The FPV system is around $800. The radio that has the good range is about $150. The car is around $700 after batteries and wires. The fun is priceless and FPV system can be swapped from car to car if done right 🤙 All the product links should be in the description and my other videos show how everything is done. Happy New Years!!
@@ChaddRainsFPV Wow, that's very detailed, thank you! It's easy to miss on the phone. I am at the computer now, so it's far easier to research further. Thank you again for replying.
I've been into FPV drones for a few years and hadn't really considered an FPV car before because the ones I've seen have really shaky video but this thing is pretty smooth!
Oh yeah I feel like an FPV car was always an after thought, so the builds came out like junk most of the time. If you put as much effort into making a car as you would a drone they come out pretty good 🤙
I'm in the research phase of this hobby after sitting and work thinking about how I wish I could drive around like a crazy jackass, without actually doing it. This video has so much information it's bursting my brain at the seams. Thanks for posting I'll be back a few times to write everything down and bookmark all the links.
Be been doing FPV freestyle drones for about 4 years now. Flint everything from 2.5” up to 10” builds. Last Christmas I bought cheap rc car and truck to put a DJI system on them. I also run crossfire and saw your other vid on how to work that out for rc cars. Good stuff man. Thanks for the free downloads.
Hell yeah glad it helped! My friend designed most of the free files I link. He does some awesome long range mountain surfing. I link his channel in the comments. Thanks for the comment!
Those LED clusters, which are used for the dome light of a car in some applications, make it VERY easy to get orientation, day or night, on a drone. I have one that has 9 LED's as opposed to the 6 you have in yours. Your rig looks to be quite the beast!
Direct off the car’s battery in this case and I have a big ol fat capacitor that has been doing the job for a while. I may add a couple of TVS diodes as well, this has been working fine. I generally don’t have the huge spikes associated with bashing a car. I am almost always at 3/4 throttle and am real easy on the brakes (cuz if I don’t the jerkiness looks like trash in the goggles anyways). I would recommend a 9v regulator and a big fat capacitor on the regulator’s input 🤙
Hey Sam! Sure, I made a whole video on it though and for the most part things haven’t changed. Here’s a link to the vid and if there is something you’re missing just hit me back here! th-cam.com/video/fVzIaD9T1qU/w-d-xo.html
@@RcHobby0 You’ll need to update the Air Unit and bind it to the goggles, but there isn’t a controller or anything that needs to be wired in. Just power 🤙
Not specifically, no. Check to see if you can activate yours via a PWM input (there are different versions iirc). Then you wire the signal from the vifly to one of the channels on the receiver ( I use channel 5 if available). From there I assign the switch I want for channel 5. When the switch is low there’s no alarm. When the switch is high it beeps. Hope this helps 🤙
@ this helps! It’s the Finder 2 model, and I see it shows buzzer (-) can go to PWM on receiver. I’ll get that set up as soon as I swap my stock Fireteam over to ELRS
I also found that if you are running a 12v fan you are able to run it directly off of the balance leads on a 3s lipo, as long as you have the proper connectors. Correct me if I’m wrong
Hi, great video but you forgot about the link for the small regulator you are using for powering the LED and the fan for the air unit and what type of battery you are using for all of the camera system, please can you tel more about?
Oh right! I’m just using a small 1 amp pololu 12v. The LED and can draw almost nothing. And I’m actually powering the air unit right from the 4s LiPo on the car. I do have a very big capacitor on the air unit cable too. It helps eat the spikes that would otherwise kill the Air Unit.
I'm postponing such a project for quite some time, watching what you did there definitely gives me a push to starting building my own! Thank u for sharing1
What about mounting the air unite on the chassis so you can remove the video system and use a normal body? Would this also help with cooling? And also which battery did you use to power the fpv stuff? The battery that the car is running on, or a separate battery just for the fpv. If so I would like to know what battery it is.
Mounting outside the body does help, but a fan is mandatory. There is no FPV RC Car worth driving that doesn’t have a fan (unless it’s just a little micro toy thing). But a swap-able FPV dedicated body is def possible and a good idea if you’re on a budget! The digital systems work fine when powered off of the car’s battery, but analog systems have issues with electrical noise from the esc, so a separate battery is necessary. A little 3S 450mah is enough to keep most systems running for ~30 minutes and easy to mount 🤙
Awesome bro. Last weekend I strapped a digital FPV drone to the top of a fast RC buggy and had a blast. Started with an iFlight Alpha 85 but ended up using a GepRC Rocket Plus since it sat better on the car body. The VTX stayed surprisingly cool! I liked the experience a lot (I also track cars and motorbikes, and this was a lot of the thrill without the hassle) so I plan to follow your path with using just the necessary bits. I fly lots of drones, and my feeling is a vista VTX with a nebula pro cam would be best. Or a polar if driving in low light of course. Anyway thanks for the inspiration! Much appreciated.
Thanks man and best of luck on the next build! I agree with the polar; I’ll actually be using that on cars from here on out (if I’m buying a new cam). I’m fine with the 16:9 and 60fps on a car and I prefer the low light performance (plus it’s usually easier to find vs a nebula pro or OG DJI cam). Post a vid when you’re done with the build and come back and tell me about it 🤙
I wanna install a DJI 03 Air Unit on my Traxxas. Won’t need a receiver for my DJI FPV Controller 2. Shouldn’t need a separate VTX for my Goggles 2 either. Air Unit, fan, and power, right?
Total misunderstanding. DJI is undeniably the best FPV video system for going behind trees, houses and through buildings. It uses 5.8ghz, which is a very high frequency and typically not as good with penetration. But the trick is it’s a super well engineered, digital signal; which can retransmit lost video frames (at the expense of some latency) and temporarily drop resolution a bit to have more range. So if you keep it under ~60mph, you more have more “navigable video” almost any other analog system in a situation like this, mainly because of ‘interference rejection’. For reference, I can’t get a decent signal from my 1.3ghz analog system or 2.4ghz analog gear, because those bands are noisy in my area and without digital interference rejection, they fall flat. Put the systems in the middle of nowhere and the analog will do great, tho 🤙
@@Chris-vc1dh this one is the Original Air Unit but the vista has very similar performance. The O3 Air Unit is a much better system in everything except low light. More range, penetration, interference rejection and resolution but, real expensive and low light truly sucks (with the current fw).
@@Chris-vc1dh that’s the one downside with the new digital systems; they are all proprietary. DJI only works with DJI. HDZero does work with several manufacturers for goggle options and Walksnail/Fatshark will have an external VRX soon so you can use any Google / screen you like. But none are cross compatible. DJI O3 s the best for range and penetration and video quality. DJI v1 drops a bit from that (what I use atm). Walksnail has great range but not as good penetration. HDZero has low, consistent latency but very equal to 5.8ghz analog in terms of penetration and range (from what I’ve seen) 🤙
Right on man! I actually use an Apple Air tag now too. Cheap little GPS tracker, plus the alarm gives me some decent confidence in some longer range shenanigans haha 🤙
I’ve actually been selling these as kits lately. I’ve had a few people reach out and I’ve built custom rigs. Would you buy a cheaper analog version or the expensive Digital version (longer range and clearer video, but easily 2 or 3 times the cost)?
