Well, never done FPV before and learning as I go.
I want to be able to detach all of the FPV equipment from my plane for the days when I fancy flying LoS or when it's too windy for FPV, so everything is attached simply, externally, via velcro - that, and there's eff all room inside a Wildhawk for all of the stuff I have on it.
Decided on dual lipo setup and although i've not flown it yet, motor running and servo movement gives zero interferance which I'm happy with for now - let's see what happens when I get it in the air.
Spec:
Hobby King 2.4GHz 10mw transmitter on the plane
Hobby King 2.4GHz ground receiver
ezVision goggles (320x240)
Sony CCD board cam
Turnigy 720p gumstick camera
610mAh Rhino 11.1v 3s lipo onboard
2200 mAh Turnigy 11.1v 3s lipo on the ground
Just got the ground setup to put together in a nice case that I can take to the field really then I can get it in the air.
Thoughts so far? Bear in mind i'm a complete newbie.... total cost so far spent:
£154 (including shipping and the Wild Hawk itself :-) )
Wildhawk FPV Setup (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHY2NuE_R2E#)
I figure this is my war horse - it's battered and bruised and I can learn before I spend some cash on really nice gear :)
He he nice music hey looks good what a nice vtx that is ..good luck with the flight and trust me you will need a beer afterwards steve. Enjoy matey..
Steve - looking good. 148 post and you haven't flown. I had no idea!!
my first one was built dual purpose - removable kit for RC at the club. It never ever came off!!! Some of it is still stuck on outside of plane 2 years later! Don't worry about looks...
Had a rethink...
Changes are:
Repositioned VTx to centre of plane (still no interference from motor :) )
Repositioned VTx / Camera Lipo under the front canopy to assist in nose-heaviness.
Placed FPV "power" connector in fuselage next to aileron connectors for easy disconnection.
Wildhawk FPV Setup Take #2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jPjIaQqxbM#)
I like it better.
Yup the version 2 is much better functionally and practically. Looks good to go mate :)
now get out there and fly it!! :D
New also to FPV though have a lot of hours under my belt LOS and as you trying to learn "on the Hoof". I have a background in electronics / programming and Control Engineering and so I have a morbid interest in the technicalities of just about anything. Did you say your Tx was 10 mW Looking at your vid I think you may want to check the spec or rating plate again and may be think about your video battery capacity cause if just for argument sake your Tx is 1W that is 1000mW and about about 50% efficient, may be a lot less, it will draw approx 160 mA at nominal voltage of 12v (11.1v from a 3S but higher when fully charged) your camera probably another 250mA may be more. in theory that gives you about 1 hour on a 500mAh battery enough for a long flight, yes if every thing is correct. However we all live in a slightly less than theoretically perfect world, battery capacity +0 -15% even less if not fully charged, Time spent checking before launch 10 min may be, estimates of total video current drawn and of course sods law will all subtract from flight time not add. Good thing is as you run out of "video juice" the quality of your received video should start to deteriorate giving you some indication that a RTL or turn for home is required.
Sent you a private message as some of the stuff contained should not be aired in the a public forum.
Us Rookies must stick together.
Regards
John
Hi, yes it is 10mw hence the low power 610mAh battery, I'll only be flying for ~20 minutes at a time anyway on the Wild Hawk battery pack, so it will be fine :)
:-[ :-X
Regards
John
I've also ordered one of those HobbyKing EZ OSDs to monitor onboard battery levels in the goggles :)
so when is the fpv maiden?
and did they have those OSD's in stock?
Well, tonight I created my ground station which consisted of all my gear housed in a metal briefcase I picked up from maplins for £20.
I like it although I could have improved it, but not bad for a first attempt:
Layout:
(http://www.swoo.co.uk/public/groundstation/01.jpg)
Off and open:
(http://www.swoo.co.uk/public/groundstation/02.jpg)
In Use:
(http://www.swoo.co.uk/public/groundstation/03.jpg)
:D
Looks good Steve, very neat :)
Proper job that steve, theyre good cases arent they
Thanks all.
