GoPro4 setup compatibility?

[MrJoshua]

Hi guys

I'm in the middle of the laborious process of figuring what kit to buy for my barebones P2, in order to give me FPV and good aerial photography.
I'll try to limit how stupid any questions are but I can't guarantee it sorry!

Gimbal - I've spent absolutely ages reading about cheap gimbals, goodluckbuy & tarot etc but have almost decided for sure to get the Zenmuse 3D. Yes I wanted to buy a cheap gimbal given the huge cost difference but I don't really see options for a 3D one other than Zenmuse, and after seeing side by side comparison videos between 2D & 3D ones etc I think I'd ultimately end up with more usable footage from the 3D, despite begrudging the cost.

Camera - I don't yet have a gopro. I've been scratching my head about which version to get but have decided on the GoPro4 Silver. Reason, the GP4 Black has slightly better FPS options etc but £100 more and no screen on it. After speaking to other gopro owners (not in the context of drones) they lament the lack of a screen on them, so it makes it a no brainer for me. What I'm not sure about though is whether the new GP4 versions will be plug and play with the Zenmuse gimbal/FPV setup etc?

FPV tx/rx/screen - currently have no solid idea. I want a system with quite a bit of range so was wondering about the Immersion RC 600mw TX, or a boscam setup. I have a suspicion though that I read something on the forum here about the Immersion RC one not being compatible with the P2 non vision version? No idea about a monitor really. I'd like to get one that has an integral RX and battery so there's no mucking about with loads of extra wiring, or things held together with tape etc. I realise cheap isn't often best (buy cheap buy twice etc), but is there a reasonably priced monitor suitable (that also doesn't blue screen)? Possibly one of these but I can't see anything about blue screen....
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Boscam-RX-LCD ... 1e94649864

I'd be inclined to buy some sort of 'all in one' kit for the FPV setup but only if I'm not having to pay a lot extra for the fact of a bundle as it were.

Appreciate any guidance on my potential choices, but especially on the issue of whether the GoPro4 will be plug & play etc.

Thanks!

 

[smallman28]

What else are you going to use the Gopro for?
Okay it is cheaper but why have the one with a screen on that is then in a gimbal so you cant see the screen :mrgreen:
Not having a view finder/screen is one thing but they have such a wide angle of view you could just hold it in front of you and get pretty the same result as you would on the one with a screen.
Gopros aren't camcorders/cameras in the true sense,they focus from a few feet to infinity to get the widest possible view.

 

[johncanfield]

You might want to look at my FPV setup with the H4Silver - it seems to work very well based on two flights.

 

[MrJoshua]

Thanks John - I will do, cheers.

Smallman28 - Ha ha, I know what you mean and the same thought occurred to me but I'll be using it also on motocross bike/mountain bike/helmet amongst other things, and like I say the people I've spoken to who have a go pro and have used them with a screen wouldn't go back to not having one. Besides that though I begrudge the fact you pay £100 more for the black but don't get the screen. It's too much extra on the budget for a benefit that's small to me, since 1080 or 2.7k at 30fps is ample. I may use 4k for timelapse potentially, so the silver is fine in that respect.

My main concern at the moment is that I just cannot reach any sort of decision about the RX/monitor to buy. I'm currently confused between the following:
Boscam LCD5802
Boscam RC800
Skyzone SKY-700D
Lilliput 329W/329DW
Black Pearl

I can get the boscam/skycam ones quite a bit cheaper than the other two, but are there any real benefits/drawbacks to any of the ones I've listed? When I look on amazon etc then any of them have a very limited number of reviews so it's hard to know what's good.
As for the TX, I want good range so am planning on a 600mw, but not sure if there's any real pros/cons between the boscam one and the immersionrc one?

Really appreciate any suggestions on the choice of monitors if anyone cares to comment. If nothing else to tell me if any of these models are notorious for problems and are to be avoided like the plague!!

Thanks

 

[smallman28]

There is some suggestion that the intergrated units that have the screen,battery and receiver in them aren't quite as good as buying seperates.
The good thing though is that they are so intergrated they are tidy and give you everything in one tidy package.
I bought a Lilliput monitor (not sure of which model) a Uno 5800 receiver and a lipo to power both.
They came with masses of wire,power adapters etc that I trimmed down or removed to make it tidier but in doing so I have pretty much removed any re-sale value they may have had
This is where the neatness of an all in one solution comes in.
I have read mixed reviews of the Blackpearl and only recently found out about the Boscam equivilants.
They are all pretty much the same in what they offer and you need to bear in mind that people only normally post/talk about the negatives online and the happy customers more than likely out number the un-happy ones by the hundreds or thousands.

 

[QYV]

fwiw, I'm very happy with my RX-LCD5802. It supports all 5.8Ghz frequency sets, and imo has perfectly acceptable brightness I've used it in broad daylight you just obviously need to face towards the sun so that the shade is on the screen.
I very much prefer to have an all-in-one receiver that I just charge up and it'll last about 4-5 battery flights before it needs recharging.

the kind of range you'll get depends almost entirely on antennas. Obviously the Tx power is a factor, higher power will cut through more interference but the antennas are a HUGE factor. cheap antennas will get crappy range on the best transmitter.

