Purposed shopping list for adding telemetry and FPV to my pixhawk controlled F550. An

[Earp]

For the telemetry to my laptop I was thinking of getting the hobby king 915mhz kit[1] . Is there any difference between this and the 3DR kit[2] ?

For FPV I was thinking of starting with the readymaderc.com 1.3Ghz kit[3] . Before I commit to 1.3Ghz, would there be any interference issues with the 915mhz or 2.4Ghz DSMX? I saw in stoneblueairline's "successful in FPV" video[4] that all I would need is a filter[5] . Is this right?

480 camera, 400mw Tx, they are out of stock of the Rx, any suggestions on what to get else where? What range will I have with just the stock linear whip antenna? Since I am not flying particularly far, would a cloverleaf antenna be a better choice?

For a screen I am thinking of the FieldView 1212.[6]

For OSD I was going to go with the APM MinimOSD[7] , probably from another dealer as I see they are much cheaper else where.

Also a HK video switch[8]

I am going to be running 4s batteries, and planning on having a separate 3s FPV battery. Would this 3s 1000mah 25c[9] be a good choice?

What else am I missing? Would you change anything?

 

[Motopreserve]

I'm just beginning my research in earnest. I had a plan, but now that may be blown to hell from varying opinions

Another vender to check out is SierraRc.com. Less selection but good prices - and supposed to be quick with shipping and great to deal with.

I was looking at 1.3ghz with filter as well, but now I'm not sure if it will introduce interference with GPS. That might be something to look into if you use GPS (I assume the pixhawk has it).

If you do want to use your flight batteries, there are step-down resisters to provide 12v from the 4S batteries. Of course this drains your flight times.

Another thing you might check is the Panasonic car DVD slave screen. They can be had cheap on eBay - and people race about them. I forget the exact model - but you can google it. Typically $50 or less.

Good luck. I'll be curious to see what you find out.

Scott

 

[Motopreserve]

EDIT: The screen I mentioned above is actually a Phillips. Sorry, I knew it was one of those "P" companies

 

[SoCal Blur]

...there are step-down resisters to provide 12v from the 4S batteries. Of course this drains your flight times.


Scott

Scott, I would recommend going with a UBEC to reduce the voltage to 12v rather then resistors. The BEC uses highspeed switching to reduce the voltage so it is much more efficient than resistors that simply dissipate the excess energy as heat and will drain batteries faster. There are micro 12v BECs available specifically for FPV use.

I use a 12V UBEC to step down my 6S batteries for my LEDs.

 

[Motopreserve]

Scott, I would recommend going with a UBEC to reduce the voltage to 12v rather then resistors. The BEC uses highspeed switching to reduce the voltage so it is much more efficient than resistors that simply dissipate the excess energy as heat and will drain batteries faster. There are micro 12v BECs available specifically for FPV use.

I use a 12V UBEC to step down my 6S batteries for my LEDs.

SoCal, are you talking about something like what I use to power the Multiwii board? Or something completely different? I have some of THESE that I can use. I have it on my current build, and will be using it on this new one. But I have an extra. I am also thinking about having an dedicated battery for the gimbal and VTX which would eliminate the need for any of this....

Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[SoCal Blur]

SoCal, are you talking about something like what I use to power the Multiwii board? Or something completely different? I have some of THESE that I can use. I have it on my current build, and will be using it on this new one. But I have an extra. I am also thinking about having an dedicated battery for the gimbal and VTX which would eliminate the need for any of this....

Thanks for the suggestion.

Yes, similar, but a 12v version like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/FPV-1-2G-5-...Control_Parts_Accessories&hash=item43c6307881

You could also use a dedicated battery. You just have to weigh the pros/cons of a heavier separate battery vs a small BEC that would draw a little more power from your main power batteries.

 

[kloner]

i tried 1.3 with naza on a few different airframes, it needed feet of seperation between the gps and vtx or the gps never locked....

people in the know use these
http://www.amazon.com/RioRand-LM2596-Converter-1-23V-30V-Pcs-LM2596/dp/B008BHAOQO

this is ezuhf and that buck converter with pz 0420 and eagle tree osd pro on lawmate 1 watt 2.4 video and converted from that to 5.8 at a tracker then recorded on a dvr at my monitor........ watch all the dropouts and interference... near the houses is cell phones, but i shoudn't be there anyways

 

[Motopreserve]

i tried 1.3 with naza on a few different airframes, it needed feet of seperation between the gps and vtx or the gps never locked....

people in the know use these
http://www.amazon.com/RioRand-LM2596-Converter-1-23V-30V-Pcs-LM2596/dp/B008BHAOQO

this is ezuhf and that buck converter with pz 0420 and eagle tree osd pro on lawmate 1 watt 2.4 video and converted from that to 5.8 at a tracker then recorded on a dvr at my monitor........ watch all the dropouts and interference... near the houses is cell phones, but i shoudn't be there anyways

Thanks Kloner - I think I had one of those bookmarked from research on another forum.

