Aurora gimbal usable ?

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ersky9x was a port of er9x for use on the sky9x board.
DHDSP
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Aurora gimbal usable ?

Post by DHDSP »

I've read a couple of posts here on the forum on using the aurora 9 gimbals.

Is this supported by the ersky9x board ?

CU
Peter

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Tommhy
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Re: Aurora gimbal usable ?

Post by Tommhy »

I think for electrical connection you only have to solder the right connector for the pcb...
To take in place the two new gimbals is a not easy work. As said to me by Romolo, you have to build
a structure that lock in place the two gimbals, because the screw holes it's not the same...

I hope you understand me!

Sergio
DHDSP
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Re: Aurora gimbal usable ?

Post by DHDSP »

Thank you for the reply.

I was thinking more of the electrical connection - and the value of the pots.
If I remember correctly, the pots have a different value than the original gimbals - which would mean they result in less resolution (?)
The plan is to build my own enclosement - so the case is not a real problem.
SkyNorth
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Re: Aurora gimbal usable ?

Post by SkyNorth »

The ERSKY board will work with them.

The Pots provide a voltage output , to the A/D inputs , their value does not really matter... 5K to 50K
will work.
-Brent
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Re: Aurora gimbal usable ?

Post by DHDSP »

That's great, thanks !

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Tommhy
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Re: Aurora gimbal usable ?

Post by Tommhy »

DHDSP wrote:Thank you for the reply.

I was thinking more of the electrical connection - and the value of the pots.
If I remember correctly, the pots have a different value than the original gimbals - which would mean they result in less resolution (?)
The plan is to build my own enclosement - so the case is not a real problem.
I'm very curious about DIY encolesement for the t9x! I'm pleased if you want to share your project with us! ;)
Thanks!
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Re: Aurora gimbal usable ?

Post by Clivew »

"The ERSKY board will work with them.

The Pots provide a voltage output , to the A/D inputs , their value does not really matter... 5K to 50K
will work."
-Brent

I agree with that Brent, but the "type" of pots does matter.
I looked into this a while ago, if I remember the original sticks have 90 degree pots
whereas the aurora ones are 270degrees. As Mikeb pointed out, you can just
re-calibrate to get the movement range back, but with reduced resolution.
This can be put right with a software tweak with Ersky9x apparently!
Clive
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Re: Aurora gimbal usable ?

Post by Romolo »

The only advantage of using aurora gimbals with ersky9 is that (Mike please correct me if I'm wrong) the ARM ADC can go alternatively to 12 bit.
So what you loose on gimbals (they only go for 1/3 of ADC scale) you gain back by increasing ADC resolution.
Last edited by Romolo on Fri May 25, 2012 10:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Aurora gimbal usable ?

Post by Clivew »

Not sure how the sums work out, but would we have as good resolution as standard sticks or not with aurora gimbals,
given modified software? They certainly feel nice, the Aurora ones!
Another thought, would the standard sticks be better with 12 bit?
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MikeB
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Re: Aurora gimbal usable ?

Post by MikeB »

We are reading to 12 bit resolution on ersky9x, then shift right 1 bit to get 11 bit. Er9x reads 10 bit and shift left 1 bit to get 11 bit. If necessary we can improve on this to handle the lesser range of a standard pot.

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Re: Aurora gimbal usable ?

Post by SkyNorth »

Clive ,

There just happens to be differential A/D inputs on the Co-processor , and It can output a reference voltage as well...
These can be scaled to provide a full 10bit output across the pots limited movement range.
-Its like having a Swiss Army knife in your Radio..

-Brent
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MikeB
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Re: Aurora gimbal usable ?

Post by MikeB »

It also depends where on the POT you are, and if it is moveable. If the pot gives out a voltage that does not exceed half the supply, then the ARM can use a gain of 2 (internal) before it does the conversion (or even a gain of 4).

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Re: Aurora gimbal usable ?

Post by Romolo »

Aurora gimbals pots are not moveable...
They have a fixed position and at mid value the are at the mid of resistance..
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MikeB
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Re: Aurora gimbal usable ?

Post by MikeB »

Thanks for that, however I've just noticed it is not a problem, the analogue to digital convertor has a selectable offset as well as a gain, so we can handle an input that varies around the centre voltage, and we can also apply gain to it, what a nice, helpful chip!

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Re: Aurora gimbal usable ?

Post by Clivew »

SkyNorth wrote:Clive ,

There just happens to be differential A/D inputs on the Co-processor , and It can output a reference voltage as well...
These can be scaled to provide a full 10bit output across the pots limited movement range.
-Its like having a Swiss Army knife in your Radio..

-Brent
Brilliant analogy that, thanks :)

Now who is going to be brave enough to try fitting the Aurora sticks in a 9x?
I was thinking of making an adaptor plate from tufnol sheet if anyone remembers that?
It is laminated cloth, so you can split it to exactly the right thickness.
Think it still might be tight for depth in the case though :?:

Clive
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Re: Aurora gimbal usable ?

Post by olafnew »

I've just recieved mine Aurora 9 gimbals - as expected - no direct fit. Will try and design an adaptor plate for them to be fitted into the 9x radio. Please wait for a couple of weeks.
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Re: Aurora gimbal usable ?

Post by kitsen13 »

Hi,

Aurora gimbals fit in the 9x.
Mines work well, and it's not difficult to make the hack/

You have to :

- Unscrew the actual gimbals
- Enlarge a bit the gimbals hole
- Adjust Aurora gimbals by cutting some plastic which exceed on the new gimbal (like plastic screw hole etc...)
- Put some glue around the gimbal hole.
- Adjust the gimbals
- Solder the right wire pot to the right channel (reverse + and - on the pot to modify up/down or left/right direction)
- Calibrate and enjoy!