I highly recommend the FPVLR kit: it comes with a nice pinwheel for the transmitter, and both a pinwheel and a helix for the receiver. The part# specifically for the ImmersionRC transmitter is here, and be sure to pick SMA-MALE. I would even follow up with him and confirm via email which receiver you have to ensure you get the right connectors for the Rx antennas.
http://fpvlr.com/shop/index.php?route=product/product&path=70_61&product_id=97

If you want to understand connectors better I'm pretty sure there's a stickythread in this forum. also there's one I made with prices on all the parts that a lot of people have said is very useful

 

[MrJoshua]

Thanks for the input smallman. I don't really mind going with separates if that works out better bang for buck or whatever. Typically I'd go with the option that equates to hassle and effort to save a few bucks but on this occasion I kind of thought it'd be sensible to get something not cobbled together. Still, if there's a feeling that there's better performance in separate bits then I'm happy to do it that way. It'd be nice to think that there's a potential saving in doing so too, that might say pay for some decent antennas perhaps.

If anything I would be wanting a good TX/RX/antenna set with a cheap monitor if I do things that way. I'll probably then upgrade the screen itself eventually when I have more cash spare, but would rather have the reassurance of good range etc first over a beautiful screen. I shouldn't have to worry about bright sunny weather making a screen hard to see anytime soon with british winter approaching anyway!

 

[MrJoshua]

Hey thanks QYV - I kind of wanted to buy the Boscam but was having a few worries about it after seeing a comment from one seller in the UK saying they'd stopped selling it now, and sell the Black Pearl because it's much much better.
I don't really care about things like HDMi output from the monitor hence the Boscam makes more sense to save money that can go towards other kit like antennas.

I know the likely answer to this question is normally "You get what you pay for", but is there an antenna set that would give a good improvement over standard ones for fairly modest money? As with most things I suspect that the more & more you pay for these things, the smaller the performance increases get beyond a certain point, and I'm not about having the best at all costs, I just want good performance for reasonable cost if that makes sense.

Either way, and whatever I end up getting, I'll be testing the standard stuff first to measure the benefit before/after adding better antennas.

Will have to see if I can get ones like those in the UK, or if I need to buy them from overseas.

 

[smallman28]

Well from what I have seen the potential performance gain is minimal.
This is my set up.
Lilliput monitor,Uno5800 and lipo that powers both.



I bought the Uno 5800 first and then I was going to buy the Black Pearl but decided it would be a waste not to use the Uno 5800 I already had.
The available screens are pretty much the same in terms of resolution,800x600 although some are a bit higher at 1024x600.
I dont go long range and this has been enough with a 25mw transmitter to do a few hundred metres easily.

 

[QYV]

that all sounds perfectly reasonable MrJoshua. in my opinion, dealing with a separate receiver, battery, charging it, etc. was way more hassle and I preferred the all-in-one solution. I don't know about that other comment but afaik the RX-LCD5802 is alive and well, I just bought a second one about a month ago this new one is white to match the controller.

While I do think the performance is worth the cost, if you aren't trying to go super far like over a kilometer you can get more budget-friendly antennas than the FPVLR kit. I can't personally recommend any, but I know lots of folks around here have moderate price/performance antennas.

I'd start another thread in this FPV forum or search for antenna recommendation threads, tell folks what you're after (moderate price / performance vs premium) and I'm sure this community will have plenty of suggestions.

 

[MrJoshua]

Thanks guys, that's really useful.

Well from what I have seen the potential performance gain is minimal..

Do you mean in respect of using separate items rather than an all in one rx/monitor, or do you mean in respect of the benefit of one set of antennas over another? Most things I've read (as someone with no experience with FPV) seems to say the antennas are critical for performance so I presume you mean the former?

You know I think I'm gonna go for the boscam monitor as it seems like great value and a brand that generally seems to be used a lot.
Need to decide on the TX next, and antenna set. I want the OSD so I can measure range etc and changes in performance from the outset.

I'll do more research on those before buying but think I'm going to order the monitor.

 

[smallman28]

Thanks guys, that's really useful.

Well from what I have seen the potential performance gain is minimal..

Do you mean in respect of using separate items rather than an all in one rx/monitor, or do you mean in respect of the benefit of one set of antennas over another? Most things I've read (as someone with no experience with FPV) seems to say the antennas are critical for performance so I presume you mean the former?

You know I think I'm gonna go for the boscam monitor as it seems like great value and a brand that generally seems to be used a lot.
Need to decide on the TX next, and antenna set. I want the OSD so I can measure range etc and changes in performance from the outset.

I'll do more research on those before buying but think I'm going to order the monitor.

I meant the gains using seperates over an all in one system
I am still using the stock rubber duck aerials,they work fine for me and the distances I cover.

