Two-axis EO/IR gimbal

You'll get a two-axis gimbal: a base, a pan axis with its bearing and drive, a yoke, a tilt axis with its bearings and drive, and a payload housing for a day camera and a thermal core. Custom parts such as the yoke are modelled like machined parts, with sketches, holes and fillets.

1. 1Step 1: Paste the prompt, then give the brief

   Start a new chat, paste the Speed prompt and send it. When Claude asks What do you want to build?, type:

   Type thisCopy

   A two-axis EO/IR gimbal for a vehicle mast: a 1.5 kg payload with a day camera and a thermal core, continuous pan, and tilt from -90° to +30°. Use real bearings and drives.

   Then switch to your Speed tab to watch.

2. 2Step 2: Read the plan

   The payload mass and the travel ranges are stated. Claude assumes the rest, for example how fast it must slew, the payload's size, the materials (often aluminium for the yoke) and the vibration the mast sees. Speed has ready-made EO/IR gimbals and a pan-tilt pedestal, so Claude may start from one and adapt it.

3. 3Step 3: Watch it build, stage by stage

   1. Base. The mounting plate that bolts to the mast.
   2. Pan axis. A bearing from the catalogue and the pan drive. When the catalogue has nothing that fits, Claude models a part with realistic published-style figures and says so.
   3. Yoke. The U-shaped arm that carries the tilt axis, modelled as a real part: sketched, extruded, with bolt holes and filleted corners.
   4. Tilt axis and payload. The tilt bearings and drive, and the payload housing with the camera and thermal core inside.
   5. Check and look. Claude runs the physics check, then takes a picture of the model from the front and side to check the payload clears the yoke through its tilt range.

4. 4Step 4: Read the summary

   You'll get the total mass, the moving mass on each axis, the verdict and every assumption. Ask for a modal FEA to get the first resonance, which matters most for a gimbal's image stability.

Follow-ups to try#

Run FEA for a 3 g shock#

Run FEA for a 3 g shock from the vehicle, and a modal case. Tell me the first resonance.

Claude sets a 3 g shock case and a modal case, both fixed at the base plate, and runs the FEA. You'll get the most loaded part, its safety factor, and the first natural frequency, with a note if that mode is local to one part.

Swap the bearings and compare#

Swap the tilt bearings for the next size up and compare.

Claude fits the next larger catalogue bearing and shows before and after: mass, stiffness and first resonance.

Make the one-pager#

Make the one-pager.

A one-page drawing sheet with views, a parts list and notes opens in your Speed tab.

Get the FE report#

Make the FE report with every load and support you assumed listed.

Claude solves every load case and gives you a download link to a PDF report. The link lasts one hour. This can take a few minutes.

What to check before you trust it#

• Speed does not model servo control, pointing jitter or the optics. Pointing accuracy needs a control and line-of-sight analysis.
• FEA runs on the parts' shapes at screening grade. It finds the weak part and the first resonance quickly; an engineer must confirm them.
• Check bearing and drive figures against the makers' current datasheets.

Something unclear or wrong? Tell us at support@tryspeed.ai.