Well, I went out tonight and sadly didn't get any FPV done. The Wildhawk was really struggling. Although the CoG was nose-heavy, the camera on the top of the plane was providing loads of drag above the plane, and it was flying as though it was tailheavy because it was pitching upwards.
Several changes of underpants later (and a strike on the top of a lamp post!!) I landed safely, and stripped all of my gear off piece by piece and yup - the camera was the problem.
(http://www.swoo.co.uk/public/cog.jpg)
So - back to the drawing board. I've now mounted the camera at the front of the plane - theory being that it'll offset the CoG disruption by pitching the plane up when it's in the air, making it fly reasonably level as long as I have sufficient airspeed. And on that note, I *really* need another motor - the brushed one I have at the minute isn't up to the job with the extra weight of the plane with the vtx, lipo and camera on board.
Hopefully where it is now will result in less drag though - dark now however, so tomorrow will be the test.
I like your ground station case, I saw this on E-bay, you may be interested, I must start putting mine together.
regards
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/15-sharp-tv-12v-LCD-camping-caravan-fpv-/280687302867?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_Video_Televisions&hash=item415a4458d3 (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/15-sharp-tv-12v-LCD-camping-caravan-fpv-/280687302867?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_Video_Televisions&hash=item415a4458d3)
Hi,
Pic a bit dark, is that a "ground station" or a flash box for carrying all your gear in ? Thought "ground station" was a heap of stuff recorders, power supply hook for goggles extension cables for laptops ect including a pole or tripod for getting some height on your dipole and hence range. Or is it just another name for flash box for carrying gear in?
As always confused but prepared to ask the question.
A ground station is a case or structure of sorts that houses your equipment thats assembled for fully working use in the field. Not just a carry case.
As you can see with Steve`s, its a case but everything plugs in in situ to become functional, so is a ground station
Very disappointed with the WildHawk performance for FPV - I managed to get out and do some more flying tonight but it's waaay underpowered and since it is flying so slowly, it is always on the knifeedge of a stall which makes for some hairy cornering and abysmal climb.
So - until I can get a new motor fitted (tried tonight with one I have but having some issues with the receiver), I've decided to solve one of the problems which was the drag on the front camera.
Without the camera onboard and a weight inside in its place, the plane flies reasonably okay which leads me to believe that the camera is causing major drag on the front. And it would be, it's a flat face that the wind is hitting. Combined with low motor power and it doesnt take a genius to realise it's a bad thing.
So - I've streamlined it a bit - yea yea, laugh away, but I'm hoping this makes enough of a difference now that air is directed around the camera in some respects - at this point, I will try anything to get a little bit more out of the motor I have. Plus, the recording cam is now 75% hidden instead of producing 100% drag when its fitted on the side of the plane.
(http://www.swoo.co.uk/public/fpvmount/01.jpg)
(http://www.swoo.co.uk/public/fpvmount/02.jpg)
Chances of success? lol. :D
Hi Steve, you could use a cutup plastic lemonade bottle for a wind visor, you don't need to video throw the bottle you could cut a small hole for the lens. If you wont a lower profile camera, I have a spear key ring camera that you can have, its not HD but its pretty good.
regards Gordon
Cheers g.c I might take you up on that, drop me a PM.
This was just a rush job I did tonight - I want it to make a difference tomorrow so I can at least get some reasonable altitude and have a nice float around.
i sunk my md80 into the zephyr's nose. it fits that tight i doest need anything to strap it down.
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab243/rcmattydred/zephyr%20update/blackberrypics013.jpg)
Aye but i bet you have some grunt to push the plane along - I have the stock setup .. BRUSHED motor running off an 8.4v NiMh pack............!
Max speed is NotALot(tm)
I'd just do away with the canopy and mount the camera down low in the cavity under there, with the lens just sticking up. Also, you may find the plane will fly weirdly now with the duck tape modification-it will likely cause a low pressure area behind there causing the nose to want to go up.
My experience today:
Short RC Flight (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7HMlXCEZyQ#)
lol.
No damage apart from a split canopy when it was pushed off by an exiting lipo and nimh pack - hot glued and fixed.
Problems today were:
Could hardly see anything in the goggles because of the light.
