The stock hall sensor gimbals in the TX16S radio are great and should be enough for most people. But if you want the best possible precision and smoothness then you should check out the latest AG01 gimbals from Radiomaster.
Table of Contents
Where to Buy?
- AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DEs8KhP
- Banggood: https://oscarliang.com/product-idz1
- GetFPV: https://oscarliang.com/product-1znh
- RDQ: https://oscarliang.com/product-pmbh
- Amazon: https://amzn.to/31HP0kf
Each box come with a single gimbal, extra springs, lubricating oil, damping oil, Allen key and manual.
Closer Look
The new Radiomaster AG01 gimbals look way more expensive than the “plasticky” stock gimbals in the TX16S.
AG01 is in fact much heavier than the standard hall sensor gimbals due to its fully CNC milled housing, 83g vs 34.5g to be exact. The AG01 gimbals feel much more sturdier.
Left: AG01; Right: Stock Gimbals
One major advantage of the AG01 gimbals is the convenience of spring tension adjustment. You can use the screws in front of the gimbals to adjust spring tension, which means you don’t need to take apart the radio to do so anymore. It’s actually the same concept as the gimbals in the Eachine version of the TX16S, but the build quality of the AG01 is WAY nicer.
Here’s the manual explaining which screws can do what.
Inside the box, there are lubricant and damping oil. The damping oil can be applied on the back of the throttle, between the metal plates and plastic piece. It’s kinda like sticky grease, it makes the throttle stick extra smooth without feeling too slippery. The lubricating oil can be applied on the bearings and rotating parts. It seems like they already applied these in the gimbals out of the box anyway. You can also purchase these jars separately.
If you find the stock springs too tight even after loosening them all the way, you can replace them with the extra springs provided, which are looser.
Installing AG01 Gimbals
Take apart the radio.
Remove the sliders as they get in the way of the gimbals. There are only two screws on each slider.
Then remove the gimbal by taking out these 4 screws.
Take out of the original gimbals and their CNC plates.
Then install the AG01 gimbals. Don’t worry about orientation, you can only fit them one way, just follow the cut out on the faceplate, and make sure it’s “locked into place” before putting the screws. That’s it, put it all back together.
Thoughts on AG01 Gimbals
Gimbal stick end size is 4mm, same as the stock gimbals. They come with some cool looking stick ends, very grippy but they might leave some marks on your thumbs as they really dig into your skin.
As a hybrid pincher, personally I prefer these Lotus stickends: http://bit.ly/2BoTQo1.
Stick travel feels roughly the same as the stock gimbals.
The AG01 gimbals almost cost as much as the TX16S radio it self. To be honest, I believe the stock gimbals work just fine for the majority of people. I flew in the simulator for about an hour straight with the stock gimbals, then swapped to the AG01, I do feel there’s a small increase in smoothness and precision, but it’s very subtle and I don’t think it makes a huge difference in my flying. But if you are looking for the best of the best in this hobby, then the AG01 are great :)
Gimbal Adjustment
Gimbal LED light
Radiomaster released their own version of the Gimbal LED light mod for the TX16S.
Not the kit from Radiomaster, but result is similar
Where to Buy:
- GetFPV: https://oscarliang.com/product-8g01
- Banggood: https://oscarliang.com/product-ofky
I previously reviewed a 3rd party option of this gimbal light mod, the result looks quite similar, but the RadioMaster version is much, much easier to do. No soldering, no fiddling around with LED strips and tapes, just plug and play.
However, it’s a purely aesthetic mod, and I don’t find it very appealing being a practical person. It doesn’t make my life any easier, and it actually makes the screen harder to see with the bright light coming from the gimbals. But it does look super cool at night. I wish there’s an option to turn the light on and off.
Also note that it recesses the gimbals and pushes the sticks into the radio by about 3mm, so it will make the sticks feel different. Just something to be aware of.
5 comments
Thanks bro, I understand better here than watching on youtube LOL.
Hey Oscar,
I have just sent my ag01 gimbals back. Although the felt fantastic, I fly a lot professionally with cine lifters which requires extremally smooth inputs, especially around the center. The problem with ag01 for me was that you have to push quite hard to get away from the center and moving slowly through center in a smooth panning fashion was almost impossible and you could see it on the cinema camera. They are just so stiff in the center. Is there a way to get rid of the center stiffness without having to loosen the springs all the way? I searched the webs, but nothing so far.
thanks for any reply!
maybe try other springs?
the gimbals come with springs of different stiffness i believe not sure if you have tried them. And try to search for other springs for gimbals maybe. I haven’t encountered this issue you described so i haven’t looked into that.
To replace M9 gimbal by AG01 gimbal would be nice to have external dimensions and associated drawings..
Would these gimbals work with a Jumper T18?