Other devices possible on camera socket ?

[and7barton]

This is a question about my Syma X5C-1. Is it possible to unplug and remove the camera and control another device from the power socket ? - Say, bomb release mechanism, spotlight, a folding undercarriage........ a parachute or other experimental ideas ?
The camera has three leads. I presume the black one is a common return and the other two are live feeds - one a continuous feed (when triggered), for video...... the other a momentary feed for still shots ?
If you have a device fitted on that only requires a momentary trigger to operate, then you could still have the camera available for video. Has anyone experimented with this possibility on a Syma, or any other quadcopter for that matter ?

 

[Wildwelder]

Actually a kid in the next town over from me put a .45 on one and his father rigged a flamethrower. Legallity is an issue but to answer your question, alot can be imagined when you wire up a servo or two. Get a voltmeter and see what you have to work with and go crazy. Just, well , you know..... be careful!

 

[Gyro Doctor]

Interesting proposal.

If you know electronics and how to rig a monitoring circuit, "watching" the camera's wiring then yes, you can "piggyback"onto those wires
to trigger any added-on device you like.

Depending upon the nature of the add-on (momentary operation versus on/off operation) you would need either just a trigger circuit
( for momentary operation ) or a slightly more complicated circuit consisting of: A trigger circuit, a latch circuit, and a toggle circuit.
Upon sensing the momentary trigger pulse the latch circuit would hold the "on position" active after the trigger pulse is gone.
The toggle circuit would turn the add-on back off upon sensing the next trigger pulse.

These functions are relatively easily obtained by the implementation of what is know as either an "RS" or "JK" "Flip Flop" which is a small
IC Chip with only four or six pins on them, as well as a couple of transistors, a few resistors, and a few capacitors

 

[and7barton]

I presume the black lead is a common return. Then there's a red and a yellow....... one for still shots and one for video ? Does anyone know which one has which function ?

 

[Chuck]

I presume the black lead is a common return. Then there's a red and a yellow....... one for still shots and one for video ? Does anyone know which one has which function ?

The JJRC H25G uses a similar connection for it's FPV camera. But considering the thin wire gauge involved, I question how much current draw the circuit could tolerate to close a momentary relay and trigger a function.

 

[ArmyVet]

I am considering using my old 72 mhz RC radios just for this purpose.

I remove my camera/gimbal and attach my 72 MHz reciever and one servo! Voila! No mess no fuss.
I need it for a one time on off operation. So a small capacity battery would suffice. Or maybe tap into the Phantom battery.

Bombs away!

 

[mozquito1]

If the cam only runs on 3.7v,then that's all you going to get. I'm not that good as to say you could just use that for a switch or power whatever from the main battery. Maybe rig something with a 3.7v servo arm to make a contact, if you can find one. If it's one of them toy quad cameras, I think they on all time.
So your going find this tricky.

 

[Chuck]

Actually a kid in the next town over from me put a .45 on one and his father rigged a flamethrower. Legallity is an issue but to answer your question, alot can be imagined when you wire up a servo or two. Get a voltmeter and see what you have to work with and go crazy. Just, well , you know..... be careful!

.45 Cal. pistols and flamethrowers are definitely dangerous in the wrong hands. Even with responsible persons doing this under carefully-controlled conditions, I strongly recommend not publishing a "how to" guide for accomplishing this. As there are way too many out there that would use this capability for stupid purposes at the least, and hostile/destructive ones at worst. If you get it to work, photos of your accomplishment will be good enough.

 

[ArmyVet]

.45 Cal. pistols and flamethrowers are definitely dangerous in the wrong hands. Even with responsible persons doing this under carefully-controlled conditions, I strongly recommend not publishing a "how to" guide for accomplishing this. As there are way too many out there that would use this capability for stupid purposes at the least, and hostile/destructive ones at worst. If you get it to work, photos of your accomplishment will be good enough.

Very true!