Hey, I have gotten about 1km in an open setting (no trees, houses, etc). I can get a couple blocks through my Rf-noisy neighborhood. I believe I can get a mile with more tweaks. Stay tuned and thanks for the comment 🤙
The O3 is the newer version. It has better resolution and better range in its stock form. But you need a little board that sends a signal to the O3 to get its full range. I use the O3 now, but I regularly test all the systems to see if any can beat it 🤙
@@sufyaankhan232 If you use the O3 Air unit you need an O3 Armer. You can find them at ProgressiveRC and GetFPV. You will also need a 5v fan to keep it cool (like a 4010 PC fan). And a some mounts. But yup, that's about all
Thanks dude! I tried that a few years ago and it was cute lol. It’s not possible on DJI or Caddx’s digital videos systems currently, and I’d way rather have their range, latency and resolution 🤙
Thanks you! For the ViFly you need to get the one that accepts a PWM input (there are a lot of different versions. Then just hook it up to one of the channels on your receiver. Red wire to 5v, black to ground and yellow to signal. Hope this helps! 🤙
Hi Chad, Can you talk a little more on the rest of the wires around the air unit and how to connect them please? Working on my first build now (the air 03 unit is in the mail on the way here) - All the in depth instructional videos I've been able to find are for using it on vehicles with flight controllers and have led me to beleive that the VTX won't reach full power if it's just soldered onto the main power line. How did you do it? Looks like you used all the sensors when connecting the XT60 around 4:45... This video is what inspired me by the way 💪
I have a product I released not too long ago that makes the O3 Air unit plug and play! Check my videos for the one I put out a couple months ago; it’s got my email and how to purchase my product 🤙
It’s tough. DJI is limited to one camera (switching between cams is only done on analog systems at the moment). So you have to have the camera on a swivel. I will use a modified servo / 360 servo when I build my next high end ride 🤙
Oh for sure! All I really did was add a special receiver and splice into the battery leads to get power for my video system 🤙 Big wheels make it less bouncy but if you have a smooth road it’s fine. It’s
Sorry about the down vote.. straight out the gate with a plug? I know how the button works. Lol awesome video awesome build! Keep driving rc's like there's no tomorrow!
Amazing and informative video really appreciate it. Going to be doing some FPV crawling just purchase the SCX 10 Bronco III on the Horizon amazing deal I got. Also going to be doing FPV on the Rlarrlo Ak 917, it will be pretty sweet seeing over 100 miles an hour first hand. Also, just wanted to say keep up the good work.
Right on! Come tell me when you post a video of a speed run! I’ve had a tough time feeling comfortable over ~45mph as the potholes come out of nowhere haha!
Personally I'd mount the camera where the driver sits and mount it with springs under the screw places so it has some springiness to counter the bumpiness. But I'd like to have the real feeling as if I was driving this thing ;)
Hi Chadd, I'm struggling to achieve the same wiring as you did between the 4S LIPO and the 12v fan and the air unit. From what I understand, 14.8v is a bit too much for the 12v fan and you need to regulate the voltage. You said you made a video about that but cannot find it. And also, what about the capacitor at the end of your plug? Thanks Chadd. Thanks to you I will made my own fpv car too!
Right at 2:00 in this video you can see see a small 12v 3amp regulator. You can find them on eBay or Amazon (I’ll put them in the description later today). You can decipher how it’s wired if you pause the video and look closely. The air unit and the 12v fan have their power wires in parallel with each other (so they’re both getting power from the same place: the 12v regulator). The regulator is powered by the 4s LiPo in the car. The capacitor is on the power lead (it can be soldered to the regulator’s power input or the xt60). But you can bypass all this, by using a small 3S battery to power the air unit and fan. If you’re using analog video, it’s actually a lot better to do it this way.
I think I’m going to put out the simple range test I got. I know I can crush 1km (pretty sure I can hit a mile) but I can’t find any place to actually do it at haha 🤙
So DJI is amazing through buildings and trees, because it’s a digital protocol that basically rejects bad packets. 1.2ghz often has to compete with noise from other systems transmitting on a near frequency, which shows up as grainy or static video. I am able to get way further through my neighborhood with 5.8ghz DJI that I can with 1.3ghz analog. It’s why my ground station vid has taken longer to make. I want to show that 1.3ghz can be good, but it’s genuinely harder to do that 🤙
@@ChaddRainsFPV how much power and what antenna gain do you have on your 1.3g setup? I hope you can get your 1.3 setup working good because i cant afford a dji system XD
@@lucasvanhamburg4937 1000mw, TrueRC singularity on tx and X-Air on the receiver, 40ft of separation between my ground station and my rc tx too. I tried everything (low pass filters, etc). My area is just not good for 1.3 👎 But there are a lot of areas that are 🤙
@@ChaddRainsFPV did you try the tbs notch filter too? they say it helps with interference from crossfire. I think its very important to have a good quality 1.3 video receiver in order to filter out the noise, but 1.3 is so far behind in technology compared to 5.8. A lot of people recommend the RMRC receiver but it looks identical to the chinese 1.2 receivers so idk if its any better. Please let me know if you know about any other good brands that are making 1.3 stuff.
@@lucasvanhamburg4937 I have the RMRC and it is better. Also have the TBS notch filter. Actually 2 and they’re on a diversity setup with an Eagle Eyes (gotta goggle that one haha). But I’ve also used a repeater and got 40ft away from my 1.3ghz ground station. Still no dice. The best system is definitely a Clearview 1.3ghz diversity receiver. No questions. It’s just pricey and It would still pick up noise from my area. I don’t normally talk about range for this exact reason. Range is completely dependent on your environment. They’re ‘typical’ range and there’s good and bad areas 🤙
You need 2 things: most important is the O3 has to be “armed” but an MSP signal. Normally you need a complicated Arduino or a specially programmed FC to do this for an rc car. But I released a product that does this automatically. You can find my video on it (released in Feb). The 2nd thing is you need to be in FCC mode. I recommend just doing the “Ham File Hack” no matter what. But without the arm signal going to the O3 it will never go to full power even with the hack. Hope this helps 🤙
I’ve gotten lucky my child is still on milk or I’d be broke! If you include the goggles and remote I’m over $1000. But this set of goggles and remote will last for years and all kinds of vehicles/aircraft. There is another video on my channel where I go over prices and different options to make one of your own. I hope you do it!
Thanks! The range on my RC link is miles, even on the ground. I’m sure it’s 60+ miles in the air and around 2 miles or so on the ground depending on the terrain. My video range currently is 1km. That is my current record, which I hope to smash very soon 🤙
I wanna install a DJI 03 Air Unit w/camera on my Traxxas. Won’t need a receiver for my DJI FPV Controller 2. Shouldn’t need a separate VTX for my Goggles 2 either. Air Unit, fan, and power, right?
The O3 can only output SBUS so it’s not going to be able to control any rc car. So you’ll likely need a remote (I show how to use crossfire with cars in another video). Besides that tho, you’re right on the money! *I’d add a big capacitor or power from a separate battery as voltage spikes from cars are way more than 99% of FPV drones 🤙
@@ChaddRainsFPV The car is controlled by a separate remote, my bad. But the goggles 2 will connect and a separate power source could be utilized, along with a fan, right? Thanks for the info.
ELRS is awesome, but it’s harder to use for a car and a ‘ground remote’. Crossfire modules accept a ppm signal automatically, so it works with the DSC port if your radio has one. ELRS is ‘air remote’ only, unless you’re okay with jumping through a few hoops 🤙
Your vids and information are invaluable, keep them coming! I just took out a 2nd mortgage for a DJI FPV Drone and a Traxxas XMaxx, although now I'm thinking I might add a Losi Lasernut to my RC garage. I'd like to see an FPV RC car or truck with a 3 axis gimbal. Has anyone done that yet? I could strap a Mavic to my XMaxx, but it's not quite the same.
