then adjust PID parameters experimentally to achieve best performance Before changing PID configuration it s recommended to revert all changes on the Tuning tab to the defaults which means set Aggressivity to 40 Smooth to 0 Sensitivity to 90 and Speed to 100 Remember to be very careful during manual tuning and keep PWM outputs power connector nearby to depower the servos in case of major instability There is always a risk that despite many efforts and extensive PIDs tuning you will not achieve satisfactory results In that case you will have to rethink your gimbal s construction and for example change servos to faster models with more torgue less deadband and better resolution or even modify axes gears Eventually you should try simple stabilization mode refer to the Select IMU placement paragraph Finally a few words about the stabilization algorith
43. you need more channels you have to use receiver with the composite PPM Pulse Position Modulation output which should be connected to the input line 4 Doing this you are enabling controller to use all eight channels encoded in the PPM frame By default there is no voltage on the middle pin of each input connector in case you are powering your receiver from the external source Otherwise you can feed middle pin with 5V from the internal controller s regulator using jumper as shown below In that case you must be aware though that current draw on the input pins should not exceed 100mA in sum Be aware to remove the radio power jumper in case you connect external voltage to the middle pin radio Tx power jumper radio Tx 1 Video switch Controller is eguipped with the video switching capability which means you can connect up to three video sources e g two small FPV cameras looking straight and downwards plus the main camera and send selected one to the operator with the use of external video transmitter Additionally one of the inputs is designed such way you can directly plug in standard FPV camera and it will be powered by the controller itself Be aware though that pin is directly connected to the main power connector so its voltage will be the same as the input voltage in 7 20 V range camera 1 directly fro Infrared trigger Assuming your camera can be operated with the i
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