How do I power my Centerpiece gimbal from a 6-cell power system

Mediakopter.no

Mediakopter.no

Member
I am in the prosess of planning a new multirotor build. I want to keep my GHT EZ gimbal, with the Centerpiece controller. Currently i am running the gimbal on its own 3-cell battery, but for this next build, I want to power the gimbal from the multirotor main power system. The multirotor will run on 6-cell batteries. I have tried to read up on how to solve this, but I´m not shure how...

I have found this UBEC: http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store...tput_UBEC.html

It outputs 12V, but only 5A, witch is fine for lights and video tx, but will it be enough for the gimbal?
From what I read the Centerpies outputs up to 2,5A per motor. With my 3 axis gimbal, I guess that means I´m 2,5A short with a UBEC outputting only 5A?

The Centerpiece allows for up to 4-cell input, but will need a power condition unit for more than 3-cell power input.

Feels kind of stupid asking this, but then again... a couple of years ago, I did not even what a ESC was...

Knut-Ove
www.mediakopter.no
 


jfro

jfro

Aerial Fun
Buck converted down to 12 volts or so. I started that way, but then just bought some 2200 mah 3s batteries and use that for about 5 lbs of gimbal/camera + the battery. Strap it yaw axis cf tube of gimbal and power the video tx and gimbal off it. Pretty simple. IMO, cleaner then buck converting the 6s and then running it through the yaw axis.
 

Mediakopter.no

Mediakopter.no

Member
Strapping a battery to the gimbal itself seems like a bad option for my setup, as it would cause trouble balancing the yaw axis. I need to run wires through the yaw motor anyway...

@jfro : What is this buck converter, and where do I get one?
 
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Mediakopter.no

Mediakopter.no

Member
You had me at "cheaper than a buck!"

I understand that this one outputs 3A? Can I arrange them in parallel to get more Amperes to the gimbal, or will that be a problem?

EDIT:

I found this article:

Directly connecting the outputs of multiple regulators, switched or linear, is inadvisable for the following reasons:

  • A marginal difference in output voltage would cause high currents to flow between the regulator output pins, potentially damaging one of the regulators.

    The MCP16322 is rated for 2% precision, hence for a 5 Volt nominal output, one regulator could be at 4.9 Volts, the other at 5.1 Volts. The 0.2 Volt gap would cause current flow between outputs limited only by the rail impedance of the regulators.

  • Any delay in powering up or powering down of either regulator would cause a back-feed from the powered regulator to the non-powered one.

    By design, the approach stated in the question will have one of the regulators operating while the other may not be - if one of the power sources is off at a given time. This is a failure mode with strong likelihood of device damage

    Even if the two regulators were powered by a common source, there will be mismatches in power-up timing while the two oscillators are starting up. This is why sequencing of power supplies is required, and there are special-purpose parts for this sequencing.

  • There will be higher peak voltage / peak current demands on output stage capacitors of the regulators, due to additive effects of the (non-synchronized) ripple voltages of the two.

    A buck controller that supports synchronization and sequencing would be required, instead of the selected device. If the design proposed in the question is used as-is, even if there is no immediate failure, component deterioration would reduce the expected longevity of the device due to repeated exposure to stresses not designed for.
 
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Motopreserve

Motopreserve

Drone Enthusiast
Sorry didn't see I was tagged, I'm not getting notifications????

Keep in mind that to adjust the output for the Castle product - I think you'll need a program card that connects to the computer. There is one called a "field" card that allows you to make changes both with and without the computer.

For the cheaper BUCK (good point Bart, should be called the .87¢ converter), most require the addition of a heat sink that allows higher amperage. I think something Hexacrafter posted or the Castle is safest and probably most flexible for this and other applications in the future. The modest investment is worth it considering the value of the things you'll connect to it.
 

eskil23

eskil23

Wikipedia Photographer
Mediakopter.no said:
It outputs 12V, but only 5A, witch is fine for lights and video tx, but will it be enough for the gimbal?
From what I read the Centerpies outputs up to 2,5A per motor. With my 3 axis gimbal, I guess that means I´m 2,5A short with a UBEC outputting only 5A?
Click to expand...
Only if you are going to run all three motors at full power at the same time.
 


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