RC India

Hi Guys !!!

I though I will start a new thread for this.

Now that I have received the new FPV SETUP from HK. Here are some pics of the unboxing of the product.

There is no manual included, however the connections are fairly simple and obvious.

There is one lead for the power to the Tx and camera (which is known as the loop wire)
There is one unused connector with tinned leads for connection any other video input to the Tx.

Video and Audio cables are included with the Rx and a 12V adapter is also included for the Rx.
The Tx has the capability to transmitting audio + video, but the camera does not support any audio (hence the spare tinned cable)

Also included are the two antennas for Tx and Rx. These have different connectors and are not same. So one is for Tx and the other for the Rx. You cannot swap.

More to follow along with video samples and pics.

Hope this helps  :)

Lucky Parcel. :thumbsup:

so when r u going to test on flight!!!! :-)

Santa Blessed you Saurabh ;) cheers...

Thanks divay, CrazyPilot, ashish

Guess I am lucky and blessed by santa :)

Yes,i would surely want to test it on a model.now I am looking for someone who can fly it on his model. :D

U can always send it to me for testing. i will test it for u free of cost. :giggle:

Thanks CrazyPilot  ;D

I will do that if i dont get any help here.   ;)

I wish it had a range from Mumbai to Delhi... LOL  :giggle:

Nice item to gift yourself this holiday season.
What Display device you plan to use ? The only practical one I feel is the Video Goggle like ones from FatShark.
Any plan to integrate with Telemetry ? Eagle Tree etc ?

Thanks Ujjwaana.  :)

I already have the JXD portable media device with TV in. I will try with that first. My goal is not to get into Hardcore FPV. I bought it just for trial and some fun. ;) I will not integrate with Telemetry at the moment but maybe later I may do so. I know Fatsharks are good and Fox are also doing good.

A FEW FIRST THOUGHTS:

1.) When I received the parcel yesterday, nowhere on the Tx it was mentioned 1500mw.  :o The only place I found something written was the white box that it came in. It just had a sticker with SKU number and said 1500/Tx/Rx12 and some numbers. Was wondering if there is a way I can find the real power of the Tx. Both 800mW and 1500mW look the same and the size is also the same. There is no way I can be sure if it is 1500mW (except for vague V x I calculation at the input). looking at the size of the antennas, it surely is 900Mhz. Guess for the rest, will have to go with the faith in HK... :D HA HA HA

2.) I have checked the quality of the output by connecting the Rx to my TV. The quality seems quite decent. The camera has fixed focus locked in by a small screw. I guess one can change it for MACRO.  :headscratch:

3.) The Tx was barely warm after 10 mins of usage. I even completed the PAN and TILT mechanism for the camera. No interference with 2.4 Radio. (practiacally checked now ;D) Video Reception on Ch4 was the most interference free.

4.) I am planning to check the practical range on the ground first. (Maybe at the field)

5.) The best part - There is no lag in the transmission and no frame drop at all.
My gut feeling says - if a better camera is used, the pic quality can be enhanced quite a bit.

UPDATE 1:

A few more pics of the setup (working)

balle balle te shava shava....good going dude.....will see you on Sunday at airoli ground....

Sandeep

UPDATE 2:

Results with my Turnigy Watt-meter:

Transmitter Only
Current Drain : 0.24 Amps Constant
Batt Voltage : 11.90 V
Power Consumption : 2.9 Watts

Receiver Only
Current Drain : 0.26 Amps Constant
Batt Voltage : 12.01 V
Power Consumption : 3.1 Watts

Camera Only
Current Drain : 0.07 Amps Constant
Batt Voltage : 11.9 V
Power Consumption : 0.8 Watts

What about the range?

Will check the range maybe this Sunday and update.

Has the ground been cleared of the "encroachers?

No Sir... we still dont have the field to us. We can be hopeful only towards the last week of Jan...  :'(

However, the other tarmac is available.

sourabh, thanks for so many details. Can you also provide the weight of each equipment. I am still planing for this setup to build a fpv plane. It will be of great help if I know how much extra weight it would add up.

