The Ultimate FC40 FPV Mod (Update 1780m=5840ft +)

Re: The Ultimate FC40 FPV Mod (Update 1410m=4625ft+)

IIVII said:
Wedeliver said:
Well I took the plunge and bought a Nav board with sensors, a main board, a bottom structure and a Navistick. I hope I can make this work. I am sure I will need some cables etc. Can anyone advise me? thanks

can ya post few pix of the parts u bought !

Wedeliver said:
There are cables on the motherboard i bought, not sure but I hope one hooks to the nav board and somehow the cameras plug into all of this. I do wonder about how I will supply power, I think I have read that I can get power from my fc40 battery, I do wonder if I need a pigtail to connect this.

for power , u can use the battery balance leads (black&red cables 1&4) .. or use the Auxiliary cable located under the front right leg .

Main board, I paid $63.00 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007HZ ... UTF8&psc=1
Nav board I paid $30.00 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007HZ ... UTF8&psc=1
Bottom Structure I paid $31.00 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007HZ ... UTF8&psc=1

There are two wires grey and red sticking out about 1/2" cut off in the right front leg. Is that what you are referring to? and can you direct me to the correct part to attach.l
 
Re: The Ultimate FC40 FPV Mod (Update 1410m=4625ft+)

Wedeliver said:
Main board, I paid $63.00 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007HZ ... UTF8&psc=1
Nav board I paid $30.00 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007HZ ... UTF8&psc=1
Bottom Structure I paid $31.00 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007HZ ... UTF8&psc=1

There are two wires grey and red sticking out about 1/2" cut off in the right front leg. Is that what you are referring to? and can you direct me to the correct part to attach.l


great u got everything u need , now take alook at this pic to connect everything together .

JnxXdW.jpg



for power , yes use that cable to power the AR board .. u should be able to pull that cable few inches out then hook it as follows :

Grey --> Black on the AR Board
Red -- > Red on the AR Board


btw. did the little frame for the Main & Navigation board come with Bottom Structure ?? cuz u need that to secure the 2 boards together .

Frame for Main Board/Navigation Board :

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Parrot-AR-Drone ... 3a8a34e1df
 
Re: The Ultimate FC40 FPV Mod (Update 1410m=4625ft+)

IIVII said:
Wedeliver said:
Main board, I paid $63.00 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007HZ ... UTF8&psc=1
Nav board I paid $30.00 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007HZ ... UTF8&psc=1
Bottom Structure I paid $31.00 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007HZ ... UTF8&psc=1

There are two wires grey and red sticking out about 1/2" cut off in the right front leg. Is that what you are referring to? and can you direct me to the correct part to attach.l


great u got everything u need , now take alook at this pic to connect everything together .

JnxXdW.jpg


Wow, you are so very helpful. It will be next week before I get the parts so I am not sure what is there and what is not. I will try and document my progress.


for power , yes use that cable to power the AR board .. u should be able to pull that cable few inches out then hook it as follows :

Grey --> Black on the AR Board
Red -- > Red on the AR Board


btw. did the little frame for the Main & Navigation board come with Bottom Structure ?? cuz u need that to secure the 2 boards together .

Frame for Main Board/Navigation Board :

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Parrot-AR-Drone ... 3a8a34e1df
 
Re: The Ultimate FC40 FPV Mod (Update 1410m=4625ft+)

Wow that double 2700Mah battery mod is way awesome.
 
Re: The Ultimate FC40 FPV Mod (Update 1410m=4625ft+)

Oh Boy, I got my Ar 2.0 parts in the mail. Got a main board, nav board, bottom structure with cameras and the little frame that helps hold them all together. No screws, but I will find my ol' screw stash and I should have lots of things to help fab a frame to hold it to the Phantom. I also received a Ar Drone 1 that I bought used on Ebay with a battery, so I hope to get my knowledge of AR drone 1 and 2 up to speed quickly. (if only the brain would co-operate). I do have experience with breadboard assembly (20 years ago minor circuit board design, soldering and I think of myself as a amature modeler.(one of the first things I did was paint two of my prop guards and that has helped with visability. and I have been thinking of doing an airbrush paint finish with flames and skulls on my bad *** phantom.

I guess the first part of this project is to remove the two cameras from the bottom structure. Prep the power wires that I will use on the phantom. I think I might just set things up on the work table and power it with the ar drone 1 battery and get familiar with the ar drone software and using the cams.

