XPROHELI Silk User manual
User Manual
XProHeli XPG Brushless Gimbal
XProHeli Silk Quickstart Guide Page i
©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
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[SILK Quickstart Guide]
This quickstart guide provides information on the setup and basic operation of the XProHeli
Silk 3-Axis Brushless Gimbal.
User Manual
XProHeli Silk Quickstart Guidel
XProHeli Silk Quickstart Guide
Page 0
©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
Silk Quick Start Guide – Mounting your camera
Tools Required for Gimbal Adjustment:
-5/64” Allen wrench
-3/32” Allen wrench
-7/64” Allen wrench
1. Carefully unbox Silk and contents from packaging.
2. Mount Landing gear legs to bottom pan axis plate on left and right
side:
User Manual
XProHeli Silk Quickstart Guidel
XProHeli Silk Quickstart Guide
Page 1
©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
3. Locate the provided ¼-20” D-screw to mount your chosen camera
to the mounting tray.
4. To account for the true weight of the camera, make sure all the
necessary batteries and flash cards are loaded. If you choose to run
a filter/shunshade hood make sure you have that installed too.
5. The Silk has several adjustments for the Pitch and Roll Axis:
User Manual
XProHeli Silk Quickstart Guidel
XProHeli Silk Quickstart Guide
Page 2
©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
6. Begin by test fitting your camera to the gimbal.
7. Adjust your cameras center of gravity on the pitch and roll axis by
loosening the set screws so that you can slide the assembly in the
desired direction. Be cautious that the left and right side of the
camera tray remain square with the back roll frame to prevent
binding of the pitch axis. The slot on the camera tray can be used
to fine tune the front to back adjustment for the pitch axis.
User Manual
XProHeli Silk Quickstart Guidel
XProHeli Silk Quickstart Guide
Page 3
©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
Hint: The Silk is considered balanced when the camera remains
static in all positions and cannot fall to either side of any axis axis. If
the camera is not perfectly balance the gimbal will still work very
well, but it will cause the motors to work harder. Best stabilization
performance is achieved when you have a perfectly balanced
gimbal.
8. For wider cameras or cameras that are weighted heavier to one
side you can fine tune the roll adjustment using the 4 set screws at
the back of the roll frame:
User Manual
XProHeli Silk Quickstart Guidel
XProHeli Silk Quickstart Guide
Page 4
©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
9. To adjust the pan axis you will need to slightly loosen the 2 clamps
at the bottom of the pan axis motor. The pan axis adjustment is
made by sliding the top carbon fiber tube inward/outward and by
rotating it to the left or right.
10. Adjust the pan axis similar to the roll and pitch axis by holding up
the top pan axis plate at a 90 degree angle. If the gimbal assembly
is weighted to far forward or too far back it will fall to the weighted
side. Adjust this by sliding the tube inward or outward. A perfectly
balance pan axis will hold position by its self in all 360 degrees of
motion.
11. If you find that the pan axis is balanced in some positions but in
others it tends to fall then you need to make a further adjustment by
rotating the top carbon fiber tube either left or right:
User Manual
XProHeli Silk Quickstart Guidel
XProHeli Silk Quickstart Guide
Page 5
©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
12. Once your assembly is balanced, it is recommended to make a
reference mark on the camera tray by using a marker or a piece of
tape so that you can quickly align your camera to the proper
position when you dismount and remount the camera.
User Manual
XProHeli Silk Quickstart Guidel
XProHeli Silk Quickstart Guide
Page 6
©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
Mounting your Silk to the XP2 Monster
1. Begin by removing the handle accessories and identifying the
forward direction of the top plate of the pan axis. The slots on the
left and right side of the plate will be used to mount to the lander
plate of the XP2.
2. Place the XP2 on top of the gimbal and align it so that the landing
gear is centered with the upper airframe. Attach using the 2
provided ¼-20 twist bolts:
User Manual
XProHeli Silk Quickstart Guidel
XProHeli Silk Quickstart Guide
Page 7
©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
3. Connect power from the auxillary harness of the XP2 to the gimbal.
4. The 6150mah battery pack on the XP2 monster must be mounted to
the top frame of the XP2. Peel and stick the attached hook Velcro
to the top plate of the XP2.
User Manual
XProHeli Silk Quickstart Guidel
XProHeli Silk Quickstart Guide
Page 8
©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
5. Mount the 6150mah battery to the top of the XP2 and secure it
using the battery strap through the center portion of the frame.
6. Adjust the XP2 Monster’s center of gravity by adjusting the battery
forward or back.
7. Prior to flight be sure to power on gimbal by switching on the power
switch. When the gimbal is powered on the red LED on the switch
will illuminate:
User Manual
XProHeli Silk Quickstart Guidel
XProHeli Silk Quickstart Guide
Page 9
©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
Control Box Components:
POWER
USB
PAL/NTSC
(FPV)
LED STATUS
INDICATOR
Mode/Toggle
Button
FPV AV
Out (plug
into TX)
User Manual
XProHeli Silk Quickstart Guidel
XProHeli Silk Quickstart Guide
Page 10
©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
To control the pitch of the camera with your controller connect your tilt
signal wire to the lower set of pins as shown. By default the boards do not
have the middle 5V rail activated. If this is something that you need or
require to run a separate receiver off of the gimbal please let us know.
There is a jumper (L1) that would need to be soldered across to feed the
5V to this rail.
Software Download:
http://www.basecamelectronics.com/downloads/8bit/
Current SILK firmware: 2.40B6
Software User Manual:
http://www.basecamelectronics.com/files/v10/SimpleBGC_manual_2_4_e
ng.pdf
PIN INPUTS:
(GND,+5v,SIG)
FC_ROLL
FC_PITCH
RX_ROLL
RX_PTICH
User Manual
XProHeli Silk Quickstart Guidel
XProHeli Silk Quickstart Guide
Page 11
©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
Reccomended PID and power settings
The SILK is shipped pre-programmed and tested for the NEX with the
16mm lens. This is a good lower level power setting to start with. To fine
tune and get the best performance below are recommended settings for
specific weight ranges of cameras. Depending on your exact
configuration these values will get you very close to where you need to
be.
NOTE: Ignore the INVERT column in the screen shots below. Each gimbal
motor wire phasing is different from gimbal to gimbal with the connections
to the board. So make sure to not change these settings!
NEX 5 Series camera with 16mm lens (350-375g total weight)
User Manual
XProHeli Silk Quickstart Guidel
XProHeli Silk Quickstart Guide
Page 12
©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
NEX 5 Series camera with Stock 18-55mm or 19mm Sigma Lens (410-430g)
BMPCC with 16-42mm lens (500-575g)
User Manual
XProHeli Silk Quickstart Guidel
XProHeli Silk Quickstart Guide
Page 13
©2014 XPROHELI. All Rights Reserved.
GH2 / GH3 Lumix with 14-42 or 16mm lens (605-655g)
We will be releasing videos on using the software and tutorial videos on
how to balance and get the best performance from your gimbal. Please
stay tuned!!
Any questions please call or email us!
Shop – 541-639-8828
Email – Support@xproheli.com
Thanks!
XProHeli Team
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