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Help needed: standalone camera for FPV

Ghost606

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Apr 21, 2021
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Hi all. New here and needing some advice.

I'm new to quads, and bought a cheap copter recently.
It flies great, but its onboard camera has a reliable reception range of about 30 feet! (wifi connection) and even at close range it's laggy. Meaning it's all but useless for fpv.

As it's not a kit drone, I dont want to be chopping it up and messing with the internals, if I can help. The original cam is also good for recording video, onboard. So I want to keep it.

So, what I am wondering is...

Is there a standalone, small, light, camera, with it's own power supply, and decent range (only needs to be up to 250m, as that is the drone max), that can connect to an FPV headset. Something that can be literally strapped to the copter body, connected independently to a headset, and away we go? Cheap would be a bonus too. I'm not looking for 4k cinematic, or anything. Just a basic flying experience, and I don't want too many salty tears, if it "lands" in a lake!
;)


I've done a lot of searching, but I'm a bit overwhelmed by all the various kits and bits out there.

Thanks for any info you folks can offer.
 
Hi all. New here and needing some advice.

I'm new to quads, and bought a cheap copter recently.
It flies great, but its onboard camera has a reliable reception range of about 30 feet! (wifi connection) and even at close range it's laggy. Meaning it's all but useless for fpv.

As it's not a kit drone, I dont want to be chopping it up and messing with the internals, if I can help. The original cam is also good for recording video, onboard. So I want to keep it.

So, what I am wondering is...

Is there a standalone, small, light, camera, with it's own power supply, and decent range (only needs to be up to 250m, as that is the drone max), that can connect to an FPV headset. Something that can be literally strapped to the copter body, connected independently to a headset, and away we go? Cheap would be a bonus too. I'm not looking for 4k cinematic, or anything. Just a basic flying experience, and I don't want too many salty tears, if it "lands" in a lake!
;)


I've done a lot of searching, but I'm a bit overwhelmed by all the various kits and bits out there.

Thanks for any info you folks can offer.
You did not mention which quad you have. If it is a small one, weight makes a big difference in how well it flies and flight time.

If you search "AIO FPV Camera" you should find lots of possibilities. Some come with a mounting bracket and some not. Most all will require a battery and you will want to get one that uses a 1s battery to keep the weight down.

Example - Amazon.com: AKK BA3 5.8G 40CH VTX 0/25mW/50mW/200mW Switchable 600TVL 1/3 Cmos Micro AIO FPV Camera and Transmitter for FPV Drone Like Tiny Whoop Blade Inductrix: Home Improvement

This one has up to 200mW output power which should get you more range. Most of the AIO FPV Cameras have a 25mW output...
 
You did not mention which quad you have. If it is a small one, weight makes a big difference in how well it flies and flight time.

If you search "AIO FPV Camera" you should find lots of possibilities. Some come with a mounting bracket and some not. Most all will require a battery and you will want to get one that uses a 1s battery to keep the weight down.

Example - Amazon.com: AKK BA3 5.8G 40CH VTX 0/25mW/50mW/200mW Switchable 600TVL 1/3 Cmos Micro AIO FPV Camera and Transmitter for FPV Drone Like Tiny Whoop Blade Inductrix: Home Improvement

This one has up to 200mW output power which should get you more range. Most of the AIO FPV Cameras have a 25mW output...
Hi thanks for the info.

I have an Eachine E511S. Nothing fancy, but it seems reasonably powerful, and it has 15 mins run time, so I figure I can afford to lose a few minutes, for the thrill of onboard view.

I was hoping for a solid, all-in-one unit, that can be velcro'd/glued/taped on, I'm amazed nobody has thought to manufacture such a thing already, but I'm more than happy to make my own little camera/transmitter/battery addon.
It's just tough being sure what works with what, and how good the quality of the parts actually is. I keep reading things about novices melting their components with the wrong batteries, or cameras/headsets being laggy or poor visuals, etc.

If i had the money and the knowhow to risk it, I'd even consider opening the drone up, and replacing the camera on board with something better. But that is too risky for me right now.
 
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Most all of the FPV cameras I have seen are intended to be wired into the quad for power. I have not seen any with their own battery.

I have done exactly what you are asking about some time ago with my Mavic 2 Pro.

Mavic2ProFPV.png


Here's a camera/vtx with a 1s battery connector already on it and a case to mount.
AIO Camera/VTX

Here's a battery to use with it. You might get by with a 300mAh battery to last the flight time of the quad.
525mAh Battery
300 mAh Battery

Would be a cheap way to see if this is what you are looking for...
 
Most all of the FPV cameras I have seen are intended to be wired into the quad for power. I have not seen any with their own battery.

I have done exactly what you are asking about some time ago with my Mavic 2 Pro.

View attachment 5231


Here's a camera/vtx with a 1s battery connector already on it and a case to mount.
AIO Camera/VTX

Here's a battery to use with it. You might get by with a 300mAh battery to last the flight time of the quad.
525mAh Battery
300 mAh Battery

Would be a cheap way to see if this is what you are looking for...
Thanks. That is the kind of thing I'm going to build. I was hoping for a pre built unit, but it looks like any available, aren't the best anyway.

Thanks for the links and the advice.
 
Ho
Most all of the FPV cameras I have seen are intended to be wired into the quad for power. I have not seen any with their own battery.

I have done exactly what you are asking about some time ago with my Mavic 2 Pro.

View attachment 5231


Here's a camera/vtx with a 1s battery connector already on it and a case to mount.
AIO Camera/VTX

Here's a battery to use with it. You might get by with a 300mAh battery to last the flight time of the quad.
525mAh Battery
300 mAh Battery

Would be a cheap way to see if this is what you are looking for...
How lo
Most all of the FPV cameras I have seen are intended to be wired into the quad for power. I have not seen any with their own battery.

I have done exactly what you are asking about some time ago with my Mavic 2 Pro.

View attachment 5231


Here's a camera/vtx with a 1s battery connector already on it and a case to mount.
AIO Camera/VTX

Here's a battery to use with it. You might get by with a 300mAh battery to last the flight time of the quad.
525mAh Battery
300 mAh Battery

Would be a cheap way to see if this is what you are looking for...
How long did you find that camera run on those batteries at max wattage?
 

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