Put all the parts in the bottom structure and fired it up. Loaded app on Kindle fire and bamm. all good. As indicated I am getting a motor not working emergency warning. Now where is that hack to override error messages... this is a blast

and I got both cameras out of the bottom structure and the plastic holder that sits inside the bottom stucture I also removed and have the main, nav board sitting on their frame on that holder that I removed from the bottom. It all fires up and I get a series of emergency warnings, motor etc...
 

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Re: The Ultimate FC40 FPV Mod (Update 1410m=4625ft+)

Hi IIVII, I was hoping you might point me to how to do the following? I have found a developers manual, but there will be a learning curve for me to understand what the heck most of that stuff means.

"btw. since the board is operating without motors i had to tweak the XML of the (ArDrone Flight Pro app) to hide the (emergency / motors) error and the msg is gone so i couldn't be happier :)"

At this point I have the whole set up sitting next to my Phantom, plugged in through that power cable in the leg, I can access the Ar Drone flight program but it is not running smoothly at this time. Also I have this error, emergency motor not working, that might be causing the poor software operation as it keeps checking the motors. It does seem that both cameras are working and I see I need to learn how to display info on the screen. My gps card should be here today if that is necessary.
 
Re: The Ultimate FC40 FPV Mod (Update 1410m=4625ft+)

Wedeliver said:
Hi IIVII, I was hoping you might point me to how to do the following? I have found a developers manual, but there will be a learning curve for me to understand what the heck most of that stuff means.

"btw. since the board is operating without motors i had to tweak the XML of the (ArDrone Flight Pro app) to hide the (emergency / motors) error and the msg is gone so i couldn't be happier :)"

At this point I have the whole set up sitting next to my Phantom, plugged in through that power cable in the leg, I can access the Ar Drone flight program but it is not running smoothly at this time. Also I have this error, emergency motor not working, that might be causing the poor software operation as it keeps checking the motors. It does seem that both cameras are working and I see I need to learn how to display info on the screen. My gps card should be here today if that is necessary.


Nice :cool:


here's the edited xml file :

download/file.php?id=6336

now for how to set it up go back to page 5 of this thread .

to get smooth video stream do the following :

open the ARDFPro --> go to settings --> user interface --> video and recording .. then :

- use adaptive video : no check mark
- use p264/h264 codec : check mark
- video bitrate = 6000

let me know how it goes :)
 
Re: The Ultimate FC40 FPV Mod (Update 1410m=4625ft+)

ok, I think I got it. software and functionality wise it seems to be working fine. Now I just have to make better power connection and mount this thing to the phantom in such a way that everything is safe but no extra weight I guess... More tomorrow and thanks for all the help, it would not have been possible without it.
 
Re: The Ultimate FC40 FPV Mod (Update 1410m=4625ft+)

yeah, the ARpro app isnt the most user friendly, but it is the best ar drone app out there
 
Re: The Ultimate FC40 FPV Mod (Update 1410m=4625ft+)

Wedeliver said:
ok, I think I got it. software and functionality wise it seems to be working fine. Now I just have to make better power connection and mount this thing to the phantom in such a way that everything is safe but no extra weight I guess... More tomorrow and thanks for all the help, it would not have been possible without it.

great .. i can't wait to see ur first FPV video :cool:
 
Re: The Ultimate FC40 FPV Mod (Update 1410m=4625ft+)

dragonash said:
yeah, the ARpro app isnt the most user friendly, but it is the best ar drone app out there

dragonash

when r ya gonna get that AR board hooked up :)
 
Re: The Ultimate FC40 FPV Mod (Update 1410m=4625ft+)

IIVII said:
dragonash said:
yeah, the ARpro app isnt the most user friendly, but it is the best ar drone app out there

dragonash

when r ya gonna get that AR board hooked up :)

I decided not too.
A bunch of ebay listings fell through and I dont want to spend the extra money right now.

That and my gimbal seems to only look straight and fully down. I cant seem to adjust it in between (quite possibly a bad controller), but I need to do some more tests.

For now I have the FC40 camera velcroed on the battery cover and slanted down a bit. It's quite accurate when lining up shots with the go pro, plus I dont have to worry about the extra juice being sucked away from the battery.

I still think the idea is great for a cheap fpv/osd.
 
Re: The Ultimate FC40 FPV Mod (Update 1410m=4625ft+)

Almost ready to fly. Just need couple more screws to firm up the boards and attach to the Phantom. Also I want a better power connection then just taping the wires from the phantom to the AR Drone power connector. Not wanting to fly like that I have tested the software and it looks like I have the info I wanted. Looks like battery power is displayed along with telemetry info that I can request, alt, direction, distance..etc. I did see that IIVII did record from both the AR Drone equipment and cameras and the FC40 at the sametime. So, I am led to think that both systems work without conflict, is that correct.
 
