Has anyone in this forum found any real Gimbal/Camera Protection guards. Not Sun shades, but something tuff that can handle the impact of a crash.

[pentatony]

I'm looking for something that will take the brunt of a crash. The gimbal and camera are so exposed, it is a horrible design. I've used sun shade protectors, but they are weak and flimsy and fall off. I need somthing strong and unbrakeable in case of an impact. Any thoughts?

 

[old man mavic]

on any drone the gimbal and camera are the most delicate parts ,and as well as being easily damaged ,are also the most expensive parts to replace
making them completely damage proof ,would require a lot of design changes,, as well as the sort of materials that could withstand those forces, would just add weight and cost to such a drone
if you look at most FPV drones, they tend to have a fixed camera ,or at best can pan up or down during flight ,the only real way to get a long life from your drone is ,yes you've guessed it, dont crash

 

[slup]

...would require a lot design changes,, as well as the sort of materials that could withstand those forces...

And furthermore... even if you could enclose the gimbal & camera in something crash proof still having them moving freely, the momentum of those parts in a sudden stop (crash) will damage them.

 

[pentatony]

And furthermore... even if you could enclose the gimbal & camera in something crash proof still having them moving freely, the momentum of those parts in a sudden stop (crash) will damage them.

I'm building one on a carbon fiber filament 3d printer. I'm am building it to be extremely rigid, but to allow the camera to have full motion and for the guard not to block most angles, if any at all. So far I have built the structure to hold it on the nose of the aircraft. It locks in place extremely hard and needs a tool to pry it off. . I have kept the front sensors unblocked by at least 90%. I have enclosed the back, top and sides and the bottom. These enclosed areas extend only to the point at which the camera will not see them. In essence you are getting a super strong sun shade, that will not move or break on impact

Yes, if something like a tree branch got in, or a protruding rock, there will be issues, Or as said earlier, just the impact force can damage the gimbal.

I could add the option of putting a highly transparent fiberglass plate across the front of it. This would make it physically blocked from direct impact in all directions, but not indirect force.

My Experiments, so far are promising. Full motion, no visual block, additional sun blocking. I believe it offers at least a 65% reduction in stopping gimbal damage without the aforementioned fiberglass/clear front block. It would offer at least an 80% reduction in physical contact damage with the transparent fiberglass front attached. I suspect a minimum of 20% damage would come from the shock of impact to the drone at any angle.

When I fly with my earlier guard derivations, I feel much safer. Nothing can hit the face of the camera or the gimbal motors unless an object gains direct access into the guard box. I have crashed a lot. Most of my damage came from direct hits to the sides or to the edge of the camera as it flopped around and hit things on the ground.

If you are willing to buy those flimsy prop guards that are sold for so many mavics. I would think A pilot would definitely consider buying extra gimbal protection. Just like the prop guards, it can't offer total protection. But with a plastic fiberglass front, you would nearly have complete protection.

I'm gonna have to get some insurance and test this thing sooner or later.

 

[hiflyer201]

careful flying is the best protection. As far as prop guards, I think they are more for the protection of property or persons rather that the drone itself.

 

[RoosArt]

If you don't fly into anything you wouldn't need protection. The remark about a horrible design is something I don't agree with. The reason that the camera protrudes is because the freedom of movement when shooting. There always has to be a compromise between protection and movement and I prefer the latter.

 

[NorbertG59]

careful flying is the best protection. As far as prop guards, I think they are more for the protection of property or persons rather that the drone itself.

sorry but I have to disagree with you, Not flying it will be the best protection Lol, but seriously like you said careful flying and avoiding risky manoeuvres is the best protection also not forgetting to remove gimble protector helps

 

[pentatony]

Here is my first guard I made. It protects the sides, mostly the gimbal motors in a crash. It doesn;t block the pilots view whatsoever. It a pain to get off. Once it's on is it stuck. I had to make an l-shaped tool to pop it out.

sorry but I have to disagree with you, Not flying it will be the best protection Lol, but seriously like you said careful flying and avoiding risky manoeuvres is the best protection also not forgetting to remove gimble protector helps

I'm not talking about major crashes with high impact or a drop from 100 ft onto solid ground. I'm talking about those instances where you have a crappy landing . The first thing boken is the gimbal. Or if your just flying it 19 ft up and it hits something and then hits the grass, the first thing broken is gimble. Theses little scenarios of minor impacts are always breaking the gimbal. I want something that keeps these minor impacts from becoming a major cost and a long wait for a replacement . These minor accidents are the problem i'm trying to address with a guard. Nothing will save the gimbal in a gnarly high intensity impact.

 

[RoosArt]

Try hand launching which is very easy with this drone. I do this all the time and saves me bringing a launch pad or have crappy landings in long grass or dusty surfaces.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Hmmm little wrap around airbags for the gimbal, with instant deactivation of gimbal motors on deployment.

(No I don’t REALLY think this is required )

 

[pentatony]

Here are some photos of a guard I made from extremely hard plastic. I placed it in a crash position and then not. I'm not talking about protecting the gimbal from a fast crash. Not like a 55 mph car crash with no air bags, your neck is done for. This guard protects , if you hit a 50 ft tree and your drone takes a tumble or a 20 foot drop when your landing in a precarious way. Or If you took a nose dive, it would stop a direct camera hit on a flat surface, even if the drone gimbal was facing forward and hit the road.

IT'S MADE OF CARBON FIBER AND POLYCARBONATE.