3D Printing GoPro and Action Camera Mounts for FPV Drones
A well-designed GoPro mount is the single most critical 3D printed part on any cinematic FPV drone. It must hold a $250-400 camera securely through aggressive freestyle, isolate it from motor vibrations that produce jello in footage, survive crashes that would destroy a rigid mount, and do all of this while weighing under 15 grams. The good news is that TPU and modern 3D printers are perfectly suited to the task. Here is how to design and print mounts that produce smooth, jello-free footage flight after flight.
The Vibration Isolation Problem
Motor vibrations travel through the carbon fiber frame into the camera mount. If the mount is too rigid, these vibrations reach the camera sensor and manifest as “jello” — a wobbly distortion caused by the rolling shutter interacting with high-frequency vibration. The solution is soft-mounting: decoupling the camera from the frame’s vibration.
TPU solves this inherently. A well-designed TPU mount has a natural resonance frequency far below the motor RPM range (200-400 Hz for a typical 5-inch build). The mount acts as a mechanical low-pass filter, absorbing high-frequency vibration before it reaches the camera. The key design parameters are the mount’s stiffness (determined by geometry and TPU Shore hardness) and its mass.
For the cleanest footage, the camera should be mounted to a TPU “cage” that contacts the frame through as few points as possible — ideally just the four standoffs at the front of the frame. A TPU base plate 3-4mm thick with a camera-specific cage extending upward provides the isolation. The camera is held in the cage by friction and optionally a secondary strap; it should never contact carbon fiber directly.
Camera-Specific Design Considerations
GoPro Hero 11/12/13 Mini: The 133g Mini series is the ideal FPV camera — light enough to not overwhelm the mount, full 5.3K/60fps capability, and the compact form factor reduces drag and rotational inertia. The mount should grip the camera body (not the folding fingers at the bottom, which are the GoPro’s structural weak point) with 2mm TPU walls on all sides. Include a slot for a Velcro strap that wraps around the camera and mount as secondary retention.
GoPro Hero 11/12/13 Full Size: At 154g, the full-size GoPro introduces significant mass that amplifies any mount flexibility issues. The mount must be stiffer — use TPU 98A (harder than standard 95A) or increase wall thickness to 3mm. The extra mass also means extra crash energy; include a front “bumper” section that extends 5mm beyond the camera lens to absorb direct impacts before they reach the glass. Many pilots prefer 3D printed TPU cages specifically because the bumper feature has saved lenses that would have shattered in rigid CNC aluminum mounts.
DJI Action 2/3/4/5: DJI’s action cameras are slightly lighter than equivalent GoPros (145g for the Action 5) and feature a magnetic mounting system that simplifies integration. The mount can use the magnetic base as the primary retention mechanism, with a printed TPU sleeve that wraps around the camera for crash security. The sleeve prevents the camera from ejecting on impact — a known issue with magnetic-only mounting in crashes.
Insta360 GO 3S / SMO 4K: At 39g and 30g respectively, these ultralight cameras are the new cinematic standard for sub-250g builds. The mounts can be dramatically lighter — 3-5g of TPU is sufficient because the camera mass is so low. A simple friction-fit cradle with a single Velcro strap is adequate. The reduced mass also means the vibration isolation requirements are relaxed; a direct TPU mount with 1.5mm walls provides clean footage without soft-mounting complexity.
Printing GoPro Mounts
TPU 95A at 0.2mm layer height is the standard. Three perimeters produce 1.2mm walls — adequate for standard GoPro mounts. Increase to four perimeters for full-size GoPro mounts on 5-inch builds. Use gyroid infill at 25-30% density; the isotropic properties of gyroid are important here because crash impacts can come from any direction.
Print orientation: base flat on the build plate, cage extending upward. This gives the strongest layer orientation for crash loads (which primarily act to rip the cage upward and forward). Do not print on its side; the weak layer orientation will cause the mount to split along layer lines on the first significant impact.
Print temperature at the high end of the filament’s recommended range (235-240°C for most TPU) to maximize interlayer adhesion. The slight loss of surface detail is irrelevant for a functional mount; the gain in layer bonding is what keeps your GoPro attached through a tree strike.
Mount Tuning and Testing
A well-printed mount should produce jello-free footage on a properly tuned quad. If you see jello, the problem could be the mount, the tune, or the props. Diagnose systematically:
First, run the motors individually in the Betaflight Motors tab with the GoPro recording. If one motor produces significantly more jello than others, you have a motor balance or bearing issue — fix the motor, not the mount.
Second, try adding a thin layer of soft foam between the GoPro and the mount. Even 1mm of adhesive foam provides additional high-frequency isolation. If this eliminates the jello, the mount is too rigid for your build — redesign with thinner walls or softer TPU.
Third, verify the mount is not contacting carbon fiber anywhere except the standoff mounting points. An errant section of the mount touching the top plate will transmit vibration directly. A 1mm air gap is sufficient isolation.
With a properly designed and printed TPU mount, GoPro footage from a 5-inch quad should be smooth enough for professional use. The mount is not the limiting factor — the pilot and the tune are.