Review: ELGAE $26 200mW 5.8GHz FPV transmitter and camera
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- čas přidán 28. 08. 2024
- If you're trying to do FPV on a budget then I think it would be very hard to go past this camera/transmitter combo I picked up from RCTimer for just over $26.
The camera is a CMOS variety but demonstrates pretty good resolution and acceptable light-handling characteristics. The 5.8GHz video transmitter performs well and even offers a 5V regulated power feed for the 5V camera.
All in all, I'm quite impressed with what you get for your money and although the camera lacks the CCD-based Sony 600TVL's wide dynamic range it is still quite impressive for the price.
Pro's:
- undeniable value for money
- 32 channel video transmitter
- easy channel-change
- built in 5V regulator
- lightweight (22 grams)
- wide voltage range 2S to 5S
Con's:
- CMOS camera susceptible to jello if vibes present
- no wide-dynamic range or other controls for camera
- camera has no mounting facilities (hot glue works though)
I purchased my review unit at full price from:
www.rctimer.com...
The RC Timer VTX/camera has a great picture for the money and weight... quite surprising. Your setup next to another VTX operating was a real test. And it did well with the stock antenna to boot. Great setup for a combat wing where you don't want to ruin your good equipment. You may have found another classic winner here.
I got mine yesterday and all I can say is WOW!!! I took a flight around the local park today with the Tech One Fun Fly this FPV set is Awesome..
Awesome review Bruce! This little kit is an amazing value, the quality of the video was far better than I had expected to see and makes an excellent addition to any FPV kit. Thanks!
Awesome little combo, I've been using mine for weeks now and for the price I couldn't be happier!
Just beware that RCTimer do send RP-SMA versions also - I bought two of these a month or so ago and they both arrived as RP-SMA even though they assured me by email they were SMA... Luckily I had a few spare SMA PCB connectors so I swapped them over.
Thanks for the honest review of this fpv set up as I had just ordered it earlier today ,I'm just starting out in fpv and this will be going on my blade 200 qx quad. Thanks again
wow much better than i thought it would be id buy a set for only 25 bucks. not to bad for this price for sure still alot of fun and a huge plus of no worry of breakage at this price! wonderful thanks again for sharing with us.
Thanks Bruce. based on your review, I got two of these, and am satisfied with them. I am going to use one of them not for flying, but for surveillance. I already tested their range, and it is sufficient for my uses.
Never would have found RCTimer if not for your review. Thanks.
I've just purchased a very similar package from the UK warehouse of Banggood, 17GBP including shipping. The camera supplied is the same spec but the form factor is that of a traditional board camera. Initial testing is very positive. My intention is to fit it, and the transmitter, into the canopy of my Phoenix2000 sailplane.
Thank you for yet another great RCmodelreview, Bruce.
Regards
Nidge
Hi Glen.
Yes that's the one. I was half expecting the construction of the vTX to have been done by a left footed chimpanzee but the quality of the soldering is very good. So far I've only bench tested the combo by placing the setup on my window sill and wondering around the house with a monitor but the signal was solid even on the supplied sleeved dipole antenna. The package is ideal for planes with small fuselages such as my Phoenix 2000. I intend to purchase some more units to fit to my other planes and one to my large Hexacopter so I can switch between the gimballed camera and dedicated flight camera.
Regards
Nidge
Yep I ordered that EACHINE combination from Banggood and was impressed by de camera but the VTX was rubbish. It has a heat issue or something because after a few minutes the image start to flicker more and more and then it drops out for a few seconds (probably the last thing you want to happen when you're flying FPV). Especially on a 4s setup but now also on a 3s setup. Maybe i got a dud but needless to say that i'm not gonna fly with that thing any more.
+glenn ford. When you order make sure you order from the EU/UK warehouse otherwise you'll be waiting for ever and a day for delivery, from the UK warehouse delivery was two days..
TF: I too was concerned about possible heat issues. I soak tested mine by powering it for 30 mins, there was the expected heat from the heatsink but I didn't experience any video issues. These devices are banged out with little or no quality control, probably explains the price, and it's inevitable that performance, or lack of, will vary from unit to unit. In the past I've ordered two identical pieces of cooks equipment from Chinese manufacturers and one unit was missing the very important band pass filter on the output.
Regards
Nidge
Cooks equipment should read comms equipment, bloody auto correct.
I've had one of these for a little while now. Sits on a $12 corflute wing. Value for money you can't beat it. Reliable so far too ! Will say if you use the Y lead it the wire gauge is pretty low and it will run low amps and get the cables get warm if you try and push it.
