Hi there, this week we have seen the release of the DJI Osmo handheld gimbal camera, which, as most people in the hobby will know, enables the camera handler to record super smooth and steady video footage even as you swing your arm or rotate/pivot. The RRP for this slick-tech is a smooth £549/$850. Throw in a selfie stick extension for another £43/$67 and it's quickly approaching almost £600/$1000!
Can we build this ourselves for ghetto cheap?
Behold! The Gh-osmo!
I built this about 6-8 months ago as an experiment to see if I could extened the usefulness of my DIY 3-axis drone camera gimbal that I have had for a couple of years. It works really really well, and I'm far and away pleased with the footage I get. Here's an example of footage:
(recorded at 1080p 60fps speeded up using Xiaomi Yi)
The quick list of features include:
- Xiaomi Yi Action Camera (Super-cheap sub-£50 2.5k camera)
I can live view, pause, record, snap and adjust with my smartphone, I can stop & record with the bluetooth remote, I can tilt using the PSP thumstick, I can extend the selfie stick for height footage, the gimbal is setup to follow-mode so that it, well, look that one up. Put it all together and you get something like this:
Costs were about 1/7th the cost (about £90/$140), but I already had most of the parts, and I just 3d printed the things I needed so I didn't actually pay anything more.
Looking at the code for the i6 updater file today, it's clear that there are two files uploaded to the i6 transmitter each file is 55kb and almost identical in code (I have not figured out the exact differences yet). A good guess would be to assume that one file is for the user menu that users experience, the second file is a backup for factory reset. *It might not be possible it is this way because the MCU is supposed to be 64kb storage so 55kb + 55kb = 110kb too large so I must look more why the updater has two files*
What does this mean? Potentially, it means there is more data for the user to use, more menus can be added (double the amount), and potential for er9x to be ported to this transmitter.
It seems that this transmitter is capable of PPM signal & Telemetry data between transmitter (Tx) and receiver (RX) using the ia6b receiver (is not included as a standard receiver upon purchase yet, but probably eventually), it is also feasible to assume that the transmitter can be hacked to allow full telemetry and more than 6 channels (potentially 16 channels for controlling all the switches, knobs, sticks, and not forgetting trainer port/headtracking channel on this remote.
Some progress is being made on modification of channel numbers here. there is also a need to experiment with the ia6b telemetry data - is it standard ibus or pwm or whatever being sent from tx to rx. Once this is understood it can be used to determine if the code needs to be encoded using an arduino mini in between the ardupilot and the receiver or can it just be sent 'as it is'.
It is potentially possible to not have to just hope for i6/Ardupilot telemetry displayed on the i6 transmitter menu. It is also potentially possible to add a HC-06 bluetooth module to the i6 (tx & rx) and send telemetry to a Droidplanner phone or tablet like it has been done with OrangeRX openLRS radios here.
Also what is the potential for replacing the i6 MCU with a Teensy? More RAM, better processor.
Update (telemetry possible):
Update: How to unbrick your i6.
ftdi diy connection
Update:
a straightforward Mod_i6_Programmer.exe has been created. Some testing to perform, but fingers crossed.
Update:
Hello, I have tested the Rclogger transmitter update on my flysky i6 and it installs just fine.
To perform this experiment you need to (how I did it):
1) use an ftdi adapter connected to the i6 transmitter:
3) Turn on the i6 transmitter using firmware mode:
4) Open app, Connect and press update, wait for update:
Result:
Please note that I am using my own ftdi adapter and not the official flysky/turnigy update adapter.
Please also let me know your update experiences.
You perform this at your own risk I am not responsible for your mistakes (However, I had no problems, you can also use the standard flysky updater exe to revert back to standard if you wish to)
Update:
I am now able to use a 18650 lion battery. I am using the Panasonic 3400mah NCR18650B cell, in a 1-cell holder, then soldered to the i6 +ive & -ive terminals. I can adjust the i6 power voltage reading to offset the cell alarm by using the secret menu. The aim is to set the voltage reading so that it triggers the alarm when the 18650 cell reaches 3.2v
Not a perfect solution, but means that the lithium cell won't be damaged. I figure that the flysky i10 uses a li-ion battery so it might be worthwhile searching for one of those cells to fit more easily. Maybe even a flat cell phone or camera lion cell, huawei lion + charger sets are available cheap on ebay
Update:
I designed and 3D Printed a battery holder for a cheap phone battery. A little rectangle hole must be cut to let the wire pass inside the i6 transmitter.
