My Mini Cp as FPV platform

[Picofly]

Originally Posted by itsmillertime0

I can't resist any longer and have to order this stuff, lol. Did you get the pal or ntsc version and where did you get the wide angle lens? I've seen the same set-up on a micro plane and it seemed to have pretty decent range. Have you seen what your range is yet?

Edit* What is the weight of your camera now with the wide angle lens? I found another camera with almost the exact same specs but it has a 90 degree field of view and is 2g.

Good luck for your project !

My camera is PAL version (higher resolution). I have ordered the wide eye lens from FPV hobby. It seems to be the only place to get 5V version of the A/V transmitter as well. The other vendors sell 3.3V transmitters.

I haven't measured weight of the heli with the wide-eye lens but I suppose it is roughly 1,5g heavier now.

90 degree FOV sounds like a good all-around solution! 60 degrees is way too narrow for indoors, especially.

I have re-installed WK-10LT esc because Oversky esc gradually lost the power. Flight times went shorter and shorter until my heli stayed only 30 seconds in the air. Walkera's esc is heavier but I am still able to fly around 3 minutes with my current setup.

Here is a couple of things to remember:

- This voltage regulator is a must for 1 lipo setup. It removes interference from ESC extremely well http://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/798. Please be aware that a transmitter which is designed for 3.3V voltage will burn off if you try to run it with this 5V regulator! I have tested a couple of other voltage regulators but they have been totally unusable because they do not remove the interference. The other option is to use a separate battery for the camera & transmitter but the extra b attery will make the setup heavy.

- FPV flying is quite difficult at the beginning because one has to estimate the alttitude and distances without a stereoscopic view. It is better to use low dual rates for FPV. Currently I use 70% DR when I fly with video goggles.

- You will need a small soldering iron and a helping hand tool for soldering job! These parts and wires are tiny!

- Snappable header strip connectors are handy because they are so small and light and easy to solder: http://www.solarbotics.com/product/mpin36/ This site sells the Polulu vortage regulator as well.

[Picofly]

Here is my first true FPV-video.

I have recorded it in the parking garage because I don't bother to carry my heavy 18.4" laptop far away. The image quality is poor because there is too dark in the garage but I hope you will get some sort of idea how it feels to fly the heli thorough the video goggles:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cb418UWKWnc[/ame]

[Heli-opolis]

Way cool!!

While watching it, I kept wondering what was behind 'me'.

How does it feel to you to be at the sticks and flying through the goggles?

This is sort of an off the wall question but, have you tried to fly funnels again now that there is more weight distributed along the length of the Mini?

[Picofly]

Originally Posted by Heli-opolis

Way cool!!
How does it feel to you to be at the sticks and flying through the goggles?

This is sort of an off the wall question but, have you tried to fly funnels again now that there is more weight distributed along the length of the Mini?

I haven't tried to fly funnels with the Mini CP lately. I use the heli solely for FPV training nowadays but I know that the bad habits are still there. If you watch my video carefully enough you will notice a steep banked turn where the heli tries to flip itself and I almost crash. It is still difficult to fly a steep banked turn with the Mini and the extra weigh doesn't seem to make any difference.

At the beginning flying through the goggles was like a rollercoaster ride and made me feeling ill. Nowadays I am used to it and FPV flying is actually quite fun! Still I notice that it is difficult to stand still. I will always lean my whole body while the heli makes a steep turn.

[Heli-opolis]

Originally Posted by Picofly

I haven't tried to fly funnels with the Mini CP lately. I use the heli solely for FPV training nomwadays but I know that the bad habbits are still there. If you watch my video carefully enough you will notice a steep banked turn where the heli tries to flip itself and I almost crash. It is still difficult to fly a steep banked turn with the Mini and the extra weigh doesn't seem to make any difference.

I was hoping it would improve maneuverability. Oh well.

Originally Posted by Picofly

At the beginning flying through the goggles was like a rollercoaster ride and made me feeling ill. Nowadays I am used to it and FPV flying is actually quite fun! Still I notice that it is difficult to stand still. I will always lean my whole body while the heli makes a steep turn.

I used to play a video game that came with 3D glasses, 'Descent'. Many people who played it felt queasy afterward also. I also noticed that when they were playing, their whole bodies would shift, pivot and rotate while playing. It was rather amusing to watch!

