Hi
Im using this camera from hobbyking, and whenever i mount it on the frame the gps never get a lock, the blue led just keeps on blinking. When i remove the camera it gets a lock. Ive also tried to get a lock first THEN mount the camera and the blue led showed a lock, but when trying loiter it definitely didnt have a lock.
Its this cam http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__17200__HD_Wing_Camera_1280x720p_30fps_5MP_CMOS.html
What do you think in the cam can disturb the gps on arducopter? Do you think it will help to cover up the cam inside something? Is the gps disturbed by electromagnetic radiation from the camera?
Replies
The camera is probably emitting some nasty interference and it doesn't have any shielding. One thing to try might be shielding it with foil or a shielded enclosure. Another option would be move the GPS far away from the camera. Or get a different camera that isn't poorly designed and put that one up on eBay. Some stuff from Hobby King is a great deal and other stuff is total crap. It comes with the territory I guess.
I experienced my first flyaway this weekend. I had GPS lock on my APM1 in Position Hold mode. My quadcopter has this same HK wing camera right next to the MediaTek GPS module. I ran the quadcopter up to about 400 feet confident that it would hold its own against a stiff breeze. Well it lost GPS lock and quickly drifted out of range. I found it about a mile away.
Strange, I had the same problem. Never noticed it as I usually turn on the video camera AFTER getting a GPS lock.
I was wondering though, if it interferes enough to delay a lock, does it interfere during flight? I strapped on the camera for the first time today and halfway through an autonomous flight the whole quad just sank to the ground and crashed. I wonder if the camera interference was a possible reason.
I had a similar problem. I put the GPS out on one wing. (ArduPlane) It get's a lock much quicker when it's away from the other electronics.