Electronics
Wireless Components
The remote control system I use for PAP has five components,
two on the cradle, and three on the ground.
With this combination I can control where the
camera is targeting by monitoring what my camera sees.
Cradle:
RC Receiver - Receives the signal from RC transmitter on the ground and activates cradle servos.
Wireless Video Downlink - This lets you see what the camera sees. Two
configurations are commonly used: TTL (through the
lens) and BTL (by the lens).
TTL systems sends the digital camera's NTSC output via the video
transmitter on the cradle to the video reciever on the ground and then to
the video monitor.
BTL systems consists of an additional small video camera and video
transmitter that sends the signal to the video receiver on the ground. The
camera must be manually aimed where the camera is aimed. Typically, this
system is used with cameras that don't have live video output.
Ground:
Programmable RC Transmitter - Sends control signals from the ground to the cradle. Radio must have exponential to work proberly.
Video Receiver - Receives the video signal and passes it to the monitor. I use BlackWidow's DigiLive system.
Video Monitor - In both TTL and BTL systems the video receiver outputs the NTSC signal, by wire, directly to the video monitor. Portable DVD players and TV's work great.
RC Transmitter Setup
There are no hard fast rules for transmitter setup...this
is what works best for me.
One hand controls the cradle and the other controls the camera. Which hand controls what was dictated by the "Tilt" control as described below.
Tilt - Throttle control is the only one that doesn't center when released and is therefore best for holding a tilt position. I opened the case and flipped the friction spring over to minimize the jerking action caused by the groves.
Pan - Rudder control was used to keep all the cradle controls on one side.
Shutter - Elevator control was the logical choice because it is an up and down movement like the shutter button.
Zoom - Aileron control was the only one left, so it controls the zoom.
I highly recommend a programmable transmitter because it lets you reverse servos, limit turning range and control the rotation precisely.