Brother.. I hope you did not take a 2nd mortgage for some toys 😂😂 Ahh lol. Save your money on the Lasernut. It’s awesome but the center diff is just fragile. A 3 axis gimbal would be cool to look around with but most of the shakes come from a 4th axis (up and down - not pan, roll or tilt) . And you’ll need a 3rd mortgage and sell off a kidney to buy one of those 🙌😂
@@ChaddRainsFPV Thank you for the heads up, no Lasernut for me. Check out this vid with a wearable FeyiuTech 3 axis gimbal on a mountain bike rider ($170 on Amazon). Add a GoPro or similar action cam and you've got some pretty smooth footage. Making it FPV on an RC car or truck will take some ingenuity, but I'm sure it's doable. th-cam.com/video/cVdXV7tAx8M/w-d-xo.html
Great video! Can you send me a link on how to connect the power for the air unit? I’m doing a similar setup with additional head tracking hardware. It’s going on a TLR 22x4.
Nice! I actually just power the air units and vistas from the car’s battery, unless it’s 6s or higher. If it’s an O3 air unit I have to also add an arduino to unlock its full power output. Be sure to add a fan no matter what system you’re using 🤙
Thanks man! A speed boat is hard as it *requires* a gimbal to have usable video. Big tires and soft suspension on a car gets you smooth enough video, but even the smallest waves are enough to make FPV boats tough. I would kinda like to do a long range FPV boat with GPS tho 🤔
Really liking your setup. Love to see a range test; I've got the same setup and found the range (at 700mw) to be good, but nothing to write home about.
I have been trying to get to my spot to do a proper range test for weeks. If I crank it up to it’s max output power (using the naco script) and use the double axii antennas, I expect at least a KM. Will post as soon as I can get it together! 🤙
I’m making a video on a less expensive, but still good option. So many FPV RC cars just have a super cheap AIO slapped on it, and it’s not fun to go far because the video sucks on those. Video coming soon with an inexpensive system and still decent performance 🤙
@@ChaddRainsFPV thanks man can't wait for it. I built a cheap fpv cam for my drone with a reciever plug for my phone. I really want to put it on a rc car but I want an affordable one that I can upgrade the motors and battery and all that.
@@dericklong6191 Ahh right on. I guess I can do a video like other one I did :how to FPV an rc car, but on a budget so I can give a bunch of different options. Thanks for the feedback 🤙
@@ChaddRainsFPV hey I just got a hyper go 4x4 rc truck for $100 and it's nice but I got the basic non brushless so I can do all the upgrades myself. Will I need GPS to do long range?
you seem to know what you are talking about and i have no knowledge with this so imm going to ask if i was to take my rc car a zd-racing mt-16 and make it fpv what would i do i want it to be able to go really far distances of like a mile in a town so in between houses and would also like it to not have a shaky footage the range of the controller would also need upgrading so what should i do? it is also as budget as possible
I dig the enthusiasm!! You’ll have to decide though, because you asked for the hardest thing to do in FPV - RC car with a mile of range - and you want to do it as budget as possible. Those are two totally different things. For example - I have nearly $2000 into my long range FPV car (if you count the goggles and controller). I cannot go a mile in town with it. But I have perfect HD video for a few blocks. If you spent say, $500 on a 1.3ghz setup and used ELRS instead of Crossfire for your long range RC link, you may be able to get 1/2 a mile though a neighborhood. You’d also spend dozens of hours getting the system working correctly (ask me how I know haha). You would also want a taller car. A 1/16 scale is a bit too low to the road to see a lot of bumps at speed and your tires are small as well so the bumps will shake the camera more. You could spend another couple hundred on a gimbal, but I haven’t played with that yet. Your best bet with that car is to do some short range bashing and try to get around your block. That is the first start. Not the hardest thing in the hobby 🤙
It’s best to power your vtx from a separate battery, not the one your car is powered from. Drones don’t have as much noise as RC cars so it’s not common on aircraft. But RC cars need fans and usually separate power for the VTX. I will get into more detail in other videos, but if you check close in the stuff I’ve posted, you can see that the negative and positive for the vtx go to the negative and positive of the fan. If you’re using a 12v fan and a 3S LiPo for power you’re all set 🤙
The older air units don’t need to be unlocked, unless they’re being used with Goggles2 or Integras. But I do use the O3 now, and I am working on releasing my first product very soon (with a friend’s help) called the O3 Armer! I sell a prototype version with a custom wire harness for $50 that works great, but it’s kind of big. If you can find my email you can buy one from me, or just wait till I release the full version!
hey chad, im just wondering where you got the esc fan and cage set up for the dji air unit. started in drones and now building a fpv lasernut. can u give a list for the dji air unit mount with the fan grill and standofffs. i have all the other components to get it going . thanks Tim D
Hey Tim, I built the cage and fan setup for the air unit with standoffs from an old drone and a 60mm 12v fan from eBay (fan grills as well). Super easy to make, just look up m3 standoffs if you don’t have any and just get creative. You could even use some 5v fans and plug them right into the receiver if getting 12v is tough (I wired in a step-down regulator). Good luck!
@@ChaddRainsFPV I need somebody like you to build me one that will go inside 8" plastic pipe to check for leaks With a range of about 800' Maybe not quite as decked out as yours but on a smaller scale
@@buddie2878 it would have to be tethered. You just can’t trust radio frequencies to go that far when basically underground. I could design something like that, but it would be expensive. Do you know how to find my email?
Have you experimented with wing flight controllers? I'm building a rig like yours but want lots of accessories like head tracking, gps, osd etc. I'm going to try the Matek F405-WMN.
You lose the ability to brake properly when tuning your signal through an FC. I have yet to get it to work. I’ve ran manual mode in iNav. It doesn’t seem to work. An FC isn’t necessary for head tracking and there are some options to get GPS in the OSD without it. In all honesty I have never once been lost with my cars. It would have been nice to have battery voltage but I just made a massive battery that runs for like 45 minutes lol 🤙
@@ChaddRainsFPV ahh yes, definitely need brakes. Hopefully the iNav devs keep working on the rover settings. Might have a little chat with them. Until then, will check out the other options. cheers
Update. I got the Spektrum Firma esc working perfectly in inav. There is not much flexibility in setting the neutral position, so pistol grip style transmitters probably wouldn't work. However, I'm using my TX16S with forward/reverse mapped to right stick and steering is yaw on the left stick. Feels very natural, like flying a quad or heli. Had to tweak a few things in inav. In cli set max throttle to 2000 then refine neutral position in outputs menu. Also had to move my neutral subtrim up about 30 points on transmitter to match the centre of neutral in inav. All of this needs to be done before the FC would even arm. Last thing to do is calibrate the esc and you're all set :) My build is nearing completion. Just waiting on a longer ufl to sma extension cable so it doesn't yank on the vtx if I roll over.
@@bluemeanie6395 Dude that is awesome!! Thanks for update!! So, just to be clear you did get braking to work without any issues (like it engaging reverse instead of braking)? That would be a huge deal as it would allow us to finally just us an FC (in manual mode) and get all the cool options like OSD, etc.
@@ChaddRainsFPV yeah brakes work fine then return to neutral and pull back for reverse. I have my osd showing speed, top speed and distance travelled. As well as all the usual power info. Maybe the amp meet will blow up. I'll just bypass it if this happens
Wow very cool I'd like to see exactly how you built it. That would be a great video from the absolutely beginning to the absolute end. Also with the parts list of what model camera what power source? What battery types of cable sauter sautering gun light is light ballast for the lights also the fan power mountain.