Sure. Will do that soon.

But as per my rough estimate,

Tx with Antenna should be close to 90g or so
Camera with Pan and Tilt and servos should be 40g
Battery (Rhino 750mah 3Cell Lipo) should be 70g
Connection Wire about 10g
Total on the Tx side - 210g (should be close to 200g)

Rx with antenna should be somewhere 150g
Cable RCA - 50g
Battery (Turnigy 1300mah 3Cell Lipo) should be 120g
Total on the Rx side - 320g (EXCLUDING OUTPUT SCREEN)

Here is a quick sample video from the HK 900Mhz 1500mW FPV setup. This is indoors.. I am sure it will be much better outdoors. With a better camera, the quality increases substantially. I am using a USB video capture device to record and view on laptop.

WATCH IN 480p

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZHosl293-A

saurabh! gr8,   :thumbsup: :bow: how are you going to view it, Goggled or on a monitor/ lappie ?
i have done some extreme FPV on some extreme gigs, first time i remember i got disorientated and fell (Back in 1993), if on a wearable device some reference to where you are standing is a must, or else your Semi circular canals in your middle ear and the visual cue won't agree, mind is trained to believe visual more than the other, there will be conflict,  :violent: can be nauseating too.  :-[ thought i should share

Thanks Augustinev  :)

I completely understand and agree with your experience and thoughts. For the moment, I will be flying the aircraft normally and let my friends enjoy the show on the laptop... Lets see how it gets from there... Not really thought of getting goggles, as they are still expensive. I somehow still feel that they are not worth that money.  >:D

Will upload the flights video soon. !!!  ;)

Got my 900mhz 200mw camera today. will post some pics when i reach home.

Kool.. Congrats... waiting for the pics.

 ;D ;D ;Dpics of my parcel  ;D ;D ;D

First when i set the tx channel to 4 & rx channel to 4 it didn't worked. i thought 'oh my god all my $$ gone in wind'. Then i shifted the channel in rx one by one, at channel 0 i got the video  :thumbsup:.

some more pics. when i move my camera very fast the video blacks out for a fraction of second.

I have 2 FPV Units sitting at home for the last 4 months. Mr. Maharana and I plan to use them on boats as FPV platforms, that we are building for a client.

What do you mean blacks out for a fraction of second ??? I dont think thats normal. Mine does not black out even once irresepctive of the movement and the speed. Try n upload a video of the same. Now that your goggles are not of great support, what do you plan to use for display? Got any USB Capture/Tuner card ? You can use that to view on your Laptop. Thats what I do. I got the USB capture dongle only for Rs.850 from ebay including shipping. Not a bad item to have. :)

http://cgi.ebay.in/USB-EASY-CAP-VIDEO-CAPTURE-ADAPTOR-4LAPTOP-Easycap-card-/300512094209?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_203&hash=item45f7eaa801
OR
http://cgi.ebay.in/EASYCAP-USB-2-0-TV-DVD-VHS-VIDEO-AUDIO-CAPTURE-dC60-/270689309431?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_203&hash=item3f065712f7 ---> SUPER FAST SHIPPING. Same day shipped from Delhi, received the next day.

Great VC!!  :) wats the power of the system? 900mhz? same frm HK?
BTW where do u get such clients from  :headscratch:

mmm. the goggles is good enough to see where my rc model is going but not good enough to see who is there on ground. i guess not even the camera can do that  :giggle:. Anyway i liked it very much  (:|~.


About the range of 900mhz 200MW camera(i did a check now). I would say good. It was just a few feet before my rx of turnigy 9x lost signal. I would guess it around 700m. enough for an rc flyer.  :thumbsup:

Between about the capture device, I though of buying it from deal extreme.

