OK guys, just finished installing and testing ALL the FPV gear, so she's finally completed. Well, as most of you know already, a DIY drone is never really completed. There's always more "stuff" to buy, but for now, it's done and ready to fly where I can sit in the "pilot's seat" for a bird's eye view. Here's a few pics of the final version with the FPV gear. Sorry about all the tools in the pics, but I know where everything is, so wifey better not "clean up" around the work area
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Sorry about the focus, these old hands ain't as steady as they used to be. Anyway, the shot above is the underside (duh!) of the bird, showing the two power distribution boards. The larger one is just that, a PDB with no BEC or smarts, it just gives solder points for flight battery connections and additions. The smaller board is a PDB for 3s or 4s battery and it includes six points for flight battery voltage, as well as an internal BEC for 5v and 12v. I'm using the 5v connection here to continually charge the Trackimo battery, so I don't have to remove it to charge it from the USB charger. This way, it's always ready to go. The Firefly Q6 camera includes a charging circuit in the A/V cable, to keep the internal battery charged from the flight battery. As amazing as this 4K camera is, the battery life during flights is reportedly dismal, so now it will remain at full charge always, ...no FPV surprises
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In this topside view above, you can see the Flysight Black Mamba 2000mw video transmitter. Can't wait to try out and range test on that puppy
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Finally, in this pic you can see the Firefly Q6 4K video action cam. The mounting device is homemade from a piece of aluminum door threshold, with the side strips machined off and bent at a 20 degree downward viewing angle. I tried the Mobius incline kit, but didn't like the fit. I may go with a custom two axis gimbal from CopterLab, designed especially for the Firefly Q6 at some point, but for now, this will work fine for the type of FPV flying I do.
So I guess that's it. Build over and time to fly. BTW, the AUW has only increased by 229 grams with the addition of the camera, mount, vTx, PDB, antenna, and all the wiring. So it now stands at 2153 grams, well under the 2400 max takeoff weight suggested by DJI. Thanks for your comments and interest in this thread. I was shocked to see over 900 views in the short time it's been up
. If anyone is interested in building the F550 Flame Wheel and has questions or problems, you can PM me or just post here and other can learn from the solutions. I'm indebted to the members here at Phantom Pilots forum for their advice and expertise in helping me with the pitfalls and potholes surrounding this experience.
Later...