So I have noticed this issue previously with my fs700, 5d mark iii, and now of course my RED. The gimbal just has the slightest bit of play in the tilt axis. I can hold the tilt pulley and the camera has some play. It seems to be in the carbon fiber tube/adjustable tilt bars. Has anyone else noticed this or have a fix? I thought about maybe doubling up on the tilt bars, side to side or mounting them back to back so it is thicker. Also, does anyone know if they sell the dual bearing tilt mounts bearings only? Mine are shot. I have tried it with the dual bearing tilt as well as with a pot, no change. I have also changed from all red vibration, all blue, some red some blue, etc with not much change. I have also tried it with the radians on and off. It is a tad better with the radians off but it still has an issue with that tiny bit of play and it causes jitter. I can post a video this evening showing it. Oh, I have also tried it with the stock tilt brackets with no luck. My star plate is doubled up so i have 4 sets of isolators, maybe i should try the 8 isolator way? I have no idea but it is driving me crazy. I may look into getting some parts cnc'd to beef things up. Thanks!
Have you checked the small worm/grub screw on the large tilt axis pulley, Tristan. It's a 2mm hex head as I recall, but it that works lose you will certainly see some play there. Andy.
Hi Tristan that small worm/grub screw tights against the shaft, the first problem I encounter in mine was that if I tight too hard I risk the chance of striping the plastic tread in the pulleys hub, the second is the point of contact between the screw and the metal shaft, that slip too I ended up pre-driling a small pilot hole on the shaft so the screw digs in more in to the shaft this helps up to a point when having a heavier camera with more mass, the plastic in the pulley gives a little creating some of the play I guess a step up solution is to strengthen the thread contact of the screw with the pulley hub, perhaps fabricating a metal ring around the hub of the pulley adding the same thread and a longer screw, check www.servocity.com they may have a solution, it may be even a pulley with a metal hub
Tristan: Given that the big pulley is firmly mounted on the shaft, can you feel or visually detect where the play is coming from? If it's mechanical play -- which from your description it sounds like it is -- you should be able to identify it just using your fingers as a sensing aid and carefully "flexing" the assembly by pushing up and down gently on the lens barrel of a camera on the gimbal, and using the fingers of your other hand to "span" two other gimbal components and sense where the play is coming from. Andy.
Looks like where the tilt bars mount on the tilt shaft and the dual bearing tilt shaft is where it is flexing. Causing the whole hung camera assembly to flex. Even the carbon fiber side tubes seem to flex a tad.
Dont know if this helps. These are metal pulleys from the Foxtech Tarot AKA the Freefly carbon copy. In theory they should work as a replacement to the plastic ones. http://www.foxtechfpv.com/tarot-metal-32t-gimbal-server-synchronization-round-p-973.html The only problam I have had with the FS cameras is that the plastic clamps on the tilt arms slip. The soultion to this is to buy metal ones from QC here. http://www.quadrocopter.com/Metal-Frame-Clamps_p_806.html I replaced all of the 90 degree clamps and the center clamps that hold the horizontal bar at the center stem . I believe 8 is needed. Since doing this I have not had any issues with slippage.
Just guessing here but BOCA sells almost all bearing sizes one could imagine boca.com. Just carefully measure the ones you are trying to replace, then search out the same dimensions on Boca or other quality bearing websites. RCBearing.com is another specific to RC hobbies.