Re: The Ultimate FC40 FPV Mod (Update 1410m=4625ft+)

Wedeliver said:
Almost ready to fly. Just need couple more screws to firm up the boards and attach to the Phantom. Also I want a better power connection then just taping the wires from the phantom to the AR Drone power connector. Not wanting to fly like that I have tested the software and it looks like I have the info I wanted. Looks like battery power is displayed along with telemetry info that I can request, alt, direction, distance..etc. I did see that IIVII did record from both the AR Drone equipment and cameras and the FC40 at the sametime. So, I am led to think that both systems work without conflict, is that correct.

Well, the FC40 cam doesnt need to be connected to the FC40 app to record.
All you have to do is press the record button on the cam :)
 
Re: The Ultimate FC40 FPV Mod (Update 1410m=4625ft+)

dragonash said:
Wedeliver said:
Almost ready to fly. Just need couple more screws to firm up the boards and attach to the Phantom. Also I want a better power connection then just taping the wires from the phantom to the AR Drone power connector. Not wanting to fly like that I have tested the software and it looks like I have the info I wanted. Looks like battery power is displayed along with telemetry info that I can request, alt, direction, distance..etc. I did see that IIVII did record from both the AR Drone equipment and cameras and the FC40 at the sametime. So, I am led to think that both systems work without conflict, is that correct.

Well, the FC40 cam doesnt need to be connected to the FC40 app to record.
All you have to do is press the record button on the cam :)

My understanding is that when I turn on my FC40 camera it starts up wifi and will broadcast no matter if it is recording or not. So, I would expect any 2.4ghz conflict to be present just from the devices being in close proximity at that transmitter location. Now at my receive end I could also see a potential for conflict if I was running devices to receive from both transmitters. So, as I say, that is "my understanding" which kinda says it all. If my thinking is wrong, could you please point out the error in my ways. Thanks and I do have the great ability to misunderstand, I spent over 2 hours trying to find the "layout" folder before I figured out that the Ar Drone 2.0 software was not what I was supposed to be using...nothing was the way it was supposed to be but I thought, yeah, I thought.....story of my life... But now everything seems to be working just fine and once I get it on the phantom where it won't fall off I will upload the data, videos, how the altimeter data compares with flytrex.
 
Re: The Ultimate FC40 FPV Mod (Update 1410m=4625ft+)

Wedeliver said:
My understanding is that when I turn on my FC40 camera it starts up wifi and will broadcast no matter if it is recording or not. So, I would expect any 2.4ghz conflict to be present just from the devices being in close proximity at that transmitter location. Now at my receive end I could also see a potential for conflict if I was running devices to receive from both transmitters. So, as I say, that is "my understanding" which kinda says it all. If my thinking is wrong, could you please point out the error in my ways. Thanks and I do have the great ability to misunderstand, I spent over 2 hours trying to find the "layout" folder before I figured out that the Ar Drone 2.0 software was not what I was supposed to be using...nothing was the way it was supposed to be but I thought, yeah, I thought.....story of my life... But now everything seems to be working just fine and once I get it on the phantom where it won't fall off I will upload the data, videos, how the altimeter data compares with flytrex.

Wedeliver

Here's how to trick the FC40 cam into vid recorder mode without broadcasting :

turn the cam on , and while the cam is booting up (wifi & main leds blinking fast) hit the record button ... the main led will start to blink slower indicating that it's recording while the wifi led is turned off . do this trick and search for the FC40 cam on ur mobile's wifi u wont find it ;)

the cam normally takes 8 to 10 seconds to boot up and starts broadcasting .. u'll have to press the record button within that time before the leds go steady which means wifi is on .
 
Re: The Ultimate FC40 FPV Mod (Update 1410m=4625ft+)

The fc40s cam also more then likely will not cause a conflict with any thing else thats broadcasting a wifi signal. It selects its one open channel between channel 1 and 11 and even if its on the same channel as another wifi server such as the AR's wifi it should still be ok being they will each have a different ip address and mac address. Also more then likely the ar will also choose its own open channel to. Even regular wifi net works when there are many net works in range on the same channel the info from one dont hop over to any other networks on the same channel. Tho it can slow the transmission rate down some if there are lots of other net works that your network card in the receiver has to filter out and sort threw.
 
