External gimbal input to Futaba trainer port

[Mr-Fluffy 0]

I've come across this video on Youtube where a guy seemingly has a 3rd gimbal attached to his 9C and is using it to control a pan and tilt mechanism. It would seem from his write-up that he is directly interfacing somehow with the sliders on the 9C.

I however wonder what the feasibility of having the 3rd gimbal as he has done but interfacing it to the trainer port in the same way that Head Trackers currently do.

What's involved in translating the output of an external gimbal (presumably the gimbal is internally just controlling two pots?) into the trainer port of a Futaba 9C. I am a computer programmer and also used to be an electronics engineer (albeit briefy after my apprentiship!) so I'm not shy of either programming or knocking together some electronics. I just don't know where to start.

I have tried searching this forum for the answer, but to no avail.

Edited February 27, 2009 by Mr-Fluffy

[Kilrah 2]

Apparently he simply disconnects the 2 side pots of the 9C and hooks the gimbal instead.

To do it through the trainer port you need to generate a PPM signal (that you should find info about). A solution is to use a microcontroller, sample the pots and generate the signal. Another simpler one is to keep the circuit of the radio you'll nick the gimbal from, and swap a few wires to remap the gimbal to channels other than 1-4.

[magnetman 0]

I've come across this video on Youtube where a guy seemingly has a 3rd gimbal attached to his 9C and is using it to control a pan and tilt mechanism. It would seem from his write-up that he is directly interfacing somehow with the sliders on the 9C.

I however wonder what the feasibility of having the 3rd gimbal as he has done but interfacing it to the trainer port in the same way that Head Trackers currently do.

What's involved in translating the output of an external gimbal (presumably the gimbal is internally just controlling two pots?) into the trainer port of a Futaba 9C. I am a computer programmer and also used to be an electronics engineer (albeit briefy after my apprentiship!) so I'm not shy of either programming or knocking together some electronics. I just don't know where to start.

I have tried searching this forum for the answer, but to no avail.

Yes, it is very clever ! Idon't know either, but I do my pan and tilt (and retract, which is the same servo as tilt) from a separate camera control TX with a bit of simple electronics/relays. Somewhre in one of my previous posts there is a vid.