Introduction: FPV System for Drones

About: Student at University of Colombo

In this instructable i'm going to show you how to setup a FPV camera system for drones/ quadcopters. In this generation drones are very popular flying instrument in many industries. FPV cameras add more value to drones. FPV stand for First-Person-View. When the drone is flying, we can control it from the pilot's view point and at the same time, we can record the surround as a video file. Here i will show you how to install a FPV system in the drone and how to view/ record using a AV device, android phone and PC.

Step 1: Accessories & Parts in FPV System

Camera

Transmitter

Receiver

Power supply

  • 11.1V Lipo battery

Step 2: Connecting Camera to Transmitter

Power the transmitter from the drone (via power distribution board). The TS832 transmitter required 12V to operate, so therefore you can directly obtain a 12V from the power distribution board as you using a 11.1V Lipo battery to power the drone.

connect the camera to transmitter as shown in the 2nd picture.

The camera obtain power via the transmitter.

red wire - (+)

black wire - (-)

yellow - signal

important: different cameras required different operating voltages. So therefore you have to first go through the camera specification and find the required voltage. If your camera required 12V voltage, no problem you can directly connect the camera to transmitter via the three wires (red, black and yellow)
If your camera require a 6V or below voltage, you have to power the camera via a BEC (DC step-down) converter. Connect the red and black wires of the camera to the 6V BEC.
However you can connect the yellow wire of the camera directly to the transmitter.

Finally install the camera at the front of the drone and transmitter any where possible, usually at the back of the drone.

Step 3: RC832 Receiver Setup With FPV Monitor or TV

You can receive the videos transmitted by the drone to AV screens like TV or FPV monitor at the ground station by using the RC832 receiver. Connect the three connectors (yellow, white and red) of the RC832 receiver to the respective three connectors of the FPV connector. If you using the TV, turn the TV into AV mode.

Power the RC832 by a 11.1V Lipo battery since it require a DC power supply.

Step 4: 5.8G UVC OTG 150CH Channel FPV Receiver for Android Mobile

You can use your own android mobile phone to receive the videos transmitted by the drone with this UVC OTG receiver. However, the android mobile need to have UVC OTG capability.

Check whether your phone support UVC - https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bzr4U7GOGvNJUjNG...

Here's the phone list support this receiver that have tested
.Sumsung: S3(I9300,I9308) S4(I9500,I9507V,I9508,S5,S6,S6 edge+,S7edge, NOTE3,NOTE4,NOTE5,A5100,A8000,ON7,P600,N7100,N5100,Tab S2..)
OPPO:A31,A31C,A33,A51,A53,A33M,A51,A53,A5M,N3,FIND7,R7005, R7007,3007,R2017,R8000,R8205,R8207,R7SM,R7 PLUS,R9 PLUS, ect..
XIAOMI: XIAOMI 3,XIAOMI 4,XIAOMI 4C,XIAOMI5,XIAOMI pad, XIAOMI Red Note,XIAOMI Red Note3,ect...
HUAWEI:MATE8, C199,Honor8LG:GPRO2,G3,NEXUS5,L24,GPAD8.3, ect..
MOTOROLA:XPRO,NEXUS6,MOTO E,MZ617,ect..
SONY:Z1,Z2,Z3,C3,SGP321,ect..

If your android phone support UVC, then download and install any FPV camera android app from Google app store. Here is some apps - http://files.banggood.com/2016/12/Go-FPV_v2.2.1pak... or https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bzr4U7GOGvNJRHI4...

Then connect the receiver to the android mobile via the provided cable. Open the installed FPV app on your mobile. Then tune the receiver by pressing it's button. When the tune completed, the app will display "100%" on the mobile screen.

important: There are 2 same connectors on USB cable, but in different function. One side is special for mobile, the other is special for receiver. Please connect them correctly. If you still can't display videos, please try to plug them in reverse.

Step 5: 5.8G UVC OTG 150CH Channel FPV Receiver With PC

Don't worry if your android mobile do not support with UVC OTG. You still able to use your 5.8G UVC OTG 150CH Channel FPV Receiver with PC. Follow the below steps to setup the receiver with your PC:

  1. Download Debut video caputer software for free - http://download.cnet.com/Debut-Free-Video-Screen-R...
  2. Install the Debut software
  3. Connect the UVC OTG 5.8G receiver to the PC via a mini USB cable, usually comes with the android mobile phones.
  4. Open Debut Video capture Software
  5. Click Networks
  6. Select webcam
  7. Choose USB video device
  8. Press the button in the receiver to Tune

Step 6: Great !!!

Here I have introduced three FPV systems; AV monitor, android mobile and PC which you can use to build your own FPV drone.

Enjoy your drone with FPV camera!!!

I would be happy to answer any questions you have
email me: dnayantha88@gmail.com

search me on facebook and linkedin for more projects - Danusha nayantha

Thank You.

Remote Control Contest 2017

Participated in the
Remote Control Contest 2017

Epilog Challenge 9

Participated in the
Epilog Challenge 9