With the recent DJI discounts, walksnail still proving itself and a company bonus - I 've decided to buy the DJI V2 goggles. I got them for $750AUD new from the DJI store at Chadstone. I am pumped
Whilst waiting for a couple of air units to arrive from LethalFPV, I've started a new build to maiden my foray into digital. I'm going conservative and building a 4" cruiser based on the iflight Chimera 4" frame, deadcat. I wanted something I can (sorta) fly around the home and also protect the new digital investments. Air units are expensive compared to analog, jeez... the traditional bus style of the frame I've picked I think helps that.
Originally I was going to use my toothfairy 2 - 3" frame from an old 6S analog build but I couldn't find the camera plates, so I pulled out a spare frame I bought ages ago I had yet to use, the iFlight Chimera DC4, deadcat style.
One thing to note, the iflight DC4 frame comes with 1.6mm width long bolts (and matching nuts) especially for the vista. From what I've read you can't get regular 2mm bolts into the vista mounts, so this is a nice touch!
Parts List (all locally sourced from the spare parts draw ):
iflight chimera DC4 - 4" deadcat frame
iflight XING 1404 3600kV motors
tiny talon F7 FC
mamba nano 13A 4in1 ESC (15A burst - I think this will be OK)
clracing LED racewire
I'm yet to determine what receiver I will use. It will be ELRS but not sure which one yet.
MATEK ELRS receiver, SMD antenna
HM EP2 (SMD antenna) or EP1 (mini immo-T antenna)
I've got both the following air units coming, not sure which one I will use yet.
Caddx DJI Camera Vista Kit
Caddx Polar Nano Starlight Vista Kit
I know I will need to use a BEC for 9V on the vista, the FC is an analog one so it doesn't have any 9V rails to power the vista unit. I've got some nice MATEK ones in the parts bin that I think are 5V/9V configurable.
This will be a 4S rig.
On to the build
I started with pre-wiring the ESC and the racewire, measuring it all. These motors were off another build and I'm getting sick of seeing all the heatshrink cover cables, lol.
The stack is a 16mm x 16mm one, so it is tiny and will have enough room for the vista unit at the back. My first time with digital so I don't know what to expect with the size. Well I know, I've got specs, lol but still the real world always offers surprises.
I wired the front motor through the stack to keep it all nice and stuff. The stack spacing is OK and allows for it. LED racewire is a very over the top way of connecting motors, lol.
Looks pretty though...
More to come as I build this quad out and receive the vista units, can't wait!
Nice purchase I do still fly analogue but digital is another world and you're going to be blown away on that first flight
If you're flying in the day the normal Vista kit with the DJI Camera would be the one I would use as it can do 120fps and low latency mode as well as being able to use 4:3 mode, and you can also change contrast and other camera settings. By comparison the polar camera is restricted to 60fps, no low latency mode, 16:9 mode only, and no ability to change any camera settings. That camera is only really useful for dusk / night time flying.
As for the DJI FPV Goggles V2, just make sure you have the V1.00.06.06 firmware version installed for the standalone (DIY) FPV System mode and the V1.02.0001 firmware version installed for the DJI FPV (Racer) Drone mode. That will ensure you don't get an unexpected black screen of death (or a complete image freeze) while flying and will also ensure you can take advantage of the Margerine root exploit (see another thread HERE). If you update to a DJI FPV (Racer) Drone mode firmware to a version later than V1.02.0001 you will lose the root exploit features as DJI closed the door for that in the later firmware versions.
For a 4" build I'd go with an EP1 and either mount the antenna on an arm or vertically to a standoff. Especially for a cruiser build, it will be nice to have the additional sensitivity/range of an external antenna vs SMD.
I second Snow's recommendation on the DJI camera for the low latency and better image quality. The only reason I'd use the Polar is if you were primarily going to be flying this in low-light conditions.