Bit windy for me
HOWEVER - I was able to climb and gain speed so it looks like my streamlining escapades on the camera have worked, and the plane handled as normal - result!
I'll be going out a bit later and going to hotglue some foam onto my goggles too.
Bloody hell Steve lol, Thought that was one of my vids for a bit, At least no real damage mate :D
That was class !
Lift off ! Oh cock ! lmao, very funny mate, all been there before :)
He he steve i do like you ....
I like you too mate :-* but if your hands wander again, I have a shotgun and two large dogs who I'll have to introduce you to lol :D
Good one. Is your fail-safe fully set-up? If sounded as if it cut the motor, but why did it not glide straight ahead?
Yea it is, but because the Wildhawk is so underpowered it just tipstalled immediately as it was on the edge as the motor died :D
Well, here's tonights video.. my 3rd FPV flight, but only the first where i've felt comfortable enough to keep the goggles on for the whole duration.
FPV First Steps - Wildhawk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJ2KQ37FB38#)
It's very difficult with a low powered plane because you can't make it go where you want to. Ordering a new motor as we speak.
Well, I finally got a brushless motor for my WildHawk and I'm impressed so far. It's a 2600kv jobby that I got for 20 quid shipped, including ESC, prop and prop adapter... bargain I thought.
I've only got it running on a 2 cell Lipo at the minute but a 3 cell is ordered - however, I took the plane out tonight and there's already a massive difference so I'm chuffed.
Also, the brushed motor weighs an extra 80g and the nimh pack I replaced weighs an extra 55g over the 1800mAh lipo i'm using, so I've saved 135g which is always good.
The plane climbs nicely now with all of my FPV gear onboard which is what I wanted (not so bothered about speed) - when the 3 cell is put on it should really make a massive difference so.. bring it on :)
However, I've had to rewire everything after the initial flight - I couldn't FPV because the motor seems to cause vibrations which affect the cheap vtx I have. Even putting the VTX out on the wing didn't help, so I've had to mount it inside the canopy as pictured below. As a bonus, the plane is a bit more streamlined now (you can't polish a turd, but you CAN roll it in glitter...)
(http://www.swoo.co.uk/public/remounted.jpg)
Here's to a great FPV flight tomorrow I hope!
Decided to switch my camera out and replace it with a one from G.Collins on 'ere .. much obliged fella.
New Camera Test (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWN2YSMWQCA#)
You could upgrade the motor? Giant Cod do one that produces 250W. Made my AXN very overpowered for LOS and plenty for FPV. Even with a GoPro, cased Vtx and video battery onboard.
Bare in mind though that even if you make it more powerful it will still need to fly fast to not stall, including during landing and it will still stall violently and unforgivably.
Check this out.... upgraded motor test flight (with dummy GoPro).... check out the stall at the end.... nasty.
AXN Clouds Fly / Floater Jet Motor Test Flight (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nB3ZSiBcJLM#ws)
Motor was: http://www.giantcod.co.uk/221206-2200kv-brushless-outrunner-motor-p-402397.html (http://www.giantcod.co.uk/221206-2200kv-brushless-outrunner-motor-p-402397.html) with a 5x5 sport prop (from memory).
Also, if you happen to have a genuine MD-80 cam (not a copy), it will have a metal case. Remove it. My MD-80 case alone weighed 49g! Camera only 19g.
What size battery do you have in it? I find my AXN Floater Clouds Jet Fly still flies and lands ok with FPV gear and a Gopro strapped on. I'm using a 1800mAh 3S lipo.
Mind you I suppose I do tend to land with ample speed on and haven't extensively tested stalls yet. You probably want to be flying at least 4 mistakes high to give a bit of margin for recovery ;)
Oh the battery i'm using is a 1800mAh 7.4v 2 cell, I'm waiting on a 3 cell to be delivered for a bit extra oomph.
I'm sure it will be a whole new animal with 50% more volts on tap!
Still on a 2 cell, but it was a nice night so I took the plane up again.
Hoping and praying that my new battery comes soon.
