Quick Start Guide

On this page I (OlliW) will list briefly the steps which are required to correctly setup the STorM32 brushless gimbal controller, as a kind of prestart check list.

On this occasion I'd like to add a very personal note. The fact that I'm sitting here and writing this guide is a bit dissapointing. It should be clear that I can't do everything in my spare time, and it should be clear that the STorM32 project is free only because I do this in my spare time. So, documentation can't be my job but should (must) be the duty of the user, since otherwise the STorM32 firmware and GUI would not be nearly where it is, and might not be useful to you at all. Keeping this wiki running puts already quite some strain on my shoulders (I start to "hate" MediaWiki). So, sitting here and writing this guide is a bit dissapointing, because so far only one single brave soul (yang/wdaehn) has contibute significantly. Anyway, the firmware and GUI steadily progresses, and several pieces of the wiki ran a bit out of date. A brief overview of what needs to be done to setup the controller ist clearly needed. So I'm sitting here and am writing this guide. :)

In principle, the setup is completed in three major steps:

• Preparation: Learn about the basics, such as the Dos and Dont's, gimbal mechanics, flashing the firmware, and so on.
• Calibration: Learn how and why to do the calibration of your IMU(s).
• Basic Controller Configuration: Adjust those controller parameters, which are absolutely crucial for a correct working of the controller.

The Basic Controller Configuration consists itself of two major steps:

• Some parameters are set BEFORE the first run of the motors.
• The remaining parameters are set AFTER the motors were started the first time.

The chapters below guide you very (very) briefly through these steps.

The STorM32-BGC controller currently can be used for the following setups:

• 3-Axis with single IMU: Only one IMU, connected to the I2C port and mounted to the camera, is used.
• 3-Axis with on-board IMU: In addition to the camera IMU the on-board IMU is used as 2nd IMU. The board must be mounted on the gimbal support (above the yaw motor).
• 3-Axis with separate 2nd IMU: In addition to the camera IMU a further IMU connected to the I2C#2 port is used as 2nd IMU. The board can be mounted anywhere, but the 2nd IMU must be mounted on the gimbal support (above the yaw motor).
• 2-Axis: This is not "officially" supported but the controller can be set up to wrok fine for a 2-axis gimbal. Only one IMU attached to the I2C port and mounted to the camera can be used. The usage of a 2nd IMU is not supported.

The 3-Axis with single IMU and 2-Axis applications are obviously easier to set up, since one doesn't need to care about the 2nd IMU and what's required to get it working correctly. The following will focus on the dual-IMU setups.