XPROHELI Silk Gimbal User manual

User Manual
XProHeli Silk Gimbal
Silk Gimbal Page i
©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
TheAppTimes
[Silk Gimbal User Manual]
This user manual provides information on the specifications, installation and functions of
the XProHeli Silk Gimbal system.

User Manual
XProHeli Silk Gimbal
Silk Gimbal Page ii
©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
Revision History
Version Date Revision Description
1.0 7/21/2014 Manual Creation

User Manual
XProHeli Silk Gimbal
Silk Gimbal Page 0
©2013 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
Table of Contents
Revision History .......................................................................................................................................ii
1. Welcome..............................................................................................................................1
Warning & Disclaimer! ............................................................................................................2
2. Overview..............................................................................................................................4
FPV Video...............................................................................................................................................5
Opertating Modes................................................................................................................................5
Remote Operation................................................................................................................................6
Supported Cameras.............................................................................................................................7
Silk Specifications..................................................................................................................................8
Silk Setup Videos:...................................................................................................................................9
Unpacking your SILK ...........................................................................................................................10
3. Silk Setup............................................................................................................................11
Overview................................................................................................................................11
Landing Gear / Stand...........................................................................................................12
Assembly...............................................................................................................................................13
Mount Silk to Landing Gear/Stand...................................................................................................15
Mounting and Balancing Your Camera .............................................................................17
Overview..............................................................................................................................................17
Mounting Camera..............................................................................................................................17
Adjusting Balance...............................................................................................................................19
Mounting Battery ................................................................................................................................23
Powering On Silk..................................................................................................................................25
4. XPX/XP2 Installation..........................................................................................................26
Overview................................................................................................................................26
Mounting to your XPX:..........................................................................................................26
Single Operator:..................................................................................................................................27
Dual Operator: ....................................................................................................................................29
Mounting XPX Flight Pack:...................................................................................................31
5. SILK SOFTWARE...................................................................................................................32
Overview................................................................................................................................32
Connecting Silk to Your Computer ..................................................................................................32

User Manual
XProHeli Silk Gimbal
Silk Gimbal Page 1
©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
1. Welcome
Message from CEO:
On behalf of XProHeli I would like to thank you for your support
and purchase of the new Silk 3 Axis gimbal system. Countless
hours of in shop R&D and flight testing have gone into the Silk.
With over 8 prototypes and countless iterations tested and
reviewed we finally feel we have created a light weight reliable
gimbal system that will give the end user the ability to capture
amazing, awesome footage that has never been seen before.
Our team at XProHeli respectfully requests that you take the time
to read this manual to the fullest extent before using your new
Silk for the first time.
We look forward to taking handheld and aerial video to the next
level in the future and hope that you will continue the journey with
us.
If you have any questions, concerns or need help please do not
hesitate to email or call us:
[email protected]
Phone: [phone]
Mailing Address:
XProHeli
20810 Sockeye Place
Suite #110
Bend, OR 97701
Thanks,
Hans Skjersaa

User Manual
XProHeli Silk Gimbal
Silk Gimbal Page 2
©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
Warning & Disclaimer!
The SILK gimbal is capable of capturing incredible footage, and as
exciting as it is we at XProHeli want to remind customers that
operating RC aircraft (multirotors, drones, quadcopters etc…) with
the SILK should be done with great care and precaution.
There have been several incidences of people throughout the
world seriously injured by RC Helicopters (even some deaths!)
Multi-rotors are not a toy. People under the age of 18 years old
should not operate any multi-rotor unless supervised by an
experienced adult. The props on the XP2 like other multi-rotors are
sharp and can cause serious damage to people and property.
Never fly around people who are unaware of the damage these
devices can cause. It is your responsibility to know the laws and
regulations in your area that you are flying and it is your
responsibility as a pilot to make sure you are not trespassing on
other people’s property. You as the owner/operator are responsibly
for all liability of your setup. Never fly around crowds and never fly
around livestock/animals. Use common sense.
Liability Disclaimer
XProHeli shall not be responsible for any special, incidental, or
consequential damages, including but not limited to personal
injuries, damage to property, injury to others, including that to life
and health, resulting from any application and use of any XProHeli
products, including but not limited to camera stabilization systems,
multi-rotors, quadcopters, hexcopers or octocopters. The Purchaser
and any Pilot in Command (PIC) assumes full and unlimited
responsibility for all applications and uses of any products sold by
XProHeli.

User Manual
XProHeli Silk Gimbal
Silk Gimbal Page 3
©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
INDEMNITY
XPROHELI AGENTS, REPRESENTATIVES AND EMPLOYEES ARE TO BE
HELD HARMLESS FROM ANY AND ALL CLAIMS, LIABILITIES, DAMAGES,
AND EXPENSES (INCLUDING ATTORNEYS’ FEES ACTUALLY INCURRED)
ON ACCOUNT OF DEATH OR INJURY TO ANY PERSON OR DAMAGE
TO ANY PROPERTY ARISING FROM OR IN CONNECTION WITH ANY
PRODUCTS SOLD OR SUPPLIED BY XPROHELI.
THIS INDEMNITY SHALL APPLY WITHOUT REGARD TO WHETHER THE
CLAIM, DAMAGE, LIABILITY OR EXPENSE IS BASED ON BREACH OF
CONTRACT, BREACH OF WARRANTY, NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY,
OR OTHER TORT.

