Video camera for Dynam PBY Catalina

[corsair]

Hello.
I am looking for an inexpensive, easy to mount, lightweight video camera to mount on top of my Dynam PBY Catalina. Waterproof, or at least water resistant - would be a plus! Does anyone have any recommendations at all? I am fine if it uses a mini usb card for recording, as I would simply download the recorded videos to my laptop.
Thank you for any and all suggestions.
Regards and respect.
Jim

[xviper]

You should take a look at these and pick one. Find the lightest one there is that gives you the quality of video you want. They are fairly small frontal area so shouldn't affect flight characteristics much as the Dynam model is a bit underpowered for any camera with a big frontal area and larger weight. (I've owned the plane many years ago.)

https://www.motionrc.com/collections/fpv-and-action-cameras

[Evan D]

These are great little set ups. Called all in one because it's the camera, video transmitter and antennae all in one. It transmits the FPV to either goggles or a video screen. The AIO itself does not record. Many goggles and screens can record that signal as well. A single cell LiPo or an adapter to a spare slot on your receiver or Y to a servo powers it. I used these for a long time before going to better systems and still have a few. Easy to even just rubberband to a plane. They are not really water proof but I'd say resistant.

Amazon.com: Wolfwhoop WT05 Micro AIO 600TVL Camera Only 3.4g 5.8GHz 25mW FPV Transmitter with Dipole Brass Antenna Combo for FPV Quadcopter Drone : Toys & Games

Amazon.com: SoloGood FPV Monitor 4.3inch with DVR 5.8Ghz 40CH 800 x 480 IPS Drone Receiver Monitor for FPV Drone RC Cars : Electronics

I think this has the right connector.

Amazon.com: 3.7V 300mAh 702032 20C LiPo Battery Positive Polarity 1S Rechargeable LiPo, JST-PH2.0 2Pin Connector, Potential Replacement for 702030 602030 502030 502032, 1C to 20C Discharge : Health & Household

[corsair]

TO: XVIPER and EVAN D. Thank you both, very much, for reaching out with your thoughts and help. It is truly appreciated!!!!! I shall check out the links that you have included!!!!!
Sooooo, XVIPER, when you had the plane many years ago, do you have any thoughts on how it handled and if there were any "issues" with it?
This plane is now advertised as V-2. If there were some questionable characteristics back then, I would hope that any "bugs" are now worked out. Oh, and any advice on takeoffs from water?
I am also planning to take it off from land too.
Thank you (both) again, for taking the time to help me!!!!! Jim

[xviper]

This was back nearly 10 years ago, so this would have been the original release. Between 2 of us, we went through 4 or 5 of them. I had 3 and my friend had a couple. We kept crashing them and kept getting another. They were quite a lot of fun. Our only complaint was that they were quite underpowered and depending on the ground surface, they didn't have enough power to get going fast enough to take off. We occasionally had to throw them off a small hill. The foam was very poor quality and when they crashed (even a low speed impact with the ground), the plane cracked badly. We repaired them a lot. I still own several seaplanes but never fly them off water because I never trust that any of them are completely water tight and I never went through the process of sealing them up properly. As for issues and bugs, Dynam used to (and may still), have issues with ESCs that didn't run the motors smoothly and had to be reset at least once. At low power, the motors would be very "choppy". A reset and a throttle calibration usually fixed it. They even put out a YouTube video showing the problem and how to reset it. That was when MotionRC used to sell Dynam. I've had many, many Dynam planes as they were inexpensive and gave those starting out the ability to experience variety without necessarily breaking the bank, but we all expected to have to deal with quality issues and the need to constantly "tweak" them.
I've moved on and no longer have any Dynams now. I currently have the new HobbyKing Avios Catalina on pre-order.

