pan/tilt quad

By matthew saigon on Oct 27, 2021

22  743  10

it's a fun new experience.
i'm the first one to make it possible, a few days ago. so if you want to try it you have to build it yourself. because i'm not selling anything.

you see the giant canopy there. it's there for a reason. don't build one without it.
it's there to tell you where the camera position is, in relation to the frame.

part list:
this is the first time i've built pan/tilt gimbal, so i don't have much experience with it.
this setup is ok. i just put whatever i have around to build it. you can build it better.
TBS pro32 nano VTX has -/+ output, so you can connect camera -/+ wires there and make life easier.

connecting servo
first servo signal wire is connected to LED pad. ( which always work )
second servo signal wire is connected to TX pad ( in my case it is TX1 ).
about connecting to TX pad. different boards things got assigned differently, so you have to try all TX pads to see which one is working. if not you have to try different boards until you find one that is working.

i'm using 2g/servo for caddx ant lite ( 1.5 g). i think if you use 5g/7g camera you should use 3.7g or 5g servo.

how it feels
i've flown it for the first time for 3 days, so my experience is very limited.
it feels familiar until you start moving your head.
it feels very weird at first, but slowly you would get used to it.
the camera feels disconnected from the quad. it moves independently.
i've moved my head left and right a lot, but i don't move my head up/down at all or very little.

if you have any question, just leave a comment below and i'll try to answer it.

Photos

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Discussion

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Ewiley   Nov 09, 2021  

This looks really cool! Great work for a proof of concept. Do you have any more pictures of how you mounted the servo? It looks like mostly cable ties from what I can see.

matthew saigon   Nov 10, 2021 

i just uploaded a close-up picture. i mostly use zip ties to tie the servo to the bottom plate and together. the bracket to hold the camera i got it from cutting up a milk jug. i also drilled the bottom of the top servo, used a 1.6mm screw, so i can mount that bracket ( the white piece of plastic ).
zip ties
milk jug
wall-mount double sided foam tapes ( the white pieces between servo and bottom plate, and between servo. it's a bit firmer than normal double sided foam tapes )
upholster threads ( this thing is strong. i use it to tie down all sort of things )

Madcatmike3d   Nov 07, 2021  
1

Your flying has gotten a lot smoother lately. Getting super smooth on the sticks.

LynxFPV   Nov 02, 2021  
1

this build is really unique! the dvr footage is fun to watch. well made !!

Jodie Froster   Oct 31, 2021  

I have been wanting to do something similar to this, for about 5 years now. Yours looks SUPER fun with that roll hoop in view. Did you add the crossbar for the visual effect while in flight, or does it do something i'm not seeing?

matthew saigon   Oct 31, 2021 
2

the added crossbar is there to give you a visual cue, point of reference. the vertical bar is for left/right, the horizontal is for up/down. you cannot fly without it. i've used tilt to move camera up/down very rarely and slightly in very tight turns.

you should watch my video in slow motion and on a big screen, watch how the bar moving across the screen. it's moving like a windshield wiper.

Jodie Froster   Oct 31, 2021 
1

Fascinating

matthew saigon   Oct 31, 2021 

check out the very last frame of the video. that's when i used tilt and failed. with more practice i think i can utilize tilt better.

-X3-   Oct 28, 2021  

I want to do this for a while now, but I don't think I can use my Taranis X-lite to do it :-(. I have an headtracker in my Sky04X but no Trainer input in my TX...
Anyway, are you a biker ? I think it would feel similar to riding a bike... Nice job !

matthew saigon   Oct 29, 2021 

yeah it feels like riding a sport bike and carving. matter of fact, i've spent the last few days flying it and trying to understand how pan/tilt camera works on quads and i have this idea. this is a great setup to practice if you're planning on sitting in a quad in the future and flying it. people have a neck to turn their head and this thing has a neck to turn the camera to. i know it's a crazy idea 😊

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