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Hobby Wireless gear on RC/10 with Pan & Tilt

Video of a Baja FPV R/C car: FPVBaja

Using my old beat down electric RC10 truck that has had a rough life but still useful for a FPV car project. After replacing a few parts like the motor and servo I dug in.

First thing was to get a low amp draw motor since ludicrous speed is not what I'm going for or a 20' roost but long runs so I pick-up a 19 turn Trinity motor for power.  This set-up with a 2100mha 7.4 lipo runs around in FPV for 20+ minutes. For a speed control I'm using a Novak Super Rooster with reverse. Reverse isn't necessary on most R/C race truck/cars but for remote video driving it's a must have.

For radio I use a 7 channel aircraft type (4 Ch. needed) that allows for further range and more channels that the Remote Video Car will need to operate the pan & tilt camera.  I use the heli mode that allows me to have the throttle stick centered for forward and reverse (heli 3D mode). I use the throttle and steering (rudder) stick for driving controls and the pan & tilt on the other stick (ali/elev). This makes driving it easy.

This is a fun FPV project. Using a programmable radio with 5 point throttle curve like heli programming can help keep the lead foot under control and some expo to help with steering.

I really like the fact a FPV car can go where it's not visible by you so your not limited to the track in front of you but can go off and explore.

For me it's also fun on the days where the weather conditions won't allow me to fly my R/C aircraft so to satisfy my hobby addiction I can hit the throttle and have a blast racing around.

Under the Hood (note: I replaced the Berg RX with an AR6200 2.4ghz)

First Set-up:

Team Associated Electric R/C10 Off-Road Truck

Trinity 19 turn motor (low amp draw). Brushed

2500mah 2cell li-po battery (truck)

900mah 3cell li-po (video gear)

Hobby Wireless 2.4ghz FPV 500 video system

KX-151 High Resolution Camera mounted on Pan & Tilt servos

Hitec 6 Ch. FM radio

Berg 4 channel RX

Novak Super Rooster ESC with reverse

Novak Smart Stop Li-po cut off with LED low voltage warning light

HS-322 pan servo and HS-65 Tilt (the HS-322 is more solid then the HS-81 that I first used. No slop.

 

Note: the above radio set-up suffered glitching and signal loss when driving in FPV around my house so line of sight is recommended with few obstructions when using FM radios.

 

Updated Set-up:

Spektrum DX7 2.4 GHz radio in Heli mode (for reverse to work)

Spektrum SP6200 RX

Hobby Wireless 900mhz FPV 500mw system

This set up has worked very well with no glitching. A better feel of control.

 

FPV driving a R/C truck: RVCvideo

 

Related Videos

Flashlight for a nighttime FPV drive

I made a custom frame to mount the gear. Aluminum from Home Depot.

FPV Truck with OSD: Oxxy4X

Backyard Jump: FPVTruckJump

Testing a 4x4 E-Maxx in FPV: BackYardOffRoading

Added mirror for backing up

Nighttime Off-Roading

Night Run

Tips on how to get smooth video and good performance:

1.  Small servos seem to get more sloppy with the weight of a camera mounted on them bouncing around so I recommend a standard servo size like a HS-322.

2. Keep the suspension soft. A stiff suspension will handle better at high speeds but the video will be barely viewable do to the sudden jarring.  The softer suspension will also make for better video and a smoother ride.

3. Go with a 19-20 turn motor if it's a brushed motor. This will draw less amps and allow for long run times. Even though 14-15 turn motor is fast you won't be needing it and it will be wasted. Low gears would be nicer or a 2 speed tranny like an E-Maxx comes with.

4. Big tire on a small rim. It's simple and works on full size off-road trucks as well, the larger the tire the easier it will roll over an obstacle and the smaller the rim the more the tire will absorb the sudden changes in terrain. Smooth ride smooth video.

5. Mount the pan & tilt servos with the supplied rubber dampeners. This will help get rid of any high frequency vibration.

E-Maxx and T3 RC10 trucks ready for some FPV action

Test video page : Crash9 Video

Have some questions or want to share something or a FPV project other then aircraft then visit RCGroups FPV Car Thread