(12-Mar-2021, 03:22 AM)justatinker Wrote:

Mounting the Camera/VTX

I wasn't sure how I'd mount the camera/VTX this time. On the original plane, I simply fed a long twist tie through the fuselage and twist tied the camera down. I also glued it down to prevent it from shifting. It was a kluge but it worked.

This time I wanted something sturdier while having the option to more easily remove the camera/VTX.

As I often do, I went the KISS route (Keep It Stupidly Simple, a much better way to parse that acronym, I think   ).

So here's my solution:

Wooden stakes made from a sandwich skewer.

Less than a 10th of a gram!

Gorilla Glued into the fuselage.

The camera/VTX slides over the stakes.

Wiring passed through a hole in the fuselage.

The plane only weighs 6 grams over stock now.

The rebuilt plane is now ready to fly!

At this point, the plane is ready to fly but there's still more work to be done.

I'll mock up the cockpit like I did with the original plane. Because of wide angle lens, I have to distort the actual cockpit so it looks right from the camera's POV.

Also, I don't have the digital recorder installed yet. I'll fly the plane as is so I can balance it out properly first. When I install the recorder, I'll do so underneath the fuselage this time on the plane's centre of gravity so the plane will fly (more or less) the same with it on or off.

A note on glues.

I use several different glues to make my planes.

I use Gorilla Glue anywhere I want permanent strength. On this plane I used it to glue the rear landing gear and hinges down and to glue the carbon fiber rods to the leading edges of wings and tail. This last is a test to see if I can eliminate having to use tape (extra weight) to hold them down like I did on the new plane.

It takes a long time to dry and don't get it on your fingers but it holds extremely well.

I use wood glue to harden my electronics, wiring joints and connectors. It's good for reinforcing wires soldered to circuit boards as I did with my camera/VTX. It is also removable so I can reverse, change or fix something. This one is a good tip for the drone crowd if you aren't doing it already.

I also use a foam safe modeling glue to bond foam to foam, either for repairs or alterations. It remains somewhat flexible after drying.

My flying park is clear of snow so hopefully I'll have my planes in the air soon.

Great work, bud.  I have a runcam dvr module chip thing.  If you are interested, I’m prolly gonna post it on my eBay account and sell it....

Edit* - thinking about it now, the AIO camera/vtx only has 2 wires, huh?

(12-Mar-2021, 03:36 AM)luispequeno Wrote: Great work, bud.  I have a runcam dvr module chip thing.  If you are interested, I’m prolly gonna post it on my eBay account and sell it....

Edit* - thinking about it now, the AIO camera/vtx only has 2 wires, huh?

Luis:

This camera/VTX also has video in, video out and smart audio lines as well. In normal operation, the video in and video out is connected together but they can also be split so the a flight controller's OSD can be inserted into the video stream.

The reason I'm using the HMDVR-S is that it runs on 1S, 3.7 volts and it weighs less then 3 grams without the plastic case it came with. It connects directly to the video in/out lines of the camera/VTX.

(04-Mar-2021, 06:35 PM)Oscar Wrote: love to do something like this

Oscar:

I just got the FPV gear I need for the new plane and your Oscar's Backpack was the only VTX available to me that was suitable. Every other VTX with a microphone that I looked at was too heavy for my plane to carry.

I realize you have issues with AKK regarding Oscar's Backpack so I've sent you the cost to me of the VTX via PayPal.

Would you be okay with me posting its installation and use on my plane in this thread?

BTW: Audio did work but the sound was very faint through my bargain basement goggles. I put an amplifier between the goggles and headphones which makes it somewhat clearer. It may be an issue with my goggles but should it be loader?