They now describe "Firmware upgrades are now available to expand the channel"
Which makes me think they are referring to my Github page for the Mod-i6 project which is a nice indicator that they are reading. It would be nice though, if they just released a developer code instead of just palming off updates to the community without releasing their programming code files, or even responding to my email requests for code. Protecting but not advancing?
It is thought that the APM (2.5/2.6/2.7/2.8/mini 3.1) board is now retired in favour of Pixhawk 32-bit flight controllers. However there are still many lovers of this flight controller still and many who still feel there are some small improvements to be made using the existing code and board schematic. An advancement on this board, for me, would be to remove the MPU-6050 invensense gyro + accelerometer sensor, and simply include the sensor as a separate board using micro/SMT - FPC & Molex connectors with a flex cable (usually seen in smartphones).
Why?
Internal Vibration Dampening. All in one box. Just like the Naza flight controller boards. In this day it astonishes me that nobody has implemented this. Well, actually, when you look at it from a western investment point of view, it makes sense in respect to how western PCB innovation has ground to a standstill (almost) because we expect china to copy and sell a cheaper version within 6 months of production, western investment is therefore ruined. So we are often relying on a few eager hobbyists to order a small production run on a small number of boards. Which is where I come in with my APM 3.2 mini board. Possible? Would you buy it? Please let me know your interest.
I finally got a 3D printer this month. The prices have come way down for the Fused deposition modeling (FDM) - type printers. I picked mine up for just short of around $200 usd. Now, don't get me wrong it was not a good piece of equipment out of the box. The power supply broke after just a few turns so I had to use an old 600w PC PSU which I charge my lipo batteries with.
The heating element (hotend?) also wasn't up to much to begin with as it seemed to leak, or clog up and require stripping, cleaning burning with a blow torch, and reassembling then recalibrating every fricking time it decided to break. in the first two weeks it had a serious clogging problem roughly 2 out of three print jobs. But eventually, I learned to adapt the hotend, stop the clogs, stop the leaks, and optimise the printer settings. Things such as layer height, infill density, print speed, retraction, hotend temperature, fan speed, all these things I have learned can affect the print quality or success/failure. I'm still sticking with PLA material because I do not have a heated bed yet, so I'm not using ABS just now. There are new materials appearing all the time now too. Materials such as a flexible ninjaflex, or a wood mix such as bamboofill, woodfill , and corkfill, there are many types of material described here & here if you have more interest in what they are and what they do.
I have been learning to use Repetier Host software to create printable files from 3d model files. I'm altogether happy with how it performs and it feels like a good all-in-one solution for hobby printers. I am also using a free version of Sketchup to make 3d designs quickly and *fairly accurately*. It has its own imperfections and several frustrations, however the learning curve was not as steep as I have experienced with 3d design software in the past (such as Blender & Lightwave eesh). I feel sketchup allows me to make simple geometric designs suitable for my simple FDM printer. I want practical objects that I either cannot buy in the shops, or that I can make more cheaply and more quickly.
I am limited to a small print diameter of 180mm, but I can print as high as 300mm depending on the model.
I have been designing things like I said earlier, for those objects that I can't buy in the stores yet, or which I could make more cheaply and quickly; and I have been posting these objects on my user page at Thingiverse. I'm not affiliating with any of these services or products by the way, it's just what I have used to get me printing. My designs are free to use for all, and not for commercial use or profit which I feel is a fair notion as we can now see on the internet, Chinese vendors who are now selling other people's designs ready made. I figure that once you put something onto the internet it is not secure and it becomes a wild west environment hey-ho.
I'm altogether happy with the printer now. It has taken work and has been frustrating at times but from general knowledge and practice it has worked and I'm producing new designs from the thoughts in my head, every few days, and that can't be a bad thing at all, in fact I'm quite taken by how the mind changes with regard to product and our understanding of it. We can so easily just think of an idea and create it, and it will be unique to your thoughts and requirements.
I whole heartedly recommend investing in a pair of measuring callipers
That is all right now.
Please feel free to ask me any questions or advice, and also please offer your tips.