 ??? 800 :Rs:? no offence but i could see the same piece for 530 here which i already thought of buying. will be ordering this week.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.11267

Also check this link which show lot of similar products
http://www.dealextreme.com/search.dx/search.Video%20Capture

Yup I had seen that... but I dont mind paying another 300 for a next day delivery without customs hassles :)

Ya you are right  ;D about the cables.
Yes the camera flickers when i shake it very fast. Is it cos of loose connection of the connectors.
Also my camera & tx gets warm enough for my hands to feel the heat. Does this happen in yours?

Not too warm. After about 5 minutes of operation, it gets a bit warm. Something like normal body temperature. With the ceiling fan on, it barely gets warm... by the way its 1500mW. I am happy with the heat dissipation. The outer case (aluminium shell) is quite effective and a very snug fit for the actual tx inside.. I am planning to put a little bit of thermal paste and then repack for more efficient heat dissipation.

Interesting 8-). Changed to channel 1 the flicker when i shake the camera fast stopped. Now the video is also clearer then the previous one. :thumbsup:

Hi friends,

I need to make an LC filter for noise reduction from the ESC for the FPV setup. Any idea where can I get the ferrite ring from? Attached is the sample of the complete filter. I am sure I would need this to kill the noise and interference from the ESC and will use it on the FPV power supply.

Thanks.

Hi Friends,

Any help will be appreciated.
Any idea where can I get the ferrite ring from?

Regards,
Saurabh.

Take it out from old faulty CFL tube circuit...

Thanks Sandeep. Will try that. :)

Hey Sourabh, we have a huge bazaar of electronic parts here in Baroda, I am sure one of them must be having this ferrite ring available....I'll take a print of the pic in your post and inquire at the shops on coming weekend.

These are also used at times when installing Car Audio Systems, you can check with one of the local dealers in Mumbai.

Here is one dealer I found...

Techtone Electronics - 20-a, Heeramaniratan Shopping Center, Bangur Nagar, Goregaon(w), Mum-90, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Will let you know if I find one for you here...

Thanks a lot Chokxxi.  :salute:

Really appreciate your help  :)
Please dont take unnecessary pains of going there specially. :) Only if you happen to go there, you may want to check at those bazaars.

Thanks again for your inputs and help.  :salute:

Anytime Bro...

Just want your FPV unit to be up and running....I have seen so many people installing FPVs on their birds on RC Groups i.e. outside of India folks except for few like Mr. Arvind....Its a real cool thing to have a cam on your bird and see how it looks from above there, your initiative is pretty encouraging.....I am planning to build a tricoptor sometime next year which will carry a camera on board....Right now no plans, I am still struggling with my J500 Kit from HK and ran out of funds...

All the best with your FPV....

saurabhh. How are you planning to power up the camera?
Are you going to use the power of the rc model itself or going to place a separate power source.

Can you explain more on this
"I need to make an LC filter for noise reduction from the ESC for the FPV setup"

Hi Azhaguvel,

Though I am planning to use a seperate source to power the FPV system (will be using a 750mah 3Cell Rhino Lipo), there is a high probability of getting interference from the ESC as the vtx will be in close proximity to the ESC.

I have tested the system on the ground with the ESC and vTx far enough to be in an aircraft. I still get interference (horizontal lines on the screen).  :banghead: I did some research and found that adding an LC filter will reduce the interference to minimum. However, it will not kill it completely.  :P Usually this LC filter is required in cases where the power supply is common. (i.e same battery used for vTx and ESC/Motor.) If using different power sources and still getting interference, then it is more likely that the FPV system is picking it up as RF and not via its power supply. I just want to be sure so wanting to try the LC filter as well.  ;D


Very Simply put, An inductor resists changes to the current flowing through it: A capacitor resists changes to the voltage across it.
People have had really good results with this LC filter. The more the no of turns the better. The higher the capacitance, the better.

Cheers !!!

Thanks for your wishes. I will update on this Sunday. :)

I am always stunned to see RF/Modualted signals from Camera/Tx/Rx borads sent on flat cable without any 'Shielding'.
I used to get wiring nightmare when I used to make my Tape Deck/AMP as bad wiring used to quickly pick up 50z 'Hum' noise from AC lines.

