Intel Aero Drone - Mounting a CGO3+ Gimbal Camera

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4K video. Need I say more? Or maybe you've tried adding some silly leg extensions to your Aero drone and are wondering what to do with them. Well, if you happen to have a Yuneec CGO3+ gimbal camera, just follow this guide to learn how to mount it to your Aero drone and make all your dreams come true.

You won't be able to control the pan and tilt system from the Aero, but you can connect to the CGO3+ using its app and record video. The camera will stabilize itself automatically. What's more, if you have a Yuneec Typhoon H drone, you can swap the camera back and forth from the Aero without any modifications! Neat.

This process will take about an hour after adding leg extensions.

Step 1: Collect Materials

For materials, you will need

4x leg extensions - Follow the guide below and select 123mm for the length
- Intel Aero Drone - Adding Leg Extensions
1x 3D printer with 7cm x 7cm print area minimum
Wires
Heat shrink/electrical tape
Soldering set

Step 2: Print the Part

Download the mounting piece here

CGO3+ Gimbal Mount

Then send the STL into your 3D printing software and print it. This will take about 30 minutes and the part will weigh about 5 grams when printed in ABS.

Each leg extension is also about 10 grams, and the CGO3+ camera is 245 grams. So the total weight you will adding is 290 grams.

Step 3: Cut and Strip Wires

Cut out two wires and strip a generous amount off of the ends. Please use red and black wires so everyone's life is a little easier.

Step 4: Insert Wires Into the Part

As labelled in the first image, insert each wire into the corresponding set of holes. The exposed part should wrap around the outside, then you can twist it to itself.

By the way, you can use any of the six pins of the camera if you like, but you only need these two.

Step 5: Add Solder

Add a bit of solder to both wires on the front and back sides of the part. Be careful not to melt the plastic.

Step 6: Add Heat Shrink/Electrical Tape

Cover up the exposed wire with heat shrink or electrical tape. You don't want them to touch.

Step 7: Screw on the Part

First unscrew the four screws shown on the bottom of the frame in the first image.

Then screw the screws back in over the part. Be sure that the flat end without holes is facing the rear of the drone. Between the part and the frame, there should be an indent for both the wires and the battery strap to go through.

Step 8: Plug in the Wires

On the battery, there should be a free cable. Plug the Ground wire into the black wire and the Vin wire into the red wire on the opposite end. Each red wire has increasing voltage, and the one at the end has around 16V, which is enough to power the CGO3+ camera.

Step 9: Mount the Camera

The camera can slide in and out from the front, just like on the Typhoon H. If everything went well, you should see a small LED light up on the camera. In a little while, you'll hear a sound from the camera powering on. You can connect to it and start recording using the CGO3 app.