I will be making a lot more how to’s on this as soon as I can. Got a few other vids in the lineup but will get the FPV RC Car stuff back in the loop ASAP! 🤙
Goggles are ~$500 - Video tx and camera are ~$170. Upgraded Antennas - $60 - remote - $80 (plus crossfire for extra range -$180) and then whichever car you like. Let’s say a Rustler. Average car and pretty durable. Price varies a bit but let’s just say $300 for a decent car. Hope this helps 🤙
Hey, Chad! I’m putting a Caddx Nebula Pro/DJI system in my RC8 and need a wiring diagram. Can you tell me what regulator you used to pull power from your battery? And did you use a flight controller as well? Thanks!
Whatsup man! So I am not using a flight controller so it’s really easy to wire it. There is a Vin (voltage in) and ground pads right on the vista unit. Solder to those and put them straight to a 12v regulator (rated to at least 3 amps, just to be safe). Also power the fan you use on your Caddx vista (this is mandatory, the unit cannot stay cold enough on a car. I’ve tested for years lol). Make sure to run an extra big capacitor on the *input of the regulator to help keep voltage spike out. Use a 1000uf 35v for 6s, 1000uf 25v for 4s, 16v for 2s etc. Good luck dude come tell me how it goes 🤙
@@ChaddRainsFPV Thanks, brother. Just ordered a 12v regulator and 1farad cap. I’d like to be able to use the OSD and jailbreak the transmitter to output 1,200 watts (for longer distance). I believe I’d need to use the RX and TX cables to do so. Do you have any experience with those things?
@@CritCraft For sure! The 1200mw hack is pie, just find a video from Mads Tech about the naco file and put it in your goggles. If you want to wire the vista up to an FC you prob don’t need a regulator. There are 9v pads on most FCs these days. Just take the tx from the vista and wire it to an rx pad on the fc, then the rx pad from the vista to the tx pad on the FC (they need to be the same UART). Plenty videos online for that, tho. You will need to turn off temp control on the vista as you won’t be able to ‘arm’ the fc. Your rc receiver should bypass the fc as you will lose your brakes if you run your channels through the fc (you will retain forward and reverse- its a pain I’ve been dealing with for a while). So the OSD ends up only being good for car voltage and maybe 1 or 2 other things. I’ve found it to be more trouble than it’s worth 🤙
Very sweet set up!!! I'm looking at doing a super small set up nothing like your but it's just for my modified scx24 rock hopper buggy au it has to be micro and even with the monster motor in it now it's still just 1/24 scale so I won't be driving the neighborhood but trail driving and rock hopping fromy chair at the camp sites will be sick.
Holy crap! A crossfire?! This bad boy is getting some range with all this. 6km with DJI system alone. Nice. I am going to try this out. Thank for sharing this. Full parts list available?
Absolutely! I just updated the description for most of my RC car videos to have all my gear! Thanks for the comment! Also, I feel like I should mention: this setup has brought me out over 1km so far but I’m sure I can make it a mile. It would be insane to reach 6km but if you had the right circumstances it definitely could 🤙
Thank you! I’m working on more How To videos that should go over the builds a bit better. I have an older one on my channel that should help you choose components and this video that is the build overview. I also have a crazy project in the works but it won’t be done for a while haha
How much is this setup going to set me back?
The FPV system is around $800. The radio that has the good range is about $150. The car is around $700 after batteries and wires. The fun is priceless and FPV system can be swapped from car to car if done right 🤙
All the product links should be in the description and my other videos show how everything is done. Happy New Years!!
@@ChaddRainsFPV Wow, that's very detailed, thank you! It's easy to miss on the phone. I am at the computer now, so it's far easier to research further. Thank you again for replying.
I've been into FPV drones for a few years and hadn't really considered an FPV car before because the ones I've seen have really shaky video but this thing is pretty smooth!
Oh yeah I feel like an FPV car was always an after thought, so the builds came out like junk most of the time. If you put as much effort into making a car as you would a drone they come out pretty good 🤙
I'm in the research phase of this hobby after sitting and work thinking about how I wish I could drive around like a crazy jackass, without actually doing it. This video has so much information it's bursting my brain at the seams. Thanks for posting I'll be back a few times to write everything down and bookmark all the links.
Appreciate the comment brother 🤙 Go build something crazy!
Be been doing FPV freestyle drones for about 4 years now. Flint everything from 2.5” up to 10” builds. Last Christmas I bought cheap rc car and truck to put a DJI system on them. I also run crossfire and saw your other vid on how to work that out for rc cars. Good stuff man. Thanks for the free downloads.
Hell yeah glad it helped! My friend designed most of the free files I link. He does some awesome long range mountain surfing. I link his channel in the comments. Thanks for the comment!
Those LED clusters, which are used for the dome light of a car in some applications, make it VERY easy to get orientation, day or night, on a drone. I have one that has 9 LED's as opposed to the 6 you have in yours. Your rig looks to be quite the beast!
WOW! I can not believe i'am wanting to try this again at 75 yrs old, my first try never could get a good picture think i will try again
That’s fantastic!! I hope you success on this attempt 🙌 Let me know if you have any questions!
Fvp car and drone all in one will be the coolest car ever... You can fit it on top of ur car
Hahah right on. I’ve seen some cars like this. They always seem to be a worse car and also a worse drone but cost more than the two separate lol
Nice! love the buzzer alarm.
That's a sick rover, good work.
Where do you get power from for the air unit? Do you have any form of voltage spike protection?
Direct off the car’s battery in this case and I have a big ol fat capacitor that has been doing the job for a while. I may add a couple of TVS diodes as well, this has been working fine. I generally don’t have the huge spikes associated with bashing a car. I am almost always at 3/4 throttle and am real easy on the brakes (cuz if I don’t the jerkiness looks like trash in the goggles anyways). I would recommend a 9v regulator and a big fat capacitor on the regulator’s input 🤙
Helo mate,i just started on fpv,can u make a list that what u are using so i can just follow
Hey Sam! Sure, I made a whole video on it though and for the most part things haven’t changed. Here’s a link to the vid and if there is something you’re missing just hit me back here! th-cam.com/video/fVzIaD9T1qU/w-d-xo.html
@@ChaddRainsFPV thanks for your reply,do i need to connect anything on dji air unit to work or just the power supply
@@RcHobby0 You’ll need to update the Air Unit and bind it to the goggles, but there isn’t a controller or anything that needs to be wired in. Just power 🤙
@@ChaddRainsFPV ok thanks ill find out,then ill message u again,👍
Helo chadd,do you have any link on the fan that u use on the air unit,even the mount of the fan,thanks
Absolutely well spoken great video you have a professor ship quality to you
Very well done - I'm setting one up for one of my Grandlings and this has helped heaps. Many thanks!
Do you have a video of how to wire and put together all the fpv stuff?
That was awesome! Thanks for sharing. I love dogs too!
Hell yeah thanks for the comment!
Supper cool build! thanks for sharing!
Man, this just tells you how more FPV has taken off compared to other RC hobbies. Most of the tech here is borrowed from drone FPV.
If it wasn't for DJI I wouldn't even consider FPV.
The best part about buying an rc car like this and slapping your fpv gear on it is that you're already immune to cost.
Do you cover anywhere how to remote activate the Vifly buzzer?
