Welcome GoPro Hero3

Welcome GoPro Hero3! I sold the Hero2 for buying the Hero3. When flying multicopters, and I guess RC in general, every extra gram of weight matters. You don't normally have too many minutes of fligh time, so reducing it to the limit is something to have in mind.

The GoPro Hero3 is not only smaller and lighter. It allows also to record at 1080 and 60fps, or if you need to really slow down the footage, 720 and 120fps is a great choice! There's plenty of info about the rest of the spectifications of the camera on the Internet, the weight and the recording modes were my main reasons

This article of Abe Kislevitz about the GoPro Hero 3 is really worth it. 

This is an example of how to place both the FPV camera and the GoPro in the wood stick I put on the front of the quad. This is an easy way of getting rid of the motors on camera, and facing it down or any other direction.

I still have to replace the propeller of the last crash :) As you can see, these are cheap and also very resistant, but after some crashes they finally brake! :)

Picture from above :)

First distance test with FPV

September 2013. This is the first FPV distance test I try, and it didn't end up really well! The land was not flat, so I didn't take into account to keep the quad at eyesight, and I suddenly lost the video signal. Luckily, I did attach my mobile to the quad and share the position with another mobile, so I could easily find it between the bushes. From that moment on, I'm much more careful when flying! As a result of the crash, only the landing gear was broken! :)

Well, 932m is not bad at all so far!!

The best is to have one of those GPS systems with the return to home features (RTH), so if you loose signal the quad comes automatically to the starting point. I don't have one... yet.

Flying in FPV is just amazing. You can feel a bit disoriented at the beginning with your feet on the ground but at the same time having the feeling of being actually up in the air. Totally recommended!!!!

Starting with FPV with Fatshark Predator and ImmersionRC

August 2013. Now it's time to go one step further and start flying in FPV.

It took me a while until discovering what exactly to buy, reading and asking in forums. As this is not a cheap upgrade, I did want to get it right at once.

So I finally bought the following components:

• Fatshark Predator pack. It includes the goggles, a camera, and a 2S 1000mAh battery.
• ImmersionRC 600mw video transmitter, including 5.8GHZ antennas.
• Immersion RC Spironet circularly polarized antennas, 5.8GHZ.
• 3S 1000mAh 11.1v LiPo battery for the video transmitter

 

 

 

 

With these you have everything you need in order to start flying in FPV. You can also choose not to buy the goggles and purcharse an LCD screen, there are cheap ones out there.

As this frame is a bit small, I've to place one of the batteries unterneath the frame, so I've bought a plastic landing gear from banggood to avoid the components touching the ground. And it is also a good idea in case of having a crash, because it will absorb most part of the impact avoiding brakings.

 

So everything put toguether looks like this

Notice that the wood stick allows me to put the FPV camera on the front, and gives me space to mount the GoPro just behind it with the GoPro mount. So the camera is inside the landing gear (not in the picture now).

 

 

The wire connections of the FPV system are easy. The camera has one wire, that goes to the right side of the transmitter (video, positive, ground). The battery is connected to the black and red wire that goes to the left side of the transmitter.

It is really important, both for the goggles and the video transmitter, to attach the antenna at the first place, and after that connect the battery. Don't do it otherwise!

I also find useful the velcro strap ties, for batteries or whatever you need.