Glare on Phone Screen is killing me!!!

[dtviewer]

I use a Samsung G3 Phone for my FPV set up.
Even with the brightness cranked all the way it is next to useless on a sunny day. I really thought the using the phone to frame shots and see what the Phantom sees was going to be one of the best features of the quad, but am getting more and more frustrated every day now.
I even made a black sunshade/box to fit over the phone and it didnt help.

My question to any posters using the larger FPV screens....like the 7" Boscam...is it any easier to use than a phone? Is it better on a sunny day? Would that be the way to go?
(BTW...I've already searched and searched for any glare reducing tricks on the forums and have found nothing that would seem to help...nothing short of googles anyway and I cant/wont use them)

 

[HarryT]

It's way, WAY easier with a monitor. I can barely see my iPhone screen outside in sunlight; my FPV monitor is clear as crystal. These monitors are designed for outdoor use and are much brighter than phones or tablets.

 

[dtviewer]

It's way, WAY easier with a monitor. I can barely see my iPhone screen outside in sunlight; my FPV monitor is clear as crystal. These monitors are designed for outdoor use and are much brighter than phones or tablets.

Thanks. Thats what I was hoping to hear.

 

[RobertMfromLI]

It's way, WAY easier with a monitor. I can barely see my iPhone screen outside in sunlight; my FPV monitor is clear as crystal. These monitors are designed for outdoor use and are much brighter than phones or tablets.

Thanks. Thats what I was hoping to hear.

...and get a sun hood anyway. It will make it even easier to see.

 

[HarryT]

I think that most FPV monitors come as standard with a Velcro-attached sun hood. Mine certainly did.

 

[RobertMfromLI]

I think that most FPV monitors come as standard with a Velcro-attached sun hood. Mine certainly did.

Wish mine did...

And due to the odd case size, the 7" one I bought doesn't quite fit. Ah well... I am moving up to a 24" FPV anyway, and making a custom hood.

 

[rrmccabe]

I am moving up to a 24" FPV anyway, and making a custom hood.

What?

 

[RobertMfromLI]

I am moving up to a 24" FPV anyway, and making a custom hood.

What?

I'll send pics this weekend... it won't be in it's final form though... I am waiting for a particular case where I can perma-mount it, as well as some ABS plastic that I am making the hood out of... but yes, 24" FPV, using a 12V 24" 1080p monitor that's been tested as an FPV monitor by one other industrious soul. HDMI, VGA, RCA and component inputs. Oh, and did I mention it's 12V, and 12V battery packs are decently priced on Amazon right now (or in a pinch, a 12V cigarette lighter cable works from the car too)...

 

[HarryT]

I'm curious what the benefit of such a large monitor will be. Unless you have a Lightbridge, your video is still going to be the usual 640x480, and it's going to be really "blocky" on the big monitor.

 

[RobertMfromLI]

I'm curious what the benefit of such a large monitor will be. Unless you have a Lightbridge, your video is still going to be the usual 640x480, and it's going to be really "blocky" on the big monitor.

It's an analog input - it won't be nearly as blocky as say, inputting a non-panel resolution (ie: non 1080p signal) through a "digital" (or analog digital) port (such as HDMI or VGA). We do that all the time with surveillance cameras and our 19" monitors... the image is actually really good when we do that, and that's with surveillance cameras that aren't nearly as capable as a GoPro Hero 3+ BE, via an "RCA" (BNC to RCA) standard 75Ohm video feed through a converter much the same as the one in the 24" LCD. Inotherwords, we've done the same setup using lesser quality surveillance cameras, with great results (one would expect the signal to be even blockier - instead of very crisp, which is instead, the case).

On top of that, details we can't see on the 7" screen will now likely be visible on the bigger screen, even with the current resolution of the analog FPV setup.

BUT, yes, our final plans are for using it for far more than analog video.

We plan on:

• Eventually getting a Lightbridge
• Eventually getting an S1000 or comparable
• Eventually installing a true FPV camera (not a "wherever the gimbal is pointing" camera), or, on an S1000 or similar, installing 3 cameras... then using a video "multiplexer" to send four video feeds on one channel, thus splitting the 24" monitor into 4 quadrants, each 12" diagonally, allowing a full view of what's around the copter.

I'll send images of how it looks on the current 7" FPV monitor, as well as how it looks on the 24" monitor, for comparison...

Best,
Rob

 

[RipperFox]

try this... :idea:

 

[careysb]

I can't imagine using a phone as a monitor in sunlight, ugh. I used a 7" monitor with sun hood for a while which worked well except I kept instinctively taking my eyes off of the screen to look up at the drone in the sky, this was too distracting. Then I went with a pair of Fat Shark Attitude goggles and felt that I now had a great FPV setup - no distractions, no glare.

 

[Seawell]

Was it a little tough to make that transition to goggles from a monitor...not seeing your your drone? Curious about that process. Thanks.

 

[resqu51]

I am new to this but a 24" monitor and the setup, I would like to see this, give me some strive to drive my wife up the wall with, hey honey look at what I just bought.

 

[HarryT]

It's perhaps worth noting that flying "pure" FPV is illegal in many countries (the UK included) unless you have a "spotter" with you who's keeping an eye on the aircraft in the sky. Personally I just use the monitor for framing my video shots; I always try to keep the Phantom in sight in the sky.

 

[Seawell]

Never the less....let's say you have a spotter.

 

[RobertMfromLI]

I am new to this but a 24" monitor and the setup, I would like to see this, give me some strive to drive my wife up the wall with, hey honey look at what I just bought.

LoL, the monitor looks like this (7" in front)... it hasn't been mounted yet, still waiting on the mount.


...and it makes it easy for two people to watch what's going on.

 

[careysb]

Was it a little tough to make that transition to goggles from a monitor...not seeing your your drone? Curious about that process. Thanks.

I found the transition pretty easy. I was trying to fly between obstacles and seeing the drone wouldn't have helped. The only gotcha was that I wear glasses so I had to get diopter kit for the goggles and then put a neck strap on my glasses - a bit awkward. I did have another hiccup when I flew over some trees and when I turned around to come back I didn't have a good landmark to find my way back but I managed. An OSD would have helped here.

 

[HarryT]

I found the transition pretty easy. I was trying to fly between obstacles and seeing the drone wouldn't have helped. The only gotcha was that I wear glasses so I had to get diopter kit for the goggles and then put a neck strap on my glasses - a bit awkward. I did have another hiccup when I flew over some trees and when I turned around to come back I didn't have a good landmark to find my way back but I managed. An OSD would have helped here.

If you're flying out of visual range, an OSD does more than simply "help" - it's absolutely essential, IMHO. Without it you have no way of knowing how far away you are, how high you are, or what the battery level is.

 

[RobertMfromLI]

I found the transition pretty easy. I was trying to fly between obstacles and seeing the drone wouldn't have helped. The only gotcha was that I wear glasses so I had to get diopter kit for the goggles and then put a neck strap on my glasses - a bit awkward. I did have another hiccup when I flew over some trees and when I turned around to come back I didn't have a good landmark to find my way back but I managed. An OSD would have helped here.

If you're flying out of visual range, an OSD does more than simply "help" - it's absolutely essential, IMHO. Without it you have no way of knowing how far away you are, how high you are, or what the battery level is.

With the new firmware, I find the OSD critical, especially when flying around big objects (buildings/trees/etc) where one might lose the GPS signal, because once you hit 20%, it will auto-land right where it is (if in GPS mode), or one has to switch to ATTI and take over.