Not specifically, no. Check to see if you can activate yours via a PWM input (there are different versions iirc). Then you wire the signal from the vifly to one of the channels on the receiver ( I use channel 5 if available). From there I assign the switch I want for channel 5. When the switch is low there’s no alarm. When the switch is high it beeps. Hope this helps 🤙
@ this helps! It’s the Finder 2 model, and I see it shows buzzer (-) can go to PWM on receiver. I’ll get that set up as soon as I swap my stock Fireteam over to ELRS
I also found that if you are running a 12v fan you are able to run it directly off of the balance leads on a 3s lipo, as long as you have the proper connectors. Correct me if I’m wrong
Right on the money! Most 12v fans can run from 10v-14v 🤙
Hi, great video but you forgot about the link for the small regulator you are using for powering the LED and the fan for the air unit and what type of battery you are using for all of the camera system, please can you tel more about?
Oh right! I’m just using a small 1 amp pololu 12v. The LED and can draw almost nothing. And I’m actually powering the air unit right from the 4s LiPo on the car.
I do have a very big capacitor on the air unit cable too. It helps eat the spikes that would otherwise kill the Air Unit.
Thanks a lot :)
I'm postponing such a project for quite some time, watching what you did there definitely gives me a push to starting building my own! Thank u for sharing1
Absolutely! Hope ya get out and build something amazing 🙌
What about mounting the air unite on the chassis so you can remove the video system and use a normal body? Would this also help with cooling? And also which battery did you use to power the fpv stuff? The battery that the car is running on, or a separate battery just for the fpv. If so I would like to know what battery it is.
Mounting outside the body does help, but a fan is mandatory. There is no FPV RC Car worth driving that doesn’t have a fan (unless it’s just a little micro toy thing). But a swap-able FPV dedicated body is def possible and a good idea if you’re on a budget! The digital systems work fine when powered off of the car’s battery, but analog systems have issues with electrical noise from the esc, so a separate battery is necessary. A little 3S 450mah is enough to keep most systems running for ~30 minutes and easy to mount 🤙
Alrighty thank you
Awesome bro. Last weekend I strapped a digital FPV drone to the top of a fast RC buggy and had a blast. Started with an iFlight Alpha 85 but ended up using a GepRC Rocket Plus since it sat better on the car body. The VTX stayed surprisingly cool! I liked the experience a lot (I also track cars and motorbikes, and this was a lot of the thrill without the hassle) so I plan to follow your path with using just the necessary bits. I fly lots of drones, and my feeling is a vista VTX with a nebula pro cam would be best. Or a polar if driving in low light of course. Anyway thanks for the inspiration! Much appreciated.
Thanks man and best of luck on the next build! I agree with the polar; I’ll actually be using that on cars from here on out (if I’m buying a new cam). I’m fine with the 16:9 and 60fps on a car and I prefer the low light performance (plus it’s usually easier to find vs a nebula pro or OG DJI cam).
Post a vid when you’re done with the build and come back and tell me about it 🤙
@@ChaddRainsFPV Will do. I’m looking at the Arrma Fireteam and thinking…. you could do something awesome with the camera in there….. Must… resist…. 🤑😂
I wanna install a DJI 03 Air Unit on my Traxxas. Won’t need a receiver for my DJI FPV Controller 2. Shouldn’t need a separate VTX for my Goggles 2 either. Air Unit, fan, and power, right?
i heard that dji is poor for signal penetration, but you still have video behind trees and houses?
Total misunderstanding. DJI is undeniably the best FPV video system for going behind trees, houses and through buildings. It uses 5.8ghz, which is a very high frequency and typically not as good with penetration. But the trick is it’s a super well engineered, digital signal; which can retransmit lost video frames (at the expense of some latency) and temporarily drop resolution a bit to have more range. So if you keep it under ~60mph, you more have more “navigable video” almost any other analog system in a situation like this, mainly because of ‘interference rejection’.
For reference, I can’t get a decent signal from my 1.3ghz analog system or 2.4ghz analog gear, because those bands are noisy in my area and without digital interference rejection, they fall flat.
Put the systems in the middle of nowhere and the analog will do great, tho 🤙
@@ChaddRainsFPV which one do you have, vista or ?
@@Chris-vc1dh this one is the Original Air Unit but the vista has very similar performance. The O3 Air Unit is a much better system in everything except low light. More range, penetration, interference rejection and resolution but, real expensive and low light truly sucks (with the current fw).
@@ChaddRainsFPV which digital system is real good? do I need to get all together like vtx and googles or they are compatible?
@@Chris-vc1dh that’s the one downside with the new digital systems; they are all proprietary. DJI only works with DJI. HDZero does work with several manufacturers for goggle options and Walksnail/Fatshark will have an external VRX soon so you can use any Google / screen you like. But none are cross compatible.
DJI O3 s the best for range and penetration and video quality. DJI v1 drops a bit from that (what I use atm). Walksnail has great range but not as good penetration. HDZero has low, consistent latency but very equal to 5.8ghz analog in terms of penetration and range (from what I’ve seen) 🤙
I'm impressed with the little alarm system that's dope....thx bro
Right on man! I actually use an Apple Air tag now too. Cheap little GPS tracker, plus the alarm gives me some decent confidence in some longer range shenanigans haha 🤙
What is the LED lights for?
Great job. I really like how you went into detail about placement of the camera and cooling the transmitter.
Hey right on! Thank you!
What are the approximate dimensions of the Camera and Air unit?
19-20mm wide on the camera and about 40mm wide for the air unit. Both are about 20mm tall. Air unit is maybe 55mm long. All approximate 🤙
Dude you should sell this as a kit. Pre assembled. This is dope AF. I would so buy it.
I’ve actually been selling these as kits lately. I’ve had a few people reach out and I’ve built custom rigs. Would you buy a cheaper analog version or the expensive Digital version (longer range and clearer video, but easily 2 or 3 times the cost)?
looks really fun attaching a FPV camera to a RC car
What was the distance you reached ? Thanks for sharing
Hey, I have gotten about 1km in an open setting (no trees, houses, etc). I can get a couple blocks through my Rf-noisy neighborhood.
I believe I can get a mile with more tweaks. Stay tuned and thanks for the comment 🤙
hi, im new on cars, i will use a speedy bee 405 mini for esc and a walksnail. Is this to low, i need more powerfull exc?
Any new updates ? Most parts are out of stock
Hi what’s the difference between the o3 air unit and video transmitter and camera on your links? Do i need both?
The O3 is the newer version. It has better resolution and better range in its stock form. But you need a little board that sends a signal to the O3 to get its full range.
I use the O3 now, but I regularly test all the systems to see if any can beat it 🤙
@@ChaddRainsFPV thanks appreciate it i am going to buy it to put on my losi 5t 1/5 scale
So i need the o3 and the headset is that all?
@@sufyaankhan232 If you use the O3 Air unit you need an O3 Armer. You can find them at ProgressiveRC and GetFPV. You will also need a 5v fan to keep it cool (like a 4010 PC fan). And a some mounts. But yup, that's about all
Is this the car you mounted the HEQ Q Port on?
Nope, this is the Losi Lasernut. I used the Fireteam for the HEQ Gimbal.
Excellent video! Thanks! Also Hello King and Kai! 😀
You can never go wrong with LOSI
Cool build! It looks like it's single camera, have you though about a two camera system so you'd get depth perception?
Thanks dude! I tried that a few years ago and it was cute lol. It’s not possible on DJI or Caddx’s digital videos systems currently, and I’d way rather have their range, latency and resolution 🤙
Awesome build love DJI air unit
What would you charge to make this?
Very nice video🎉
One question about VIFLY Finder. How do you set it up on the RC car？I found all contents related to drones. THANKS
Thanks you! For the ViFly you need to get the one that accepts a PWM input (there are a lot of different versions. Then just hook it up to one of the channels on your receiver. Red wire to 5v, black to ground and yellow to signal. Hope this helps! 🤙
@ChaddRainsFPV thanks so much
I think FPV is the future of RC Drag Racing.
