1

Parts

Tarot gimbal

GoPro HERO3 stabilization system

IRIS+ mounting screws

(2)

Configuration cable

Gimbals arrive preconfigured and ready 

to fly. For information on changing 

configuration and updating the 

firmware, visit 3dr.com/learn.

Extra parts 

servo cable

split-wire servo cable

rail mounting hooks (2)

X8/Y6/QUAD mounting hardware

(instructions included)

Remove the two screws securing the blue face plate,

and remove the plate. 1

face plate

remove

Slide camera into housing with 

the lens nearest the top-right 

corner.

2

! Important note: Make sure that the WiFi on your GoPro 

is turned OFF at all times when in use with IRIS+. 

remove

1 Attach Camera

Place the blue face plate over the camera, and secure from the 

back with the two original screws. 3

Add face plate.

tighten

Thread cables here.

Locate the black and white two-wire cable protruding 1 from the bottom of IRIS.

Thread the cables through the interface plate. Locate the pins 

on the Tarot board. Connect the black wire to a - (ground) pin 

and the white wire to the T (tilt) pin. 

2

Follow these instructions to connect the gimbal to IRIS. This 

will allow you to adjust the tilt of the camera in flight using the 

controller. To enable automatic camera stabilization without 

remote control, skip to the step 3: power.

Attach black wire

to ground (-).

ground (black)

tilt (white)

Attach white wire 

to tilt (T).

2 Connect

GoPro not included

User Guide
2

Connect the gimbal power cable with the red connector to 

the matching cable protruding from the bottom of IRIS.

3 Power

Using the mounting screws, attach the gimbal to IRIS through 

the two holes in the interface plate and the two holes in the 

bottom shell shown below.

Mount the gimbal 

with the camera 

facing forward.

4 Connect to IRIS

Operating the Gimbal

Upon powering IRIS, the gimbal will display a solid yellow light 

while it is starting and calibrating. Do not touch the gimbal while 

it is starting up. When the gimbal displays a blinking blue light, it 

is ready to fly.

If the gimbal is not connected to the autopilot, it will perform 

automatic stabilization without remote control, indicated by a 

solid blue light.

Calibrating, do not touch gimbal

Ready, connected to autopilot

Ready, not connected to autopilot

In flight, use the TILT knob on 

the controller to adjust the angle 

of the camera.

! Important note: Flying with a gimbal will reduce your flight 

time by as much as five minutes. Please plan your flights 

accordingly.

Connect gimbal to 

bottom shell here.

complete assembly

Specs

• Supports GoPro HERO3 video auxiliary 

output cable (sold separately)

• Support for remote devices : PPM/

PCM/2.4G

• Working voltage : DC 7.4V ~ 14.8V 

(Recommended 12V)

• Working current : 200 mA-500 mA 

• Working environment temperature: 

-15°C ~ 65°C (5°F ~ 149°F)

• Dual 32-bit high-speed ARM core 

processors

• Three axis MEMS gyroscope and MEMS 

accelerometers

• Maximum angular rate : 2000 °/sec

• Control frequency: 2000 Hz

• Motor drive frequency: 20 kHz

• Control accuracy : 0.1 ° (Pixel Grade)

• Control angle range : -45 ° ~45 ° (roll), 

-135 ° ~ 90 ° (tilt)

• Pose solver algorithms : PTZ dedicated 

brushless motor decoupled EKF

 algorithm

• Weight without camera : 200 g

• The Tarot gimbal should be powered by 

a 2S or 3S LiPo battery only. If you plan 

to use 4S, please use a voltage regulator 

to ensure the voltage stays within safe 

operating limits.

• Firmware version 1.5

Rotate clockwise to level the camera.

Rotate counterclockwise to tilt the camera down.
3

X8/Y6/QUAD Mounting Instructions

This kit includes hardware to mount the gimbal to a 2014 RTF 

X8, Y6, or QUAD. To do this, you will need to disassemble the 

gimbal, remove the IRIS interface plate, and attach the new 

interface plate.

Use a 1.5 mm hex key to remove the four screws 

at the corners of the controller board.

