Get rid of the USB ribbon cable!

IrishSights said:
Mine is the IRC600. It has another small white socket on the top which I wonder does it mirror the large main video connector below it. Could I just attach the video, ground and power from this connector thing to it?

I suppose I'm wondering if both these sockets can take an input at the same time. The original connector bringing in the IOSD signal and the small one simultaneously feeding in the GoPro video. Get what I mean? Am I making it too complicated? I don't really want to mess to much and though this would just mean a plug change (presuming I could get one of the small plugs and wire it!)

I don't know the pinouts on that smaller port on the back. It wouldn't totally surprise me if you're right and it mirrors the other, but it also might just be a programming port. I wouldn't try it until that's known or you might find one of the pins is hot that you didn't expect to be.

Either way though, you would still have to pipe the video feed through the iOSD for that data to appear on your monitor, no combining the separate feeds (camera output and iOSD ouput) after the fact.
 
Spec sheet says it is the same and the solder joints go to the big socket as well
 

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now that is interesting. Is that the same size port as the AV/power on the mainboard of the Phantom?
 
Great...as if I didn't have enough other stuff to test tonight :roll: :D

Nice discovery Irish, I can't believe that's escaped my notice (and everybody else's as well) all this time. I'll try to determine if it can be done directly with or by re-pinning a stock DJI connector.
 
OK another bit from the IRC600 spec sheet.... "The 5V output is NOT to be used as an input, it is an output only! Connecting this output
to another power supply, regardless of voltage, will render the audio/video transmitter
defective. The 5V output is designed to power a 5V camera directly, or, when used with
our 12V step-up, a 12V camera directly. The maximum power it can supply is 300mA,
hence this output CANNOT be used to power HD cameras such as the GoPro as they
have a much higher current draw."

So can't power the GoPro from here it says.
 
IrishSights said:
OK another bit from the IRC600 spec sheet.... "The 5V output is NOT to be used as an input, it is an output only! Connecting this output
to another power supply, regardless of voltage, will render the audio/video transmitter
defective. The 5V output is designed to power a 5V camera directly, or, when used with
our 12V step-up, a 12V camera directly. The maximum power it can supply is 300mA,
hence this output CANNOT be used to power HD cameras such as the GoPro as they
have a much higher current draw."

So can't power the GoPro from here it says.

'nuff said then. I wanted to see if the current was spec'd anywhere, you just saved me that step and the rest of the testing too it seems. I'm guessing the boscam Tx's would have the same current level on their similar camera power lead but I'm going to confirm that as well.
 
Ah well...late evening here ... I feel a glass of red coming on...
 
I am confused lol. Where does the small plug go? I broke my first ribbon at 6 flights. I have 14 on the spare, but I am sure it will break soon. Hoping a better solution pops up.
 
IrishSights said:
What about this for a daft idea...replace the connector with a Usb mini female and plug it into the usb floaty plug off the back of the Zen. Just tape the flimsy plug to the back of the gimbal plate. No splicing, opening shell, or tinkering with the
TX connections.... OK you can shoot me now...

That makes since to me. This would work as long as you can figure out the correct pins for the video and 5V. Have you seen a female plug that is lightweight and would work?

This does seem like a lot of trouble to go through to fix this mess DJI has made. I just took some 1/16 inch foam tape and put it on each side of the ribbon cable. Also put a piece to the case to support the cable. So far I have never broke my original cable. The foam tape really keeps it flexible.
 
Guess what....getfpv.com now has an Immersion/FatShark- ready version of the cable with that port, you just choose the option when ordering:

immersionrc-lumenier-cable-connected_1.jpg


The funny thing is that it shows the red power lead as being connected to the Tx and the board as well...though I'd understood that wouldn't work to power the camera.
 
OI Photography said:
Guess what....getfpv.com now has an Immersion/FatShark- ready version of the cable with that port, you just choose the option when ordering:

The funny thing is that it shows the red power lead as being connected to the Tx and the board as well...though I'd understood that wouldn't work to power the camera.

hah yep I ordered one about an hour ago, anybody with an iOSD isn't going straight to the VTx anyway and will have to patch the cable anyway so it shouldn't matter which cable you buy.

indeed the VTx itself does indeed send power down that cable, but I thought we established it wasn't enough to really power the gopro. I'm just going to snip the cable and run on gopro battery
 
This looks all very interesting but how do I get there relevant bits here in the UK? Also, I read that there might be an issue with over-charging? have I got that right? Does the gimble still power the GOpro?

Adrian
 
hrosee said:
That makes since to me. This would work as long as you can figure out the correct pins for the video and 5V. Have you seen a female plug that is lightweight and would work?

This does seem like a lot of trouble to go through to fix this mess DJI has made. I just took some 1/16 inch foam tape and put it on each side of the ribbon cable. Also put a piece to the case to support the cable. So far I have never broke my original cable. The foam tape really keeps it flexible.

Ive not had the time to look at an alternative to the 30pin plug today. If there was a male to female adapter that fitted the gopro without obscuring access to the card slot...that would work for me and the usb stays permanently plugged in. I know the pin outs, thats not the problem.

The gopro usb is a 10pin socket, all the ones I could find are 5pin. There are 5pins on the top and 5 on the bottom. Video is on the top and the 5v is on the bottom (depending on what way you are looking it of course!). So you could have video out but not power, unless we can find a ten pin adapter. Onwards....
 
I am very interested in doing this mod but have a few questions. Does doing so bypass the Anti Interface board? Does that affect video quality? I have a IOSD mini, do I splice the video signal into the cable that goes from my IOSD to my fpv hub?
 
Hey beeline, do you think you would have the time to do a more detailed howto? With a few more pics covering some of the questions raised so far. The work you have done so far is excellent.
 
CUTTHEMUSIC said:
I am very interested in doing this mod but have a few questions. Does doing so bypass the Anti Interface board? Does that affect video quality? I have a IOSD mini, do I splice the video signal into the cable that goes from my IOSD to my fpv hub?

what video Tx do you have?
nothing will bypass the anti-interference board all the existing cabling will be intact, however that Zenmuse ribbon cable would theoretically no longer be carrying video signal from the GoPro back to the Phantom's main board. Or sending power from the Phantom TO the GoPro.

My intention is indeed to splice the video (and ground) directly into the cable that goes INTO the iOSD, rather than that input (into the iOSD) coming from the pair off the Phantom mainboard.

I have a Boscam so I won't be wiring exactly the same as IRC transmitter but the theory will be the same. I'll do a lot of documenting
 
do you understand the difference between the 2 transmitters? the connector is the same but the pinout is different. Power cables are reversed (which doesn't matter we aren't modifying existing power connection) and then the A/V cables are different... not bothering with the audio of course...
Boscam goes (from the right) ground, power out, video in
IRC goes (from the right) power out, ground, video in

see below attached pics it should be obvious

oh and PS I just bought all the cables yesterday so it'll be a while before I actually do the mod and post pics.. maybe a week or 2 I'm not in any rush
 

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