Hi Chad,
Can you talk a little more on the rest of the wires around the air unit and how to connect them please?
Working on my first build now (the air 03 unit is in the mail on the way here) - All the in depth instructional videos I've been able to find are for using it on vehicles with flight controllers and have led me to beleive that the VTX won't reach full power if it's just soldered onto the main power line.
How did you do it? Looks like you used all the sensors when connecting the XT60 around 4:45...
This video is what inspired me by the way 💪
I have a product I released not too long ago that makes the O3 Air unit plug and play! Check my videos for the one I put out a couple months ago; it’s got my email and how to purchase my product 🤙
How do people get the rear view? could the DJI setup use two camera's one for the front and one for the rear?
It’s tough. DJI is limited to one camera (switching between cams is only done on analog systems at the moment). So you have to have the camera on a swivel. I will use a modified servo / 360 servo when I build my next high end ride 🤙
Finally about to build mine , what’s the range ?
Easily 1km. I haven’t found the area that will allow for 1mile but I’m sure I can make it 🤙
Is it possible to do something like this with a charger SRT build ?
Oh for sure! All I really did was add a special receiver and splice into the battery leads to get power for my video system 🤙 Big wheels make it less bouncy but if you have a smooth road it’s fine.
It’s
Sorry about the down vote.. straight out the gate with a plug? I know how the button works. Lol awesome video awesome build! Keep driving rc's like there's no tomorrow!
Your dogs are so cute
Amazing and informative video really appreciate it. Going to be doing some FPV crawling just purchase the SCX 10 Bronco III on the Horizon amazing deal I got. Also going to be doing FPV on the Rlarrlo Ak 917, it will be pretty sweet seeing over 100 miles an hour first hand. Also, just wanted to say keep up the good work.
Right on! Come tell me when you post a video of a speed run! I’ve had a tough time feeling comfortable over ~45mph as the potholes come out of nowhere haha!
Personally I'd mount the camera where the driver sits and mount it with springs under the screw places so it has some springiness to counter the bumpiness. But I'd like to have the real feeling as if I was driving this thing ;)
Hi Chadd, I'm struggling to achieve the same wiring as you did between the 4S LIPO and the 12v fan and the air unit. From what I understand, 14.8v is a bit too much for the 12v fan and you need to regulate the voltage. You said you made a video about that but cannot find it. And also, what about the capacitor at the end of your plug? Thanks Chadd. Thanks to you I will made my own fpv car too!
Right at 2:00 in this video you can see see a small 12v 3amp regulator. You can find them on eBay or Amazon (I’ll put them in the description later today). You can decipher how it’s wired if you pause the video and look closely. The air unit and the 12v fan have their power wires in parallel with each other (so they’re both getting power from the same place: the 12v regulator). The regulator is powered by the 4s LiPo in the car. The capacitor is on the power lead (it can be soldered to the regulator’s power input or the xt60).
But you can bypass all this, by using a small 3S battery to power the air unit and fan. If you’re using analog video, it’s actually a lot better to do it this way.
Thanks Man ! Waiting for the range test..
I think I’m going to put out the simple range test I got. I know I can crush 1km (pretty sure I can hit a mile) but I can’t find any place to actually do it at haha 🤙
how does the dji unit handle obstacles like houses? Ive heard higher frequencies will not penetrate as well as lower frequencies like 1.2g.
So DJI is amazing through buildings and trees, because it’s a digital protocol that basically rejects bad packets. 1.2ghz often has to compete with noise from other systems transmitting on a near frequency, which shows up as grainy or static video.
I am able to get way further through my neighborhood with 5.8ghz DJI that I can with 1.3ghz analog. It’s why my ground station vid has taken longer to make. I want to show that 1.3ghz can be good, but it’s genuinely harder to do that 🤙
@@ChaddRainsFPV how much power and what antenna gain do you have on your 1.3g setup? I hope you can get your 1.3 setup working good because i cant afford a dji system XD
@@lucasvanhamburg4937 1000mw, TrueRC singularity on tx and X-Air on the receiver, 40ft of separation between my ground station and my rc tx too. I tried everything (low pass filters, etc).
My area is just not good for 1.3 👎 But there are a lot of areas that are 🤙
@@ChaddRainsFPV did you try the tbs notch filter too? they say it helps with interference from crossfire. I think its very important to have a good quality 1.3 video receiver in order to filter out the noise, but 1.3 is so far behind in technology compared to 5.8. A lot of people recommend the RMRC receiver but it looks identical to the chinese 1.2 receivers so idk if its any better. Please let me know if you know about any other good brands that are making 1.3 stuff.
@@lucasvanhamburg4937 I have the RMRC and it is better. Also have the TBS notch filter. Actually 2 and they’re on a diversity setup with an Eagle Eyes (gotta goggle that one haha). But I’ve also used a repeater and got 40ft away from my 1.3ghz ground station. Still no dice.
The best system is definitely a Clearview 1.3ghz diversity receiver. No questions. It’s just pricey and It would still pick up noise from my area. I don’t normally talk about range for this exact reason. Range is completely dependent on your environment. They’re ‘typical’ range and there’s good and bad areas 🤙
Super cool stuff
Appreciate the comment, brother!
How do you manage to have such a huge reach? because I'm using a Dji o3 air unit but it doesn't capture as far as you.
You need 2 things: most important is the O3 has to be “armed” but an MSP signal. Normally you need a complicated Arduino or a specially programmed FC to do this for an rc car. But I released a product that does this automatically. You can find my video on it (released in Feb).
The 2nd thing is you need to be in FCC mode. I recommend just doing the “Ham File Hack” no matter what. But without the arm signal going to the O3 it will never go to full power even with the hack. Hope this helps 🤙
@@ChaddRainsFPV Thanks bro 👌
Very cool setup! Great choice of hardware and awesome build.
Nice build and I really enjoy that video style
Oh my god. I fell in love immediately!! I want to get rid of my money i use feeding my children! How much this whole build costs? 😂
I’ve gotten lucky my child is still on milk or I’d be broke! If you include the goggles and remote I’m over $1000. But this set of goggles and remote will last for years and all kinds of vehicles/aircraft. There is another video on my channel where I go over prices and different options to make one of your own. I hope you do it!
Hello nice video. Can i ask you how big range does have your controlling rc and camera fpv?
Thanks! The range on my RC link is miles, even on the ground. I’m sure it’s 60+ miles in the air and around 2 miles or so on the ground depending on the terrain.
My video range currently is 1km. That is my current record, which I hope to smash very soon 🤙
I wanna install a DJI 03 Air Unit w/camera on my Traxxas. Won’t need a receiver for my DJI FPV Controller 2. Shouldn’t need a separate VTX for my Goggles 2 either. Air Unit, fan, and power, right?
The O3 can only output SBUS so it’s not going to be able to control any rc car. So you’ll likely need a remote (I show how to use crossfire with cars in another video). Besides that tho, you’re right on the money! *I’d add a big capacitor or power from a separate battery as voltage spikes from cars are way more than 99% of FPV drones 🤙
@@ChaddRainsFPV The car is controlled by a separate remote, my bad. But the goggles 2 will connect and a separate power source could be utilized, along with a fan, right? Thanks for the info.
should do a complete build video and wiring diagram so i can make one as well.
Bro good job that's sick 💯💥
can do a video how the crosfire and remote work.?