Thanks very much for your updates! FPV is a fascinating area that I hope to be able to explore someday and the experiments you are performing now make a lot of things possible that one might not have considered before!

[Picofly]

It has been extremely windy here in Helsinki but today I finally got a chance to fly my FPV heli outdoors. It wasn't perfectly calm but the Mini CP was coping really well in gusts

I can't describe the feeling when one flies a FPV flight in nice sunshine & beautiful setting. It is simply awesome. This must have been the best flying session ever !!!

I need to get more....

It is a shame that Youtube kills all the small details from my video. The original is so much nicer!

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3pezehlfZQ[/ame]

[rphenix]

Awesome Video! How hard would it be to fly from a laptop screen rather than the glasses? I'm keen to follow suit and try FPV knowing what you now do would you purchase the same parts or get something else if so any recommendations?

[Picofly]

Originally Posted by rphenix

Awesome Video! How hard would it be to fly from a laptop screen rather than the glasses? I'm keen to follow suit and try FPV knowing what you now do would you purchase the same parts or get something else if so any recommendations?

At the beginning it could be easier to fly from a laptop screen because you could be able to keep eye contact with your heli. It took me hours of practising to get used to video goggles but it has been fun ever since. On the other hand - the laptop screen is hard to see in bright daylight and you will miss the best part of FPV. Goggles crop out the surroundings create an intense feeling of flying a real thing.

I am still quite happy with my setup. I have a 125 mW 2.4GHz video transmitter and another micro camera (90 degree FOV) waiting on my desk but I haven't even tested them yet. I am planning to compare them to my 5.8GHz system in some stage. 2.4 Ghz transmitter should provide lognger range but I am not planning to go far away with the Mini CP anyway. The main benefit of the sub-micro system is that you can fly closer without causing any harm to other people.

[Picofly]

Here is another cruising video.

This time I am flying with 350 mAh batteries. They provide roughly 5 mins. of safe flying time. I tested range of my system in this video. It seems to be 50-60 meters.

I got my 2.4 GHz video gear soldered yesterday. Hopefully I will get a chace to test it on weekend.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtL2kqQhEfA[/ame]

[Majic1]

Originally Posted by Heli-opolis

I used to play a video game that came with 3D glasses, 'Descent'. Many people who played it felt queasy afterward also. I also noticed that when they were playing, their whole bodies would shift, pivot and rotate while playing. It was rather amusing to watch!

Wow! That brings back memories. I used to play Descent too. That game was fun. I never got queasy afterward though?

[Picofly]

I have recently installed a cloverleaf antanna to my heli and skewed planar wheel -antenna to the receiver. The heli is a little bit too heavy now (AUW is 53g with a 240 mAh Hyperion) but range of the video signal is better than it used to be. I am trying to shave off a couple of grams by using a lighter ESC next.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFU5skTa72A[/ame]

[mvezz]

Great video! Might have to save up for that setup. Imagine it gives you an amazing feeling of actually flying!

[Picofly]

Originally Posted by mvezz

Great video! Might have to save up for that setup. Imagine it gives you an amazing feeling of actually flying!

Yes it does! FPV is great fun but the building process is not. these tiny wires and connectors are PITA to solder. But then, mini cp is robust platform for fpv experiments and takes lots of beating without any damage.

[Picofly]

I bought a new higher gain "Horizon" antenna for the A/V receiver from TrueRC Cananda. It is a funny looking piece of engineering (see the pic). The new antenna has expanded range of the video signal for some 10 meters but IMHO, the difference isn't worth of the investment (75 USD). Besides,it is too easy to fly the heli out of Devo 7 radio's operation range now .

I did my first FPV rolls and loops yesterday. They went reasonably well .

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM5HBRQajg8[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmfHWCptfHY[/ame]

[Picofly]

I have been following discussions about quality differences between different antenna manufacturers.

It seems that some cloverleaves perform better that the others and ideal operation frequency of the antenna may vary depending on all kind of variables. Until now I have been using only the default frequency on my A/V transmitter (5945 Mhz) but I decided to try if my system performs better on some other frequency.

So I soldered a couple of jumper wires to the transmitter to switch the transmission frequency to 5685GHz. It made a significant difference: Range of my system expanded a lot and quality of the signal improved. I made a couple of 'long distance' flights and measured the distance with the Google Earth afterwards. My turning point was roughly 150 m away from the base station - not bad for a 10 mW 5.8Ghz transmitter without a patch antenna . Even then quality of the video was really good but I didn't dare to fly any further because I don't trust my Devo 7 transmitter at all.