[corsair]

Good evening XVIPER.
Thank you for your above feedback. I have an E - Flite DHC 2 Beaver that is getting quite old but still kicking pretty good! I still fly it with wheels, floats and skis in the winter time. But when I noticed the Dynam Catalina for water flying, I thought I would give it a try. This plane happened to get put on my list for a father's day / birthday present for me!!
I am hoping that the quality has improved a bit from 10 years ago. Obviously I will find out. However, it appears that you and your friend had some very good times with them. That was good to read!
Your comment about the motors on the earlier Dynam Catalinas is interesting. I see that the motors with this airplane are: Detrum BM2815A-1100KV Brushless Motors, rotating clockwise and counter clockwise. And it just happens that I have a Detrum motor that I purchased when I converted my sons old Sig Kadet Mark II from glow to electric. That motor is a bit 'finicky' at very low rpm however it is extremely powerful, so I am pretty happy with it.
Maybe I can find that MotionRC YouTube video that you mentioned concerning that problem and how to reset it. Also, this is my first twin motor aircraft, so I will have to educate and remind myself, that I am dealing with two propellers, instead of one. Bloody fingers (or worse) are not fun! And.........., pain.........., is definitely a four letter word!!
As an aside, I remember when MotionRC sold the Dynam products. I was pretty interested in their F4U Corsair, but never purchased one.
Anyway, I bet you will enjoy the HobbyKing Avios Catalina. That feature of the retractable floats is intriguing too.
Oh, I am toying with the idea of fabricating a very light set-up for wheels for ground takeoffs. But not sure about that yet. Hopefully, it will take off of grass and also steer too. Time will tell. Otherwise, I will hand launch.
So, thank you again XVIPER.You have been a good help!!!!!
Please take great care and be safe too.
Regards and respect!
Jim

[xviper]

There are still a few of those old Dynam YouTube videos by MotionRC floating around. Try a YouTube search. It was on a Dynam Pitts and the problem was "stuttering". I had one and the reset cured the stutter. It had to do with going into the ESC programming using the beep tones and it was step ? that was the reset step. Sorry, can't remember now but if you find a Dynam ESC manual, it should tell you. If your Catalina doesn't stutter, don't worry about it.
A throttle calibration will usually cure a "finicky" low throttle response and this should be down on any plane where you first start out or when you put a different receiver into it.
The issue of cut fingers .......................... initiate and always use "Throttle Cut". That's a rule at almost all flying fields today.
Ground steering .................. hint: differential thrust. Most twins these days, especially water planes will encourage you to program DF and also reverse if the ESC will allow it. Makes it easy to steer both on land and in the water and for backing out of the weeds in water ops.

[corsair]

I will check out YouTube for some of those Dynam videos. Years and years ago, when the Pterodactyls were still flying over the earth, I was disconnecting the glow driver from a glow engine on my bi-plane. I inadvertently touched the spinning prop with a finger. However, and very fortunately, I touched the back side of the prop and the prop instantly pushed my hand 'out of the way.' But the prop still did some nice damage as a finger contacted the spinning propeller. I moved my finger back and forth, it still worked, but I could see the muscles or tendons in there - moving - as I moved my finger. So, I band aided the wound and wrapped a bunch of gauze around it. NOTE: I always have medical "stuff" in my flight box.
I then drove myself to our local 'walk-in' clinic, where my wife worked as an R N and was the department head. When she saw me come in, with one hand all covered with gauze, she looked at me, then a look of concern came across her face, then a slight smile, and asked me: 'Now what did you do?' I told her the story. She asked me if I learned anything. I told her that I did. One of the docs came and undid the gauze and band and said I did a good job and he cleaned up everything and re covered my interesting 'wound.' That was around 40 years ago. I still think about it on occasion.
As you mentioned, "Throttle Cut" is a godsend in today's world of electric motors. I set up all of my models with that feature. Our club president / safety officer stresses the importance of using that feature on every model that one has! I, as our club secretary, tend to promote using it as well.
And hopefully, if any other people are reading this, I hope that if they are not using "Throttle Cut," that they certainly will take a moment to do so! It is pretty simple to do. Just look in your Transmitter / radio owners manual for the procedure!
As far as steering goes, I will need to see if my old Tactic brand TTX650 transmitter has that differential thrust feature. I know that I do not currently have any ESC's that have 'reversing' in them.
Also, I somewhat recently completed my homemade (scratchbuilt) airboat / airplane rescue boat. This watercraft would also benefit from a Reversing ESC. Attached is a picture of it.
And finally, I hope that you and / or your family are not being affected by any of the wildfires!!
Once again,
Regards and respect.
Jim

