Ground Station as a Filming Tool

ianwood

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I don't have it yet. I am in wait and see mode. I am curious as to how well it works for filming. Slow pans (yaw rate control), independent heading vs. course, arcing across a single focal point, bezier curving of turns, gimbal control. I already know most of these aren't there. But does ground station make any of these easier? Is it just too coarse for filming in general? I suspect it is but curious to hear from those using it.
 
ianwood said:
I don't have it yet. I am in wait and see mode. I am curious as to how well it works for filming. Slow pans (yaw rate control), independent heading vs. course, arcing across a single focal point, bezier curving of turns, gimbal control. I already know most of these aren't there. But does ground station make any of these easier? Is it just too coarse for filming in general? I suspect it is but curious to hear from those using it.

Like anything we do with these birds the conditions matter a lot. Someone also stated that speed (not too slow, and not too fast) makes a big difference as well and I agree, my flights are usually 8-12m/s. I also use adaptive turning which usually give smooth results. There are times when I can do better with the Tx and others where the GS excels.

The ground station is a good tool for the following:
1. Filming areas where there is interference. if you have to go to places where there are objects/buildings in between where you are and where you want to film. I've done this and watching the video after is entertaining because I haven't seen it beforehand through FPV.
2. Filming the same mission at different times of day/year. This is a huge plus as you can get the exact same shots, at the same height, speed, gimbal angle (operator controlled) to give a very interesting video compilation.
3. Beyond transmitter range. You can fly to distances you could never achieve, if you have the guts for it! I don't think I'll use it for this though! I am planning a one way 12-15km trip, but i'll be in a UTV on the ground supervising.

Right now I'm experimenting with setting up a mission and then gradually lowing the height so I know I'm still safe. I start above the trees, 40m, but I have areas where I could go down to 5m safely. I'll learn how accurate it is flight by flight to get my comfort level up. So far the GS is up to my expectations, I have some wants that don't exist in the current software but am always optimistic of upcoming revisions. Ahem, POI, ahem!

I find that when I review my mission later I also make changes on the iPad to set up the next flight, still a work in progress! Fun, you'll get hooked! This is where you make changes if you're not happy with a jerky movement or heading. I think once a person spends enough time with it you know how to plan a really good mission because you know how it reacts, then you get quality filming.

Good luck with the compass testing btw! I think that may have an effect on GS function as well, since the P2 doesn't point directly ahead when flying straight like it should.
 
I would be worried about flying being tx range. I posted about my GS losing its signal and just hovering there. Was not out of tx range and nothing I could do to regain control. I had to walk GS closer to P2 to regain connection. Then I could regain control with my tx.
 
hjscm said:
I would be worried about flying being tx range. I posted about my GS losing its signal and just hovering there. Was not out of tx range and nothing I could do to regain control. I had to walk GS closer to P2 to regain connection. Then I could regain control with my tx.

I'm surprised by that because its supposed to upload all the data needed for the mission. No reason why it wouldn't just keep going unless a change was made on the iPad or switched to ATTI on the Tx. Try changing to a 12V power source for the GS if you haven't, I had a couple weird things happen with USB power but mainly just difficulty picking signal back up. This didn't the course the phantom was on though, it just wouldn't appear on the iPad.

Especially strange because if it was within range of your stock Tx that should've been the easiest way to regain control. So far I always end a mission by taking over with my Tx and landing, hasn't failed yet!
 
was using 3s power supply when it happened. also it would not let the tx take over when it disconnected. this was very scary for me. was over the ocean when it happened i don't think it uploads the mission at all. i think it keeps it on iPad and uses it to communicate. it was about 100m from waypoint when it happened
 
hjscm said:
was using 3s power supply when it happened. also it would not let the tx take over when it disconnected. this was very scary for me. was over the ocean when it happened i don't think it uploads the mission at all. i think it keeps it on iPad and uses it to communicate. it was about 100m from waypoint when it happened

It does upload the full mission, whether using the iPad or PC, and the normal (and well-reported) behavior of the GS is to keep flying even when the signal is lost. It's hard to tell, but it sounds to me more like you ran into a geofence set in the NAZA...?

@Ian: Since using the GS to set up virtual dolly tracks for videography can be a bit imprecise and frustrating, I'm not even messing with it right now and just using it to create simple templates for repeatable sets of still shots...mainly for subjects like real estate etc. I have a basic 10-point "circuit" I can shrink/enlarge and tweak as necessary for each property. For me, the GS doesn't help me achieve shots that are too complicated (or impossible) w/o it, it just makes things more efficient.
 
i am skeptical about it downloading to naza, although i am not saying your wrong. i didn't hit geo fence because it went into waypoint fail safe as soon as it said connection lost to GS. my tx would not control P2. i had to walk to P2 with the downlink to gain control.
 
Is there camera control with TX when flying a mission?
 
extrememc said:
Is there camera control with TX when flying a mission?