1 Remove Controller Board

Use a 2 mm hex key to remove the two bolts and nuts attaching 

the interface plate to the gimbal, and remove the plate. 

2 Remove IRIS Interface Plate

Use a 1.5 mm hex key to replace the four screws 

at the corners of the controller board.

5 Replace Controller Board

Position the interface plate with the wider end at the rear end of 

the gimbal. Attach the plate to the gimbal using the same two 

holes as the IRIS interface plate. Place a 6 mm standoff between 

each of the two holes in the gimbal body and the plate. Attach a 

5 mm screw to both ends of the standoff using a 2 mm hex key.

4 Attach X8/Y6/QUAD Interface Plate

gimbal

interface plate

5 mm screw

5 mm screw

6 mm standoff

Parts

1 2 3 4

interface plate

1 three 8 mm screws 

2 four 5 mm screws

3 two 6 mm standoffs

4 three 3 mm spacers

controller

Attach black wire to the 

ground (-).

Attach white 

wire to tilt (T).

Do not use red wire.

Connect the servo cable now protruding from the top of the 

gimbal to the black and white two-wire cable protruding from the 

bottom of the copter, ensuring that the black wire connects to 

the black wire and the white wire connects to the white wire.

6 Connect to Copter

Locate the split-wire servo cable from the extra parts. Locate the 

pins on the Tarot board. Connect the black-wire connector to the 

rightmost column of pins shown below with the black wire itself 

connected to the bottom-row - (ground) pin. Connect the whitewire connector to the center column of pins with the white wire 

itself connected to the T (tilt) pin. Leave the red wire unattached.

3 Connect Cable to Gimbal

Thread the servo cable up through the 

center space in the plate.

7 Power

Connect the gimbal power cable with the red connector to 

the matching cable protruding from the bottom of the copter.

pins
4

Rotate clockwise to level the camera.

Rotate counterclockwise to tilt the camera down.

For Non-3DR Transmitters

To calibrate a non-3DR transmitter to control the gimbal, you will 

need to enable channel six for a knob on your transmitter during RC 

calibration in Mission Planner or APM Planner. Once channel six is 

enabled, the preconfigured Pixhawk settings will automatically 

assign gimbal control to the selected control knob on the 

transmitter.

If you are using a PPM encoder to connect to Pixhawk, you will need 

to connect channel six from your RC receiver to the encoder before 

calibration.

gimbal 

interface plate

copter base plate

8 mm screw

3 mm spacer

Y6 base plate connect to

Quad/X8 base plate

To mount the gimbal to your copter, add an 8 mm screw to each 

of the three holes in the interface plate from below so that the 

threads protrude from the top of the interface plate. Add a 3 mm 

spacer to each screw above the interface plate, and attach the 

screws to the three holes in the base plate of the copter indicated 

below. The spacers should be between the gimbal interface plate 

and the base plate. 

8 Mount to X8, Y6, or QUAD

interface plate

Operating the Gimbal

Upon powering the copter, the gimbal will display a solid yellow 

light while it is starting and calibrating. Do not touch the gimbal 

while it is starting up. When the gimbal displays a blinking blue 

light, it is ready to fly.

If the gimbal is not connected to the autopilot, it will perform 

automatic stabilization without remote control, indicated by a 

solid blue light.

Calibrating, do not touch gimbal

Ready, connected to autopilot

Ready, not connected to autopilot

For 3DR controllers, use the 

channel 6 knob to adjust 

the angle of the camera.

! Important note: Flying with a gimbal will reduce your flight 

time by as much as five minutes. Please plan your flights 

accordingly.

FlySky Spektrum

Remove the two screws securing the blue face plate,

and remove the plate. 1

face plate

remove

Slide camera into housing with 

the lens nearest the top-right 

corner.

2

! Important note: Make sure that the WiFi on your GoPro 

is turned OFF at all times when in use with a copter. 

remove

9 Attach Camera

Place the blue face plate over the camera, and secure from the 

back with the two original screws. 3

Add face plate.

tighten

Tarot Gimbal User Manual vA | ©3D Robotics, Inc. | 2 September 2014