Re: The Ultimate FC40 FPV Mod (Update 1410m=4625ft+)

I have received my Navistick LE and I have run into a little issue with the instructions. The instruction that is giving me a hard time is

4. Download the Customisation Utility from SiliconLabs (AN721SW.zip)

I have installed the drivers CP210x for windows 7 ( I guess that works for 8.1) but then this Customization utility I am having difficulty finding. I have searched for it high and low with no luck. Ok, found the file and installed it but when I go to run it it wants Java runtime. Just one more hoop.. I don't give up though.

Also the instructions in the ARDrone forum say to download and "Install Parrot's flight recorder drivers. " Again, I can't seem to find them. still looking and I found that when I go to record in ARDronePro I don't know what if anything is happening.

I hope tomorrow to finish mounting the mod to the phantom, if necessary I will take the power connector off of the Parrot battery I have to make a good connection, although 1 is on the way to me... Otherwise I just need to mount the camera so it can see well, firm up the second camera so it don't flop around and attach the sensors so they are also held firmly during flight. I sure would like to find some inline switches so I could plug this mod and even my main battery in and have it all ready when I flick a switch turning it on. I could even put the switch on top, drill a little hole, etc (probably the simplest part of this project, just gotta watch the weight)

I have it all temp mounted and pretty much ready to fly. Just want to figure out how to record videos in Ardronepro. I mean I can see the record option and when I click it it toggles, but then I can't seem to find where the recording, or still pic, are stored....
 
Re: The Ultimate FC40 FPV Mod (Update 1410m=4625ft+)

Wedeliver said:
I have received my Navistick LE and I have run into a little issue with the instructions. The instruction that is giving me a hard time is

4. Download the Customisation Utility from SiliconLabs (AN721SW.zip)

I have installed the drivers CP210x for windows 7 ( I guess that works for 8.1) but then this Customization utility I am having difficulty finding. I have searched for it high and low with no luck. Ok, found the file and installed it but when I go to run it it wants Java runtime. Just one more hoop.. I don't give up though.

Also the instructions in the ARDrone forum say to download and "Install Parrot's flight recorder drivers. " Again, I can't seem to find them. still looking and I found that when I go to record in ARDronePro I don't know what if anything is happening.

I hope tomorrow to finish mounting the mod to the phantom, if necessary I will take the power connector off of the Parrot battery I have to make a good connection, although 1 is on the way to me... Otherwise I just need to mount the camera so it can see well, firm up the second camera so it don't flop around and attach the sensors so they are also held firmly during flight. I sure would like to find some inline switches so I could plug this mod and even my main battery in and have it all ready when I flick a switch turning it on. I could even put the switch on top, drill a little hole, etc (probably the simplest part of this project, just gotta watch the weight)

I have it all temp mounted and pretty much ready to fly. Just want to figure out how to record videos in Ardronepro. I mean I can see the record option and when I click it it toggles, but then I can't seem to find where the recording, or still pic, are stored....


Wedeliver

u don't need Parrot's flight recorder drivers unless u wanna use the Navistick on ur pc/laptop as a GPS receiver .

for recording with ARDronePro .. the Navistick LE has no sd card in it , so ur vids have to be saved locally on ur mobile .. go to ARDronePro settings -->user interface --> video and recording -->set video recording mode then choose local recording.

and if u want to record with OSD & maps .. like my videos use a screen recorder app .. the best one is called SCR Screen Recorder .. it's free on play store .


now for the tool , here's a dirct link to download it from silabs.com :
http://www.silabs.com/Support%20Documen ... N721SW.zip

then do the following :
unzip AN721SW.zip there should be 3 folders called : Mac / Linux / Windows .. click on windows u should see another 3 folders .. the folder we want is called (CP21xxCustomizationUtility) the tool app is inside that folder and it's called (CP21xxCustomizationUtility.exe) it's a small standalone executable file so no setup is needed .

i used the tool on XP & Win7 both worked fine , but am not sure if it would work on win 8.1 .. u might need to try a different laptop /pc .
 
Re: The Ultimate FC40 FPV Mod (Update 1410m=4625ft+)

Thanks for the detailed reply IIVII. I did find the CP21xxCustomizationUtility and when I try and run it I am told that Java runtime is necessary. I have started to address that but you are making me think that it could be my windows version not a Java runtime error.

Now, I guess I am dumb as a rock, but when ARFDPro says record locally it means my phone or tablet? But I can't find it or see any option to show videos or look at pics. Ok, now I feel dumb, I am gonna google this and see if I can find the answer
 

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