Quality of the video signal impproved at close range too. There was less faults or interruptions in the video than before. I am extremely happy with the result!

[Picofly]

Wohoo!!!

Today I decided to fly a little bit furher away with my FPV Mini- This time my turning point was 225 meters away from the place I was standing. Video signal was a little bit grainy at that stage but still reasonably good for flying.

I am astonished of the range of my FPV setup ! Too bad my Digital video recorder does not record any more so I don't have any proof to show. I hope to get a new DVR next week.

[bumble-bee]

I am planning of building almost the very same FPV setup as yours, however I will wait with the goggles. I really admire your great engineering work

I currently fly a Walkera Genius CP but I guess I can use the same setup?

the items list I plan to order (beside a new nano edge to my soldering iron ) is as follows:

http://fpvhobby.com/63-1-gram-nano-camera-480tvl.html

http://fpvhobby.com/138-wide-angle-lens-for-nano-camera.html

3.2-5.5 volt 10mw 5.8gHz Video Transmitter (the link text below is not showing right item although it is a 10mv 5,8gHz when opening the page it points to):
http://fpvhobby.com/transmitter/21-2-55-volt-500mw-24ghz-video-transmitter.html

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...Receiver_.html

http://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/798

http://www.solarbotics.com/product/mpin36/

http://www.truerc.net/canada/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=30_31_38&pr oducts_id=209

http://www.truerc.net/canada/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=30_31_38&pr oducts_id=175

[Picofly]

Originally Posted by bumble-bee

I am planning of building almost the very same FPV setup as yours, however I will wait with the goggles. I really admire your great engineering work

I currently fly a Walkera Genius CP but I guess I can use the same setup?

the items list I plan to order (beside a new nano edge to my soldering iron ) is as follows:

http://fpvhobby.com/63-1-gram-nano-camera-480tvl.html

http://fpvhobby.com/138-wide-angle-lens-for-nano-camera.html

3.2-5.5 volt 10mw 5.8gHz Video Transmitter (the link text below is not showing right item although it is a 10mv 5,8gHz when opening the page it points to):
http://fpvhobby.com/transmitter/21-2-55-volt-500mw-24ghz-video-transmitter.html

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...Receiver_.html

http://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/798

http://www.solarbotics.com/product/mpin36/

http://www.truerc.net/canada/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=30_31_38&pr oducts_id=209

http://www.truerc.net/canada/index.p...roducts_id=175

Good luck for your project .

Your parts list looks excellent! That antenna combo should give you good 150-200 m range. Remeber to order both male and female connectors (there was only male connectors in your list but you may have done it already).

Small soldering iron is indeed essential but the soldering job should be fine. I am not especially handy and still managed to solder those tiny wires. Just be aware of correct polarity. The a/V transmitter and the camera will burn in a second if polarity is wrong (guess how I know ).

Don't hesitate to ask if you need any advice!

[rldeveer]

Originally Posted by Picofly

Good luck for your project .

Your parts list looks excellent! That antenna combo should give you goor 150-200 m range. Remeber to order both male and female connectors (there was only male connectors in your list but you may have done it already).

Small soldering iron is indeed essential but the soldering job should be fine. I am not especially handy and still managed to solder those tiny wires. Just be aware of correct polarity. The a/V transmitter and the camera will burn in a second if polarity is wrong (guess how I know ).

Don't hesitate to ask if you need any advice!

Ball park what kind of $ are you guys talking about for a complete system?
Just curious.
Regards,
RD

[Picofly]

Yesterday I made another range test.

My Devo 7 transmitter has performed much better since I installed 100 mW firmware last week. I would not be surprised if transmission power has been only 10 mW before. Range of the radio is at least twice as long as before.

This time I was using 5645Mhz frequency for the video transmission. There was more noise in the picture than before so I will go back to 5685 Ghz.

I managed to reach 265 meters in this video. Once I tried to fly further but the video signal become extremely noisy at 300 m and I was lucky to find my way back.

Sorry about the blurry image. I didn't remember to wipe the lens. It was full of fingerprints .

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xaVJ_obHz4[/ame]