SwellPro GC1-S Waterproof 1-Axis Gimbal 4K Camera for Splash Drone User Guide

June 6, 2024
SwellPro

SwellPro GC1-S Waterproof 1-Axis Gimbal 4K Camera for Splash Drone

SwellPro GC1-S Waterproof 1-Axis Gimbal 4K Camera for Splash Drone fig
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Thank you
The GC1-S is a single-axis waterproof 4K gimbal camera designed for SplashDrone 4 to do aerial photography or fishing. GC1-S has Pro mode and supports RAW photos. ND filters can be added for greater creative freedom. Having the same camera as GC3-S, GC1-S can capture high-quality 4K video and crisp photos with a lighter weight and lower price point.

Using this manual
This document is designed to be printed or viewed on a computer or mobile device.

Tutorial videos
To watch tutorial videos or download the firmware, please visit SwellPro website www.swellpro.com

Precaution

  • The GC1-S is a piece of precision electronics with corrosion-resistant materials which allow for use in harsh marine environments. As with any marine equipment, trouble-free and lasting operations depend on proper attention and maintenance of the equipment.
  • When taking off or landing, slowly proceed to avoid damage to the gimbal camera which can cause by the huge impact when contacting the surface at high speeds. Drop or crash directly into the water from above will result in significant damage to the drone and the gimbal camera.
  • After using in seawater, soak and rinse thoroughly with clean fresh water before the seawater dries out.
  • If seawater or other sediments form on the gimbal camera, soak thoroughly with fresh water and clean all sediments on the camera and motor before use. For more information, check the drone’s “Maintenance manual”.

Installation

Install the Gimbal
  1. Unscrew and take off the gimbal port cover plate using a hex screwdriver. (equipped with SplashDrone 4)

  2. Plug the gimbal connector into the drone’s gimbal port and screw it in place with a screwdriver.SwellPro GC1-S Waterproof 1-Axis Gimbal 4K Camera for Splash Drone fig 2
    Make sure the rubber ring is attached to the gimbal connector before you screw the connector.
    Make sure the connector plate is clean and free of any sand or other particles.

  3. Aline the holes on the base of the gimbal to the bottom of the drone, screw in to mount the gimbal. Make sure the camera is pointing to the front of the drone.

Install SD Card
  1. Open the soft rubber seal on the top of the camera, insert the Micro SD card in the correct direction, press the Micro SD card, the “click” sound indicates that the installation is in place.
  2. After installing the Micro SD card, plug the rubber seal back.
    Make sure the rubber seal is tightly plugged in to ensure waterproofing.
  • The GC1-S supports Micro SD cards with a maximum capacity of 128GB. Since the camera requires fast reading and writing of high-stream video data, please use Micro SD cards with Class 10 or UHS-1 or above to ensure proper functioning.
  • Do not insert or unplug the Micro SD card during aircraft shooting, as data files may be damaged or lost.
  • Once you are done recording, stop recording and save the file. If you turn off the power directly before saving the files, the recording file will be lost.
ND Filter

GC1-S adopts a waterproof replaceable lens design. There is a separate SwellPro waterproof ND filter kit to give you a broader range of possibilities in your photography. To change the waterproof lens, simply unscrew the original lens, then screw the ND filter lens back to the camera. SwellPro
GC1-S Waterproof 1-Axis Gimbal 4K Camera for Splash Drone fig
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Ensure the orange rubber ring is attached to the camera when installing ND filters.
Ensure to aline the lens properly when installing ND filters as the lines on the screw are very thin and can be damaged if not screwed on properly.

After Use Casing

After using the gimbal camera, you can choose not to take off the gimbal camera and put it directly into the case with the drone. Follow the following steps to make sure the gimbal camera is properly secure after casing.

