2010Gimbal forum
Glidecam HD4000 gimbal loses balance when rotated despite achieving static balance in one orientation
16 years old. Gear and prices may have changed since.
What the thread found
- A gimbal that achieves static balance in one direction but loses balance when rotated 90 degrees may have a decentered or misaligned gimbal design that requires calibration or field adjustment.
- Gimbal balance problems become more apparent at heavier payloads because increased weight overcomes the internal friction of the gimbal bearings that would mask misalignment at lighter loads.
- Gimbal calibration requires very fine adjustments to the gimbal components and can restore balance across all axes within approximately 20 minutes.
- The order of tightening gimbal assembly components matters - tightening the compression nut before the set screws can cause the assembly to shift off-center and create false imbalance that disappears when set screws are tightened first.
Depends on
- The thread involves modified equipment with custom additions like monitor and batteries that may affect balance.
- Gimbal solutions may vary depending on the specific Glidecam model and whether it supports shimming or field alignment.
- Some budget gimbal designs have inherent concentricity issues that cannot be fully resolved.