Great review ive just completed my scratchbuilt huge J3 cub foamy and wanted to get started in fpv.Thanks great place to get started.BIG THUMBS UP.
Hi Bruce, I picked up a very similar product from banggood (Eachine). Haven't had chance to test it on my qav250 yet but from your review its looks like it will do for my needs. Keep up the great work buddy, great channel
Haha, the weather is also starting to warm up a bit more after the rain storms up here in Sydney, especially for nearly winter :) and awesome reviews, think this may be my first fpv system :) :) :)
Just had 2 arrive, not disappointed at all, seems to send a clearer picture back than the mobius, thanks for the heads up.
Nice video! I am planning to get in FPV and yours videos have been helping a lot. Tks for share.
Great stuff as always Bruce. I just ordered mine to Spain: there's a $2 shipping (no big deal), just be careful with the number of units ordered, as the site automatically 'assumed' I wanted to buy 2!!
The camera and transmitter is also available on Banggood under the brand EACHINE. The brilliant little transmitter is also available as a separate item at a very attractive price. I really appreciate the button /LED configuration replacing dip-switches.
I have the something very similar that I got from BangGood but it has 148 FOV. This is my first FPV setup and it seems to work great. Still getting used to everything but am loving it so far! Thanks for the review! Always like your stuff.
Hi Bruce, I have bought very similar cameras from Banggood which seem to have the exact same transmitter, although one is labelled ET200 and one LT200. The camera angle is less on the Eachine models from Banggood. Rounding the price gives RCTimer the win, $29 aud Vs $34 aud, $27 aud Vs $32 aud delivered. I have bought from both companies and the delivery time to Australia can take a long time, although Banggod justs pips RCTimer to the post. From the specs of both set-ups I'd say there a factory in China pumping out these and will put the names on them if you purchase enough. These a perfect for the people who crash in to things like me. :-)
rock on bruce!
get out there and fly man, we can wait.
Thank you for this review, I was looking for my first cheap FPV solution, so that I can move on to something more expensive and performing in the future :)
Picked up one of these kits after watching this review. Picture quality isn't great, but in terms of general clarity alone it beats out my FatShark Pilot HD cam and is perfectly service for piloting without wanting things to look pretty.
VTX was smaller than I expected and doesn't put out much heat. Note that it only outputs 4.2V to power cameras though - not quite 5VDC.
Great Video Bruce, thanks for that. Glad to see you have found somewhere to fly ;)
Always enjoy your reviews, Bruce. Thanks for this. Looks like a nice cheap FPV backpack solution.
i grabbed 4 of these for my small foamies and cheap mini quads. I have a few of the 600tvl and some others for my bigger ones and I was looking for a little micro setup. They came today and I stripped all the rubber of the antennas until I can get some better ones but with only 200mw they probabaly wont have more range than line of sight anyway. Thanks bruce! :)
... that's a nice and cheep FPV combo :-) Thumbs up to your review, Bruce :-)
I love your humour Bruce! "Someone must have played for hours with the crayons" Very creative kiwi humour!
Insightful review Bruce.
Death of the AXN by
1. Council rules
2. Model fly New Zealand
3. CAA
4. cabinet
5. queen in England.
Fantastic review Bruce! I might give the 127degree version a go too. Impressive value for money hey :D
BMSWEB Totally agree Paul these represent incredible value for money. I remember when only the wealthy could participate in the hobby, so glad to see the shift. Also glad to see Bruce finding somewhere to fly, real pleased for you old chap.
ATB Malc
This is essentially all we added to the HK Xcite and we were able to successfully FPV it. I mean it worked fine no different to what Bruce just did in this video. Great value that's for sure.
RCTV-UK Sadly Malc, that "somewhere" is only about 1.2Km from the airfield -- but it's not Council land so they can't moan at me and if CAA want to claim that my flying there at a maximum altitude of about 15 feet constitutes a danger to full-sized aircraft (of which there were none) -- then we'll talk about it in court ;-)
***** Ah I see, oh well bloody good on you for standing up for yourself.
+xjet Yeah, I guess the rules part 101 apply, regarding shielded operation: "Shielded operation means an operation of an aircraft within 100 m of, and
below the top of, a natural or man-made object." which over-rides the other rules such as night flying/max altitude/proximity to an airfield; if my understanding of the rules is correct, which it very well may not be. Have you done any videos running through the 101 rule in NZ? If not, that could be an interesting topic. Cheers!