  1. Remove the double-side-glued pad from the gimbal box and paste the pad into the drone’s case as shown to the left.
  2. After cleaning and drying the gimbal camera and the aircraft, secure the gimbal camera with the fixing case, then put the aircraft and other parts into the case. The case is secure and ready to be carried or transported.SwellPro GC1-S Waterproof 1-Axis Gimbal 4K Camera for Splash Drone fig 6

Control

Cameras Status Indicator
There is a camera status indicator on the back of the camera to indicate the camera’s working status. It flashes green or red.SwellPro GC1-S Waterproof
1-Axis Gimbal 4K Camera for Splash Drone fig 8

Gimbal Control

  • Tilt①: Roll the right gimbal control roller as shown to turn the gimbal up or down from 0 to -90 degrees.
  • Pan②: Pan control is not applicable for GC1-S. It only works for 3-axis gimbal cameras, such as GC3-S, GC3-T.SwellPro GC1-S Waterproof 1-Axis Gimbal 4K Camera for Splash Drone fig 9

Camera Control

  • Photo①: press once to take a picture.
  • Video②: press once to start recording, press again to stop recording, and save files.SwellPro GC1-S Waterproof 1-Axis Gimbal 4K Camera for Splash Drone fig 10

Calibration

If there are any abnormal movements being observed or the camera is not level, you can recalibrate the gimbal camera to solve the problem.
Gimbal camera calibration is performed together with the aircraft gyroscope calibration. To calibrate the gimbal camera, you just need to proceed with aircraft gyroscope calibration.

To calibrate the gimbal camera:

  1. Place the drone on a level surface, power on the remote controller, then the drone. Wait for the aircraft to connect to the remote controller.
  2. Hold the left joystick down to its lowest position, then quickly move the right joystick left to right, back and forth, until the front and rear status indicators flash alternately, or the remote controller screen prompts “WARNING aircraft Initializing, Please Wait”. The drone will now perform gyroscope calibration. Now release the joysticks. This process will be completed in 20 seconds. Do not move the drone during this process.
  3. When the front status indicators fast-flashing red and the rear status indicators turn solid green, or “WARNING Aircraft Initializing, Please Wait” prompt disappears, power off and restart the drone. Gyroscope calibration is complete.SwellPro GC1-S Waterproof 1-Axis Gimbal 4K Camera for Splash Drone fig 11

Do not calibrate the gimbal camera on a boat or other moving platforms.

APP Interface

To get into APP’s camera interface: Power on the remote controller, then the aircraft. Connect the phone to the remote controller’s Wi-Fi hotspot. Then click “Login device”.SwellPro GC1-S Waterproof 1-Axis Gimbal 4K Camera for
Splash Drone fig 12 Camera Interface SwellPro GC1-S Waterproof 1-Axis Gimbal 4K Camera for Splash
Drone fig 13

Photo Setting Interface SwellPro GC1-S Waterproof 1-Axis Gimbal 4K
Camera for Splash Drone fig 14Video Setting Interface SwellPro GC1-S
Waterproof 1-Axis Gimbal 4K Camera for Splash Drone fig
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Camera Setting Interface SwellPro GC1-S Waterproof 1-Axis Gimbal 4K
Camera for Splash Drone fig 16

Specification

  • Waterproof rating: IP67

  • Stabilization: Single-axis (pitch).

  • Controllable range: Pitch: -90° to 0°

  • Max control speed:
    Pitch: 60 °/s

  • Weight: About 145g

Size: 715565mm
Camera
Sensors: 1/2.3″ 12M CMOS
Lens: F4.53mm; f/2.65; FOV: 92.6°
ISO range: 100 – 3200
shutter speed: 16 – 1/16000 s
Photo size: 4:3/16:9 12MP
Burst mode: 3/5/10 shoots
Video resolution: 4K:3840*2160/30P

FHD:19201080 30/60/120p | HD:1280720/240p

Max data stream:| 64 Mbps
Photo format:| JPEG / DNG (RAW)
Video format:| MP4,MOV
Memory card:| Micro SD card: supports up to 128GB of capacity, write

speeds ≥ 60 MB/s, and transfer speed rating of Class 10 or above, or with UHS-1 rating.

Working temperature:| -10°C – 40°C

Version Information
SwellPro products are constantly improving, so as the product user guides. It is recommended to visit www.swellpro.com to check and download the latest user guide.
Version:1.0 GC1-S User Guide First Edition

Documents / Resources

| SwellPro GC1-S Waterproof 1-Axis Gimbal 4K Camera for Splash Drone [pdf] User Guide
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