Summer Night (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASXvfl9Kva0#)
I was actually a lot higher than what this video makes out, the lens is "zoomed in" somewhat - those buildings you can see at the waters edge that look about 200 metres away are actually an easy 1/2 mile.
Looking good there Steve. Nice stable platform.
Loving the hymns BTW :)
Well, I added the brushless and tonight I finally managed to maiden it with a new 3 cell lipo that arrived this morning.
What a difference.
3 Cell Maiden (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ng7vcteMk60#)
Now I can FPV without being afraid that the plane is going to fall out of the sky due to the lack of power.
Bring it on :D
Oh forgot to mention.
Took a trip to Wilkinsons and picked up some strong nylon tape .. £1.49 a roll, and taped up the wings to give them sooo much more strength - works a treat, and they have it in a lot of different colours. And it's nice and shiny too :D Removed all the crap decals too, I think it looks much better.
I think i'm going to pick up some luminous fablon for the bottom surfaces too so that I can tell the difference in the air, heh.
(http://www.swoo.co.uk/public/redwings.jpg)
Next up - waiting for my "No Fear" stickers to arrive off ebay :D
Cool!
It actually works now then!
About the luminous stuff on the underside-No one has figured this out yet, I only found it through trial and error, but the underside of the plane is, well, the underside so there is no light there... So the luminous stuff does nothing! And also you only really get disorientated in bad lighting (cloudy or evening etc...), and in perfect conditions (blue sky, sunny (morning)) you'll only get disorientated if:
1. You are blind.
2. You can't fly.
3. You are dumb enough to make a blue plane.
The only way to make a model show up is to have bright stuff on top.
Haha - well, it was quite low light tonight at just before 8pm and it was tricky to tell top from bottom (both red) although I guess once I've put some stickers on the top it'll make a difference.
Good going Steve, you have mooved on some since I have been away for a week, nice flying, looking good.
regards G
Looks stronger, looks like Blue Peters been to your house :)
Must be better to see for sure
Haha. Yea it is much stronger, which was fortunate given the wing flex today .. a bit more and I'm sure the foam would have cracked.
Now done the underside too.
Okay bear with me...
Anyone ever used their phone as an OSD?
If I could "see" this display from my flight camera, it would work quite well... live GPS tracking via CoPilot on my phone... I want an OSD for a "home arrow" - this could work quite well if I can figure out a way to mount it heh.
(http://www.swoo.co.uk/public/gps001.jpg)
(http://www.swoo.co.uk/public/gps002.jpg)
Thoughts?
It looks an interesting project, very handy to have it on your GS too
It would be wise to check whether your phone is true GPS or not. Most mobile phones have pseudo GPS using base stations to triangulate the phone's position (BADLY, IMHO) which might be rather pants if your GPS is telling you that you are only 200m away, when you could easily be 500m away from you.
Well, as a few of you know, I've been struggling of late with FPV - nothing to do with my kit, it's working great; more my own confidence (or lack of). I have been finding it really difficult to force myself to use only the goggles to fly and I kept looking up at the plane and/or ripping the goggles off when I was unsure of the planes location. Crap experience.
Well, not any more - I had enough, so I unleashed The MotherF***ing Fury(tm) tonight and pulled up a camping chair. The way I saw it was, I had to relax and enjoy it, so what better way to do it than to sit on my big fat backside :D Sounds strange, but it was actually much easier. When I was standing up, I could turn to face the plane which kinda kept me in "line of sight" mode. Sitting down, I had to stay facing forwards and it was easier to use the goggles because I physically couldn't twist around in the chair to view Line of Sight.
My master plan also included sticking to a pre-determined flight plan within a certain range, so that I'd be comfortable seeing what I expected to see depending on the orientation of the plane - it worked a treat and I was actually fairly relaxed for the 6 flights I managed before my battery started running low.
Here's one of them, nothing special, just flying around and having fun :)
FPV - Back to Basics (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUM8CGmhY-s#)
A few more flights like this and I'll keep extending range and altitude until I get the hang of it. I managed about 35 minutes of FPVing tonight and enjoyed it more than I have for weeks trying to just fly around at full throttle without planning anything.
