DIY Gimbal

For this instructible, I decided to come up with an idea that I had for a long time. Using a camera free hand always made the end video pretty rough, unstable and choppy. A professional camera with inbuilt stabilizer and the phones that come with such features are a little costly too. hence I decided to make a simple 2-axis gimble that stabilizes the phone that is attached to it. I made sure that it was easy to build, replicate and also tried my best to explain the concept behind my idea and also how the physics that works behind it.

For this instructible, it is divided into 14 parts:

1. Intro
2. Supplies
3. What Is a Gimbal???
4. The Physics Behind It
5. Concept
6. 3d Designing the Handle
7. 3d Designing the Arms
8. 3d Designing the Mount
9. 3d Printing Tips
10. 3D Printing the Parts
11. Assembling the Parts
12. Trying It Out!
13. Conclusion/reflection
14. References

I hope you will find this interesting and enjoyable!

The supplies required for this project is given below: (Assuming you have a 3d printer)

1. super glue (₹180 - $2.05)
2. PLA filament (₹1,099 - $12.51) --- (here about half would be used)
3. 2 x bearings ID=8mm, OD=24mm, Width=8mm (₹62 - $0.71)
4. 4 x bearings ID=5mm, OD=8mm, Width=2.5mm (₹420 - $4.78)

The software I used to design the components is Fusion360.

Total cost: ₹1760.81 or $20.05

A gimbal is a mechanical device that allows an object to stay stable or rotate smoothly along one or more axes. It works using a system of pivoted supports or rings, where each ring is mounted inside another, allowing free rotation in a particular direction.

1. A 1-axis gimbal lets the object move smoothly in one direction.
2. A 2-axis gimbal stabilizes tilt (up–down) and roll (side-to-side).
3. A 3-axis gimbal stabilizes all three: tilt, roll, and yaw (left–right rotation).

In simple terms, a gimbal is what keeps your camera, phone, or even instruments like a compass or gyroscope stable, even if your hands or the platform (like a drone or ship) are moving.

Here we shall be focusing on passive gimbals.

To explain this: lets take a disk and a rod as shown in the picture below:

here the disk with a marker (in yellow) on the red surface. If the blue rod solidly attached to it is rotated at an axis perpendicular to the face of the disk (axis as shown), the disk rotates along with the rod (as shown in the below gif).

Now to make the disk stationary, we need to attach a bearing (in metallic colour) or any contraption that helps the rod move freely and the disk stays in place (take it as an example, ignore the other physics for now) as shown in the picture and the gif below.

Now, if we wish to make the rod rotate along the axis of its length, we can see that the disk also rotates with it like a table fan (as shown below).

So to make the disk stationary, we would need to add another bearing to make the rod rotate freely along its length without the disk turning with it (as shown in the gif below).

this way we finally have a simple bearing that stabilizes 2 axis. Now, the question arises on how the disk can stay still? even if we use the best quality bearings (which is very expensive), the disk would still move a bit when turning the rod whichever way. This balance and physics we shall see in the next step!

Basic Principle: Inertia

From Newton's First Law, we know that: "Every object resists a change in its state of motion" . This can be explained as:

an object, as long as it is in rest or in motion, will want to continue being in rest or in motion. It is somewhat similar to how we can be lazy and not do a work and procrastinate, or when a particular work is very interesting, we do not feel like stopping.

According to Newton's 1st law, if the disk in the above example has limited weight, then it might not resist the change (the twisting action) even if we use a very very smooth bearing. If the disk is really heavy, then it resists motion due to greater inertia.

So for a passive gimble (The one which we are focussing on now) requires the inertia of the object that we are stabilizing. If the object is not heavy enough, we can either add counter weights that oppose movement or a spinning disk that has high inertia due to angular momentum (gyroscopic effect). The more the weight of the disk is near the edge, the more it resists against changing motion.

To better understand this, in the gif given below, I attached a few neodymium magnets to a string and let it dangle freely.

Once the magnets are stable, I quickly yank the tip of the string that I am holding to one side. We can see that the magnets stay near the same position for a split second. This is due to its inertia, the magnets wants to continue staying stationary.

