FPV 2 axis brushless gimbal review

The cheapest 2D brushless gimbal

First of all, cheap does not necessary mean poor quality… OK, not all the time:). The popularity of the FPV 2 axis gimbal is the best proof of this fact.

Lets talk a bit about what means exactly a gimbal and why we need such a device. A “Gimbal” has roughly two main functions: to keep the camera steady and to allow remotely control the position of the camera.

According to the construction and number of motors they can be categorized in 1, 2 or 3 axis gimbals. At the moment, the 2 axis gimbals are the most commonly used because they have the best functionality/price ratio. For DSLR cameras has already been developed 4 axis gimbals, but this is Sci-Fi for most of us…

Two axis gimbals, like this FPV CNC 2D brushless gimbal, have two motors and two control signals (Pith and Roll) that allows to remotely control the position of the camera (on two axis: tilt and roll).

Basically, a brushless gimbal has 4 parts:

• Gyro and acceleration sensor (IMU orientation sensors like: MPU6050);
• Controller board (logical unit + power unit);
• Brushless motors (number of them is according the number of motion axis);
• Metal,  plastic or carbon fiber frame.

FPV 2 axis gimbal review. Best cheap gimbal?

Being my first experience with such a device, I decided to try firstly a cheep one. I orderd this gimbal from GearBest where with 28% discount costs only $44.89 (including free shipping). BTW I’m planning  to use it together with my XK Detect X380 Quad and BlackView Hero1 camera.

This CNC FPV brushless gimbal was designed to be used with the DJI Phantom quadcopters and GoPro cameras. Being so affordable, probably the only 2D gimbal under $50 on the market, it became very popular and it is used with many other multi-rotor models (like: Cheerson CX20 and Walkera QR X350) and action cameras (like: SJ4000, XiaoMi Yi and AMK5000S).

Mine came in a bulk white box without any inscription. I found inside the box the fully assembled gimbal, a tiny bag with few screws, some connection cables and the user manual (a very summary one).

The build quality of this gimbal is very good, my only disappointment is regarding the cables which are not well organized.

The camera can be attached to the gimbal with a velcro tape that needs to be very tighten in order to reduce the vibrations.

After I secured the camera on the Gimbal I connected a 7.4v (2s) Li-Po battery to the gimbal through the JST power cable and that’s it. The gimbal works perfectly out of the box, without any calibration or settings.

My next step is to install the FPV Gimbal on my X380 Quad and see if it will work in the real word not just on my desk. Unfortunately, my quadcopter’s transmitter can control only one axis of the Gimbal so I can’t enjoy all its capabilities.

In order to interface the Gimbal with my computer I had to install the BGC driver, that can be downloaded from here (it works with both Windows 32 and 64bit).

FPV 2D brushless gimbal features

• Easy to install;
• Works out of the box;
• Lightweight CNC aluminum alloy frame;
• Direct drive brushless motors (2pcs of 2208 motors);
• 4pcs of anti-vibration rubber balls (dumping balls);
• 2-Axis (roll & pitch) control signals;
• SimpleBGC GUI for customization and firmware upgrade.

This gimbal is also sold under the Eachine’s brand name. They also realized a more lightweight edition of this gimbal called “Eachine Light-2D Brushless Gimbal“, that has only 160g.

FPV 2 axis gimbal review – Conclusions

As previously mentioned, this is my first gimbal and I can’t compare it with a Zenmuse Gimbal that costs 5 times more or with any other model. For what I need it looks like is doing its job just perfectly. I recommend this FPV 2D Gimbal especially for newbies because the gimbals are installed under the belly of the aircraft and in case of crash-lands they are often damaged. It is more convenient and painless to replace a $50 device than a $300 one.

Pros

• Attractive price;
• Works with 2s and 3s Li-Po batteries;
• Very steady;
• Nice GUI for extra settings and calibration;
• Suitable for most 350mm sized quadcopters and GoPro alike cameras;

Cons

• Summary user manual;
• The cables are not organized too well;
• No installation CD (driver and tools);

I just found this useful website that explains how to use the SimpleBGC tool and how to customize the 2D gimbal.