I did a few months ago 🤙 Check it out - th-cam.com/video/TRsJF_JICR4/w-d-xo.html
is elrs better radio for car than crossfire?
ELRS is awesome, but it’s harder to use for a car and a ‘ground remote’. Crossfire modules accept a ppm signal automatically, so it works with the DSC port if your radio has one. ELRS is ‘air remote’ only, unless you’re okay with jumping through a few hoops 🤙
you're voice is so relaxing LMAO jus subscribed
Great vid. I’d like to get this set up inside of an scx6 honcho.
Your vids and information are invaluable, keep them coming! I just took out a 2nd mortgage for a DJI FPV Drone and a Traxxas XMaxx, although now I'm thinking I might add a Losi Lasernut to my RC garage. I'd like to see an FPV RC car or truck with a 3 axis gimbal. Has anyone done that yet? I could strap a Mavic to my XMaxx, but it's not quite the same.
Brother.. I hope you did not take a 2nd mortgage for some toys 😂😂 Ahh lol. Save your money on the Lasernut. It’s awesome but the center diff is just fragile. A 3 axis gimbal would be cool to look around with but most of the shakes come from a 4th axis (up and down - not pan, roll or tilt) . And you’ll need a 3rd mortgage and sell off a kidney to buy one of those 🙌😂
@@ChaddRainsFPV Thank you for the heads up, no Lasernut for me. Check out this vid with a wearable FeyiuTech 3 axis gimbal on a mountain bike rider ($170 on Amazon). Add a GoPro or similar action cam and you've got some pretty smooth footage. Making it FPV on an RC car or truck will take some ingenuity, but I'm sure it's doable. th-cam.com/video/cVdXV7tAx8M/w-d-xo.html
@@rango_unchained yo! I've got some vids up of a traxxas with 3 axis gimbal to stabilize the fpv cam. It works real good 👍😀👍
@@JIPPERR_1 I checked out some of your vids and subscribed. Good job!
Lovely dog great footage excellent handling informative description 👍...
Wow.. Thanks man, seriously. Made my day. 10/10 comment! 🙏
Got the hashiriya music with it lol. Great vid
Thanks brother. Glad someone appreciates the music! Takes me hours to choose a song ha
@@ChaddRainsFPV if you know the music you know lol. I have few vids on hash on my channel. Great work and car makes me want to do it
Great video! Can you send me a link on how to connect the power for the air unit? I’m doing a similar setup with additional head tracking hardware. It’s going on a TLR 22x4.
Nice! I actually just power the air units and vistas from the car’s battery, unless it’s 6s or higher. If it’s an O3 air unit I have to also add an arduino to unlock its full power output.
Be sure to add a fan no matter what system you’re using 🤙
Is the fan a cpu cooler?
Pretty much. It’s a 60mm 12v fan mounted on some m3 standoffs and a couple fan guards lol. A 12v step down regulator because the car is running 4s 🤙
Will you make an fpv speed boat too? I would love to see that! Great content BTW
Thanks man! A speed boat is hard as it *requires* a gimbal to have usable video. Big tires and soft suspension on a car gets you smooth enough video, but even the smallest waves are enough to make FPV boats tough.
I would kinda like to do a long range FPV boat with GPS tho 🤔
Really liking your setup. Love to see a range test; I've got the same setup and found the range (at 700mw) to be good, but nothing to write home about.
I have been trying to get to my spot to do a proper range test for weeks. If I crank it up to it’s max output power (using the naco script) and use the double axii antennas, I expect at least a KM. Will post as soon as I can get it together! 🤙
@@ChaddRainsFPV if you using max mw, so you turn off heat protection? Need info,
@@erlandfpv Yup, max mw and turn off heat protection. A fan is mandatory 🤙
Super vídeo my friend,and SUPER ideas 💡💡💡😀
Dude this is just so cool I just can't afford a nice one like that.
I’m making a video on a less expensive, but still good option. So many FPV RC cars just have a super cheap AIO slapped on it, and it’s not fun to go far because the video sucks on those.
Video coming soon with an inexpensive system and still decent performance 🤙
@@ChaddRainsFPV thanks man can't wait for it. I built a cheap fpv cam for my drone with a reciever plug for my phone. I really want to put it on a rc car but I want an affordable one that I can upgrade the motors and battery and all that.
@@dericklong6191 Ahh right on. I guess I can do a video like other one I did :how to FPV an rc car, but on a budget so I can give a bunch of different options. Thanks for the feedback 🤙
@@ChaddRainsFPV yea that would be great man thank you. Show some ideas on ways to upgrade affordable rc cars to run like the pros.
@@ChaddRainsFPV hey I just got a hyper go 4x4 rc truck for $100 and it's nice but I got the basic non brushless so I can do all the upgrades myself. Will I need GPS to do long range?
you seem to know what you are talking about and i have no knowledge with this so imm going to ask
if i was to take my rc car a zd-racing mt-16 and make it fpv what would i do
i want it to be able to go really far distances of like a mile in a town so in between houses and would also like it to not have a shaky footage the range of the controller would also need upgrading so what should i do?
it is also as budget as possible
I dig the enthusiasm!! You’ll have to decide though, because you asked for the hardest thing to do in FPV - RC car with a mile of range - and you want to do it as budget as possible. Those are two totally different things.
For example - I have nearly $2000 into my long range FPV car (if you count the goggles and controller). I cannot go a mile in town with it. But I have perfect HD video for a few blocks.
If you spent say, $500 on a 1.3ghz setup and used ELRS instead of Crossfire for your long range RC link, you may be able to get 1/2 a mile though a neighborhood. You’d also spend dozens of hours getting the system working correctly (ask me how I know haha).
You would also want a taller car. A 1/16 scale is a bit too low to the road to see a lot of bumps at speed and your tires are small as well so the bumps will shake the camera more. You could spend another couple hundred on a gimbal, but I haven’t played with that yet.
Your best bet with that car is to do some short range bashing and try to get around your block. That is the first start. Not the hardest thing in the hobby 🤙
You should do a video of how your wired your vtx to power that’s the most important part
Absolutely! I’m doing a series now that goes over every detail. Will get my next video out in a week or so!
Holy shit, your manner of speech is mesmerizing
Please how did you power the vtx??? That is tht is what I’m trying to figure out and I can’t find it no where on youtube
It’s best to power your vtx from a separate battery, not the one your car is powered from. Drones don’t have as much noise as RC cars so it’s not common on aircraft. But RC cars need fans and usually separate power for the VTX.
I will get into more detail in other videos, but if you check close in the stuff I’ve posted, you can see that the negative and positive for the vtx go to the negative and positive of the fan. If you’re using a 12v fan and a 3S LiPo for power you’re all set 🤙
@@ChaddRainsFPV omggg thank you so much
dude thats so cool!... I wanna try it but, how did you unlock the dji air unit out of low power mode without a flight controller
The older air units don’t need to be unlocked, unless they’re being used with Goggles2 or Integras.
But I do use the O3 now, and I am working on releasing my first product very soon (with a friend’s help) called the O3 Armer!
I sell a prototype version with a custom wire harness for $50 that works great, but it’s kind of big. If you can find my email you can buy one from me, or just wait till I release the full version!
@@ChaddRainsFPVok cool good info to know ,I'm subscribed looking fwd to the product release!
Where’s the link for the camera mount?
Hey Thanks I forgot to post it! www.thingiverse.com/thing:4903124
I'll put it in the comments too 🤙
Where do you get the fan case from?