The following 1 user Likes V-22's post:1 user Likes V-22's post • ph2t
It's still safer / advisable to use regulated voltage with a Vista if you can (especially if running 6S) due to the protection diodes on the serial port of them having a history of getting fried if they encounter a voltage spike. If running 4S it will probably be fine, but whenever connecting a Vista direct to raw LiPo voltage, always use a decent quality low ESC capacitor soldered across the LiPo connections on the ESC. Doing that will also help to mitigate the chances of the image freezing / stuttering while flying.
@kafie - Just checked the receipt, it was $749, lol.... I have noticed now a lot of V1 goggles on FB marketplace (prolly avata/goggles 2 driven) for as high as $600 so I'm happy with this retail purchase
@V-22 / Snow - I will use the DJI camera/vista module for this build - as you guys said, so many features with this camera that will allow me to try out the different modes. The chimera frame defaults to micro camera for the mount so all good there.
Whilst I appreciate the comments made by relentlesstech about the power levels the vista unit can take, I will still use the MATEC 9V BEC to protect my investment. Prolly overkill on the safety side as I'm only running on 4S, but hey, this digital stuff costs a bomb so if it helps and isn't a killer in the weight dept I will use the BEC
Alas my flying is prolly the biggest risk in all of this.
The following 1 user Likes ph2t's post:1 user Likes ph2t's post • iFly4rotors
Tell me about it, I'm worried about the firmware and activation now as I don't have a digjayeye FPV drone. Surely I can just activate this thing with a vista unit?
29-Aug-2022, 05:00 AM (This post was last modified: 29-Aug-2022, 05:01 AM by ph2t.)
Build progress
The Vista units arrived, hooray! Impressed with the vista unit build quality, I can see why a lot of people say they are rock solid. The DJI cam is beefy to say the least, happy I didn't go with mounting the power cap near the front stand offs, would of hit the camera at tilt for sure.
After searching through the parts drawers (more than one, lol...) I couldn't find another EP1 RX, must of used the last one on my badger build. For now I'm going to use the MATEK one I picked up on sale from PhaserFPV. Yes it's the SMD antenna one - so far I've used the EP2 and found the range to be pretty good. This quad is going to be flown around the house a fair bit so range for the moment should be OK. I've ordered some more EP1s...
Thankfully I don't have the drift issue with the RX and it pairs to my HM PRO ELRS TX just fine. I will keep an eye out for signal degradation though.
I've mounted it on top of the stack. This frame is roomy in the vertical so why the hell not!
Coming together nicely now.
Vista unit going in now.
Had to sort out the power / power cap / MATEK BEC placement to ensure the build is trademark ph2t clean, lol...
(29-Aug-2022, 05:00 AM)ph2t Wrote: Thankfully I don't have the drift issue with the RX and it pairs to my HM PRO ELRS TX just fine. I will keep an eye out for signal degradation though.
FYI, the ELRS page on this issue has been updated to include a test procedure to measure the relative offset between a TX and RX pair. Essentially, you flash with manual mode in ELRS Configurator and paste in the frequency debug define, and the relative offset will be reported in the RSNR telemetry field. Note this firmware is only for testing, and you should flash back to a standard build before flying. https://github.com/ExpressLRS/ExpressLRS...tx-rx-pair
(29-Aug-2022, 04:51 AM)ph2t Wrote: I'm worried about the firmware and activation now as I don't have a digjayeye FPV drone. Surely I can just activate this thing with a vista unit?
That activation issue was fixed by DJI quite some time ago in a firmware update. I highly doubt they are still shipping goggles with that old buggy firmware installed so you should be good to go.
02-Sep-2022, 01:40 AM (This post was last modified: 02-Sep-2022, 01:51 AM by iFly4rotors.)
