(This is part of a multi-part series on building a FPV mini 220mm quadcopter)

What makes the quadcopter I’m building different than say a DJI Phantom?  Well, the main difference is that I’m building a FPV (the First Person View) quadcopter and to achieve the FPV part you need at least one camera (I’ll be installing two, one for the FPV and the other to record HD video — more on that in a later post).   The FPV camera broadcasts via a transmitter (will be selected in another post) to the ground station which can either be a simple video display with a wireless receiver or video based goggles (also to be selected in a future post).

The video from the front mounted camera is what you will use to fly (or steer) the quad in the air without needing line of sight view — you see what the copter is seeing.  The video signal also has superimposed telemetry data (via the OSD module).  As this is technically the “eyes” of the copter it’s important to have a high quality camera that has a high dynamic range and provides clear sky and ground exposure.

For this reason, we have chosen the SONY SUPER HAD CCD with D-WDR with a 2.8mm lens.  While it’s not HD, it does provide 600 TV lines (NTSC) of resolution and utilizes low power consumption (120-140mA) that is great as we want to save on battery draw and extend as much flying time as possible.  Also, NTSC video is fine for goggles and the transmitters are cheaper.  Broadcasting HD video consumes a lot more power than NTSC (it’s also a lot cheaper) — we’ll rely on the onboard HD camera to record the flight view.

Weight: 16g
Total Weight So Far: 160.8g

Part Cost: $48.00
Total Spent So Far: $191.24

Camera is available from SecurityCamera2000.com

PART 6: DIY: Building a Mini (220mm) Quadcopter – 12V Step-up Voltage Regulator

Tags: 220mm, camera, CCD, controller, copter, fpv, mini, model, quadcopter, quadcopter build, rc, sony