DJI Phantom Upgrades

After buying a DJI Phantom 1 quadcopter and learning to fly last fall, I’ve spent the winter adding upgrades to the quad to improve the quality of video.

First I installed the DJI H3-2D gimbal for the GoPro Hero 3.  The gimbal mounts beneath the quadcopter, isolates the GoPro from vibrations generated by the motors and props, and helps to smooth out the resulting video footage.

To see the GoPro’s aerial view in real-time from the quadcopter, I installed the RC Logger 5.8 GHz video transmitter and receiver set.  The transmitter mounts beneath the quadcopter and receives video from the GoPro.  The live GoPro video feed is sent to a combination video receiver/LCD monitor mounted on the Phantom radio controller.  Very cool!!

I also installed the Skylark Trace IV OSD (on screen display data display) to show GPS satellites connected, speed, altitude, heading, and most important – battery voltage remaining.  This flight data is transmitted from the Phantom to the LCD monitor via the RC Logger video link separate from the video recorded onboard the GoPro.  Some soldering involved with this addition, but nothing too complicated.

Finally, I installed the Futaba 14SG radio control transmitter with the Futaba R7008SB receiver mounted in the Phantom for a more customizable flying experience.  Instructions from TheDiveO blog proved invaluable to completing the receiver installation and programming the Futaba 14SG for use with the Phantom.

Now it’s time to calibrate and test!