This is just a test HD

By Rudygon on Sep 10, 2019

2  434  5

Trying out this DJI HD module on the smallest frame i have that can handle the weight. or so i think. I will probably mount it on at least a 3in prop frame at some point.
So not bad. on 450 4S it can handle the weight just fine. not ideal for acro, but still plenty of power for recording smooth HD flights and some flips for 4min . on 550 3S is less punchy obviously, so not as fun.
Camera got a rock chip on first takeoff attempt, it's visible as a smudge on the lower right side:(

Opinions after at least 10 packs and kind of in the order i experienced:
Image: Wow! detail is stunning. Color and contrast is very natural.
Image in the goggles is great, comparable to HDO but much larger and so there is more light. noticed the light leakage, that can be fixed with inserts i thought, but then i tried it with glasses and holy crap they fit fine. very cool.
not used to third straps but not bad, easy to adjust, velcro is light and easy to pull, maybe too light. Later on i noticed the screen size settings. for fast focused flights i now choose 70-80% screen size, this helps me keep focused and on target. For slower exploration flights i go 100% screen, maybe wide, fantastic feature.
Menu, is easy to navigate and intuitive. I'm hoping they add control shortcuts later on. although i don't have DJI remote. maybe Betaflight stick shortcuts for Taranis then.

Latency: The feel is different than what i experience on HDO, at least at first. It is hard to tell if its the refresh on the goggles or actual fps on the signal. Regardless, its different, initially not as smooth as HDO, Rapid Fire combo. Its very subtle and naturally adjusted to it in a few seconds. To the point where i cant decide now if i was just imagining things. I tried analog after a few packs to compare and holy crap! analog image is so so bad in comparison :) and the image looked like crap to me. Still love how smooth and fast the image is on the HDO though. And yet, went back to digital and it felt great, its so close in feel the brain just adjusts instantly in my case.
In addition, the occasional frame rate changes experienced when far while behind stuff did not ruin the flight experience for me, this is something each user will have to decide for their own. I can see how race pilots could struggle with dropping frame rate but it can also be avoided with proper course design.
The focus feature is great! very clever, intuitive and just works.

I tried analog on the DJI goggles. I did this by Starting up my normal analog micro and HDOs then connecting the DJI goggles av jack into the RCA video out on HDO. Choose input on the menu and done. image is crap, as expected and the second time noticed lag so still use HDO for analog and DJI goggles can be used as passenger.
the settings menu on the top left never went away but screen is so huge it did not bother me so much. Figure they will remove that with an update eventually.
Liking this system so far. Bought a new camera, and lens protector. not sure they have lenses available yet or how that all works.

Photos

Part List

Flight Controller

Diatone Innovations Mamba F405 Mini Power Tower MK2 (40 builds)
Airbladeuav.com
$37.99

Motors

1105 Brushless Motors (10 builds)
Betafpv.com
$39.99

Propellers

Gemfan Flash 2540-3 PC Propeller (171 builds)
Airbladeuav.com
$3.69

FPV Camera

Caddx DJI Digital HD FPV Camera (164 builds)
Getfpv.com
See Site

FPV Transmitter

DJI Digital HD FPV Air Unit Module (121 builds)
Getfpv.com
See Site

Antenna

DJI Digital FPV Air Unit Elbow MMCX Antenna 2 Pack (44 builds)
Racedayquads.com
$15.00

Receiver

FrSky XM+ SBUS Mini ReceiverDefault Title (1149 builds)
Airbladeuav.com
$12.99

Batteries

3S Drone Batteries for - RaceDayQuads (44 builds)
Racedayquads.com
$11.74
Show stores (4)

Discussion

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HK-AERIAL VTOL   Sep 10, 2019  

.... and whadda ya think? Worth it?

Show 1 more comment
Rudygon   Sep 10, 2019 
1

you can also fly analog using the DJI goggles. just plug in an external module. i use the RCA video out on the HDO and connet to the audio video input in the DJI. works well. minor detail is DJI has still to remove the brightness selection on the top left when in input mode

HK-AERIAL VTOL   Sep 10, 2019 

Hmmmm. Too rich for my blood. I'm hoping the FatShark alternative is a lot less expensive.

Rudygon   Sep 12, 2019 
1

i think there will be a used market for these if DJI keep up the momentum with one to two year updates. one on the module and two on module and goggle. We will see what they do.

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