Remote controlled flying things-Quads, Hex, Octo or anything

[CBRK]

Your 'white smoke' list must get getting as long as mine Mandrake? Crikey I get annoyed with myself when I do it. It's always because I'm not taking my time and not double checking how I've connected something up, or getting the multimeter out.

My 700 tvl camera's are a tiny bit grainy inside in low light, but outside they transmit beautifully, very crisp and sharp image. There was no appreciable difference between it being hooked up directly to the monitor, to when it was hooked up via the transmitter at close range. I haven't had an opportunity to see how well they work at greater range, but that will be more dependent upon the VTx more so than the camera.  I reckon you'll be pleased with the results from you 800 tvl camera. Now you'll have to put one of these on your Xmas shopping list so if you crash you can record the GPS coordinates from your Rambizi OSD.

http://www.aliexpress.com/snapshot/6218210501.html

Looking forward to your thoughts on the Rambizi OSD you bought as well. I wouldn't mind getting one down the track for my flying wing (if i ever fly the bloody thing that is).

I'm yet to put my 700 TVL camera on my tricopter, its got a huge heavy lens on it.  Great video quality when I tested it, but damn it's a heavy beast.

Ummm, correct me if I'm wrong but isnt PAL 768x576, so anything above 600 isnt going to come through when going over the VTx?  I get why 700 is a jump up from 420 or even 480 TVL. Have I missed something?  I get it if you want to record the stream up on the craft, just cant see the benfit to transmitting it.

Mandrake, how heavy is the 800TVL camera, it looks like it has a smaller lens (normal miniature lens) on it which will cut down on the weight.

Regards,

Chris

[Marschy]

Yeah, not sure how that works, I think it probably more to do with the CCD sensor over the CMOS sensor's when comparing the 420 or 480 camera's to the 800tvl as far as image quality is concerned. My lens is the same as Mandrakes. Just checked what I previously purchased, and mine is 800tvl as well. These camera's all seem to get quite grainy the less light you throw at them.

http://www.goodluckbuy.com/1-3-sony-hq1-super-had-ccd-camera-lens-module-set-800tvl-for-fpv.html

Same size lens as the Fatshark PilotHD 3.6mm, so I assume a 120 degree FOV.

[Marschy]

Just bought these from Hobbyking the other day, https://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewitem.asp?idproduct=53706     https://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewitem.asp?idproduct=66474
First tried it out on my RC Car, the dog was not impressed lol, I was sitting at the kitchen table as this car was chasing him around the back yard, definitely good for a laugh, I also have a 1.6 meter flying wing which I have now fitted it up to, keen to try it out when the wind calms a little.

Been looking and looking at the Quanum FPV diy goggles, what's your verdict?

[Mandrake]

Mandrake, how heavy is the 800TVL camera, it looks like it has a smaller lens (normal miniature lens) on it which will cut down on the weight.

Regards,

Chris

Chris - Its 48 gms with the bracket and 44 gms without .. Gives a really clear picture on my 5" monitor ...

Mandrake ..

[Mandrake]

Dunno if I mentioned this thing - It'll be here soon too !! LOL

This is all because I have to use 2.4Ghz for FPV ... I think now ( looking back ) would have been cheaper to get the Phantom 2 plus ..

Oh well !! LOL

http://www.aliexpress.com/snapshot/6302497143.html

Has a range of 100m with standard mini antenna so I'm hoping to double that with a mushroom ... Mandrake

[gec]

Been looking and looking at the Quanum FPV diy goggles, what's your verdict?

I didn't get to try them on the wing this morning as it was blowing a gale, but as for the goggles them selves, they are a little agricultural but for under $35 so what, the picture seems really good and it doesn't go to blue screen when it gets out of range, just starts to get a bit snowy so ya know when to turn around, so far I'm pretty impressed and even if I just use them for a while and move on to some proper goggles down the track, I think they are still worth the asking price.

[Marschy]

I didn't get to try them on the wing this morning as it was blowing a gale, but as for the goggles them selves, they are a little agricultural but for under $35 so what, the picture seems really good and it doesn't go to blue screen when it gets out of range, just starts to get a bit snowy so ya know when to turn around, so far I'm pretty impressed and even if I just use them for a while and move on to some proper goggles down the track, I think they are still worth the asking price.

So the picture quality is pretty good? My Fatshark Teleporter V2 goggles picture quality is pretty ordinary, so I don't think getting goggles is necessarily moving on to something better unless you spend some serious dough. Thanks for the feedback about the picture quality. I reckon for the price, like you say, worth a shot.

[CBRK]

Well I had some good news tonight, it is confirmed one of the MinimOSD's that I thought I had killed is working!!    So I now have 2 out of 3 Minim's working.  Nice feeling to take items out of the dead pile (none of them seemed to release the white smoke but they didnt work for me before for some reason).

I spent the evening loading up MinimOSD extra and I have to say I'm impressed with it.  I have configured a HUD and will test it out on the weekend.  Process was straight forwards but little frustrating as as I am using lots of single connectors, so I'll whip up a cable with a 6 pin connector.