Yes, tilt control.
 
I've been playing around in simulation mode, trying to create a flight path to fly in a circle but keep the middle as the point of interest. I have edited the headings in 36 degree increments using 10 waypoints. Will this work? Weather isnt too great at the moment so I can't test it out. I also assume that this will only make the Phantom fly to the next waypoint and then change orientation at arrival, instead of a gradual arc. To do this would require adaptive headings yes?
 
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rodemic said:
I've been playing around in simulation mode, trying to create a flight path to fly in a circle but keep the middle as the point of interest. I have edited the headings in 36 degree increments using 10 waypoints. Will this work? Weather isnt too great at the moment so I can't test it out. I also assume that this will only make the Phantom fly to the next waypoint and then change orientation at arrival, instead of a gradual arc. To do this would require adaptive headings yes?


Let me know if this works as I have already tried that as well using the 10point circle template and also changing by 36 degrees. My results were the P2 flying in a circle but only looking at my point of interest at each waypoint, not the whole time. Haven't had much time to play with it since then and I don't remember if I used adaptive turning.
 
DJI's Wookong flight controller does have the "POI" feature (circle something while pointing at it), but I haven't yet seen a good way to duplicate it with the NAZA/Phantom...the method you all are describing above may be the closest thing possible other than really slick manual flying.
 
Is there a way to aim the camera, such as flying down a road and filming the houses on the side as you pass.
I was hoping the heading entry in the point to point method would do this, but so far no, it does not seem to
matter which heading I enter.
 
I also am stumped at trying to film a tracking shot via a mission. I'm still green at this GS stuff.

Sent from Samsung S4 via Tapatalk
 
IrishSights said:
I also am stumped at trying to film a tracking shot via a mission. I'm still green at this GS stuff.

Sent from Samsung S4 via Tapatalk


I'm also trying to work out how to do this, I can only get the phantom to move to a waypoint and then turn to face the target, "Stop & Turn", anyone done better?
 
Let me take a stab at this-since I've been playing with the GS-simulator and have seen what others are doing. Let's say the "heading" to your next waypoint is 100 degree's-that's the nose direction to the waypoint.
If you want the nose turned left, 90 degree's, change that to 10 degree's. 100-90+10 degree's. And, if you want the nose to point to the right 90 degree's, add that, so you would have 100+90=190 degree's.
The aircraft should still fly to the waypoint, but you are telling it to face 90 degree's away from the flight path.......
 
I have just purchased the Dji Phantom 2 with gimbal. I wanted to possibly add the DJI 2.4GBT DataLink and use the PC Ground station. Can someone tell me if all the waypoints need to be within the range of the RC Radio? Or can I allow the PC ground control to send it out and then have it return. From what I was reading here once the mission is uploaded to the Phantom and launched you can turn everything off and it will continue and then return? I just want to make sure before I purchase.

Also does anyone know the flight time of the Phantom 2 with gimbal, Gopro and datalink?

Grandpa Jake
 
funtimegrandpa said:
I have just purchased the Dji Phantom 2 with gimbal. I wanted to possibly add the DJI 2.4GBT DataLink and use the PC Ground station. Can someone tell me if all the waypoints need to be within the range of the RC Radio? Or can I allow the PC ground control to send it out and then have it return. From what I was reading here once the mission is uploaded to the Phantom and launched you can turn everything off and it will continue and then return? I just want to make sure before I purchase.

Also does anyone know the flight time of the Phantom 2 with gimbal, Gopro and datalink?

Grandpa Jake

Yes you can upload and it will fly the mission and then return. By default it will actually keep looping your mission, so once it gets to your last waypoint it'll head back to #1 and keep going to 2, 3, and so on. You can turn this off if you like.

My flight times dropped to 17mins after adding the GS on, without it I was getting around 18-19mins, running down the battery to 20%. These include H3-2D, GoPro, IRC600, and mini iOSD. I believe this drop is mainly due to the added weight, not power consumption.
 
that will be exactly what I will have on mine. do you use the Gopro as the camera for FPV? I thought I saw a video where someone either made a cable or spliced onto the existing one and was able to use the Gopro? any help on these things would be a great help to me. Also do you know the best place to get the Datalink

Thanks
 
funtimegrandpa said:
that will be exactly what I will have on mine. do you use the Gopro as the camera for FPV? I thought I saw a video where someone either made a cable or spliced onto the existing one and was able to use the Gopro? any help on these things would be a great help to me. Also do you know the best place to get the Datalink

Thanks

Yes I just use the feed from the Zenmuse for FPV through an IRC600, mine's just soldered but you can get pre-made cables to make life easier. Best place to get the datalink depends on where you're from. Usually retails for less than $200 for the standard kit, there is another kit for around $250 that includes a canbus hub and mini iosd. If you feel like selling those you could offset your costs by about $85 to make it $165 total. Too much hassle for me!
 

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