drones
FPV Cameras For Drones:
An Introduction
W
hat pilots see while flying
drones is the low-latency
analogue video from a first-
person view (FPV) camera. FPV camera
is a compact and lightweight module
mounted on the drone that broadcasts
real-time video back down to the pilot
with the help of a dedicated video
transmitter module. Here are the things
T.K. Hareendran
is founder to consider when equipping your drone
and promoter with an FPV camera.
of TechNode
Protolabzan
electronics R&D Lab FPV system overview
First-person view, also called video
piloting, means flying the drone from
the perspective of a true pilot by using
an onboard video camera and wireless
downlink. In the last couple of years,
various vendors have started to sell kits
that contain the minimum FPV system
components needed to outfit a drone for
FPV flight. First, let us go through the
various components that you need to
upgrade/build a drone for FPV use.
Video camera. FPV cameras use
either an inexpensive complementary
Fig. 1: FPV drone
22 october 2017 | electronics For You
metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) or a
bit pricey charge-coupled device (CCD)
image sensor. The image sensor of the
camera fundamentally affects its perfor-
mance. Also note that a camera with a
wide input voltage range offers flexibility
when wiring the FPV system.
Video transmitter. Video transmitter
takes the analogue signal from the camera
and sends it out through an omnidirec-
tional antenna. As the video transmitter
is typically designed to work in one of
several frequency bands, usually a chan-
nel selector switch is provided on the
transmitter to set the exact frequency for
video signal transmission.
Video receiver. Video receiver with an
appropriate antenna is a vital component
of the ground station. Output of the video
receiver is fed to a portable video display
(small-screen video monitor, or video gog-
gles). Usually, standard lithium polymer
(Li-Po) batteries are used as the power
source for the video receiver and monitor
in all ground stations.
FPV camera insights
Image sensor. The image quality of CCD
cameras is undoubtedly better than CMOS.
However, CMOS cameras are cheaper than
CCD, and provide good enough perfor-
mance for most FPV applications.
Latency. The time between a stimulus
and the response is called latency. It re-
flects the processing speed of the camera.
Faster processing lowers the latency, and
an FPV camera with a latency of less than
40ms is a standard choice.
Field of view. Expressed as an angle, it
is a measure of how much the camera can
see around. Usually, for FPV applications,
having a wider field of view is better as it
allows you to see more around you. How-
ever, this can sometimes show distorted
images with curved horizons.
TVL resolution. TV line (TVL) is a
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measure of the cameras horizontal
resolution. Cameras with a high
TVL resolution can capture highly
detailed images. Most FPV cameras
work on analogue video, and thats
why the measurement is in TVL,
rather than actual pixel counts com-
mon with digital video. Common
TVL resolutions for FPV cameras are
20, 480, 600, 800 and 1000.
Aspect ratio. There are two com-
mon aspect ratios to choose from,
4:3 and 16:9. While selecting, keep
an eye on the native aspect ratio of
your FPV monitor/goggles. This is
crucial because if you have a 4:3
camera but 16:9 display, the image
appears debased, and if you have a
16:9 camera but 4:3 display, the im-
age appears crushed.
Video encoding. PAL or NTSC?
Actually, its not a big issue as both
PAL and NTSC encoding standards
are supported by most FPV gears.
PAL offers higher resolution, while
NTSC allows higher frame rate. So
if you want to have good-quality
pictures, consider PAL.
WDR. The wide dynamic range
(WDR) of an FPV camera dictates
how well the camera can record
details in very dark and very bright
portions of the image. Nowadays
most FPV cameras have wide dy-
namic range by default.
OSD. An on-screen display
(OSD) device overlays text/data
onto the camera footage. So it can
display highly useful information
such as the flight speed, altitude,
distance and battery status on the
FPV display screen.
MIC. Sound is a big part of the
FPV flying experience, so if you
have an FPV camera with built-in
microphone you get many benefits.
For example, you can hear the
throttle response even when you are
far away.
IR filter/LEDs. As with almost
all other camera types, FPV cameras
have an infrared (IR) filter built into
them to block out any infrared light
from reaching the camera sensor.
24 october 2017 | electronics For You
drones
Fig. 2: An FPV camera module
Fig. 3: FPV transmitter and receiver modules
Fig. 4: FPV video monitor and goggles
Fig. 5: FPV on-screen display
Fig. 6: FPV camera with MIC and IR LEDs
However, there are some odd situ-
ations when you want to have an
infrared-sensitive camera, especially
at low light levels. So if you want
to fly when its darker, look for a
starlight FPV camera, which has a
very low lux sensitivity and hence
can work in very low lighting condi-
tions. As an alternative, you can try
a standard FPV camera fitted with
some infrared light-emitting diodes
(IRLEDs) on its front side.
There are some exceptional 3D
FPV cameras, too. In principle, a
3D FPV camera is a perfect blend of
two FPV cameras to make the illu-
sion of an actual flight.
Other things to consider
In the market, you can find sev-
eral FPV drones with cameras and
video transmitters already installed,
and video displays built right into
the radio-controllers. However, by
selecting your own airborne and
ground station components, you
can put together a much higher
performing and flexible drone rig
that grows with you as you move
on to bigger ones. Well, here is
some other practical information
about the supporting components
of an FPV camera.
Radio frequency and channel.
FPV transmitter frequency is the
most important thing to consider.
Nowadays most FPV equipment run
on 5.8GHz, as it is allowed for FPV
use in most parts of the globe. Also
5.8GHz antennae are much smaller,
which makes 5.8GHz transmitters
cheaper and easier to use. You can
also use 2.4GHz band. However,
since almost all radio-controlled
(RC) equipment run on 2.4GHz, you
will receive lots of interference in
this band.
Today, its common to find
32-channel (32CH) and even
40-channel (40CH) FPV transmit-
ters. Having a multiple-channel FPV
transmitter is useful when flying
with other FPV pilots, as each pilot
can fly on a different frequency
and hence your FPV video will not
interfere with theirs. Note that each
transmitter has a frequency table
that lists the channels, bands and
corresponding frequencies.
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Fig. 7: Nerdcam 3D FPV camera
Also, it is very important to
ensure that the FPV transmitter is
compatible with the FPV receiver,
monitor or goggles. Fortunately,
todays 40-channel transmitters are
compatible with almost all FPV
receivers, monitors and goggles.
Antenna. The type of anten-
nae used can make or break an
FPV system. Although the antenna
that comes with the transmitter/
receiver will work well, you need to
use a lightweight circularly polar-
ised antenna to get a long range
and clear reception. Else, go for the
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drones
components that oper-
ate at the same voltage
level, it will be easier for
you to wire the system
straight to a suitable
LiPo battery supply.
If the camera and
other components need
different voltages, or the
airborne electrical sys-
tem delivers a dissimilar
voltage, it becomes
necessary to use sepa-
rate voltage regulator
modules for each device.
A wide variety of mi-
niscule DC-DC step-up
Fig. 8: FPV camera and transmitter setup (airborne) (boost) and step-down
(buck) regulator mod-
type recommended by the radio ules are available for these purposes.
module manufacturer. Once you learn to handle diverse
Electric power. Typically, video components that make up a basic
transmitters and receivers operate FPV, and build a functioning system
off 3.3V to 5V/12V DC supply. Many with them, you are ready for your
FPV cameras also have the same first ground test and maiden flight.
operating voltage range. By using Go, fly it!
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