I am just going to soften up the area first with a little napalm.

 

[mozquito1]

.45 Cal. pistols and flamethrowers are definitely dangerous in the wrong hands. Even with responsible persons doing this under carefully-controlled conditions, I strongly recommend not publishing a "how to" guide for accomplishing this. As there are way too many out there that would use this capability for stupid purposes at the least, and hostile/destructive ones at worst. If you get it to work, photos of your accomplishment will be good enough.

Hey chuck, you think I'm bad. Do you think registration will stop this stupidity. If it was true that is. .
Could the masters of this universe add some drone related emojis please.

 

[Chuck]

Very true!

I am just going to soften up the area first with a little napalm.

Oh, hell. You might as well mix up some Clorox bleach with powered cleanser, and create your own home made chemical munitions while you're at it. Gas your neighbors. They oughtta get a blast outta that!!!

 

[ArmyVet]

I think bleach and ammonia is the short cut............much easier. If, I remember my high school chemistry.

My closest neighbors are about 1/4 mile away. Hence the need for a delivery vehicle............hehehe

 

[Chuck]

I think bleach and ammonia is the short cut............much easier. If, I remember my high school chemistry.

My closest neighbors are about 1/4 mile away. Hence the need for a delivery vehicle............hehehe

It'll be a "shortcut" alright, if you're not wearing a gas mask when you do it. Nice knowing ya'....

 

[ArmyVet]

I think maybe yaya is having a bad influence on me.....haha

I will return you to your regular scheduled program.

 

[yay]

"dazzler" laser pointer capsule didn't hommeboy's f3 flight board posted in a recent thread have like 4unused pwm pins on it as well as the outs for the motor?

 

[Gyro Doctor]

If the cam only runs on 3.7v,then that's all you going to get. I'm not that good as to say you could just use that for a switch or power whatever from the main battery. Maybe rig something with a 3.7v servo arm to make a contact, if you can find one. If it's one of them toy quad cameras, I think they on all time.
So your going find this tricky.

A servo actuated by the camera's wiring would certainly be a simple way to run a mechanical switch or make home made electrical contact points close, and that switch could
control pretty much anything added on, via either the quad's main battery or an auxiliary battery but the added weight for such a setup would be cumbersome. If I can find the time
at some point I'll create and post a circuit that will do the same thing and only weigh probably about a gram. It would require soldering skills to assemble the circuitry (above the basic skill level typically associated with quad construction) but the end result would be a very small circuit board that would use the camera's triggers to control any addon imaginable

 

[Gyro Doctor]

... Rather than reinvent the wheel, I found this useful little pcb from our friends at Pololu.

It works on voltages from 2.2vdc- 30vdc and will handle up to 90 amps !
https://www.pololu.com/product/2808

Combined with any small optoisolator in place of the switch, one could drive the oi's led with the quad's battery pack
(don't forget a current limiting resistor so as to not blow the led) and deliver some monster power through the latch from the
addon's battery.

I used a similar setup once to fire air to air missiles from one of my RC airplanes many years ago

 

[yay]

fcb board on the e011 for example has two sets of unused pins.. four for i guess software and another three that are i believe for a camera omitted from the model.. labeled "sx/+/-"

haven't pulled the radio apart yet to see if there are pins there to slop a button in (or if s/w doesn't support these pins). i'm saying, could be way easier than coopting teh camera.

 

[Gyro Doctor]

could be way easier than coopting teh camera.

True enough, IF those unused pins are even activatable by the receiver at all, but my focus was more on the way to provide power switching
from any source of trigger pulse (including the known working camera pulse) for a push-on/push-off function to activate what ever extraneous
gadget is being used.

Having a one inch square, 3 gram pcb that can handle 90 amps for under $10 seems like the best answer to the OP's original question.

 

[yay]

well as long as it seems that way,

"being the most dominant body of the solar system i am the earth star decade is null"