[Evan D]

Our club is one of two flying at a county park designated for model aviation, one CL and one RC. People can fly with AMA on Wednesdays and Sundays per P&R. Otherwise people need a Park Pass to fly there. The club is secondary and the club has quite a few rules to add to the federal laws, county rules and ordinances, AMA guidelines etc.

About half of the Park Pass holders are club members. The club can not hold a non member to any laws, rules, or guidelines. We tell members if someone is unsafe, reckless, not following laws, rules or guidelines that could result in closing the field to call the park ranger or police if they feel it is warranted.

At every meeting for years we talk about safety, where the first aid kit is, etiquette, throttle cut, failsafe, range check. And still about twice a year we have people let the blood out of their body. Sometimes it's a club member, sometimes a park pass holder, sometimes a "visitor". Last month a person that was a park pass holder had his young son out and he had bought him a UMX. I don't know the whole story but they and, by chance our club safety officer, were the only ones at the field, the son was flying and got cut up. At our meeting a couple weeks ago we again spent an hour on safety, with the people wanting to mandate that all planes be checked for throttle cut and failsafe. Each plane each flight. I said that the throttle cut could possibly be enforced but asked who was going to do that and what about when it's a visitor, non club member or a solo flyer. Food for thought... Then when they said failsafe I said if they try to do that it'll never happen, many radio systems don't have it plus how to set it. They wanted to mandate full aileron and full down elevator. I'm considered the senior statesman having been all the officers over various years, chief and main instructor, wrote the by-laws, etc. I said if they were going to start rules like these they won't see me flying there and told them why. For now they are going to check throttle cut at all fly ins and continue to help people learn how to set up throttle cut and fail safe but not generally mandate it.

[corsair]

HI Evan D. You wrote a nice 'piece' here. Thank you for sharing it! I like how the topic of Safety gets brought up at every meeting there. And as that old saying goes, "safety is no accident." However, as we all know, stuff does 'accidently' happen, but I truly believe that, with proper equipment setup, keeping our 'head in the game,' trying to avoid distractions while handling our models, and while flying them, can help to cut down on any one of us, from letting that red stuff leak out of our bodies!
I have a friend, who lives in another country, and he is the regional Safety Officer there. He writes a monthly column in their organizations newsletter titled: Safety Matters. He is a prolific writer and always seems to have some good anecdotes to relate. It is interesting to see what people do to themselves, (just as I did, all those years ago), and also observe what gets done to others too. I think that we both know that model aircraft are not toys and that they can certainly rear up and bite us, if we are not careful.
And I still think that 'Throttle Cut' is one of the best safety items that we can have in 'our own personal flying field rule book.' Our club safety officer always points out that if one does not know how to implement "Throttle Cut," or can't find it in their radio owners manual, that someone in the club will be more than willing to help out. I know that I for one would not want to be responsible for not using it and then have a 'run away' model hurt or injure someone else.
You also made a good point about using Throttle Cut, when flying alone. Just think, what could happen if one is by themself at the flying field and that persons airplane suddenly attacks him / or her, just because they did not use the throttle cut. That could be really messy too and then, getting blood out of your vehicles upholstery can add insult to injury and be a daunting task too.
Soooooo, it seems to me that what we want to accomplish here, is to just have a fun time, but not overburden ourselves and others with things that might not be in the best interest of all club members. It is good to keep people interested in this hobby and not to overly restrict what takes place. Common sense is a good thing that helps keep us safe, but we just have to remember to use it.
Regards and respect.
Jim