https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmLRaBxcP6g
Recently I had an opportunity to get my hand on a FLIR Tau 2 640, a 9 Hz refresh rate version with optional 25 mm lens. This is a 10K USD gadget so I am extra careful to handle the test and recheck my gear several time before flight.
Researcher Kimbery Fornace from London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine would like to use this camera to survey the population of marque monkey in her study site. This is parts of her study on Malaria, a disease commonly found in tropical country. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever and headache, which in severe cases can progress to coma or death. ( Wikipedia ). So you know she is not flying drone for fun but saving life. She is also the only lady who can fly a drone and successfully map a few area here in Sabah.
The camera was mounted on an Alware servo base 2 axis gimbal. Power by a BEC which supply 5.2 v to the micro USB port found at the back of the camera. It output composite video which was connect to a digital video recorder and also a wireless video transmitter to give us real time video and OSD. I am using my tested DJI F 550, control by Naza M V2 and data link. With a 4S 6000 battery, all up weight is 2.7 Kg. It can fly for about 8 minutes.
This is the primary test just to make sure when all system are up and running, they will not interfere each other. I also want to confirm it can handle the extra weight. ( I am 200 gram over the recommended maximum weight ). Although I had the gimbal function enable, but the default gain setting seems too slow. I may want to increase it from 20 to 50 gain and see if thing improve.
I will conduct a few more test before heading to the study site for actual survey mission flight a night.
Comments
Hi Keeyen. Nice project! How much does the camera (just the FLIR) cost and where did you get it? Thanks for the info!
Thanks for the input, Mr Mustafa.
Reuben, this is just a test flight, it was done in the afternoon.
Great ! was your test flight done at night ?
If those props belongs to dji or any other clone of dji prop, get rid off them immediately. I had two incidence mid air, both of them the prop broke and the uas crashed. I recommend you to buy graupner e-props and custom fit them(this was what we did after one of our crash and we are happy ever after) or you can buy gemfan props i think you should custom fit them too.