Eddie Foy, the Sony CCD was much more stable in terms of visibility, the other camera had sudden spikes in light and dark.
If you are using a fast model for racing, those half second adjustments make the difference between a well taken turn or a crash.
But of course, for this price, it's all ok I guess.
I don't recall it being mentioned, but the Elgae camera unit also has an onboard mic which the Eachine unit doesn't have. The Elgae unit has a more-useful JST power passthrough connector vs the Eachine's 3S LiPo balance connector for power.
I love the sound of those motors/ propellers when I'm out flying, but ooooooooohhh... that buzzing in the video made me bonkers🥴
Great value for money. The video quality was really good. Good review.
glad i am not the only one fighting with this dip switches ;-)
good review
banggood offers the Eachine CCD 700tvl 148 Degree Camera Lens w/ 5.8G FPV TX for ~34 USD. Sounds good?
It seems awfully similar to the Eachine ET200R packs on Banggood. Been using those for a bit and not much to complain about. Works, and if it breaks it's not the end of the world.
Very good. Have one coming. Thanks Bruce.
Cheers mate,
John
As always another great review Bruce. I'm pretty impressed that combo nearly hung right in there with what you already had mounted on that sucker and I would imagine you have twice as much into both those components as the RCTimer package. Any chance you will ever review a hex like the blackout mini spider or the RCTimer Argonaut? Seeing as the mini hex market is starting to take off. Keep up the good work and don't let the man keep you grounded.
Bruce, FYI this transmitter outputs 4.1v which isn't enough to power the PZ0420m. I am speaking from experience. I purchased this setup from Banggood and I replaced the camera because although it works OK in perfect conditions, once you push it (sunset or through a forest) the cameras WDR does not work well.
megajig This camera doesn't have WDR (which is probably why it doesn't work too well) :-). The reality is that if you're going to be pushing things hard with proximity flying, it really does pay to fork out the extra $ and get a very good camera but for beginners -- who may spend most of their time flying over flat terrain with reasonable lighting, this camera will work just fine.
I totally agree Bruce, which is why I started with this setup and now that I am fully hooked, I am looking to upgrade the the VTX (I already bought the PZ0420m). I am getting some lines in my video on the current setup which is most likely from a dirty power supply. I will be building a LC power filter to see if that helps. If not there are many new small 600mw 5.8 setups out there now. Should go great with my new Headplay HDs that I have preordered (batch 1).
Nice one again Bruce, it seems to perform much better than the banggood version. There 110deg 1/3cmos cam performs terribly at adjusting to different light levels. The transmitter is rp-sma tho. I beleive it might be a bit cheaper than the rctimer too iirc.
I like the push button and channel LEDs. At last. I really hate dip switches and the cards I need to keep around for each device in order to know what I'm doing. The only thing worse than dip switches are push button menus with morse code responses.
Did you tweak the focus? It looked like a bit of adjustment might help. Excellent review, Bruce. Very decent setup for the money.
Good review. Banggood has similar deal. Same transmitter but with a different camera. Not sure how it performs. For $24 shipped its really good. Good option for beginners
I'd like to see a side-by-side comparison between that CMOS camera and the "tuned" Fatshark CMOS 600tvl camera.
Good review Bruce, thank you.
Bruce, I tried to get my hands on one of these to test on a fixed wing project, looked like a perfect low cost solution. However, 35 days after ordering it has not shown up. I am not impressed. rctimer is only perpetuating the stereotype for mail order problems! Oh well. Onto the next one and hope for the best.
Just purchased. Thanks for the find.
Awesome Review as always. I am learning to fly FPV and i think this could be good for people like me who are learning to fly FPV and would not want to invest a lot in FPV setup. Awesome.. Thumbs Up from me too :-)
Hi Bruce, Sorry I forgot they charge $2.00 aud for registered post and 3.5% for PayPal at RCTimer so the difference between them is now only $2.00 in RCTimer's favour.
Amazing quality for the price! I am hoping to do the cheap quad build and wasn't even thinking about fpv but for $30 that is a steal!! What is the price of a small monitor like you had?
Another great review!!!
looks promising. Put a clover leaf antenna on it and you got a good little performer.
great review thanks Bruce
So is this Tx/Rx combo better than the one that was suggested to pair up with the low cost quad build? I also see that they have put this video on their website for the camera... or was that done by Bruce?
The 5V output isn't enough to power other wide voltage board cams. It's slightly below 5V. Nonetheless, still a great deal.
Another quality informative video. Many thanks Bruce and good luck with your continued battle with the Grumpy Old Men.