Nothing to compare the old gimbals!! :mrgreen:
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Re: Aurora gimbal usable ?

Post by Crucial »

Pictures! Pictures! Pictures!
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Totoff
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Re: Aurora gimbal usable ?

Post by Totoff »

I've just started to modify mine.
Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures, but I will as I still have the second gimball to make.

+ T9X's gimball Hole enlargement. There is only few to gain.. 2 minutes with sand paper were enougth
+ Gimball fixation. Iv'e cut a joint in the top a plastic CD Spindel that have the fshape of the gimbal and that is placed between external face of gimbal and internal side of T9x front.
The gimbal is screwed on this plastic layer.. wich is it self srewed on T9x using the 3 original screw holes.
+ I had to dremel a little bit non used platic screw holes on the gimbal bottow to gain the suffisent space to have the trim buttons' pcb to stay in place.

+ Made a solder beween original cables that and gimbal's cables.

-> Fisrt try was tricky as in fact one of the ELEV original cable broke at the connector on the PCB just below the Gimbal (where is also rudder trims)...
After fixing this. Everything works fine and is very confortable... Can't wait to try it outdoor in real conditions !

Pict: Aurora gimbal on the right side.
Image
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Re: Aurora gimbal usable ?

Post by DHDSP »

That sounds great ! Good luck on the first fligth :)
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Aurora gimbal usable ?

Post by Rob Thomson »

Do they come as a set of two? Or do you pay $20 per gimbal?


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Totoff
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Re: Aurora gimbal usable ?

Post by Totoff »

Unfortunately, It was sold per unit. :cry:
I didnt buy them from Lynxmmotion website found in another topic as Shipping costs to France were definitevely insanes (about 100$). :shock: :shock:

Found them in germany here.
Anyway I was planning to replace the right stick as I'm suspecting a strange behaviour on the original one (described in a support topic).

Edit: I've been able to make few flights outdoor this morning and This is fantastic ! Really love precision of control !
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Re: Aurora gimbal usable ?

Post by DonMoretti »

Did someone do the the mod to the software (10bit to 12bit ADC) yet?
Or do you guys who have modified the 9x with the aurora gimbals use the standard er9x?? -> Any difference noticeable if standard er9x with 10bit ADC?
thanks
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Re: Aurora gimbal usable ?

Post by DonMoretti »

or is it possible to switch the aurora pots to pots that are 90degrees like the standard 9x ones?
I also use the normal pcb, not the ersky board, is it even possible to switch the gimbals without the ersky board??
thanks
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Re: Aurora gimbal usable ?

Post by Iksbob »

DonMoretti wrote:is it even possible to switch the gimbals without the ersky board??
Yes. The voltage range that the aurora gimbals produce can be "stretched" out to what the '9x board expects by using an analog op-amp circuit. MikeB provided such a circuit on RCgroups:
Image
Which I doubled, made a PCB layout and posted earlier today:
iksbob wrote:
MikeB wrote:Here's a circuit to do a similar job.
The two 10K resistors (R30 and R31) provide a 2.5V reference source with a resistance of 5K. This 5K then combines with R32 (18K) to provide a gain of 3.6. To reduce the gain, just reduce R32, the gain is R32/5K, so 15K would give a gain of 3.
The MCP602 is a rail to rail op-amp.
For those interested in aurora gimbals, here's Mike's linear circuit tweaked, doubled (one board per gimbal) and put in single-sided PCB form for DIYers. (freePCB file attached)
Image
The white dots are a 1cm grid, so this thing is fairly tiny - the long dimension is under 1.25".

I breadboarded the circuit with an Arduino reading the voltages (haven't tested the PCB yet) and it worked great with the gain around 3 (a little under 15K resistance in practice). To make sure it's dialed in, I'm adding trimmer pots to the circuit. 14K of static resistance plus 2K pots yields 15+/-1K.

R01, 02, 04 and 05 are 10K 0805 resistors.
R03 and 06 are 14K 0805s.
The pots VR2 and 4 are intended to be Bournes 3303X-3-202E SMD trimmers.
IC1 is an MCP602 in SOIC8 packaging.

Power and ground in, scaled voltages out on CN01, gimbal pot connections on CN02.
Attachments
iksbob_gimbalAmp1.zip
(3.68 KiB) Downloaded 439 times
DonMoretti
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Re: Aurora gimbal usable ?

Post by DonMoretti »

Yes I know, thanks.
I already realized this mod and provided some infos in the same thread...
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MikeB
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Re: Aurora gimbal usable ?

Post by MikeB »

Is anybody using the Aurora gimbal on ersky9x? If needed I can add an option to add the internal gain and offset into the analog channels.

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Re: Aurora gimbal usable ?

Post by Peter »

Mike, would that mean that the pcb with opamp is not needed on ersky9x?
That would be a great option.

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Re: Aurora gimbal usable ?

Post by MikeB »

Exactly, we have a 12-bit ADC instead of 10-bit, so it could be OK without the gain and offset, but ading them in will improve things as well.

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Re: Aurora gimbal usable ?

Post by Clivew »

MikeB wrote:Is anybody using the Aurora gimbal on ersky9x? If needed I can add an option to add the internal gain and offset into the analog channels.

Mike.

Not yet, but will be soon Mike. I have a pair here.
Intending to try and fit that C&K rotary encoder jobby at the same time.
That looks like a pig of a job on the face of it. ;)
Given a pcb design I can start etching again I guess :roll:

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