 

[MrJoshua]

Ok, thanks for clarifying - appreciate the info cheers.

One other choice besides the boscam 5802 that looks decent is the boscam RC800 for about the same money. I can't really find out which of the two would be better though? The 5802 is diversity so the benefit of dual receiver, and also integral battery, but I'm assuming there must be something beneficial to the RC800 since it doesn't have those features but is around the same cost?

 

[MrJoshua]

that all sounds perfectly reasonable MrJoshua. in my opinion, dealing with a separate receiver, battery, charging it, etc. was way more hassle and I preferred the all-in-one solution. I don't know about that other comment but afaik the RX-LCD5802 is alive and well, I just bought a second one about a month ago this new one is white to match the controller.

Do you get any of these issues as shown in this youtube video at all with your boscams QYV?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0T32VquuwHc

 

[MrJoshua]

There's one other question that's occurred to me as well now, I was about to buy the dji mini osd, but am I right in thinking there are 2 versions or is there just one?
Not sure which is suitable for the p2 if there are two, but I'm sure I saw a Naza M and and Naza 2 version which both looked the same...?

Btw, I've bitten the bullet and ordered then zenmuse gimbal!

 

[QYV]

Do you get any of these issues as shown in this youtube video at all with your boscams QYV?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0T32VquuwHc

Not quite that badly, but I did have a little tiny bit of that way back in the beginning when I was using the awful stock antennas (like in the video) AND I had the screen mounted with a junky little metal arm connected to the little silver bracket on the front of the controller. Basically the screen was RIGHT THERE barely an inch away from the controller and antenna.

Since I went to the FPVLR antennas and basically at the same time to this monitor mount that gets the display a little farther away from the RC, I have NOT had the issue at all.

Whether it was the antennas or the mount or a combination of both I'm not sure, but I think it has a lot to do with the location of the display... in your video once he moves the display even a few inches away from the RC it stops happening.

I'm pretty sure there's only 1 iOSD Mini, according to Amazon it supports several different flight control systems including Naza-M and Naza 2

 

[MrJoshua]

That's great thanks. I wasn't sure if you'd have had the same issue and resolved it, or somehow that only some people are affected etc. That's reassuring anyway. I'll buy the monitor now I feel more comfortable about that.

I was going to buy a gopro this morning but then I got told about a Chinese one that was on tv called the xiaomi mi, which appears to be a clone of the gopro4 black, but for £100!! It's not out yet, but the saving on that would go a long way on other Kit so I'm going to wait. Try anyway.... I'm not patient when it comes buying to toys & gadgets!

 

[QYV]

wow, I had no idea about that device but it looks interesting. Some things to consider:
-pay attention to the weight since the H3-3D is balanced specifically for the GoPro Hero 3. You may have to add some counterweight to achieve proper neutral balance of the gimbal
-pay attention to where the connectors are. If that Xiaomi mi Camera's connectors (USB, mainly) are on the same side as the gopro then you can easily plug the USB cable in. However if they were for example on the opposite side of the camera, then the gimbal arm will block your access to the connectors, also the H3-3D usb cable wouldn't be long enough to reach.

but as long as the connectors and balance work out, don't see why this wouldn't be a perfectly good alternative. I may even want to pick one of these up myself if they're really going to be under $150usd, and assuming the specs are really the same as the hero4, it would be a great backup or even primary camera in the event of a crash/loss that's a lot less $ to lose than a $500 gopro!

 

[TruNorthAerial]

FYI..Re: the GoPro 4Silver or Black question; the black is actually a slight bit heavier; so if weight is a concern or you worry about balancing the 3d gimbal, you may consider that. FWIW.

 

[MrJoshua]

Good points thanks - hadn't considered those since I didn't yet have the gimbal etc. It kinda looks like a bit of a clone anyway, here's a link:
http://gadgetshow.channel5.com/news/xia ... -%C2%A3100

I've had a couple of friends who've said they're happy to lend me their gopros until then (presumably sat in a drawer not doing much), so that should suffice. I think I'll borrow the oldest one that would actually work with this setup though, until I'm fully comfortable with it. Just so that in case anything goes wrong it limits the cost of replacing something that isn't mine!!

Anyway, in the meantime, I'm now waiting for the postman to bring me:

1) The Boscam monitor
2) The mini iOSD

So I need to get a TX sorted out pretty soon so I'm not left with all these nice bits that I can't actually make use of.
The plan was to get the ImmersionRC 600mw one, but I've read stuff now saying things about the Boscam 500mw one quite possibly being just as powerful (but cheaper).

Also I guess I need to buy a cable that joins them all up, although I'm more than happy to solder things together myself if it means not paying £25 or something for a tiny miniature wiring harness.

The postie has kindly just handed me a nice box that had a shiny new Zenmuse gimbal in it.
Yes they're expensive but after giving it a good look over you can tell it's a very well put together piece of kit. Looks and feels really nice.

Was hoping to get a first really proper test flight today after the kids had their swimming lesson, but it's absolutely pissing down so will have to be patient.