PS Were you using Fat Shark goggles???
Regards
Nice review Bruce..
I just Bought one of these .. Thanks!
So Bruce, if I wanted to use this video tx with the Sony board cam (low cost miniquad #5) I need to pull 12 volts from the power distribution board.
Now to power the video tx 12 bolts from the power distribution board or 5 volts from the Naze32?
I ended up taking power (12 volts) from the Power Distribution Board to the Elgae VTx Harness. I powered my Sony voard cam (Low Cost Mini Quad #5) from the 12 volt from the PDB to the VTx.
Bruce that place is fantastic for flying!
davidklemen ambrožič Same it's not legal to fly there -- too close to the unused airfield and heliport.
Hey Bruce, did you try the 160 degree version too? I'm curious which you'd recommend in a mini quad. I would think that the extra FoV could be helpful in situational awareness, but I'm not sure it it'd be too fish-eyed to be able to see what's going on properly. Cheers!
Hey Bruce I hope you do a review on the new Head Play HD fpv goggles/helmet they look pretty good for the price
floatncoffee I'll take a look
floatncoffee Got mine pre-ordered! :D
They look a little strange and funny but hey it's not like we're fighting off bikini clad models at our race meets lol
floatncoffee I too have pre-ordered a set! Haven't preordered anything before but these goggles have me excited
Alright I'm preordering mine now haha
Another thing: I have some micro transmitters too (Aomway 200mw) and I find it quite odd that the SMA connectors (from both the transmitter and antenna) weigh more than the transmitter itself. I'm thinking about replacing the SMA plugs with MCX as those are much lighter. I haven't seen others doing that yet. MCX does have the possible disadvantage that the antenna connector can pivot in the plug.
The 5V regulator isn't actually 5V, it's slightly less and won't power standard wide voltage board cams such as the HS1177.
Thanks, Bruce!
Whats the best way to protect the Transmitter? Goop? PlastiDip? liquid tape? Hot Melt Glue? Epoxy?? It get pretty hot and need to shed heat, with the connector and button, shrink tube doesn't seem like a great way to go.
I've had this FPV rig for a few weeks now, the website says you can power it on 5.5v, aka the receiver pack...but mine seems to fail at that voltage... >_>
I guess I'll toss it on a 3 cell pack directly in a larger aircraft as I can't find a way to bump 2S to 3S voltage on a tiny Hobbyking Mini Dolphin Sport. (limited space)
It seems that this transmitter (like several others) needs to be mounted with the heatsink pressed against a flat surface (usually composite) in order to change channels. I wonder if this is detrimental to it's heat sinking capacity. Especially for transmitters in the 600mw range.
I'm surprised this worked as well as it did. Might try it.
Hey Bruce,
Looks like they list both sma and rp-sma now on the rc timer site
Cheers
Chris
For a rubber duck antenna in a cheap system it performed quite well... definitiy would make people be able to FPV under 100$ including the cheap quanum FPV googles and a cheap VRx
What GHz receiver should I use with the transmitter it comes with. Also any inexpensive suggestions for reciver.
Just ordered one today. How about a video on making a lightweight micro Cloverleaf antenna! Would be perfect for micro size aircraft.
HI Bruce, I bought one of these but didn't use it and just gave it a go. Nothing from the camera. Looking at your video, it seems my video and audio wires might be mixed up at the plug (judging by your shot of the manual). Naturally, I don't have the manual any more. Would you have a link or able to provide the pinouts on the camera and Vtx please ?
RP-SMA is available as well. I just ordered it last weekend.
stopping at the sign, and to see clarity of letter would have been cool
So I got mine and tried to mount it to the mount in my ZMR 250. But the mount requires the camera board be screwed to spacers and the spacers to the mount. The issue is that all of the camera board has been cut away from the factory.
Long range UHF RC systems part 1 i watched this video of yours Bruce I'm using 433mhz lrs on a mini quad qav300 hex 6 motors what video system do you suggest i use i want to limit lines on video around tress 900mhz 1.2ghz 2.4ghz 5.8ghz ?
Great reviews Bruce!
Frank
How does the connector fit into the vtx? I found the other cheap 200mw vtx connector very loose and now it hardly even makes a connection. I have ordered one of these as a replacement just haven't received it yet.
Bruce, I bet you can come up with a voltage mod to increase the camera voltage output to 5V.
