My Mini Cp as FPV platform

[Picofly]

Since my Mini CP is practically useless as 3D trainer I have transformed it to a FPV test platform .

I have bought a 5.8GHz video transmitter & receiver, a 1g video camera and a 0,6g 5.0V voltage regulator. The whole pagage weights 4.8g with connectors. It is not bad, but I may remove the connectors in the future to save another gram.

AUW of my heli is 51,5g including a 240 mAh Hyperion lipo. It is ok but I should be able to shave the weigh below 50g by replacing my WK-LT10 ESC with a lighter Oversky ESC.

Here is the first live video test. Quality of the video is not perfect yet but things are looking promising. The camera is shaking a little bit because the stock canopy is so flimsy. I will try a Genius V2 canopy next.

Please note that this is not a true FPV flight yet because I have an eye contact to my heli all the time.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ti1CnRXwbwI[/ame]

[pmerritt]

haha, that's pretty cool...you should throw some 350mah batteries on there for a little more flight time.

[jonbailie]

that is sweet

Why can't you use your mcp for 3d training?

[john aeras]

That's really cool! Could you post links of the video equipment?
Thanks in advance!

[Heli-opolis]

I bet that with the added weight spread more evenly across the usable length of the frame, that it will fly funnels better now.

I too would enjoy knowing where you got the gear to go FPV with.

I flew full scale YEARS before picking up a transmitter and always said that had I the ability to sit in the pilots seat on an RC heli, that I could fly much better.

One still wouldn't have the feedback through one's natural ability to balance ourselves but being able to maintain the pilot orientation visually at least has got to be very useful.

[bytemuncher]

That's pretty cool. Are you friends with Kopteri? I remember he had a very similar setup that he posted on rcg. He also had the same audio/video crackling.

[Picofly]

Originally Posted by bytemuncher

That's pretty cool. Are you friends with Kopteri? I remember he had a very similar setup that he posted on rcg. He also had the same audio/video crackling.

Yes, I am friends with Kopteri. It was his idea to use this tiny voltage regulator for the camera and video transmitter. It saves a lot of weigh because usually people use a separate lipo for the FPV gear to get better image quality.

I have bought the voltage regulator from this place:
http://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/798

Video camera:
http://www.rangevideo.com/index.php?...roducts_id=212

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

A/V Transmitter:
http://www.rangevideo.com/index.php?...roducts_id=217

http://fpvhobby.com/transmitter/21-2...ansmitter.html

Video Goggles:
http://www.dronesvision.com/fat-shar...video-glasses/

A/V receiver:
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...Receiver_.html

Connectors:
http://www.partco.biz/verkkokauppa/i...h=23_1921_1583

[Picofly]

My video goggles arrived on Friday.

I was surprised to see that quality of the video is actually better when you see it from video goggles instead of a laptop's display - even if contrast and color saturation are far better on the laptop. I guess the USB video grabber will compress the video because the image is definately more detailed and natural when you watch it thorough the video goggles. FOW of my gogges is 45 degrees so the image feels quite large but it still covers only 25% of eye's field of vision.

I was ready to go after soldering commectors for a 3S lipo but the maiden flight wasn't a great success .

Snowfall started just when I arrived to my local flying field and it was pretty windy too. The first and only flight too only 15-20 seconds until I noticed that headspeed is dropping my heli crashed to snow about 25 meters from the place I was standing. I tried to hover with the other batteries but the same happened every single time. It was just too cold for 1S batteries and my heli could not lift itsef after 15-20 seconds of hovering. After a couple of tries I left my TX on the roof of my car for a moment. It fell down on asphalt and flying mode switch broke . So I will grounded until I get my TX repaired. The good news was that the image quality remained good until the crash. There wasn't any interference with the 2.4 GHz radio signal or the speed controller so my voltage regulator does very good job.

Those short test flights showed me that FPV flying will be extremely difficult and it will require lots of practising. It is quite difficult to orientate speed and excact position of the heli when FOW limited to 62 degrees and one can't use stereoscopic sight to perceive the environment. But I am not going to give up at this point! There is a wide angle lens available for my video camera and I think I will give it a try at some stage.

Here is a picture of my FPV set ready to fly:

[john aeras]

Thanks for the info Picofly!