Get some 2/3 core Shield wire and use the shield for carrying the (-)ve line. It would surely shield against EMI generated from the Motor/ESC.
As further step, :

1. Inter-weave the three leads from ESC to Motor in a cris-cross fashion like girls weave their hair bun. This would greatly reduce the EMI.
2. wrap the Cam/Tx section with heat shrink and use 2-3 layer of Aluminium Food wrap to cover over the Heat shrink. Solder the (-)ve power line to alum wrap.

And yes Saurabh, I am not clear from above post whether you got the Ferrite Toroid Core or not. I have some high quality toroid core (used in HAM Radio Transceivers) of size used on ESCs. I can send 2-3 to you for FREE if you still don't have them. You can easily find them at Computer/TV repair shop salvaged from burnt SMPS power supplies (but they might not be as good to filter high frequency noise).

Hi Ujjwaana,

Thank you very much for your kind offer. I truly appreciate your kind gesture. :)

I will surely try the suggested steps and update. I believe shielding the signal wire from the camera to the vTx should definately help. I was wondering if I can use the shield wire used for de-soldering for the purpose. However, it is only single layer but maybe I can wrap it around the video signal wire. Will also inter-weave the motor wires. It surely makes sense.  :thumbsup:

Thanks for your suggestions.

I have still not been able to source the Toroid Core. To be honest, I have not even tried to find one religiously. :P It will be great if you can send some, if you have in spare. And please let me know the cost. I would surely want to pay for it.  :) Let me know the courier charges as well. I shall transfer the amount to your bank account. Will communicate further on this through PM.

Thanks again for your kind help :D

Cheers !!!
Saurabh.

Hi Saurabh,
PM me your address. I got these toroid way back in 1996 when I was doing my 10th. Don't remember the price, and am sure they wouldn't have cost more than Rs 5-10 each. the courier would be max 10-25 Rs. So don't bother transferring such small change, unless you want me to send the Rs 20 worth item by Rs 200 worth DHL!

Forget using the De-soldering wire. The 2-core+shield audio wire or other shield wire would be good for your use. I shall pack 30-40cm of them if I find in my tool box.

Cheers

This is great. Thanks a lot Ujjwaana. :)

I shall communicate via PM now.

What is the significance of 1500mW in "900MHZ 1500mW Tx/Rx"?  Does this correspond to how much range the system will have?

Yes SunLikeStar. 1500mW is the power of the transmitter. It is true that the more you have on the tx, the better the range. However, the receiver's antenna gain and the type plays the MOST crucial role deciding the range. People have successfully managed more than 2kms on a 200mW setup with Patch/directional antennas at the receiving end..


* Reason for editing: Added the word in green

Thanks for clearing that up Saurabh. Waiting for your field test.

Sure, will be testing it this Sunday. Will post the results along with the video.  :)

Check out some wonderful FPV in HD

there are 4videos taken with the help Ritewing on this page!!!
http://www.ritewingrc.com/buy-cores/wing-cores/

http://vimeo.com/14541093

This is definitely shot on a GoPro HD Hero!!!

These are amazing videos.  :salute: But I would not term them as FPV. An ideal FPV setup would transmit live signals to the base station. These are HD recorders that record movie in HD. Nothing more.  8-)
In such setups, for navigation, usually another FPV is used with live feed to the base station to see where the aircraft is going, while the onboard HD camera shoots the video.

In the video below, you can very well see the secondary FPV camera which is being used for navigation, while the HD recorder is doing the movie.

http://www.vimeo.com/13283846

So far, I am not aware of any such FPV setup that will broadcast live feed in HD. :headscratch: Atleast not available for hobby purpose.

Hi saurabh, did you do a field test of the HK fpv system you bought? How is the range? How are you planing to increase the range of radio.

I was trying to shy away from this question  :-[ and hence was keeping mum  :(

Unfortunately, I could not test the HK FPV system due to some personal reasons. And, I will not be able to test it in the future either. I do not have the system with me anymore...  :'(

My good old friend, Raj from Hyderabad had called and was in an urgent need of a FPV setup for a project. I have given my system to him. I hope he will take it on from here, and post the results along with the video.

