PolarPro Filter Gimbal Mod

[Chopstix Kid]

I received the PolarPro gimbal lens/gimbal cover earlier this week. Thanks guys! It appears to made from a Nylon-66 type material. VERY robust. My only two criticisms are 1) It does not lock movement at the top of the gimbal and 2) It appears to pull down on the entire system when attached. So I got to thinking...

(click to enlarge thumbnails)

Dissimilar locking positions of each clamp:


1) Mark a cut line at the filter seam:


2) Thin disc on a Dremel:


3) Cleanup with a hobby knife and some fine grit sandpaper:


4) Trim and cleanup top of PolarPro cover for clearance:




The next step would be to further carve up the PolarPro cover and fuse it to the DJI clamp to reproduce the same 1-pc design of the original DJI. The DJI clamp being made of what appears to be ABS, the two dissimilar materials would be difficult to bond even with an adhesive such as Devcon Plastic Welder II or even hot iron plastic welding. So for now, a 2-pc cover/lock system it shall be!

 

[r62ewa]

Nice work. I think that is what I shall do as well.

 

[Roadking]

I was thinking of just cutting off the front of the original guard like you did, and just leave it that way. There would not be anything in front of the lens, but I only use the guard when the P4 is in the case, so nothing should be near the lens anyway.

 

[Chopstix Kid]

I was thinking of just cutting off the front of the original guard like you did, and just leave it that way. There would not be anything in front of the lens, but I only use the guard when the P4 is in the case, so nothing should be near the lens anyway.

Exactly. The front lens cover plate on the DJI lock doesn't really offer any additional stability since the camera sits in the two side cups.

 

[r62ewa]

Here's mine completed. I used a utility/carpet knife to do all the work. I trimmed the top of the Polar Pro cover too as the factory gimbal lock pushed the gimbal/camera up to where the Polar Pro one seemed too long. I may need to do a little fine work to finish it but now it's the best of both worlds, stable and a perfect lens cover.

 

[John Locke]

I got mine yesterday too, I had similar thoughts. This isn't a good gimbal lock. I think someone will eventually design one right that mimics the DJI lock and fits the POLAR PRO filters. That's what I was expecting to receive, but didn't. Or....POLAR PRO will redesign their filters to mimic the physical dimensions of the DJI filters.

 

[Bill Golson]

One of the first things I did was mod the standard gimbal lock. Painted front lens guard chrome yellow to remind per removing -- heated and bent the legs slightly so the gimbal could have a the same fit at the top as when powered on. Also extended the lens cover forward to account for various filters. Now you're saying that vertical movement up also needs to be addressed. Is this really necessary? The Polar Pro does look cool tho.

 

[Sim597]

One of the first things I did was mod the standard gimbal lock. Painted front lens guard chrome yellow to remind per removing -- heated and bent the legs slightly so the gimbal could have a the same fit at the top as when powered on. Also extended the lens cover forward to account for various filters. Now you're saying that vertical movement up also needs to be addressed. Is this really necessary? The Polar Pro does look cool tho.

Not on the ones that lock it in like the stock one, I think they ment with just using the new one, it doesn't lock the movement of the circle at the top, meaning, you can still move the whole gimbal support with just the aftermarket one

 

[eyecon82]

I just cut the front part off

 

[msinger]

1) It does not lock movement at the top of the gimbal

Mine seems to lock the movement just fine. I can still turn the gimbal when the lock is attached, but I don't think it'll move by itself when stored in a case.

2) It appears to pull down on the entire system when attached.

Yes, it does pull the gimbal down a bit when the top notch of the lock is snapped on. While I would prefer it not do this, I don't know if it will cause any damage over time. Perhaps Polar Pro will revise their design a bit so it fits better at the top.

 

[r62ewa]

Mine seems to lock the movement just fine. I can still turn the gimbal when the lock is attached, but I don't think it'll move by itself when stored in a case.


Yes, it does pull the gimbal down a bit when the top notch of the lock is snapped on. While I would prefer it not do this, I don't know if it will cause any damage over time. Perhaps Polar Pro will revise their design a bit so it fits better at the top.

I trimmed the top of mine with a utility knife so it now seems to fit better.

 

[msinger]

I trimmed the top of mine with a utility knife

Good idea. Or, a little sanding should do the trick too.

 

[r62ewa]

Good idea. Or, a little sanding should do the trick too.

Yes, try sanding. The material is very hard and sanding would have made the job much more efficient I think.

 

[msinger]

Who needs R&D... we have sandpaper

 

[Chopstix Kid]

Mine seems to lock the movement just fine. I can still turn the gimbal when the lock is attached, but I don't think it'll move by itself when stored in a case.


Yes, it does pull the gimbal down a bit when the top notch of the lock is snapped on. While I would prefer it not do this, I don't know if it will cause any damage over time. Perhaps Polar Pro will revise their design a bit so it fits better at the top.

If you move the aircraft around, the gimbal will move around a bit at the top. It will also bounce. I'm not always gentle with cased gear (and neither are airlines).

Go take a look again at the first photo. It illustrates how much you need to remove if you do not want the PP cover to pull down on the gimbal.

I would love to see PP come out with a cover/lock modeled after the original. If molds weren't so expensive to have made, I have a shop we work with just inject me one.

 

[Mark C.]

Nicely done, great job!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[msinger]

If you move the aircraft around, the gimbal will move around a bit at the top. It will also bounce. I'm not always gentle with cased gear (and neither are airlines).

Do you think that slight movement would hurt anything? I'm thinking it moves much more violently when flying.

 

[Chopstix Kid]

Do you think that slight movement would hurt anything? I'm thinking it moves much more violently when flying.

Movement while flying, at least in my limited knowledge, is somewhat fluid and perhaps more importantly, by design. I am mostly concerned to what extent the slight movement frees the gimbal to become a shockabsorber while in transport. From my short tenure in this craft I believe I can ascertain what the response would be from DJI on this topic, be-it true or false. That said, I prefer to play it safe and give the camera as much support and stability as possible while in tow.

 

[msinger]

Maybe @PolarPro will chime in with some advice on using their product.

 

[PolarPro]

Maybe @PolarPro will chime in with some advice on using their product.

I took a look through most of the feedback and think it is all great. Here is what we designed for on the gimbal lock. Feel free to chime in with more feedback, good or bad, it helps us design better products for you guys.

The first objective of the P4 lens cover was to provide protection for the camera lens / filter while in transit / storage.

The second objective was to prevent the gimbal from violently moving around during transit. In order to lock the gimbal completely, you do need the design to lock to the legs. When our employees and our pro team reviewed it, everyone decided they wanted a lens cover that was easier to install / remove, rather than fully locking down the gimbal.

The third objective was to make it compatible with our other P4 accessories. Two accessories launching in the next couple weeks are the gimbal guard and landing gear, both with grab the legs of the P4.

In summary, we wanted to make a Lens Cover / Lock, compatible with our filters, that protects the lens and gimbal during transit, and is very easy to install and remove.

Let me know if you guys have any further feedback! Appreciate it all,

Jeff