Quick Start Guide

Below I (OlliW) will briefly list the steps which are required to correctly set up the STorM32-BGC, as a kind of prestart check list.

The setup is completed in three major steps:

• Preparation: Learn the basics.
• Calibration: Learn how and why to do a calibration of your IMU(s).
• Basic Controller Configuration: Adjust those controller parameters, which are absolutely crucial for a correct working.

The Basic Controller Configuration can be further distinguished into two major steps:

• Some parameters need to be set BEFORE the motors are enabled for the first time.
• The remaining parameters need to be set AFTER the gimbal was started the first time with the motors enabled.

The chapters below guide you (very) briefly through what you need to know and what you need to do.

Supported Gimbals

The STorM32 controller can currently 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 users figured out that the controller can be set up to work also 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 focuses on the dual-IMU setups.

Preparation

Before one starts, one should know this:

• Comprehend the Dos and Dont's.
• Understand the importance of a proper gimbal mechanics, read The Gimbal.
• Get familiar with the board, inspect the Pins and Connectors.
• Use the latest firmware and GUI. For downloading the latest firmware package see Downloads. For flashing the firmware to the board see How to flash firmware. Read the update and install instructions in the respective post in the rcgroups thread, and check this post for known bugs.
• Check that your setup matches one of the supported setups mentioned before.

Finally, an advice: Take any recommendation given in these links seriously!

Basic Controller Configuration

The algorithms used in the STorM32 controller need to know some aspects of your gimbal in order to work correctly. If any of this info is wrong, the controller will misbehave. Unfortunately, an incorrect setup will not always reveal itself immediately, but will lead to misbehavior at a later stage, when a new function is activated, and you might not associate it to the earlier incorrect setup. So, accept this:

Just because a setting seems to work correctly doesn't mean that it is correct!

One implication is that adjusting the fundamental parameters by trial-and-error is the best approach to produce all sorts of non-obvious problems. Fortunately, a straight-forward setup procedure is available, which guarantees correct settings, if followed. So, the above could be rephrased also as "Don't try to be smart, just shut up and follow the recipe". That's in fact the best advice possible here.

The parameters we are talking about here are those centralized in the "Gimbal Configuration" tab in the GUI:

• Imu1 Orientation
• Imu2 Orientation
• Motor Poles
• Motor Directions
• Motor Startup Positions

Some of them should be adjusted before the motors are activated, some of them can only be adjusted with the motors enabled.