Flycamone V2 shutter interface

[jvn01]

Michael - this is how the camera is mounted. Nice and simple and you can adjust the lens angle which changes the perspective of the vid.

[jvn01]

Re the custom FCO2 shutter interface - first batch of 10 now complete, please see pics below for more info.

The interface can be supplied in one of 3 versions :

1) Standard version, ie the interface is powered from the Rx via the servo lead. The FCO2 powers itself via it's internal battery: 

                                Interface type1: Standard Version (no ext power)

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2) FCO2 powered externally (pins 3 and 4) via separate battery/BEC/regulator:

                        Interface type 2: External power (pins 3 & 4) on extra wire pair

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3) FCO2 powered externally (pins 3 and 4) via the Rx servo lead (powered by the ESC BEC). ** Please note this requires a suitably rated BEC in your ESC ** :

             Interface type 3: External power (pins 3 & 4) via servo lead (ESC BEC)

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For anyone interested in one of these custom interfaces please be sure you understand which version you require before you order one

Price for the first units will be £7.95 + £1.00 P+P

Please use the 'email member' link to contact me if you wish to order one or for further details.

Here are 2 more pics to give an idea of the small size and how it connects directly into the FCO2 mount:

[Robert Pacheco]

Thank you gents,

 I am going to do a little research today into my BEC to check the ratings. I have a 20 Amp TowerPro on a small (1meter) 36 inch Stick. If it has the correct limi 2.0 amp rating I will give it a try with the reciever. If it works, I guess I will have to try the on and off switch and mode to see how they work. Jvn01, I will email you for more info. The nice pictures say a lot.

Michael, I think the temperature here has been in the operating range here. It has been just above freezing. Maybe 1C or 2C range. We had some snow here. My color change came in at near the end of the movie. I wonder if I can reflash the firmware again. I also have about 8 frames per second. It is rated at 25 FPS. I have yet to see that.

I also own the Aiptek Pencam with trigger and a eDr 5 in 1 camera. I never had any of these problems with them.  This has had voltage, pic quality, and temp problems all at once.

Bob Pacheco

P.S. 

Oh yes! One more after thought here. What do you think about removing the existing battery and wiring in to the camera directly from  a wire connection  from the reciever. The card could still be read with a card reader maybe. The USB power supply may still work also. Maybe this is to extreme.

[Michael Lank]

Hi Robert,

The TowerPro  20A ESC has a BEC rated at 1.5 A with 2S LiPo and 1A with 3S LiPo.  So it depends on how many and what servos you are using as to whether you have the available current.

You say you were operating at about 1C or 2C, is that the static air temperature, or taking into account the wind chill factor, due to the velocity of the plane? If it was 1-2C on the ground a moving plane will be a lot cooler. It may be that the colour change came in once it had cooled down more.

If it is 1C on the ground a plane flying at 30mph (50kph) would be at -14C!

If you take the supply  from your receiver directly to inside the camera you may need some form of voltage regulation, as the LiPo is nominally 3.7v and your receiver around 5v, this will also be taking current from your BEC (unless you have a seperate battery for the receiver and servos).

The mini USB socket will take a 5v supply directly, however some people on the FlyCamOne forum have done this and still had the same problems - which to me suggest that the temperature limitation is not the internal LiPo (most are rated below 0C), but other components.

[Robert Pacheco]

Hi Michael,

 Yes I did not take the upper temperature and wind chill speed into account. So I was below the working temp range.

The voltage on a reciever I think is 4.8 volts out. I can't verify that. At least it would be constant. My 11.1 V Lipo should out last the FlyCam One battery. I know it would be nice to have a voltage regulator but I am not totally electronics inclined. I have no idea where to get one in the USA. Now with a regulator I may be able to run right off the 11.1v lipo, I would think.

I also have some 15-20-30amp Hextronic ESC's here. I have no idea what puts out 3A ratings.

The plane I am using is a scratch built  park flyer Stik. If I keep adding more components then I defeat the purpose of the light weight camera. The plane handling will start to drop off. I already have a big Magpie flying with a Pentax Optio for good movies and pics. I just want a small plane for fun videos in close and lower altitudes.

Thanks for all the help also.

 Bob Pacheco 

[Michael Lank]

Hi Bob,

A voltage regulator is very cheap, and easy to fit.  A voltage regulator such as this. Costs the equivalent of about $2 and needs just two capacitors. 

[Robert Pacheco]

Hi Michael,

I e-mailed Jason V. to see if he can help me out purchasing one of his wire interface attachments. The problem is it would be international shipping.  I have these regulators TO-220 here. I just do not know how to solder it up to work. I do not have the capacitor values either. Have no clue where to solder them in either. I would need a wiring diaghram.

 I just finished connecting the mount to the FCO2 and made a patch wire to my flight reciever. It worked exactly the way it does with the internal battery. I have a reading on the VOM meter of 4.95 volts out of the reciever. I can't verify the accuracy though. I shot 3 videos in the UP, UE, and Ul mode. All three worked fine. I also got 25 FPS on the movie. I wonder why.