I downloaded the Minim Config Tool and grabbed a firmware update.  I tried a new layout and uploaded it, I forgot I hadnt updated the firmware orthe character set and was a little surprised when I had lots of odd characters.  Plus things didn't seem right, so I went back to basics.  I updated the firmware, then I updated the character set and then I was happy as I finally got a good display.

Took about 6 goes to get something I was happy with.

Things I like about it:
- Ability to see mah consumed instead of % of battery
- Distance traveled
- I can see my flight mode (wasn't working on stock firmware for some reason)
- I now have a HUD i like

Things I don't like about it:
- Time is now based upon flight time (so power up time until take off, then time since off time), I preferred the time since power up



I may have to look at the source code to return it to the old method or give a choice at least.  I'll try the new method for a few flights before I change anything.

I'm thinking of removing the GPS alt (and use relative home alt only) and the Airspeed.

Tomorrow night I will replace my battery tray yet again, I'm going to try the music wire (1.2mm and 1.5mm) to see if I can improve vibration dampening and get more space.  I need to move the battery further back to accommodate the weight of the action cam and gimbal, but I know that I'll have reduced flight time.  With the change in board I'm down to 8.5 mins flight time, it was at 12 mins with my KK2 - on a 2200mah battery.  I've only weight it as the APM at 1kg (no battery), so I dont know how much lighter it was with the KK2.

I will test out my 5000mah batteries on the weekend (if rain and wind holds off) but I wanted to have it bedded down first on the 2200mah.

Chris

[CBRK]

Chris - Its 48 gms with the bracket and 44 gms without .. Gives a really clear picture on my 5" monitor ...

Mandrake ..

Hmmm, thats lighter than my heavy 700TVL camera... It's 70g, still not sure if I'll put it on, the other cameras I use are 15-35g (but they arent 700+TVL).  Food for thought......  No I have to control myself, I have around 6 cameras that I need to use first, but 800 TVL is attractive.....

[CBRK]

Yeah, not sure how that works, I think it probably more to do with the CCD sensor over the CMOS sensor's when comparing the 420 or 480 camera's to the 800tvl as far as image quality is concerned. My lens is the same as Mandrakes. Just checked what I previously purchased, and mine is 800tvl as well. These camera's all seem to get quite grainy the less light you throw at them.

http://www.goodluckbuy.com/1-3-sony-hq1-super-had-ccd-camera-lens-module-set-800tvl-for-fpv.html

Same size lens as the Fatshark PilotHD 3.6mm, so I assume a 120 degree FOV.

Grrr, your not making it easy with prices like that......  I'm so tempted to get one.....

I think I'll need to do some reading up on this, will have to wait until next week.

[CBRK]

So the picture quality is pretty good? My Fatshark Teleporter V2 goggles picture quality is pretty ordinary, so I don't think getting goggles is necessarily moving on to something better unless you spend some serious dough. Thanks for the feedback about the picture quality. I reckon for the price, like you say, worth a shot.

I reckon such a big thing wont feel right on your head, might be okay for quick flights but anything longer.....  I think if you did it as a tripod mount it would be okay, but why not a larger screen with a shade on it.

I looked at them early on, I'll wait for you guys to review it first 

Chris

[Marschy]

Chris, check the Arducopter website. They recommend 1000mah per motor as a rule of thumb. So for your tricopter you are a little short on power at 2200.
Cheers Marschy

[Marschy]

I'm going to try the music wire (1.2mm and 1.5mm) to see if I can improve vibration dampening and get more space.

Chris, If like me, you have collected a large number of USB cables over the years, you probably have a few that are surplus to your needs. Good size wire for this sort of stuff.

Cheers, Mark

[Mandrake]

Mine was $21 free post .. I'll do the link when I get up ..LOL

EDIT -- LINK http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/361000019522?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

[Marschy]

Mine was $21 free post .. I'll do the link when I get up ..LOL

EDIT -- LINK http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/361000019522?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

Same lens as mine, 3.6mm, so probably 120 degree FOV. It doesn't state this on the ebay listing, neither did mine. So I only have the Fatshark PilotHD specs on Hobbyking to base this on. But 120 degrees seems pretty good for FPV. Bloody great price. Can you let us know if the camera is CCD or CMOS, it should say what it is on the back of the camera or maybe with any documentation that accompanied the camera (wishful thinking, I don't think any of my camera's came with documentation other that what was printed on the box). Difference in price maybe due to CMOS camera, but if it's CCD, absolute bargain.

Only difference to mine is mine has the OSD menu board, which I haven't used anyway. I've just plugged it in and used it. It has features like it will turn off the colour image to black and white to increase contrast in low light. It does that by default, but you can turn that functionality off, plus you can adjust the white balance, again I haven't bothered.

[Mandrake]

Model No FX-811 , 12V and on the "installation guide " ( HOHOHO basic wiring diagram ) it shows the lens as F2.0 ?? But the picture is crystal clear ..
So no idea if its CCD or CMOS ...

[Marschy]

Just doing some reading on the Effio-V on this link

http://fpvlab.com/forums/showthread.php?26970-Sony-CCD-Effio-V-800TVL-Ultra-WDR-Camera-2.8mm-Lens-with-OSD

The effio-p is CCD, bargain (see http://www.surveilzone.com).

