What is an FPV, AIO Cam?
An FPV AIO Cam is a small component that combines a camera, a video transmitter (VTx) and an antenna. This component only needs a power source and you can already receive the signal with FPV goggles .
Such a tiny camera can then be glued to all sorts of things and see the world from their perspective. If you can now control the whole thing (like race models or threats) you have a real “first-person perspective” experience.
How do I connect an FPV AIO Cam to a drone?
It is enough to connect the cam sufficiently safe with the drone. “Sure enough” means here: It should not be able to slip or change its angle. Sometimes it is sufficient to attach the cam with a rubber band, sometimes help mounts specifically for the cam were built. The AIO cams are quite light, usually between 2 and 6 grams.
Where does the Cam get electricity from?
It is also not necessary to somehow connect an FPV AIO Cam to the drone. You can equip the camera with its own power supply, eg an S1 Lipo battery. That’s what we did with our DJI Mavic Air FPV.
But if you want to upgrade a tiny drone like the Eachine E010 to such an “all-in-one” camera as a real FPV drone, you need to tap the drone power supply, because the drone will not have enough power for another battery.
Probably the best-known AIO system is the Eachine TX03 ( Banggood)
The next generation: FPV AIO with DVR
A very exciting development: There are now FPV AIO Cams with integrated HD video recorder (DVR – Digital Video Recorder). Then you put a small MicroSD in the AIO Cam and can take the picture with much better quality than it receives on the goggles.
For big threats, you usually use either a GoPro Session, Foxeer Box or a RunCam Split (for the latter, the same lens/camera is used for both FPV feed and HD recording => ladder than with extra). Camera).
Now it’s also available in AIO format, and the Eachine DVR03 weighs just under 7 grams. This makes it almost possible to build the whole thing on a Tiny-Whoop and record the flight adventure in a beer garden, kitchen, and office in HD quality! 😍
Unfortunately, the output of the FPV feed suffers somewhat from the recording. If the DVR is activated, you will not have as many FPS (frames per second) as normal.
And yet I’ll get the thing well – I have the guts to record a flight with a mini-drone in something better quality!