I also noted a difference in the old and new manuals. In the old manual it uses pin #3 as 5v+ and #4 as Earth 5v-. In the new manual it reversed this connection. The newer manual no longer states that the Camera battery will not be charged. Hmmm! What the heck?

I am going to do a few more tests.

Bob Pacheco

[Michael Lank]

I don't know if Jason would be willing for a fee, but you could ask him to wire in a regulator with the interface.

Yes, there is a change from the old to the new manual, which could be tough on people who are unaware of the update. I understand that the internal battery is charged from an external power supply.

[Robert Pacheco]

 Michael, Thank you for helping me out here. I just reversed the + and - current for a trial. It worked switched either way on my camera. I left it switched to the newer manual setup. I guess I have to wait for a day to go out and flight test it again. Colder weather coming in for the next few days. This is as far as I can go bench testing for now. Maybe my newer SD Ultra card may come in the next few days also. If I have luck or any changes in performance I will report it here also.

 Bob Pacheco

[Tim Kearsley]

Very interesting thread this!  Just one thing though - I'm not sure the comments re. wind chill are really relevant to an inanimate object like a camera.  Wind chill refers to the physiological effects of temperature and wind combined, i.e. the way it makes a human body FEEL colder because the wind is taking heat away from a body which is at approx. 38 degrees C much faster than still air.  The actual temperature of the air though is no different.  If a thermometer records 1 degree C in calm conditions it will still record 1 degree C in the same air if a 20 mph wind is blowing surely?  And it's the temperature of the camera and components which matters.  If the camera is substantially warmer than the air temperature then the wind will reduce that temperature difference more quickly of course than if it was calm.

Just an observation and I don't want to divert this fascinating thread!

Cheers,

Tim.

[Michael Lank]

Tim,

Why do you think fans are used to cool electronic components, such as in the power supply of your computer?

Have you ever been in a stationary car in traffic on a hot day and noticed the temperature gauge rise, but once you get moving at speed the temperature decreased?

Air movement cools all objects, not only humans!

[Jarius]

Hi, Tim is correct in that moving air cools or heats faster but not more or less than ambient. Fans are used to cool components which are substantially hotter than ambient likewise the car engine which is operating above 100C. Hope this helps.

[Michael Lank]

Tim & Jarius,

Thank you both for getting me thinking about this and clarify my thinking.  If wind chill was a factor when a model plane lands it would be too cold to touch comfortably, which of course it isn't and similarly a car's body would be painful to touch after a motorway run, which it isn't.

So, the FlyCamOne will  cool down when flying (assuming it was warmer than ambient), but only to the ambient temperature of the air.  As it is on the outside of the plane and the plastic case is fairly thin the internal componentry will cool down to ambient temperature in a fairly short space of time, within a couple of minutes perhaps.

If temperature is the factor that is causing the FCO2 to malfunction this means that it is not working at its claimed operating temp down to 0C.

[Chris Salomon]

Re. the car temperature analogy (Michael's), yes the engine temp will decrease when you start moving (or the fan kicks in) but the air temperature (as shown by the thermometer in most cars these days) remains the same whether stationary or moving.  Wind chill only affects living things, and, even though we all probably talk (or shout) at our aircraft when they don't seem to be doing what they should, I don't think they qualify!

[Tim Kearsley]

Michael,

I think the Met. Office are as much to blame as anyone with this concept of "wind-chill" and the confusion it can cause.  How many times have you heard the forecaster say that the temperature will be -1 degrees but with wind-chill it will feel like -10 degrees?!  Once you put figures to something like this then I think it's easy to think that the actual temperature is lower.  It isn't of course, as a thermometer will prove, but it does feel colder because the moving air is removing heat from your body much faster than if it was stationary.

Anyway, as I said, I apologise if I've distracted an otherwise fascinating thread.

Cheers,

Tim.

[Robert Pacheco]

Hello Gents,

 While you are trying to cool off some what I will try to warm this thread up with some of my hot air. You fellows have some interesting ideas about chill factor. Gets one thinking doesn't it? I will still stand by my ideas though. To each their own.

 I now have connected my FCO2 to my flight battery by the reciever. I will not be able to judge any significate changes until I actually flight test it up in the atmospheres colder wind blown air. while I chill it out some at 15mph flight speed. The connected battery should hold some voltage up near the 5volt range as it is being supplied with my flight pack jacked in on the terminals #3 - and #4 +. It shows no change in operation in my plane in a warm interior of my garage. It works normally until I actually put the load on it in the atmosphere where the chill factor lies in wait for me.

Good Day All,

 Bob

[Robert Pacheco]

Hello,

I have tested my camera today in an overflight. The power was tapped into the reciever for power supply support and backup. I did not have any luck at all taking a movie. The camera turned on and I launched the plane and it shut down after about 2.5 minutes. I looked at the video and it had correct color and contrast but the sound and video was not in sync to each other. The video was frame by frame in very slow motion. The video never even got off the ground.  The sound ran well ahead of it  the end.  Temperature was about 34 degrees here. Maybe 1C. After a while the camera worked normally indoors. The problem seems to be more than a battery supply voltage.

