So, you have an awesome 3DR SOLO but there just seems to be too much jitter in your videos. Here's a guide to help you fix that:

Disclaimer: The information in this guide suggests modifications to your 3DR SOLO that will possibly void your warranty. Peau Productions is in no way liable for damage you may cause to your vehicle. These instructions are meant to only be followed by the most frustrated SOLO user who wants the best of the best.

Vibrations on the SOLO come from a number of areas. The biggest one being the motors themselves. We will work on reducing the vibrations at the motors and then reducing the ways that these vibrations can get to the GoPro® in the gimbal.

Step 1: Balance Your Propellers

Lots of suggestions on how to do this on the internet. Here at Peau we only balance the props themselves and not the hubs. Up to you. Here's a good video to follow:

Step 2: Balance Your Motors

This isn't something we do here at Peau, but for those of you that want to further improve your results (and for the sake of being thorough) here is a good video showing how to do this:

Step 3: Spiderweb the Gimbal Cable

Carefully cut the braided sleeve around the gimbal cable so the wires are free to move around:

When you reinstall the cable, spread the wires all around so that as few are touching as possible:

Step 4: Strip the Shielding from the HDMI Cable

This is probably the most vital step to reduce vibrations but also the one that may cause the most issues if not done properly. If you damage anything you can simply purchase a new micro-micro HDMI cable of 12 inch length (Replacement link1, link2, link3).

Carefully strip the plastic shielding from the HDMI cable, revealing the individual wires. We also apply some liquid adhesive around the plug itself:

Insert the plug back into the gimbal and route the wires around the post so as to not touch the dampening ball:

Step 5: Properly Route Your HDMI Cable

Route the HDMI cable properly around the inside of the gimbal bay as Colin explains at 2:06:

Step 7: Balance Your Gimbal (When Adding Accessories)

Taking one of the 6g weights included with the gimbal, thread it onto the top, center-most hole on the rear of the gimbal camera mount:

Next, unscrew the 3 screws holding the plastic cover around the tilt motor:

 Once it's removed, take the top piece and another 6g weight in hand. Using a small amount of adhesive (we use double-sided foam tape) stick the weight to the location shown:

Bolt it all back up, making sure you move the camera on its tilt axis while you do. You'll likely hear the ribbon inside sliding around and you want to make sure it's not binding or rubbing unnecessarily. If it is, separate the plastic pieces again and carefully line them up before screwing together.

Once reassembled, push a filter over the front if one isn't already on there. Your camera should look nice and level without the SOLO turned on. Move the camera around and see if it is going to one side or another. If it is, you may need to adjust the weights accordingly.

 Thanks it. After you do all these things the only stabilization you should need will be a small amount in post processing. We prefer Adobe Premiere Warp Stabilize. Happy filming!