The concept here is very simple, make a 2-axis gimble that we can hold with two hands and can stabilize the twist sideways and from top to bottom. (better explained further)

The gimble consists of two handles and is connected to a common hub that has a bearing in it. Then to another hub directly opposite to it with another bearing, it connects to an arm that holds the mount where the phone/camera can be attached. (As shown in the picture below)

img1

The movements of the gimble are shown in the gif below:

I was thinking to add a spinning disk, but that will increase the cost and also make it a lot more complicated. So I decided to ditch that idea and also the idea to stabilize the z-axis (up and down movement).

The goal of this gimble is to provide a cheap alternative to the other ones available in stores that can go upwards of 5000 rupees ($56.93). And for some reason... a passive gimble is wayyy more expensive...

Also we can see the difference in stabilization when the holder has no weight and the holder has weight.

No weight:

With Weight:

As the weight increases the stability increases.

To design the handles:

1. I first sketched out an outline for the handles.
2. then on a different plane, I made the profile of the tube (2 concentric circles)
3. Using the sweep tool, I used the profile to make the curved handle.
4. For the grip, I used the standard extrude and revolve tool for the curved end.

To design the Arms:

1. I first sketched out the outline of the arms,
2. Then on a different plane I made the profile of the tube.
3. Then using the sweep tool, I made the full tube of the arm.
4. made a small hole for the small bearing using extrude.

To design the mount:

1. Firstly, I made the profile of the mount(where the phone goes on top).
2. Then I extrude the required length.
3. Offsetting another plane, I draw the profile of the groove(where the phone will sit in) and used the extrude tool to cut it out.
4. For the bolt, I made a sketch and extruded its length, used the 'thread' tool and selected the 'modeled' option.
5. For the hanging counter weight, I made the profile of the bottom and extruded it.
6. Then for the connecting pillars, I first made a path which is the curve of the pillar.
7. Then using the previous profile, I used the sweep tool to make the pillar.
8. Then I carved out the part that the pillar and the mount overlap, Then used the mirror tool the do the same at all four sides.
9. I selected all the bodies and used the analyse tool to see its centre of mass and adjusted the base counterweight to get the centre of mass at the middle of the whole mount system.

This is for FDM (Filament Deposition Method) Printers!!!

1. Printer Accuracy – Check printer resolution, design details usually ≥ accuracy
2. Size / Scale – Ensure model fits bed size; split into parts if too large; avoid scaling so small that details fail.
3. Inserts / Joints – Always leave clearance/tolerance between mating parts (never design exact diameters).
4. Details – Fine details need larger prints; weak/thin features may break.
5. Final Check – Rough idea of end size → design → scale in software to match printer limits.

For a detailed tips on 3d printing, you can get it here!

Dougong, an Ancient Chinese Technique : 16 Steps (with Pictures) - Instructables (Step 9)

The parts after they are printed!!!

I also added the .f3d for those who wish to tinker with it too!!! (at the end of all stl)

The Parts are assembled!!!

Assembling this DIY gimbal was a tremendously rewarding and enjoyable experience. What began as a mere thought to stabilize my phone camera shots so they would not be shaky became a full-fledged design–print–assemble process that taught me not only the inner workings of gimbals, but also how inertia and balance were crucial in stabilization.

Of course, this gimbal is not as flawless or sophisticated as commercial 3-axis motorized ones, but it demonstrates how simple passive design can significantly enhance stability with minimal bearings and a few 3D printed components. The contrast in smoothness between using the gimbal both with and without weight clearly demonstrates how much inertia helps achieve more smoother footage.

Not just the finished product, I absolutely loved the process of designing each component in Fusion360, considering tolerances for 3D printing, and watching it all come together in the end assembly. It convinced me that sometimes you don't require pricey equipment—you can make your own if you grasp the physics and are willing to get a little hands-on.

If I were to proceed with this project, I would like to experiment with adding a counterweight mechanism or perhaps even a gyroscopic disk to enhance the stability even more. But in current form, I am content with the outcome and the fact that the design is easily reproducible by anyone with a 3D printer.

I hope that this instructable encourages others to tinker, construct, and learn about the interesting physics of common tools. And after all, the greatest projects are the ones that not only accomplish what they set out to do but also provide new knowledge along the way!!!

I got this Idea from this video:

I built a stabiliser from pipes 😩

His channel:🔥🔥🔥

(65) Nicolas Grant - YouTube