What were your first few FPV flights like? I'd be interested to know.
Funky Diver - it is a "real" GPS, works in airplane mode on the phone too (it powers CoPilot Live satnav software and is pretty accurate).
nice flight mate, very smooth, you can tell you were relaxed lol, And what a cracking visual aid having the train track there its like a home pointer on a osd lol
Well done Steve. Good flight. Feels good to be more relaxed, makes it far more enjoyable. I agree sitting down helps a lot but also having an active spotter to give you some information on height and direction is really helpful, even with an OSD, until you get some calibration on the view and the data. He can also take control before you crash.
What was my first full FPV flight like? In a word: "terrifying". Only by the third or fourth flight did I start to really enjoy it.
Looks like its all coming together beautifully!!! If my progression from LOS to FPV is as simple I'll be a happy chappy :)
Now to dig out a suitable chair!! Another thing to add to the list of "stuff" :D
Nice one mate, I like the tip of getting a chair. I'm still struggling with confidence and standing still while the horizon in the goggles is going all over the place!
Have you installed your gyro's? how are you getting on with them?
Quote from: Brucey on June 21, 2011, 09:14:10 AM
Nice one mate, I like the tip of getting a chair. I'm still struggling with confidence and standing still while the horizon in the goggles is going all over the place!
Have you installed your gyro's? how are you getting on with them?
The chair definitely helps, as ridiculous as it sounds. Your mileage may vary though but sitting down takes standing up and balancing out of the "things to worry about" pile for me - heh. I found I could adjust better to the view in the goggles when I wasn't having to orient myself if that makes sense.
I have one gyro in series with the ailerons and it works quite well although I have it dialled back quite a bit now so that it only tries to correct if there's a massive gust of wind, not every little bump.
Quote from: electricmick
having an active spotter to give you some information on height and direction is really helpful, even with an OSD, until you get some calibration on the view and the data. He can also take control before you crash.
Spotter isn't really possible (I know noone who'd be interested in doing it) unfortunately, although I agree with everything you said.
Quote from: sheep600fx
nice flight mate, very smooth, you can tell you were relaxed lol, And what a cracking visual aid having the train track there its like a home pointer on a osd lol
lol, yea it is quite handy.
Quote from: Funky Diver
Looks like its all coming together beautifully!!! If my progression from LOS to FPV is as simple I'll be a happy chappy
It's not that difficult really, more psychological problems with me "aaauuuugh it's gonna crash! wait, no it's not as it's travelling straight and level! or is it!? *rips off goggles* .. " - heh. I'm getting there though :D
Quote from: Steve W on June 20, 2011, 11:31:38 PM
What were your first few FPV flights like? I'd be interested to know.
My first reaction to flipping the goggles down on the 1st flight was "AAaaaarrghhh!!!" shortly followed by flipping them up again. But I was dead determined to make it work and tried for a bit longer the 2nd time. It does improve with time and almost without realising it, becomes 2nd nature. I agree it is more relaxing have a chair to sit on too. Most of my flights now are FPV from launch to landing and I find that if I need to switch back to LOS mid-flight, that's more scary!
Nice one Steve, relase the fury lol. I think your really getting into this :)
I always sit in a chair or on the floor if ( almost always ) forget it.
I tried standing, not great, rolls were a case of loosing balance, loops ended up with option 2 being undertaken ( On my arse ) involutary :)
Yea, amazing how hard it is to balance when standing up heh.
Looks like fairly good weather today too, so might find myself out again :D
Well done Steve :) it looked really good, no panics, and a good landing.
its all good G
Hi Steve
Well done on your flights, and you vids your a good few steps ahead of me now flying fpv, i have made some mental notes on getting a chair :) and also knowing a little more on what to expect is nice.
Keep it up and i will tag along behind, ha ha :D
It all looks like an exciting prospect to get airborne with a live camera
Steph
Thanks for all the encouragement folks.
I've decided to set up a blog which documents my steps into FPV, so this thread isn't going to be updated by me any more.
Check it out: http://www.intothebluerc.co.uk (http://www.intothebluerc.co.uk)
Steve