How did the comparison with the wider lens go?
any chance of showing the 2 different lenses?
sick man"! thanks for review!
i noticed the connections that are printed on the TX
positive and neg in then its the vid and audio
so then there is the N is that for osd ?
thanks
hi
I have an RX5808 8 channel module that I want to use. I know 5808 can be persuaded to scan 32channels, but I would like to know will it find/bind to ELGAE TX wihtout that mod? im sure some of the channels interlap right?
Thanks
Thanks, Bruce! I picked one up and really like it. I hot-glued mine to my Radian for thermal fun. Mine seems to be best for mid-day sun. If i fly in the evening with it, the exposure pulses wildly when i fly at certain angles away from the setting sun. It can get rather annoying, but for $30, i can almost overlook it. ;) Did this "exposure pulsing" happen to you at any point? Not sure if it's fixable.
happens to me but honestly it doesn't worry me.
Hi. I wanted to ask you if I should use a separate battery to power the video transmitter and camera? At the moment the stuff on my copter is all powered by my Main Battery. I'm using an LC Filter to power the transmitter. I think the gimbal has a filter. I have to say the quality isn't that good. I'm getting a lot of interference. I get about 200 meters before absolutely nothing coming across and I have to turn around. I don't fly out in the open. Maybe that has something to do with my issue. Not sure. Oh, and I some times sit in my vehicle and fly. The fpv came from a kit by Quanum: 600mW 5.8 40CH, FR632 Receiver. I'm using a Tarot Gimbal with a GoPro for the camera.
What can I do to make this whole fpv experience more enjoyable? Help please.
Im building and aircraft and would like 2 cameras on board as taxi cams and a rear view, will a 5.8 ghz system interfere with vhf radios? can 2 cameras be linked to the same screen?
Hi Bruce, how long was the shipping to your location? It's been 8 business days and mine still hasn't come in
hi sir! i notice that the audio/video transmitter is too heat it is normal?
battery use: 2s 3.3mah 35C
A Noob question: Is this LT200 transmitter compatible with the Foxtech 8ch FPV receiver?
Got one of these, but it is getting really hot when testing it stationary. does it need extra cooling in flight? I like to put it on my bixler 2 with a custom made canopy for this purpose.
thanks for any advice!
Folks,
I ordered a couple of the FPV transmitters and cameras and I keep forgetting the dollars quoted are $US26. $AU was approx. $30 each... still good value.
Cheers
ive got 200 mw transmitter but had 3s connector i use 2s mini quad etc cut that off spliced jst female then spliced male jus to my 2200 mah 2s 7.4 volts should it work coz it dont what have i done wrong im new to this seen some vids diy dont light up have put wrong jst on it please any help it says 7 to 26 volts
hey Bruce im trying to get into fpv and hopefully build a blackout or somthing about that size! I have a blade QX 180 and I want to modify it for FPV would this be to big? What you recommend? Thanks a lot love your videos! keep it up
Great presentation of a low cost entry into fpv. What do you suggest for a low cost receiver to try out fpv?
Is it possible to run this LT200 VTX from a 6.6v RX-pack or do I have to use a step-up regulator?
I'd like to use one on my nitro plane but it feels really stupid to use a step-up regulator to get 9 or 12 volts just so that the built in voltage regulator on the VTX can burn it all off in heat when it's regulated back to 5v. (Yes I assume that the built in regulator is a linear one).
Thank you :)
Bruce, do/have you ever incorporated the diversity board that you built into any of the camera and receiver cobos that you review? Also, I know it's an old subject and build; but, how about your FPV backpack? I started to build one of your backpacks following your video instructions; but, your CZcams videos for the build seem to fizzle out into nothing and there didn't seem to be a clear ending for the build, like there was with your low cost miniquad build, so I gave up on building one of your FPV backpack long ago.
My guess is that the cameras and receivers have come up to par in performance and lower in cost to where it's now a waste of time to try to build your own backpack or diversity board, just go buy a decent on and be done with it; kind of like it was with the start of the home computers. Thanks in advance
Hey Bruce as always enjoyed the review! I'm curious how they compare to the Eachine 700tvl cmos 200mW (110 or 148 degree) BangGood recently started selling. They also just posted a 600mW version as well.
Keep up the good work, hope to chat with ya soon
Your opinion would this setup be good on a durafly tomahawk wing .I originally purchased mine as a wr200 combo for a xk350 windancer and its powered off lipos 3s charge port stock .and I'm gonna try a 3s in my wing first flights .before 4s ..and better channel on rx for you .
Haha, at first I thought the title said adorable FPV setup.
Sorry, carry on.
Can you solder the transmitter directly to your pdb?? Also how bad is the latency??