User Manual
XProHeli Silk Gimbal
Silk Gimbal Page 4
©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
2. Overview
The SILK 3 axis camera stabilization system is designed specifically
for lightweight - mirrorless DSLR cameras such as the Sony NEX,
Black Magic Pocket Cinema Camera and the Panasonic Lumix
GH4. The SILK frame is built from light yet strong-vibration resistant
CNC aluminum. The Silk’s lightweight design allows for relatively
comfortable handheld use and is less load demanding on multi-
rotor platforms resulting in longer flight times and extremely
smooth/stable video performance.
The SILK is a handheld or aerial ‘plug and play’ gimbal requiring
very little setup to operate. For almost all mirrorless DSLR cameras in
the 350g-850g weight range the Silk requires no changes to the
settings to operate incredibly well.
The SILK’s controller utilizes the latest stabilization algorithms from
Basecam Electronics (Alexmos) in conjunction with the latest 32 bit
ARM processor. Each Silk includes a licensed bootloader which will
allow you to upgrade the controller’s firmware at a later date
when any software improvements are made. The Silk’s electronics
are mounted to the back of the frame allowing users to detach the
SILK from their multi-rotor for handheld use.
The SILK typically comes in two primary configurations:
Silk Basic Pack Silk Pro Pack
Powering the Silk is a 3S Lipo 4200mAh battery pack – providing
enough power for 2-2.5 hours of continuous run time. The Silk is
powered on by a LED rocker switch mounted on the top rear frame
tube:
IMPORTANT!
Be sure to take the time to
read this manual and watch
the setup videos! There is lots
of great information in this
manual and in our videos
that will help make you
successful in capturing
amazingly smooth footage.
POWER

User Manual
XProHeli Silk Gimbal
Silk Gimbal Page 5
©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
FPV Video
The Silk’s control box has a built in HDMI to AV composite converter
for down converting the video signal of the camera to be
transmitted over a standard 5.8ghz (or lower) FPV transmission
system. The AV output wire of the converter located on the back of
the box comes through a standard 3 pin Molex connector
compatible with almost all FPV transmitters.
Opertating Modes
The Silk has a mode function button on the bottom of the controller
that allows you to access multiple handheld operating features on
the fly. Each Silk is setup by us with the following functions:
Mode 1 - Follow Pan only
Mode 2 - Follow Pan + Pitch
Mode 3 - Set Camera angles by hand (motors turn OFF for 2
seconds, hold camera at desired angle - gimbal now holds
this angle)
Mode 4 - Lock Mode (camera remains pointed forward at
all times - does not follow hands)
Mode 5 - Customized by user in Software package
RC Control
Inputs
(
Si
g
, +5v, Gnd
)
Operation
Modes
Mode Button
HDMI
INPUT
FPV
OUTPUT

User Manual
XProHeli Silk Gimbal
Silk Gimbal Page 6
©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
Remote Operation
When filming aerials on a multirotor it is recommended to operate
the Silk in Mode 1 for single operator use. For dual operator use (2
nd
radio) Mode 1 or Mode 4 is recommended.
To set the Silk up for a 2
nd
operator an additional radio is required. It
is typical to mount the radio receiver to the back of the control
box. The Silk’s RC control input pins (picture above) have the
center +5v rail activated, which provides power to your receiver of
choice.
Multirotor Requirements for Silk:
XPX Heavy Lift Quadcopter (Reccomended), or
Any multirotor with a suitable payload capacity:
oGross Multirotor Payload = Silk (967g) + Camera/Lens
weight (< 900g) + Landing Gear Weight (Silk Stand
330g)
If you are flying a custom multirotor system or other non-XProHeli
platform, make sure that your multirotor is cable of lifting the
payload of the Silk. The Silk is not compatible with DJI Phantoms!
Be confident in the capabilities of your machine and understand
the expected draw and current of your electrical system given the
estimated payload before flying the Silk. While the Silk is one of the
lightest 3 Axis gimbals available, failure to understand your
equipments capabilities can result in a crashed multirotor, a
damaged gimbal, damaged camera and a not so happy pilot. Be
a happy pilot and do your research 
Separate
Reciever
For Dual operator
use or remote
operation of Silk

User Manual
XProHeli Silk Gimbal
Silk Gimbal Page 7
©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
Supported Cameras
The Silk gimbal is capable of supporting any small DSLR camera in
the 300g to 850g weight range with a wide variety of lens
combinations.
When making a choice in lens size XProHeli recommends a wider
size lens to use with the Silk. Lens sizes from 12-14mm (pancake
style) up to a 20mm work very good with the Silk.
If you plan on running a camera with an adjustable zoom lens
make sure that you keep the zoom settings static while you
balance the camera and while you operate it on the Silk. The
movement of an auto zoom lens will alter the center of gravity of
the camera – so make sure you have it locked in place or set to
where you want it before setup. Making the proper adjustments to
the Silk to balance the camera is vital to good video capture
performance.
The preset power settings for the Silk work extremely well out of the
box for cameras in the 450-750 gram range. The software settings
for the Silk can be fine-tuned later, increasing the performance
even further. It is recommended to start with the provided settings
and work from there. The most common settings that people tend
to adjust is the follow mode speed values to either speed up or slow
down the reaction of the operating mode.
If desired, the Silk can even be setup to run lighter cameras such as
the GoPro Hero3 or Garmin Virb Elite. Note that these sub 100g
cameras require some counter weights (we typically use peel &
stick rim weights) to balance the roll and pitch axis.
Popular cameras compatible with Silk:
Sony NEX 5/7
Panasonic/Lumix GH4
Black Magic Pocket Cinema Camera
Sony A7