Redesigned S800 and GoPro Zenmuse

[EBM]

Below are our copyrighted photos of the redesigned S800 platform.

I spoke at length with DJI, and it is hoped this version will be available in about 4 months.

1. The arms on this model are redesigned to be stiffer, no need for aftermarket arm stiffener solutions.

2. The gimbal is attached to vibration isolators which are then attached to the airframe.

3. The motors are more powerful and slightly larger.

4. The propeller hubs employ a split propeller with pivot points at each blade attachment.

5. The photos show the Zenmuse bracket that holds the new GH3.

The Ruling controller was nowhere to be seen, as they are still working on it, but they are also working on a separate system so they can offer a factory solution for a downlink, monitor, antenna, everything turnkey rather than owners having to piecemeal together their own solution.

DJI seems aware that it would be a popular feature to have a Zenmuse bracket that would allow different cameras to snap into a main gimbal bracket so as to offer more camera choices.

The DJI booth was large, quite crowded and very popular. One had to get past the gauntlet of dealers who frankly did not impress me with their product knowledge, one even stating matter of factly that the S800 flight times average a half hour!

I finally got to the Texas based DJI fellas and they sure knew their products inside and out, as they are not only S800 pilots, but pro aerial cine shooters too. Their competence showed very quick. These are the same guys who have a DJI profile on Vimeo and they have excellent, stable S800/Zenmuse GH2 footage of some guy on a ski-board on a lake with a small dam.

The prototype Zenmuse gimbal and vibration isolators for the GoPro 3 and the Phantom looks quite good too. I didn't have a chance to see that gimbal operate, just a static display.

I think a Phantom and GoPro3 with a planned sub $1000 Zenmuse GoPro gimbal will make a great pricepoint to get into decent serious hobbyist aerial shooting.

I have to say, I've seen an awful lot of multirotor gimbal footage, and most of the promo videos for gimbal manufacturers boasting how responsive their gimbals are seen slewing all over the place actually advertise an unacceptable level of camera movement, as you can see the top of the camera in relation to the horizon is still all over the place. The only gimbal footage I have been able to find online where the footage quality and stability is quite workable is with the really expensive Cinestar line and the DJI Zenmuse.

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[BorisS]

Good pics final proof that they are using Maxon motors

 

[Dewster]

I don't like their folding prop design. What keeps the props from folding on to itself? I had that happen on a quad in flight years ago.

I am interested in their new aluminum cased WKM.

 

[EBM]

I don't like their folding prop design. What keeps the props from folding on to itself? I had that happen on a quad in flight years ago.

I am interested in their new aluminum cased WKM.

I don't think it is possible to fold in flight...... centrifugal force.

I would be curious as to how one balance the props though.

 

[gadgetkeith]

for balancing blades

you would first weigh the blades individualy then put best maching pairs togeather

and then put then on a normal blade balancer

intresting would be the quality of the blade root out of production and how well they track

as with single rotor heli once balanced you then need to check the blade tracking

on a single rotor heli you can make fine adjustments in the swash head to get the blades to track perfectly

not sure how this could be done on that setup if there is a tracking issue

if blades dont track well then its another point for vibrations to come from

keith

 

[StarterH]

EBM,

How did the gopro zenmuse compare with photohigher AV130 + Skyline?

Did it seem adaptable to F450 or F550 applications?

Trying to decide if I should wait for the cheaper Zenmuse to come out before purchasing a gimbal.

 

[ProPilotWannaBe]

DJI posted on Youtube a video a few weeks ago with this Zenmuse "junior" for GoPro attached to an F550.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjC37FtQMmE

And here is DJI photos of the event as well:
http://www.dji-innovations.com/exciting-new-releases-at-nab-2013/

 

[StarterH]

Seems worth waiting to see final pricing. Drawback is that I can only mount a gopro hero 3 on it, photo higher can mount a lot of equipment.

 

[Serval]

S800 + GOPRO Example

 

[Dewster]

I think the folding prop design is a bad idea. I've seen it before. Rapid changes in throttle position or high wind will cause the blades to fold onto itself or come out of alignment. People are complaining about vibration? Wait until they fly a craft that depends on centrifugal force to keep the blades aligned. I had a quad that had a similar design. The company that designed the folding blade for their quads came up with fix by adding a cross beam to keep both blades aligned. I think that DJI will ditch that idea after testing their product. That's just another variable for a mechanical failure and another variable for the operator to make a mistake.

 

[ChrisViperM]

....without that damn fence you would have landed straight on the legs....

Chris

 

[ProPilotWannaBe]

Seems worth waiting to see final pricing. Drawback is that I can only mount a gh3 on it, photo higher can mount a lot of equipment.

BTW, I think we need to be careful about our teams. GH3 refers to the Panasonic Lumix GH3 model, not the GoPro Hero3. The photos posted by DJI and EBM show the full size Zenmuse on the S800 with the new GH3 camera mount, but they also show the Zenmuse "junior" for the Hero3 camera mounted on the Phantom. I do suspect you are correct, though, that the Zenmuse "junior" will probably only support the GoPro cameras initially (just a speculation).

 

[StarterH]

Thanks for clarifying, edited my original post.

 

[RTRyder]

I think the folding prop design is a bad idea. I've seen it before. Rapid changes in throttle position or high wind will cause the blades to fold onto itself or come out of alignment. People are complaining about vibration? Wait until they fly a craft that depends on centrifugal force to keep the blades aligned. I had a quad that had a similar design. The company that designed the folding blade for their quads came up with fix by adding a cross beam to keep both blades aligned. I think that DJI will ditch that idea after testing their product. That's just another variable for a mechanical failure and another variable for the operator to make a mistake.

If folding prop design was that unreliable then every RC Heli on the market would be in trouble, most of the hardcore 3D guys I know run the tailblades loose enough they just flop down when not spinning and the main blades not super tight either. Properly balanced there should be no difference between a one piece prop and a folding design, you just need to balance them the same way you would main or tail blades on a heli.

Ken