Camera Setup
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DYS 3-axis gimbal and a genuine SJ4000 camera. Both were second-hand but the camera was only used on the ground for one 3D project (with 11 others!) so is like new with box etc. Likewise the gimbal was boxed and had never been fitted to anything.
The gimbal is a Chinese one and it took me a while to get the settings right but it works great and the camera gives good results but I can't say it'll match the latest GoPro's. However the two only stand me in at £80 so as a starter set-up I feel much happier than forking out for a Zenmuse & Hero 4. Bear in mind I'm doing this on a shoestring budget with a P1, so if you have deep pockets..?
The gimbal is a Chinese one and it took me a while to get the settings right but it works great and the camera gives good results but I can't say it'll match the latest GoPro's. However the two only stand me in at £80 so as a starter set-up I feel much happier than forking out for a Zenmuse & Hero 4. Bear in mind I'm doing this on a shoestring budget with a P1, so if you have deep pockets..?
I've only tested it off the P1 so far but I would say that you can't beat it for the money. Image is maybe not quite as sharp as from a GoPro but I can only compare it to my now ageing Hero 1. Having the screen on the SJ4000 makes using it a dream and the build quality is more than good enough. There are lots of copies on the market so if you decide to go for one make sure it's not one of those (gen ones have the logo on the front and the boxes also have a hologram). I've got an AV lead for it on the way to me so that I can connect to an FPV transmitter, that's a project for this Spring as I need to make sure any such set-up won't affect GPS lock. I guess you pays your money and takes your choice but I would be loath to spend on a Hero 4 only to lose the P1 as my bank manager would not be impressed!
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Phantom 1s are still being used? I figured not many would buy them anymore considering they cost as much as a p3s.
Yeah I know! I've moved over from flying 250 size race quads to the more sedate world of DJI so I didn't want to go all-in on a new machine without testing so I got my P1 second hand as a swap for some 250 frames and other bits.
I just found a new in box P1 off eBay. I love it. I put a bigger battery in it, which increased the power and flight time. That's all I'm doing to it. I certainly wouldn't put a camera on it. Just not enough drone to be adding the weight. Fun to fly and very reliable.
Well initial flights with the SJ4000 and gimbal fitted are encouraging. I am still checking minimum cell voltages after each flight with all four batteries that I currently have, so that I can carefully reduce the warning stages in flight assistant to maximise flight times. At the moment I get about 10 minutes out of the 2200Mah packs.
Now I know I'm not going to equal later versions longer flight times but that was never my aim. I'm a firm believer in learning the ropes, so buying a used P1 gave me the opportunity to learn about these larger quads. In addition I like the commercially available battery packs that can be sourced from many outlets.
In many ways it is the (comparative) simplicity of the P1 that still makes it a worthwhile AC to buy. I really have lost count of the number of "spares" or "accessories" for sale all over the internet because new fliers have lost or totalled their machine, leaving themselves disillusioned and with a bag of controller, batteries and props, usually due to pilot error.
Now I know I'm not going to equal later versions longer flight times but that was never my aim. I'm a firm believer in learning the ropes, so buying a used P1 gave me the opportunity to learn about these larger quads. In addition I like the commercially available battery packs that can be sourced from many outlets.
In many ways it is the (comparative) simplicity of the P1 that still makes it a worthwhile AC to buy. I really have lost count of the number of "spares" or "accessories" for sale all over the internet because new fliers have lost or totalled their machine, leaving themselves disillusioned and with a bag of controller, batteries and props, usually due to pilot error.
I have seen P1's with two battery setup so they can get off the ground with the extra weight, I hope so because I do plan on putting camera on mine to play with
Walkera G-2D + SJ4000.
SJ4000 is a good camera, but a better quality Full HD replacement is in the same price category: the Xiaomi Yi. It also has lens distortion correction feature available. It comes without display, which can be bought separately. I wouldn't need it, I don't need the SJ4000 display either for aerial use. Some Yi units can have slightly out of focus lens (as discovered via Techmoan's review), and I wonder if SJ4000 can have that too. My SJ4000 has slightly worse left side focus. I have dropped it and done rough MTB rides with it also, so I've busted the volume- button and battery terminals, but I can live without one button. Battery terminals I soldered back in. It is a bit of work, and soldering the three-terminal block may require some good luck as well (I had it!), but shoelaces alone are costly... I do have a new lens for SJ4000, which I might try one day. The current one is ok so I don't change it for fun only.
P1 is a really nice quad. I wrote here a long story but re-checked the topic and deleted it
Maybe saving for another thread.
SJ4000 is a good camera, but a better quality Full HD replacement is in the same price category: the Xiaomi Yi. It also has lens distortion correction feature available. It comes without display, which can be bought separately. I wouldn't need it, I don't need the SJ4000 display either for aerial use. Some Yi units can have slightly out of focus lens (as discovered via Techmoan's review), and I wonder if SJ4000 can have that too. My SJ4000 has slightly worse left side focus. I have dropped it and done rough MTB rides with it also, so I've busted the volume- button and battery terminals, but I can live without one button. Battery terminals I soldered back in. It is a bit of work, and soldering the three-terminal block may require some good luck as well (I had it!), but shoelaces alone are costly... I do have a new lens for SJ4000, which I might try one day. The current one is ok so I don't change it for fun only.