(29-Aug-2022, 06:31 AM)V-22 Wrote: FYI, the ELRS page on this issue has been updated to include a test procedure to measure the relative offset between a TX and RX pair. Essentially, you flash with manual mode in ELRS Configurator and paste in the frequency debug define, and the relative offset will be reported in the RSNR telemetry field. Note this firmware is only for testing, and you should flash back to a standard build before flying. https://github.com/ExpressLRS/ExpressLRS...tx-rx-pair
Hi V,
Yep, this is what I am talking about with ELRS. From my perception, there is a lot of "Flashing" with ELRS. Am I right Flash this, Flash that, Flash back, Flash forth, ...
By the way, why is relative offset not already taken care of
Why does this only seem to be and issue with ELRS
A receiver should be just solder it in, bind it, and go. In my mind, a receiver should NOT need to be FLASHED before it can be used. Again, very confusing
On the one hand, I have been considering ELRS as a control link when I move beyond FrSky, however, it seems like a moving target that I can't quite get a handle on. Yeah, I know it really is still in develoment, however, all the more reason to wait a bit longer.
Yep, this is what I am talking about with ELRS. From my perception, there is a lot of "Flashing" with ELRS. Am I right Flash this, Flash that, Flash back, Flash forth, ...
By the way, why is relative offset not already taken care of
Why does this only seem to be and issue with ELRS
A receiver should be just solder it in, bind it, and go. In my mind, a receiver should NOT need to be FLASHED before it can be used. Again, very confusing
On the one hand, I have been considering ELRS as a control link when I move beyond FrSky, however, it seems like a moving target that I can't quite get a handle on. Yeah, I know it really is still in develoment, however, all the more reason to wait a bit longer.
ELRS is still actively being developed, and the devs are continually figuring out better ways to do things, fix bugs, and add new features. That said, there are still plenty of people running whatever firmware their system came with and don't bother updating unless they see a new feature they want to try out or are having an issue that has been fixed in newer firmware.
I still recommend everyone flash new hardware when they receive it, as that way you know exactly what firmware your hardware is running, and you can set a "binding phrase" so that all of your hardware works together and you never have to manually bind anything.
Flashing isn't really difficult, and is about to become even easier in ELRSv3 with unified targets and a web-based Configurator. You can flash via USB or WiFi, and the Configurator remembers what options you have selected (including binding phrase), so you really just need to tell it what the hardware is and click flash. Once your TX and RXs are flashed with a binding phrase, you are done. As soon as you power them on, they are already bound. No pressing buttons or figuring out how to enable a binding mode.
Regarding the frequency issue, it seems to be a combination of the chip shortage causing difficulty in sourcing the correct components, companies cheaping out on components that don't meet the spec, or companies ignoring the reference design for the receiver and doing their own thing. The bad JHEMCU/Flywoo/HiYounger hardware just seems to be a case of using cheap, poor quality oscillators, whereas the Matek issue was a design flaw where they ignored the reference design for the hardware and added unnecessary loading capacitors that brought the crystals out of tolerance.
The Semtech LoRa chips used in ELRS hardware do support automatic frequency correction, and this works fine on the 900MHz chips. However, no one has been able to get it to work on the 2.4GHz chips, and the manufacturer has not responded to inquiries or support requests. For most hardware, this is not an issue as boards are properly designed and use high quality components. Going forward, with all of the visibility on this issue recently, I think some manufacturers will pay closer attention to QA/QC and market their products as such. We still haven't seen any hardware with a TCXO, but I'm sure that's coming for higher end equipment. And it's possible someone will figure out how to get frequency correction working on the 2.4GHz hardware.
ELRS isn't for everyone, but it's getting better and easier to use everyday, and the quality of hardware is increasing. I think it's definitely worth paying attention to, and if you get curious the cost of trying it out is quite low.
Sorry to derail your thread ph2t! Looking forward to your reaction when you fly digital for the first time!
I've gone digital!
):
![[-]](https://intofpv.com/images/collapse.png)
![[Image: ssatc9rl.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/ssatc9rl.jpg)
I do still fly analogue but digital is another world and you're going to be blown away on that first flight 
