The world of drones and FPV remote-controlled aircraft is rapidly expanding, airframes are getting bigger, and the demand for even cooler AV gear is higher than ever. [elad] got his hands on a Sony block camera that is able to zoom in on a scene – great if you want to get close to the action while still flying a safe distance away. Controlling the zoom on these cameras is usually done through RS232, but [elad] made it work with an RC transmitter.
The camera [elad] is using is a Sony FCB-EX11D block camera with a standard SD resolution sensor. This camera has 10x optical zoom, making it a great solution to aerial surveillance, the only problem being the RS232 connection and the VISCA protocol. [elad] used an Arduino to listen in on the elevator channel from an RC receiver, translating that to something the camera will understand. The result is a controllable zoom on a camera that could easily take to the skies.
The entire camera package, with Arduino and electronics included, weighs in at about 100 grams. That’s about the same as a GoPro, and would fit perfectly on a camera gimbal. The only problem is getting a transmitter with enough channels or someone else to operate the camera while flying. Video below.
Those cameras are HD……
530 TV lines equate to about 720×480.. barely in the HD range.
720×480 is not in the HD range, is it? I thought the minimum for anything is 720 *vertical*, meaning 1280×720 for widescreen. 720×480 would be 480p
“The camera [elad] is using is a Sony FCB-EX11D block camera with a standard SD resolution sensor.”
Crap I was thinking of the FCB-H11…My bad..
Yep, the FCB-H11 is HD.. I’ve implemented the VISCA protocol to be used along with a brushless gimbal system. Unfortunately for a company so I can’t show the code :/
I know what you mean man. So many projects I’d like to show off, but I can’t, because it’s for a client or company.
can you please tell me how to connect camera with Arduino uno
That’s a mode 2 transmitter, so the channel is throttle, not elevator.
The documentation says elevator, and either way it doesn’t really matter.
So it is “elevator channel” as in control surface, not “elevator channel” as in Muzak…
B^)
it was just for testing later i switched it to elev channel
which doesnt make any difference since anyhow you’ll need
to calibrate it to your remote in case you dont use the same equipment
but if you use the same equipment then you should connect it to elev ch
Ah-hah
How about something watching your eyes for squinting which would become zoom value?
That would be cool! Even better: eye movements controlling gimbal, and one closed eye controlling zoom
too bad it’s a CCD camera.
CCD vs what?
CMOS
Isn’t CCD better?