Have you run 1.3 with your SuperX? I'm wondering if it suffers the same fate as the Naza???

 

[kloner]

no, i only tried different systems till i found one that works.... lawmate 2.4 and ezuhf is money

i don't even run the sat on the superX

 

[Motopreserve]

Thanks Kloner. I have really been leaning toward 1.3 for penetration (I don't need distance, and I know I can't fly too far!). I would like to keep my Tx (2.4) so 1.3 with filter seems the best bet - but I can't seem to find anyone who has experience with the SupeX and 1.3, and whether it creates issues.

I really don't want to go 5.8, because here in Vermont, there's nothing but stuuff to fly behind - even if I'm off in a safe field on my own. Green Mountain state and all

 

[kloner]

5.8 is a better choice imo.... i can get 1/2 mile with the jib and 5.8 600mw with 8fg and internal a2 rx... the 5.8 helps me keep from getting totwhere the 2.4 signal ges compromised..... rule of fpv thumb is to never give yourself more video range than rc controll, also you want to keep the rc freq lower thant he video freq to do this.... ie 2.4 video and 433 rc.... 5.8 video and 2.4 rc control....

 

[Motopreserve]

5.8 is a better choice imo.... i can get 1/2 mile with the jib and 5.8 600mw with 8fg and internal a2 rx... the 5.8 helps me keep from getting totwhere the 2.4 signal ges compromised..... rule of fpv thumb is to never give yourself more video range than rc controll, also you want to keep the rc freq lower thant he video freq to do this.... ie 2.4 video and 433 rc.... 5.8 video and 2.4 rc control....

Does this still stand if I don't want to go distance - but want to have some penetration (that sounds real bad)? For instance, I have a good, safe place to fly here that is a series of interconnected fields, divided by slight tree-rows between. I would be able to see the quad through the trees, but not totally comfortably. That's why I started thinking 1.3 - all these gorgeous, but damned trees!!!

I do understand that typically you want to have the Tx lower - but I have watched what feels like 1001 IBCrazy vids, and that's what led me to believe that there may be hope for 1.3. If real work experience says different, I wouldn't find that hard to believe.

 

[kloner]

The picture quality from 1.3 is pretty bad, can't make out details, hard to see, 5.8 is like hd...

yep, if you get behind something strong enough to blow out 5.8 your 2.4 rc control is leaving right behind it...

couple weeks ago was 1/2 mile out behind junipers filming and my screen kept going blank right before the tree i needed to clear, just reset where we stood and it was rock solid. A lot to being succesful in fpv is setup on the spot you fly... getting in the right angle so your not caught in frame.... this was all captured using 2 immersion 5.8 systems on a 2 man jib...

 

[Motopreserve]

5.8 it is then. Thanks for all your help. And OP, sorry for hijacking the thread.

I should have first mentioned that right now I consider myself to have modest goals with this. I'd like to be able to feed video out to a monitor on the ground to frame some shots from a gopro. Not looking to dive into proper FPV flying right away. The FPV cam and goggles can come later.

What camera are those videos from??? Is that recorded DVD downlink at a ground station?

Appreciate all the help. Hope maybe my numerous question can help the OP too

 

[kloner]

the other nice thing about the immersion 5.8 is you can wire it right into up to 6s power.... no regulator needed, it's inside

 

[Motopreserve]

I didn't even know that. My research has been based around non-immersion stuff since I was thinking 1.3.

Do all Immersion products do it? Or just select models? I keep seeing stuff about thing "Uno" receiver for the ground. Haven't gotten a chance to look into it. Seems all the usually suspects (RMRC etc) don't have as many of their "custom" units for 5.8. Haven't even gotten to the transmitter yet

 

[kloner]

that's what i use, uno 5.8,,,

for thse you just run a straight 3s pack and that powers the monitor and uno.... uno has an alarm that sounds when power gets low

 

[Motopreserve]

You rock!