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Here I will describe what I have learned so far relating to FPV (First Person View) and OSD (On Screen Display) systems and setups.
There is also a great forum called FPVLAB.com that has tons of info to read and learn from. It is where I have been reading and asking questions for myself as I venture down this new road in radio control.
FPV is something I have wanted to do ever since I first started flying helicopters in the mid 80's. But it was unheard of back then. Now in 2012 it is very easy to do, and not priced out of this world either. I have found a great source for buying most of my FPV and OSD stuff from, ReadyMadeRC. They have tons of stuff and are very helpful. So far I am very pleased with their service.
For now I am just sticking up some photos. I will add more info later.
Vtx setup is simple. A ImmersionRC 5.8GHz transmitter with a ReadyMadeRC 600XL camera (600 TV lines)
Vrx is just as simple. A Uno5800 5.8GHz receiver with 8 channels and 2 A/V outputs
My test GS (Ground Station) setup is crude right now, but it works. It's just a 7 inch TV with Aux input.
I power it from an A123 4S battery pack with a dual diode drop regulation circuit so I don't over voltage
the TV as it's only 12 VDC input.
So far with this setup I have flown out about 350 to 400 yards from myself. Once I get the OSD system installed
I should be able to go farther as I will be able to monitor signal strength, battery voltage, current draw, and many
more parameters that will make me feel safer flying far away.
Below here is the complete redo of my hexcopter to add the OSD system. It took a bit more work than I thought,
but I am using a free eLogger V3, then I bought new the OSD and GPS. All from Eagle Tree Systems. This system
seems to be very powerful in terms of configurability, sensors you can add when you need them, the information
you can display on the OSD, and much more I don't even know what to do with yet. I will learn more as time allows.
Right now I am going for basic stuff like main battery volts and amp draw, the receivers 5 volt supply, mAhours used.
GPS info like altitude, speed, long and lat info, distance from pilot, arrow pointing to home.
So here's my setup...
Eagle Tree 10Hz GPS
Thinking about where to locate the Eagle Tree OSD board. It has a shorter
interconnect cable so you don't have alot of options. It needs to be close.
Here the OSD is secured in place.
The GPS and OSD boards use a fair amount of power. The regulator on the eLogger V3 is
a linear that gets hot and shuts down is you are using a 3S or higher batter pack. I am using 4S.
The fix is to supply a aux power source from somewhere else. Here I am testing the use of an
external switching regulator. With it connected like this the system stays on and working fine.
I will be using a CC 10Amp BEC for the final setup as it will handle up to 6S power in.
Here I am setting up and testing the tempA input which will be used to monitor
the RC receiver and Eagle Tree 5 volt power bus. The Eagle Tree manual tells you
how to do this. I ended up using a 22.5KOhm resistor to get my voltage value correct.
Here everything is tested, secured, and bundled up ready to install the
top half with the NAZA GPS on it. On top of that will be the protective top
plate I made to cover the GPs and FPV camera.
Here is a high level schematic of my system. Click to enlarge.
Here it is all done and ready to fly. You can see I also added a nice handle
to carry my hexcopter around with. Before I always had to grab underneath.
No more, no I can just grab and go.
Over my 2012 Christmas break I have been learning Google Sketchup program. The first thing I decided
to build was the pan/tilt setup for my FPV camera. This should work for any 300mm or smaller camera.
I will have these printed on a 3D printer sing ABS plastic. Should work just fine for the small camera size.
Here are the two parts needed. These will be controlled using some micro servos.
Update: 12/25/213
As shown above the GPS puck did not work mounted out on the arms like that. I ended up moving it back onto it's original location. The pan/tilt setup works pretty good. I also made some
long legs to get the main frame about 8 inches off the ground. Next summer, 2014, I hope to do more with some new camera setups, but time will tell.
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