[Picofly]

I have saved some weigh by using a lighter esc and soldering motor wires directly to the esc. AUW is 49,05 g with a 240mAh Hyperion. The other change is the way camera is mounted. I have CA'ed the camera to a Genius V2 canopy so it should not shake any more. I could save another gram if I would remove connectors between the video vamera and the A/V transmitter but it is more practical to keep the connectors there. The brushless motor is able tolift the extra weigh no problem but flight times are shortish, roughly about 3 minutes. The next test will be replacing CP blades with a pair of FP blades.

Here is another live video test. This is not a true FPV flight but I have already done a couple of true FPV flights as well. Unfortunately, I haven't carried my laptop to the flying field so I don't haven't been able to record any video for evidence.

Even hovering is difficult with the video goggles on but I am gradually progressing. At the moment I am able to hover and fly circles around my parking garage but 62 degrees FOV makes it challencing because one will see the obstacles just before the heli hits them. It will take some time before I dare to fly a true FPV flight in my living room.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ol63RrTGFac[/ame]

[Heli-opolis]

Sweet!

I can imagine it will take some practice getting familiar with flying it in full PFV!

Too bad one can't affix rear/down-ward facing mirrors on either side of the field of view of the camera, that'd be cool although I doubt the optics would be easy to come up with.

Question, which ESC are you using now?

[Picofly]

Originally Posted by Heli-opolis

Sweet!

I can imagine it will take some practice getting familiar with flying it in full PFV!

Too bad one can't affix rear/down-ward facing mirrors on either side of the field of view of the camera, that'd be cool although I doubt the optics would be easy to come up with.

Question, which ESC are you using now?

I think it is this one:

http://www.miracle-mart.com/store/in...oducts_id=8260

[Heli-opolis]

Thank you!

[Picofly]

Uh, problems again!

These FPV toys seem to be hit and miss! The first 1g video camera & 200 mW transmitter module I ordered trom FPVHobby didn't work at all. The seller never answered my enquiries so I had to buy new cam & tx to get my heli into air.

And now - after a couple of hours of use the left eye display of my Fatshark video goggles started to blink on and off until the bakclight shut down for good The unit smells like burned electronics, too.

My FPV-project is cancelled until I will get this issue sorted out . I have returned my goggles to Dronesvision hand hope to get a replacement.

[Heli-opolis]

Originally Posted by Picofly

Uh, problems again!

Bummer!!

You were making it look like such promising technology!

I hope you get things straightened out so that you can put together a more reliable system.

I can't believe that systems that cost as much as these do have such reliability issues but it seems they do.

For what its worth, products purchased through Flea-bay, while generally being cheaper than on the 'open market' seem to somehow have their own reliability issues just by having been sold through Flea-bay. It seems a lot like a factory-seconds and clearance grab bag more so than a source of reliable products and services at times.

Oh well, I sure hope you get the system back up and running soon though because it was pretty exciting watching your vids and the possibilities they suggested.

Good luck!

[Picofly]

Today was a good day!!!

DronesVision repaired and returned my goggles and the whole operation took only two weeks. Excellent customer service .

Today I received a wide angle lens for my video camera also. FOV is much wider than before and I am pretty sure that it will make FPV flying easier than before. Threads of the new lens are a little bit loose and the lens didn't stay focused because of vibration of the heli made the lens turn in the threads. So, I had to fix it with a drop of elastic glue.

Here is a picture of my new lens and a brief test video. Now I will continue with true FPV excercises...

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

[Heli-opolis]

Sweet!!!

I'm still waiting for you to add rear view mirrors though.

Very impressive!!!

[mescalinedream]

this might help, some guy posted over at rcgroups saying he has a 400mah 25c battery that fits the mini's tray and only 3 grams heavier then the stock battery!
I asked him where and how much but he hasnt answered back yet
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showp...&postcount=149
That would be a long fpv flight

[Picofly]

Originally Posted by mescalinedream

this might help, some guy posted over at rcgroups saying he has a 400mah 25c battery that fits the mini's tray and only 3 grams heavier then the stock battery!
I asked him where and how much but he hasnt answered back yet
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showp...&postcount=149
That would be a long fpv flight

Sounds good.

I have ordered a couple of 350 mAh batteries and V100D01 FP blades for testing. At the moment I get less than 3 mins from my 240 mAh Hyperions.

[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.