Working FPV setup for Crazyflie 2.0

Firmware/software/electronics/mechanics
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derf
Expert
Posts: 163
Joined: Fri May 31, 2013 12:17 am
Location: Germany

Working FPV setup for Crazyflie 2.0

Post by derf »

Hey everyone,

After seeing the FPV video with a CF2 from http://www.LaDroneShop.com (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wzpcRnsgD8) I just had to try it out myself and finally spend some money on this.

Here is the shopping list: Total amount was 268,81 Euro including shipping (France to Germany).

The camera is the same as in the YouTube video. They used a different transmitter though (http://ladroneshop.com/en/1593-tx5810-1 ... itter.html) which is
pretty similar to the one I got and costs almost the same (51,50 Euro). In the video they used a 7" FPV monitor with two antennas (Diversity), which is not really necessary.
For me, the ability to record video was more important than a big screen. The 7" monitor was not in stock anyway.

Assembly:
Unfortunately the CF1 battery can not be hooked up to the transmitter directly because they have different connectors (CF1 battery: "Micro JST" or JST-ZH, Transmitter: "Nano JST" or JST-SH). So I had to do some soldering and used different cables.
I also had to solder some plugs to the cable that connects the camera with the transmitter.
There is still a lot of extra cable, that I will eventually cut off to save weight.
For the first few flights I just used sticky tape to attach everything to the CF2. The extra battery is on the bottom. I'll clean it up later on.

Why Do I use an extra battery instead of using the CF2's own battery?
Because I'm lazy and wanted to avoid issues with interferences from the motors. ;) The CF2 also has enough power to lift the weight.
How Do I charge the extra battery?
Currently I'm using a CF1 as a charger. :)

Now for the interesting part:
Does it fly? Yes :D
How long does it fly? About 4:30min
Weight with the FPV stuff? 46g in total
How long does the camera and the transmitter work on one charge? About 35min!

I'll upload a video some time soon. For now here is picture of the beta-"sticky-tape" version:
Crazyflie2.0_FPV.jpg
Regards,

Fred
tobias
Bitcraze
Posts: 2339
Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2013 7:17 pm
Location: Sweden

Re: Working FPV setup for Crazyflie 2.0

Post by tobias »

You finally got to it, nicely done!

Now we just connect it to the cfclient with a digitize and stream the video over the internet so we can remotely pilot it from anywhere in the world ;) (with some minor technical issues to solve such as latency...)
toysldr
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Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2015 1:47 am

Re: Working FPV setup for Crazyflie 2.0

Post by toysldr »

What is the difference between the transmitter you picked out and the one that La Drone Shop used on their YouTube video?
derf
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Posts: 163
Joined: Fri May 31, 2013 12:17 am
Location: Germany

Re: Working FPV setup for Crazyflie 2.0

Post by derf »

Theirs has a clover leaf shaped antenna, adjustable output power and is a bit lighter (1.9 instead of 4 gr, according to the specs).
It was on backorder when I placed the order, that's why I went with the other transmitter. Both transmitters will do the job.
crbr
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Joined: Mon Jan 25, 2016 4:08 am

Re: Working FPV setup for Crazyflie 2.0

Post by crbr »

Would it be possible to set this up with FPV goggles?
derf
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Posts: 163
Joined: Fri May 31, 2013 12:17 am
Location: Germany

Re: Working FPV setup for Crazyflie 2.0

Post by derf »

Yes, I've successfully tested it with FPV goggles (Fatshark Dominator V3).

This is what the current setup looks like (no more sticky tape):
IMG_20151231_141913_small.jpg
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