Bob

[Michael Lank]

Hello Bob,

I shot 5 videos today, of these three have got severe problems and are unusable. In the first one it is fine for about 3 minutes (out of 12), then there are flashes of colour on the whole frame, then it loses colour, except for odd bits of purple or green in random places.

Two videos are unreadable.

In total there are 10 minutes of footage without fault on using the whole battery and 400MB!

Temperature today is about 10-11C, so not related to the cold.

This camera is a very poor performer and bad value for money.

[Robert Pacheco]

Hi Michael,

I am having the same identical problems that you mention here. I also had mine operate with a extremly low frames per second rate which accounts for the slo-motion and sound sync problems. I stil get color flashing in some frames.

I just got my SD Ultra II card today also. I do not think or expect any improvements in the FPS. Maybe I will get surprised. Indoors I reached 25+ FPS.

I agree this camera is a poor value for what you get. To make matters worse , we have to buy a memory card and may have to buy further interface to help correct some problems. The engineered concept is what a RC flyer needs. This camera was not ready to hit the market in the state it was in. It may take months before it's problems are figured out. I am having doubts as to having software correcting most problems. I suspect that it may work better in the warmer months. I hope the company reads this forum and has a more serious outlook on what they are doing. I am thinking now that I may have to contact the supplier here in the USA and try to return it.

Bob

[Michael Lank]

My camera was working better before I installed the firmware update - don't know if the current problems are related to that or not.

I am pleased to hear that the company reads this forum, it would be nice if they would respond to some of the problems raised.

I emailed the company on 3 January, and besides two emails saying that someone will get in touch with me I have not had a response.

A product designed for use outdoors is not much use if it only works in the summer months. People have been attributing the problems to cold, winter temperatures. Today was the warmest day that I have used the camera, and had worse problems. It may be that people have been attributing problems to temperature because it is winter; however it may be that the problems are inherent in the camera, and will not be remedied by warmer weather. It would be nice to hear from some Antipodean users!

I have been using a 1GB SD Ultra II since getting the camera.

[Robert Pacheco]

Hello Michael, 

I thought I may have had a bad flash with the firmware 2.1.  I was thinking maybe it was part of the cause of some of my problems. So I reflashed it again last night after my flight test yesterday flunked. It seemed to go in OK.

I do not know if the original firmware is available to flash it back to when the cmera was purchased. I see the v2.0 is still there in the Acme website.  I would think it can be done if you find it. They posted a notice that another update firmware is coming sometime soon. The only thing so far positive on my camera is the interior shots are brighter and the lens correction turning into the sun did not darken as the original did.

Bob Pacheco

[jvn01]

Just a note re connecting external power from your Rx pack - if I read your post correctly Bob it sounds like you have connected it to pins 3/4 firstly +/- and then subesquently to  -/+.

I assume the reason it did not damage the Flycamone V2 when connected the 'wrong' way round is because the Flycamone V2 has an internal diode to protect against supply reversal. In which case, in this situation then the external Rx pack would not have been supplying any power to the Flycamone V2. With the external power correctly connected, the FlycamoneV2 will draw between 250 and 350mA.

From what I have seen and measured, I can confirm that pin 3 = - (gnd) and pin 4 = + (5V ext in)

The shutter operates by pulling pin 1 (signal) LOW, ie connecting it to pin 3 (gnd).

Pin 2 ('spare/NC') appears to be a switched output with approx 3.3V DC on it when the Flycamone V2  is operating.

If you are using a 'normal' 4.8V NimH/NiCd flight pack then there should be no problems powering the  Flycamone V2 via the Rx servo lead, the extra 250-350mA will only be an issue when running off an ESC BEC.

hope this helps

[jvn01]

ps Bob the first batch of interfaces are completed - no probs shipping to the USA either, I have mailed you.

[Robert Pacheco]

Hi Jason,

 Yes you are correct. I looked at the old manual and set my camera accordingly. I hhad current from my reciever and Lipo here. The camera still turned on normally. I gues the diode saved it. Then I changed it to 4pin + and 3 pin - and I turned it on and it still worked normally as if there was no power coming in from the reciever. Then I went test fly it with all the same problems listed back a couple threads. Absolutly no difference with the reciever powered in.  My ESC is rated at 2amps. The battery was charged and it was a failure of a movie.  PIns 1 and 2 were not used.

 I got your PM a short time ago ago. I want to try your interface. I just do not know what I need. I like the transmitter switching. I am not sure if you mean "BEC". Are these the controllers that are used on the older brushed motors. I use the brushless type controllers. This one is a Hextronic 15Amp in my Stik. The reciever is a Corona 4 channel. What would you suggest. I do not want to add more weght either. Can it run direct from my 11.1volt lipo with a voltage regulator? I guess that is what you are making. Correct me please? Or do I just continue using my reciever channel for power? It did not seem to work. If to much for this forum I will email you if you wish.

Bob Pacheco

[jvn01]

Hi Bob check your email please