RVVQX4-1 Build

Almost ready to test fly it. I am also curious. It actually replaces some of my existing stuff.

I'm going to use a transmitter tray for my Futaba 14SG radio. I got these parts from Secraft. They are really nicely finished.

I've partially assembled the tray and test fitted the transmitter. Here are some photos.

Wow - That's quite a contraption! I'd like to see what it looks like in use. I went to their site and couldn't find a picture of anyone actually using it. Sure a lot of nice machine work on that thing.

...Tiger

This setup is really nice. It will hold all my gear so I won't need a separate ground station. What's not shown (yet) is the Lightbridge and the tablet mounted. Everything has it's own place. There is a two point harness instead of a single point neck strap. It is very comfortable to wear.

Here is the DJI Lightbridge mounted.

I mounted the DJI Lightbridge antennas to see how they will fit.

I test mounted the Nexus 7 android based tablet but have not yet done any wiring.

That's not a case, this is a case.

Speech-less!!!! WOW is the only thing my brain will produce ----
That first finger print or scratch will be devastating!!!

Awesome looking, but does it work? Have you flown that thing yet John? You were talking about putting it on your quad. Did that happen yet?

...Tiger

Just catching up on this, nice project! Interested to see the Lightbridge thing, nice tablet, Nexus 7 is the best.

@LEM504 - Thank you. I'm not worried about scratching the case.

@Tiger - Thank you. Nope, I've been too busy to work on it other than get some more parts together. I think I am going to use the ESC mounting method you suggested using a plate. Would you be interested in CNC machining a plate for me?

@Pelagic Pilot - Thank you. I got both a iPad mini and the Nexus 7 for this project. DJI does not make all the apps for both platforms.

Here is another photo showing the size of the new case better. The entire Futaba 14SG case fits easily inside.

John - I can't remember exactly what we talked about. Maybe we can meet at McD's some afternoon and talk about it. That's sure a cute little Futaba case. It makes the big case look even bigger.

...Tiger

@Tiger - Sure, let me know when it suits you.

John, can someone log in to the lightbridge thing on the aircraft to watch video, as in, you fly a mile over to me, I watch the quads video on my cell phone. Or is the feed only available at the pilot control station?

@Pelagic Pilot - As far as I know you need a paired ground station unit to view the video. The signal is encrypted.

@Pelagic Pilot - I found this diagram on the DJI Lightbridge page. Below is a link to that page with further information.





DJI Lightbridge Page:
http://www.dji.com/product/dji-lightbridge

Getting closer.

While wiring my DJI light bridge ground station to my Futaba 14SG I discovered that whenever the cable connecting the 14SG to the DJI Lightbridge ground station the Futaba 14SG powers on. The DJI Lightbridge connects to the Futaba 14SG via the trainer port.

Although this may be a good feature for using the trainer port as a trainer port in which case the cable is only periodically connected, it is not good for me because I do not want to have to plug and un-plug the trainer cable since my DJI Lightbridge is permanently attached to the Futabe 14SG transmitter tray.

I found out that the reason the 14SG powers on is because pins 4 and 5 are bridged inside the Futaba trainer cable connector. It was relatively easy to pry open the Futaba FF9 connector and un-solder the bridge. The Futaba FF9 connector housing snaps together with three small tabs that can be opened with a small flat jewelers screwdriver.

Here is a diagram showing the Futaba FF9 connector and the bridged pins. I have also included a male and female mini phone plug diagram in case you want to make your own adapter cables.

NOTE: Remember to turn off your Futaba 14SG RF radio when using the DJI Lightbridge. You do this by holding RTN when you power on the transmitter then selecting RF OFF.