The RC Transmitter That Does Everything

[Demetris] sent in a project he’s been working on over the last year. It’s called the Open Source Radio Control, and promises to be a modular platform for every imaginable remote control transmitter need. If you’d like to control a bipedal android or a 3D aerobatic model plane, the OSRC can do it while transmitting video from the cockpit down to your hands.

Last summer, we caught wind of the OSRC project to build an extensible and open source remote control radio that would do anything; from displaying video from the cockpit to serving as the brain of a UAV rig, the OSRC promised to do everything.

A fully decked out OSRC can be had for about $1400, putting it in the upper echelon of remote control radios. For that price, though, you get a fully customizable radio with your choice of shoulder buttons and a 4.8 inch LCD that receives a video feed from the cockpit of your favorite model. The base unit starts out around $700; still very expensive for a remote control radio, but reasonable when you consider all the possible upgrades.

[Demetris] and the rest of the team put together an outrageously long yet surprisingly beautiful video showing off a few features of the OSRC. You can check that out after the break.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFLBz7TAvAc&w=470]

24 thoughts on “The RC Transmitter That Does Everything

    1. I had to pause after a minute after I saw that the video was getting nowhere. I’ve read the Article again and then the comments. Good thing I stumbled upon your comment and could skip the crap.

  1. this is absolutly the worst product video i’ve ever seen. Okay it’s open source so the resources are limited, but comon i want to see the transmitter, not someone’s life story!!

  2. I’ve been enjoying my morning coffee with hackaday for the last 2 years now and it has never failed to bring a smile on my face. Having a place like hack a day to show your work to the public is priceless to the DIT/tinkerer/hacker community. I was very proud when one of my projects was featured, knowing that somewhere someone was having their morning coffee and seeing my own project. Please keep doing what your doing, nothing more nothing less, it’s just right!

  3. That’s not Open Source.. i can’t find schematics I can’t find source code etc.. Only price and where to buy..someone made free commercial for himself. Very disappointed…and quite angry..hate people when they make money out of fraud..open source..yeah right…free..right…

  4. The product itself (judging by the glossy still pics) *looks* fabulous but the promotional video doesn’t focus on the product at all. To me it makes no sense and actually just makes me assume that it’s going to be overpriced and under-featured.

    Marketing fail, I’m afraid. Try again and no doubt you’ll have much greater impact on us sceptical hackers :)

    1. Well that’s kind of… not good. I’d expect a simple, straight answer at that point.

      Then again, it is possible that they’re waiting on some paperwork tied up somewhere. I’m more willing to believe that bureaucracy is slow than any sort of malice.

  5. “Since as you might imagine, OSRC is not comprised of one or two PCB’s and a schematic file for it, the entire project consists of archives that are occupying more than 10 GB of space on each OSRC developers workstation, so it is only reasonable that before anything is posted it is properly organized & revised for the public in a comprehensive and user friendly format.” Sounds reasonable, but the posting of the video was premature given the above quote of GizmoMan. In regards to the video many of use experience buffering while while viewing videos at you-tube worse than we experience while viewing video from other sites. No matter where one chooses to place video it certainly has to be a good idea to cut to the chase of what it is that you hope to tell the public,as you would if you where paying for the bandwidth,crybaby? I have been called worse.

    1. so in the end it IS a repackaged overpriced cellphone + few radio modules, sold to end users with NO CE/FCC certificates, and promoted as Open Source while NO open source/documentation is given?

      Nice HAD, niiiice

  6. This project reeks of failure. Too many projects
    going on the main site- a real lack of communication
    or explaining the exact value proposition.

    I shouldn’t have to use my imagination when
    getting pitched a new project.

    The only “benefit” I see here is some 1 time savings
    in wiring and soldering.
    Something I could pay someone to do.

    I still think the RC controller is an outdated input
    system. Why can’t someone just do software for
    an IPAD with a hardware box for the TX/RX?

  7. This is definitely a project which I’ve put on my watchlist.

    Having force feedback at my sticks is a feature I’m dreaming of since years. This finally might come true.

    Having a open hardware platform, like it is promised by OSRC, will help to realize tons of nice ideas. Programming might get a significant part for some people during one of their next projects.

    I hope this is the start of a very successful project.

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