One post mentions a plastic case which would save a lot of weight, which you can get from surveilzone, just search for plastic case. Seems the 3.6mm lens is VERY desirable for FPV according to all of the requests on the link above.

[CBRK]

Chris, check the Arducopter website. They recommend 1000mah per motor as a rule of thumb. So for your tricopter you are a little short on power at 2200.
Cheers Marschy

Hi Mark,

True, I am a bit short but lots of factors go into which battery to use (capacity, C rating, weight, price, weight of the frame, motors being used, etc).  I have the 2200mah batts from when I was using the KK2 board (and getting great flight times), but I have a bit more weight now which impacts it a bit more than I expected.  I've got the 5000mah's for the longer flights, I'm hoping to get 16+ mins out of it.

I can always hook the 2200's up in parallel if i need longer flight times.  Although 2 x 2200mah (376g + Y harness) is heavier than 1 x 5000mah (354g).

I only have 2 of the 5000mah batts, depending how it goes this weekend I may have to order another couple :-)  They do take a long time to charge up though......  The biggest charger I've got is a 5A charger, so that's a 1 hour charge (at 1C, I'd test out 2C but I dont have a charger that big).  With the 2200's I can push 4A in safely (2C - they are cheap so if they have a short life that is ok), so much quicker charge time.  Oddly the 2200's are rated at 4C for charging, which is quite high, I've not gone over 4A on them (just under 2C).

I might look at some other options, I think I'll be ordering some new batteries after this weekend.  The 2200mah's are perfect for my Bixler2, so they'll still feel loved (if I can find somewhere to fly the thing....)

Decisions, decisions.....

Chris

[Mandrake]

hey guys .... Help me with connector phraseology please ..
I need a couple of 3 and 4 pin cables with the small white connectors --
I can get them in Nano , Mini Micro , Micro and Mini - sizing appears to be either 1.25 or 1.5 mm between the pins Is that right ??
Seems I'll have to buy packets of 20 ..
The ones on a gimbal are Nano or Mini-micro or micro ?? Coz that's the size I need ..
I'm in the last stages of hooking in my Remzibi and the video in / out socket / header is a 4-pin job and I don't have the right size
plug here for it , so I need to order some .... For what they cost I suppose I'll buy them all - LOL .
Cheers
Steve

[Marschy]

hey guys .... Help me with connector phraseology please ..
I need a couple of 3 and 4 pin cables with the small white connectors --
I can get them in Nano , Mini Micro , Micro and Mini - sizing appears to be either 1.25 or 1.5 mm between the pins Is that right ??
Seems I'll have to buy packets of 20 ..
The ones on a gimbal are Nano or Mini-micro or micro ?? Coz that's the size I need ..
I'm in the last stages of hooking in my Remzibi and the video in / out socket / header is a 4-pin job and I don't have the right size
plug here for it , so I need to order some .... For what they cost I suppose I'll buy them all - LOL .
Cheers
Steve

Look on youtube for Mochaboy's crimping 101 where he describes what the connectors are called. I found it the other day and book marked it at home, but I am at work at the moment without access to youtube.

[CBRK]

hey guys .... Help me with connector phraseology please ..
I need a couple of 3 and 4 pin cables with the small white connectors --
I can get them in Nano , Mini Micro , Micro and Mini - sizing appears to be either 1.25 or 1.5 mm between the pins Is that right ??
Seems I'll have to buy packets of 20 ..
The ones on a gimbal are Nano or Mini-micro or micro ?? Coz that's the size I need ..
I'm in the last stages of hooking in my Remzibi and the video in / out socket / header is a 4-pin job and I don't have the right size
plug here for it , so I need to order some .... For what they cost I suppose I'll buy them all - LOL .
Cheers
Steve

Hi Steve,

I bought a bunch of them myself...  It was easier that way. 

I got several of the Micro JST and Micro Mini's JST as well DF13 connectors (deeper than the micro JST's).

I decided to buy some precrimped cables to save myself the hassle.

I think the one that seems to match the APM stuff is the micro JST and DF13 connectors.

The connectors are all over the place, so many different places calling them different things.  I've seen the same youtube clip Mark is referring too, it you search on rcgroups it should come up.

Regards,

Chris

[Marschy]

Some of the DF13s have a different pitch, whether they are still called DF13s, I don't know, but the mini video transmitter i have has a different spacing between the pins to all the other DF13s i have used so far.

Just looked on youtube on my phone. The poster is MochaboyRC and the posting is called 'How to crimp micro connectors',

[Mandrake]

Cheers guys - ordered 4 lots plus 2 Lipo low voltage alarms and a spinning blue LED police light .. LOL ,, $40 the lot ..

[Marschy]

Cheers guys - ordered 4 lots plus 2 Lipo low voltage alarms and a spinning blue LED police light .. LOL ,, $40 the lot ..

You can never have enough spinning blue LED lights. You'll be buying blinking lights before you know it 

[D4D]

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/drones-filling-queensland-skies-within-dangerous-proximity-of-aircraft/story-fnihsrk2-1227108980317