The fan case is something I made with m4 screws, 60mm fan shrouds and some standoffs. Really cheap and all the parts on eBay 🤙
Second best FPV RC truck! 😅 just kidding great job 😉💯👍👍
i have the v2's ....i gotta try this, very cool
❤️ for the puppy!
When I use DJI O3 on RC Car, it always in STANDBY MODE, LOW POWER. how to fix it?
Please help 😢
I have a product called the O3 Armer. It’s for sale at ProgressiveRC, RaceDayQuads and GetFPV. That’s what you need 🤙
hey chad, im just wondering where you got the esc fan and cage set up for the dji air unit. started in drones and now building a fpv lasernut. can u give a list for the dji air unit mount with the fan grill and standofffs. i have all the other components to get it going . thanks Tim D
Hey Tim,
I built the cage and fan setup for the air unit with standoffs from an old drone and a 60mm 12v fan from eBay (fan grills as well). Super easy to make, just look up m3 standoffs if you don’t have any and just get creative.
You could even use some 5v fans and plug them right into the receiver if getting 12v is tough (I wired in a step-down regulator). Good luck!
@@ChaddRainsFPV I need somebody like you to build me one that will go inside 8" plastic pipe to check for leaks With a range of about 800' Maybe not quite as decked out as yours but on a smaller scale
@@buddie2878 it would have to be tethered. You just can’t trust radio frequencies to go that far when basically underground.
I could design something like that, but it would be expensive. Do you know how to find my email?
@@ChaddRainsFPV No sir I do not
@@buddie2878 if you are serious about building something like this you can message me via Instagram- chadd.rainsfpv
If not no worries 🤙
Have you experimented with wing flight controllers? I'm building a rig like yours but want lots of accessories like head tracking, gps, osd etc. I'm going to try the Matek F405-WMN.
You lose the ability to brake properly when tuning your signal through an FC. I have yet to get it to work. I’ve ran manual mode in iNav. It doesn’t seem to work.
An FC isn’t necessary for head tracking and there are some options to get GPS in the OSD without it. In all honesty I have never once been lost with my cars. It would have been nice to have battery voltage but I just made a massive battery that runs for like 45 minutes lol 🤙
@@ChaddRainsFPV ahh yes, definitely need brakes. Hopefully the iNav devs keep working on the rover settings. Might have a little chat with them. Until then, will check out the other options. cheers
Update. I got the Spektrum Firma esc working perfectly in inav. There is not much flexibility in setting the neutral position, so pistol grip style transmitters probably wouldn't work. However, I'm using my TX16S with forward/reverse mapped to right stick and steering is yaw on the left stick. Feels very natural, like flying a quad or heli.
Had to tweak a few things in inav. In cli set max throttle to 2000 then refine neutral position in outputs menu. Also had to move my neutral subtrim up about 30 points on transmitter to match the centre of neutral in inav. All of this needs to be done before the FC would even arm.
Last thing to do is calibrate the esc and you're all set :) My build is nearing completion. Just waiting on a longer ufl to sma extension cable so it doesn't yank on the vtx if I roll over.
@@bluemeanie6395 Dude that is awesome!! Thanks for update!! So, just to be clear you did get braking to work without any issues (like it engaging reverse instead of braking)?
That would be a huge deal as it would allow us to finally just us an FC (in manual mode) and get all the cool options like OSD, etc.
@@ChaddRainsFPV yeah brakes work fine then return to neutral and pull back for reverse. I have my osd showing speed, top speed and distance travelled. As well as all the usual power info. Maybe the amp meet will blow up. I'll just bypass it if this happens
Nice work..
Wow very cool I'd like to see exactly how you built it. That would be a great video from the absolutely beginning to the absolute end. Also with the parts list of what model camera what power source? What battery types of cable sauter sautering gun light is light ballast for the lights also the fan power mountain.
I will be making a lot more how to’s on this as soon as I can. Got a few other vids in the lineup but will get the FPV RC Car stuff back in the loop ASAP! 🤙
How much would it cost to make 1 HD car that is durable and not as fast maybe meant for flat track in the mall
Goggles are ~$500 - Video tx and camera are ~$170. Upgraded Antennas - $60 - remote - $80 (plus crossfire for extra range -$180) and then whichever car you like. Let’s say a Rustler. Average car and pretty durable. Price varies a bit but let’s just say $300 for a decent car.
Hope this helps 🤙
Hey, Chad! I’m putting a Caddx Nebula Pro/DJI system in my RC8 and need a wiring diagram. Can you tell me what regulator you used to pull power from your battery? And did you use a flight controller as well? Thanks!
Whatsup man! So I am not using a flight controller so it’s really easy to wire it. There is a Vin (voltage in) and ground pads right on the vista unit. Solder to those and put them straight to a 12v regulator (rated to at least 3 amps, just to be safe). Also power the fan you use on your Caddx vista (this is mandatory, the unit cannot stay cold enough on a car. I’ve tested for years lol).
Make sure to run an extra big capacitor on the *input of the regulator to help keep voltage spike out. Use a 1000uf 35v for 6s, 1000uf 25v for 4s, 16v for 2s etc.
Good luck dude come tell me how it goes 🤙
@@ChaddRainsFPV Thanks, brother. Just ordered a 12v regulator and 1farad cap. I’d like to be able to use the OSD and jailbreak the transmitter to output 1,200 watts (for longer distance). I believe I’d need to use the RX and TX cables to do so. Do you have any experience with those things?
@@CritCraft For sure! The 1200mw hack is pie, just find a video from Mads Tech about the naco file and put it in your goggles.
If you want to wire the vista up to an FC you prob don’t need a regulator. There are 9v pads on most FCs these days. Just take the tx from the vista and wire it to an rx pad on the fc, then the rx pad from the vista to the tx pad on the FC (they need to be the same UART). Plenty videos online for that, tho.
You will need to turn off temp control on the vista as you won’t be able to ‘arm’ the fc. Your rc receiver should bypass the fc as you will lose your brakes if you run your channels through the fc (you will retain forward and reverse- its a pain I’ve been dealing with for a while). So the OSD ends up only being good for car voltage and maybe 1 or 2 other things. I’ve found it to be more trouble than it’s worth 🤙
Very sweet set up!!! I'm looking at doing a super small set up nothing like your but it's just for my modified scx24 rock hopper buggy au it has to be micro and even with the monster motor in it now it's still just 1/24 scale so I won't be driving the neighborhood but trail driving and rock hopping fromy chair at the camp sites will be sick.
Hell yeah dude! Come say watsup if you ever post some videos of it and I’ll check it out 🤙
Nice video bro!! I can't wait to get into FPV myself!!!
Thanks! FPC RC cars has to be the best stupid fun there is, especially when you got a few buddies rolling with you 🤙
Good intro. Bought you a new sub :)
Ayeee thank you!!! I do try do the videos up a little bit when I do a How To or story haha 🤙
Holy crap! A crossfire?! This bad boy is getting some range with all this. 6km with DJI system alone. Nice. I am going to try this out. Thank for sharing this.
Full parts list available?
Absolutely! I just updated the description for most of my RC car videos to have all my gear! Thanks for the comment!
Also, I feel like I should mention: this setup has brought me out over 1km so far but I’m sure I can make it a mile. It would be insane to reach 6km but if you had the right circumstances it definitely could 🤙
Want to buy one
Great video man!
Man if only i can buy it all set up
where i can see build it self?
well done!!
Thank you! I’m working on more How To videos that should go over the builds a bit better. I have an older one on my channel that should help you choose components and this video that is the build overview.
I also have a crazy project in the works but it won’t be done for a while haha
@@ChaddRainsFPV subscribed to u.