I have given him the FPV on a condition that he will test and upload the video of his first flight ASAP.  ;)

HD Cam Which can simultaneously record HD and Transmit VGA (External Tx)

Regarding this inspiring Video of the breathe taking scenery, people were wondering if the one can Transmit HD. Well still not yet, but unlike how this video was taken from a separate HD cam, while FPV with other, now people have a better option.

FlyCAM has released a HD Cam which can record HD as well as feed a Tx with VGA for FPV/Telemetry. The best thing about this is that you dont need to put an extra camera, and what more is that you get a WYSIWYG (What You See, Is What You Get) experience.

http://www.hobby-lobby.com/flycamonehd.htm

Camera
http://www.hobby-lobby.com/flycamonehd_720p_black_1034419_prd1.htm

Tx
http://www.hobby-lobby.com/5.8ghz_transmission_set_for_flycamonehd_1034421_prd1.htm

Any lucky chap already tried this ?

Well Saurabh finally I could edit the video ;D ;D, will upload it today.

The system gave range of 800 mtrs during ground test(that's really gud for grd test). I expect it to give mim 3 Kms range in air.  The aerial test also went on gud without any problem, the video quality is quite good except for some momentary disturbance but that's because of break in line of sight. The farther I flew & higher I flew picture clarity was much better without any disturbance/interference in video link.  

Thats good news {:)} waiting for the video.

@ujjwaana
The Hero HD also has same feature of simultaneously recording and transmitting video. Quality of video is better than this but ofcourse at a price.
Added this flycam one also to my wishlist, till now only Hero HD was in my list

Here's the link for the video guys.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXwQ4Q0DPe0

HK has relaunched the SAME product with a MUCH BETTER camera...

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=16457

Image device: 1/3-inch Sony super HAD color CCD
Pixel: 752 x 582(PAL)
Synchronization: Internal synchronization
Horizontal resolution: 520TV Lines

VTx and VRx remain the same.

I have ordered one yesterday. Will post the results with the new camera setup.

Not sure, but atleast in RC groups I do not see many reviews about hobbycity fpv. May be because its new and may take more time. But most of the guys use other stuffs like lawmate, sunsky and the hobbywireless kits

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1261653

Hi azhaguvel
how much was the overall cost(with shipping ) of the 200mW system ?
was there any problem with the customs cause I think 900 is reserved for GSM network in India ?

still available ?

Anyone help me please, I have tried to use this things but, i just got two big lines in the TV. I tried to all channel, but the best picture i ever got is two big motionless lines. So what should i do?
I think the tx/rx has made a communication, because on the right channel the lines become motionless.
(http://s22.postimg.org/ipim93esx/DSC_0419.jpg)

is this the first time you are using it ?

Yes, this is my first time. so what's wrong with that?

Take it easy buddy... no one said there is something wrong with doing ANYTHING the first time. 

The question was only meaning to probe whther this worked previously and then this symptom started, or if this has never worked in the first place.

Is someone know how to fix it?

take your camera in your hand , the socket must be on the down side , wires should be  from left white black red , see the white female socket where wire goes , you will notice that the black wire is going to positive side , reverse the socket , boom you are ready to go .

and yeah we do a bit wrong some time we do it for first time


let me know the status

I think I was right in connection. Because the wire cannot reserved. It is designed cannot suit if reversed.
This is the picture :(http://s22.postimg.org/n6t109nep/DSC_0421.jpg)

this is not from hobby king mate , i do not know about that but you can check ,disconnect the camera then test it with all channels until you get a plain black screen and see what picture you get , you must find it different when there is camera installed ,

check it

It was from hobbyking. But I think it was 100mw.
Yes, I have try all channel, and the best picture i got is motionless two big lines. Before that, the lines was moving and fuzzy.

Did you ever get your system to work?

which shipping method u selected

@Khan,

Not sure who is that question directed to...