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Depinning a VTx for tight spaces
#1
Many times while making or building a copter with very tight spaces and no room for error, we face the problem of putting our mini quad VTx properly! Mostly we end up strapping our Vtx at some place where we compromise it's protection..strapping it outside the frame,etc. And when we crash(a big part of this wonderful hobby which we cannot avoid!) we end up breaking the VTx or ripping off the antenna connector.

So here depinning the VTx helps a lot. However depinning a VTx can be a daunting task for newbies and people who are just building their first compact frame! Depinning also helps on spacious frames too..you can place your VTx wherever you like and route the pigtail to a desired position.
Here I show you how to depin a VTx. I chose the 200mW 32ch VTx from myrcmart.com and have bought a right angle 5cm pigtail from Banggood.

VTx: http://www.myrcmart.com/rcx-ts5823-58ghz...b772fdja96

Pigtail: http://www.banggood.com/5cm-RP-SMA-Male-...56188.html
My Youtube Channel
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  • Oscar
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#2
Additional things you will require
1) Hacksaw Blade
2) Araldite/Hot Glue for reinforcement
3) Clear Heat shrink tube
4) Heat gun
5) Hobby knife
6) 35W Soldering Iron(a 25W would also do fine but here a bit of more power will make the work easier)

[Image: IMG_20160731_002039_zpsanliojcl.jpg]
Using the hacksaw carefully cut of the antenna connector
[Image: IMG_20160731_002153_zpssfbcrvvr.jpg]
Using the soldering iron remove the brass legs that are still soldered on the board. use some soldering wire if you want. Be careful not to destroy or disturb any other connections on the VTx.

The center pad out of the three is where center of the coax's center wire will be soldered!

[Image: 22222.png]
As depicted in the picture, the coax has 4 parts. the center core carries the video signal. The metallic shield is soldered to the ground plus acts as a shield to external EM Radiations that can affect the signal. The pigtail we are using has RG305. It has a clear plastic jacket, followed by the mesh, dielectric and the center core.

Using a hobby knife carefully strip the RG305 cable such that the inner core is exposed enough and twist the wire mesh around. Pre-tin the inner core and the wire mesh. Make sure no wire strands pokes out, as it may create some problem while soldering on the VTx.
[Image: maxresdefault.jpg]
You can also buy readymade pigtails available on BG.
My Youtube Channel
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  • Oscar
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#3
When soldering to the VTx make sure you don't bend the pigtail at extreme angles as it may cause some unwanted signal leak. Try to make the angle at which the pigtail meets the VTx gradual. After you are done with the soldering, with a multi-meter set on continuity check for any unwanted short. The two extreme pins out of the three are connected to ground, so the multi-meter should beep if the probes are connected to the extreme pins. It shouldn't beep when one probe is touched to the center pin and other to either of the extreme pins. 

After you make sure there is no short, connect an antenna to the other end of the pigtail and power it ON to test if you get any signal on the Rx side.

DO NOT POWER ON THE VTX WITHOUT AN ANTENNA! YOU WILL SURELY FRY IT!
After you successfully get a video signal add some support to the solder joint but applying epoxy or hot glue. The joint can break due to the vibrations and you will have a bad time if this happens while you are flying Confused
Cut a clear heat shrink and insert the VTx and shrink it using the heat gun. Cut slots for the connector and frequency changing DIP switch. Your end result should be somewhat similar to the picture below.

the process of depinning will be same for almost all VTx. If you want to prevent all the hassles buy a VTx with pigtail pre-soldered!
[Image: IMG_20160902_204907_zpshckmkzb2.jpg]

Hope this small tutorial helps someone!
You can also watch this video posted by Joshua Bardwell:
My Youtube Channel
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#4
Would it not be better to just solder off the connector instead of hacking it off with a saw?
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#5
(06-Sep-2016, 08:03 AM)Mikk36 Wrote: Would it not be better to just solder off the connector instead of hacking it off with a saw?

If you have a 100W/adjustable soldering iron on hand you can try that. My 30W wasn't able to heat up the connector enough and entire VTX got so hot in the meantime I was afraid I killed it. I found that hacking one side of the connector and desoldering other is the safest way to go.
Find me on Youtube and Instagram. I currently fly: DRC Aura, NOX5R, Minimalist 112 and drive a scrap RC car
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#6
Used a 65W adjustable (FX-888D) to get it off myself. First fixed the connector after bending it in the crash and then desoldered and reoriented to be horizontal with the PCB instead of vertical.
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