Install a FPV camera on Donkey Car

One day at a Donkey Car meetup, my friend Ally brought a Makerfire VR008 Pro FPV headset and a Crazepony FPV camera. She wanted to drive the Donkey Car from a first-person view instead of a third-person view. I had not come across these FPV kits before, so I followed her idea and installed one on my car.

Installation

The FPV camera can be attached easily on top of the Donkey Car cage. Powering the camera is the main issue. Its specified input voltage is 7.4V to 14.8V. There are three possible approaches:

1. Use a small 2S LiPo battery as a separate power source.
2. Connect the camera to the PCA9685 servo driver.
3. Connect the camera to the Donkey Car battery.

The first option means carrying another battery on the car, which is clumsy.

I tried the second option using the PCA9685 servo driver's 5V output. It worked until the car made a left or right turn. When the servo drew power from the ESC, the camera's power was interrupted.

The third option is the cleanest when the car uses a LiPo battery. The cable supplied with the camera was not long enough, so I used an extension cable to connect the camera to the input terminal of the 5V converter and draw power directly from the battery. The camera can be switched off by disconnecting the extension cable.

Safety note: The camera can become very hot after a few minutes of operation. Do not touch it while it is hot.

The goggles are straightforward to use. Turn them on and use the auto-scan function to find the correct channel. The headset also accepts an SD card, allowing the live feed to be recorded.

The experience

Driving from the first-person view is especially fun for children. It feels more exciting than watching the car from outside, and it becomes easy after a few laps.

Way forward

The setup could also be connected to a large television for racing. A driver could enjoy the car like a traditional RC vehicle while the Donkey Car records driving data for model training.