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Ikan Beholder Gimbal Calibration Guide v1.1 

Although all gimbals are calibrated before being shipped, the accelerometer and gyroscope inside the gimbals 
are temperature sensitive and may require recalibration to local operating conditions.  Should you find that 
your gimbal is tilting or drifting, please follow the steps below to recalibrate your gimbal.   

The following items are required to properly calibrate your Gimbal: 

a.

 

Ikan Gimbal – fully powered 

b.

 

Camera 

c.

 

Screwdriver – flat head 

d.

 

Computer – Windows or MacOS 

e.

 

Cable – USB to mini-USB  

 
 

*Warning: gimbals can be permanently damaged if other settings not covered in this guide are changed. * 

 

Table of Contents

 

1.0 Camera Installation and Gimbal Balancing

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2

 

2.0 Basic Gimbal Calibration 

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3.0 Software Installation

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4.0 Backing Up The Gimbal Settings

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5.0 Upgrading Firmware 

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10

 

6.0 Calibrating Gyroscope and Accelerometer

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11

 

7.0 Calibrating Encoders

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25 

8.0 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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27

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summary of Contents for beholder EC1

Page 1: ...g items are required to properly calibrate your Gimbal a Ikan Gimbal fully powered b Camera c Screwdriver flat head d Computer Windows or MacOS e Cable USB to mini USB Warning gimbals can be permanently damaged if other settings not covered in this guide are changed Table of Contents 1 0 Camera Installation and Gimbal Balancing 2 2 0 Basic Gimbal Calibration 7 3 0 Software Installation 7 4 0 Backi...

Page 2: ...ow Gimbal balancing steps Before installing the camera and adjusting the balance remove the camera lens cover attach the lens hood and insert a memory card and camera batteries as well as any other accessories The camera should be fully ready to shoot STEP 1 Mount the camera quick release Remove the quick release plate from the gimbal Attach the quick release plate to the camera Make sure the quic...

Page 3: ...gimbal bottom mount base Slightly adjust the position of the camera into the base until you find a horizontal balance Shift the camera as close to the pitch motor as possible Use the base plate positioning if needed Tighten the thumb screws Use a screwdriver to tighten the 1 4 20 quick release screw ...

Page 4: ...ll left and right balance Release the roll thumb M4 screw Slide the roll arm left or right until the camera finds a balance position and doesn t lean left or right In case more space is needed on either side then go back to step 2 ...

Page 5: ...t the gimbal pitch up and down balance Loosen the camera plate M4 thumb screw to adjust the pitch level Move the camera plate arm up and down until the camera stays in place at any lens angle Tighten the thumb screws ...

Page 6: ...e gimbal is front heavy move the pan arm back slightly and repeat the side test If the pan arm tends to move down forward it means the gimbal is back heavy move the pan arm slightly forward and repeat the side test When in balance the pan arm should stay at any position around the handle when the handle is tilted forward Tighten the thumb screws Additional Balance Related Information In depth inst...

Page 7: ...ibration Items Needed Camera 4 5 pounds max including lens Gimbal EC1 PC Mac or Windows Cable USB to mini USB Do not plug your gimbal into your computer until you download and install the drivers for your operating system Please make sure the gimbal is balanced with a camera before performing the calibration operation 3 0 Software Installation Warning gimbals can be permanently damaged if other se...

Page 8: ...port on the gimbal to connect to your computer Mini USB port Windows If the drivers were installed successfully in the drop down menu in the Connection section you should be able to see a COM option An easy way to figure out which COM is being used for the gimbal is to keep the drop down menu open and unplug the gimbal to see which COM option disappears Select the COM number for your gimbal and pr...

Page 9: ...t the file location and file name Press the Backup button to save your backup file 3 Should anything happen during your fine tuning process you can now restore your gimbal to factory settings To restore your gimbal select the Browse button and locate your saved backup file Press the Restore button to restore your backup ...

Page 10: ...nd the Check for beta versions is NOT checked 3 If your current version is a lower number than the latest version press the Upgrade button 4 Make sure to keep your gimbal plugged into the computer and do not unplug it during the upgrade process On this screen press Skip 5 Your gimbal is finished upgrading when you see the screen below ...

Page 11: ...11 6 0 Calibrating Gyroscope and Accelerometer 1 Locate and select the Hardware tab 2 Select the IMU Calibration Helper button in the Sensor section 3 This will bring up the follow screen ...

Page 12: ...ction 5 Next we ll move to the Accelerometer side Here you will set the camera facing six different directions X X Y Y Z Z and press Calibrate once the camera is steady in the corresponding position Once you ve successfully positioned the camera in the correct position the program will make a click sound and highlight that side with a blue rectangle Depending on if your gimbal has a straight arm o...

Page 13: ...13 Straight Arm Gimbal Pictures shown are the EC1 with a Sony A7S a Side motor facing down ...

Page 14: ...14 b Side motors facing up ...

Page 15: ...15 c Camera lens facing up ...

Page 16: ...16 d Camera lens facing down ...

Page 17: ...17 e Screen facing back motor ...

Page 18: ...18 f Camera lens facing back motors ...

Page 19: ...19 Angled Arm Gimbal The picture shown is the DS2 A with a Sony A7S g Side motors flat on the surface ...

Page 20: ...20 h Side motors facing up while on a flat surface ...

Page 21: ...21 i Camera lens facing up ...

Page 22: ...22 j Camera lens facing down ...

Page 23: ...23 k Screen facing back motors ...

Page 24: ...24 l Camera lens facing back motors ...

Page 25: ...imes in usage or shipping the gimbal is bumped and the encoders need to be re calibrated If you notice your gimbal drifting jerking randomly or spinning calibrating your encoders should fix the issue 1 If your gimbal is spinning out of control make sure to turn the motors off by pressing the Motors ON OFF button The motors are off when it is no longer highlighted in blue 2 Locate and press the Enc...

Page 26: ...n process is different on this depending if you have a straight arm or angled arm gimbal a Straight Arm Gimbal i Place the gimbal on a flat level surface ii Either manually or with the joystick align the back motor arm with the LCD display iii Press the 2 Calib Offset button b Angled Arm Gimbal i Either manually or with the joystick align the back motor arm with the LCD display ii Tilt the gimbal ...

Page 27: ...he instructions on calibrating the gyroscope and accelerometer on page 11 I ve connected my gimbal to the SimpleBGC software but it s not recognizing my gimbal Why Make sure that you have installed the correct driver for your operating system https www silabs com products development tools software usb to uart bridge vcp drivers My gimbal is spinning or drifting What s wrong with my gimbal In this...

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