P1 is a really nice quad. I wrote here a long story but re-checked the topic and deleted it
Maybe saving for another thread.
I'm a bit sceptical about this mod as 2 batteries don't equate to twice the flight time because of the extra weight. If you go down the route of carving-out the innards to accommodate 2 packs internally at least it won't affect the aerodynamics in the same way as slinging 2 packs outside.
Yeah me too I was just talking about if the bird can handle the extra battery setup weight it would be able to handle a camera without the two battery setup Terry Evans was concerned about overloading his phantom with a camera
Not sure what's the goal, but according to my experience only one battery with gimbal+camera. Beyond 1 kg it goes quickly worse. There's no point in just flying it overweighted, unless you want to practise flying overweighted.
Two batteries: I guess FPV cam would work. For extending the flight time it is also possible to try 4S battery, and obviously even 6S (that's what reads in PMU V2, without the PMU I'd not try). The ESCs have regulator for the "brain" and the driver chips are rated 30V. What ever choices I've read about, it feels like there is no good way to 15+ minute flights, because the P1 design is what it is. Sorry if this was off the scope.
Two batteries: I guess FPV cam would work. For extending the flight time it is also possible to try 4S battery, and obviously even 6S (that's what reads in PMU V2, without the PMU I'd not try). The ESCs have regulator for the "brain" and the driver chips are rated 30V. What ever choices I've read about, it feels like there is no good way to 15+ minute flights, because the P1 design is what it is. Sorry if this was off the scope.
Thanks I figured it could handle a camera I did go to a multistar 4000mah battery that + camera will be only changes for me, I get over 18 minutes with that battery
I have the p1, p2, and p3p for a camera drone. P1 and P2 just like they are and fun to fly in my back yard. Go to a large field with my p3p. Whatever you do is fun and just a hobby.
There are many intermediate steps between SJ4000 and Hero Go-Pro.I had an SJ4000 mounted on the cheap chinese 2 axis gimbal up to 1 year ago. Then I switched to Gitup-Git2 and, believe me , is really another story, even if I still use the HD resolution at 60 frames/second and not the highest resolutions ossibilities that the camera offers.
About the connection of the camera to the FPV transmitter, I have good experience with Eachine ET526 (20/200/600mW switchable 40 channels 5.8GB tx) and the relatively cheap Eachine LCD5800D 7" receiver monitor. I can tell you that I did not experience any interference with GPS system. I only use 25mw Tx power, that is the only legal in Italy: I only tested once the 200 and 600mW in a desert area and there was no problem of interference or loss of GPS signal. Using 25mW power with the stock stilo type antennas I only had some disturbances on the image when the quad was straight on the vertical of the receiver. Apart from this, at the legal distances of 200mt from the pilot and 70 mt highness, the image was pretty stable. I solved the problem of the reduction of image quality on the vertical position, by using circular polarized antenna (cheap DYS 4 DBi type, bought from Gearbest). In this way the transmission is always stable and still no problems at all neither with GPS nor with the Phantom 1.1.1 transmitter.
Thanks for your information. I'm still playing with set-up right now and am waiting on a 25Mw Tx which is also legal limit in UK.
I have got an Easycap which will allow me to plug my Android phone into the video Rx and using a free app I can do fpv with the phone mounted on my controller.
I'll update this post when it's up and running
I have got an Easycap which will allow me to plug my Android phone into the video Rx and using a free app I can do fpv with the phone mounted on my controller.
I'll update this post when it's up and running
Only one more remark:if you use an action camera(whatever is), you should use FPV just to monitor what you are inserting in your movie. It is better you do not thrust the FPV image to drive the quad, due to the large latency time the action camera introduces. A smartphone based receiving system can make this latency time even worst. So, be carefull at this point to avoid to crash against some obstacle.
Yes Gianni_BT I am aware of this issue but have seen reviews of the Easycap when hooked-up to a smartphone and although the latency is greater than a dedicated FPV system using a CMOS or CCD camera, I am happy that on a Phantom it is more than acceptable. As an aerial platform for video it is much more stable and sedate than say a 250 sized race quad, on that type of quad any latency can be disastrous. Thank you for the observation though.
Fine. Please, when you have finished the set up let us know an estimate of the latency time with the easycap and smartphone system.
With the Gitup Git2 and the transmitting system I described in the previous post, my estimate is a latency time between 0.5 and 0.8 sec.
The other problem of the use of the action cam as FPV device is the wide angle perspective of the lens that show objects at a distance greather than what they really are.
But, again, I agree with you: phantom is an aerial platform for video, so the main use of the FPV on it is to know what you are looking with your camera. For this use the action cam is perfect.
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