HorusRC is having Chinese National Holiday sale with 50% off on some items.
FrSky XSRF4O 30x30mm Flight Controller with integrated R-XSR receiver is only $24.99! (http://bit.ly/HorusRC-FrSky-XSRF4O)
FrSky RXSRF3OM 20x20mm Flight Controller with integrated R-XSR receiver is only $19.99 (http://bit.ly/HorusRC-FrSky-RXSRF3OM)
Other sale items: http://bit.ly/HorusRC-Sale
HGLRC is offering the free LED control board with LED strips set & Straps for orders over $60
And the free shipping with LED control board with LED strips set & cap for orders over $119
http://bit.ly/HGLRC-New-Arrivals
AKK is running the sale for up to 30%. Valid from Oct 1 – Oct 6.
Orders during this period may get an extra lucky bag (only 50pcs) and will be shipped on Oct 7th,2020. Good luck!
https://www.akktek.com/products/vtx.html
Makerfire clearance sale from Sept 15 to Oct 15:
]]>Package contents: 1x VTX, 1x MMCX to SMA pigtail and instructions leaflet.
Specifications:
Power output: 25 mW/ 200mW
Power supply voltage: 5V
Control: SmartAudio and Push button
Audio: On board microphone
Antenna: MMCX
Size: 20×25 mm
Weight: 3.5 g
Features:
Pit mode/ switchable power output
SmartAudio control
Solder pads
Slow RF power on
LC filter
Instructions leaflet
Race VTX has MMCX antenna connector, microphone on board, camera power supply LC filter, push button and 4 LED indicators.
The back side of the VTX is perfectly flat and the VTX is very thin with only 3.5mm at the thickest place – MMCX antenna connector. This makes the installation of the VTX easier even in the tight builds.
AKK Race VTX weights 3.5 grams (with wires).
If you add the MMCX to SMA antenna pigtail, then overall weight increases to 8.1 grams.
But the VTX actually weights only 2.3 grams without thick and bulky wires. You can replace them with thinner gauge silicone wires or shorten them down.
Size comparison with the Eachine VTX03 and Foxeer ClearTX (see the review of the Eachine VTX03S and Foxeer ClearTX)
AKK Race VTX size is comparable to Eachine VTX03 – it has the same width, only just a bit taller.
Power output measurements
Eachine TX806 was connected to the RF power meter via supplied MMCX pigtail. VTX was actively cooled with fan while taking the measurements. Also current consumptions were measured for each power output level. RF power output tests were made on A band, 1 channel (5865 MHz).
First test: 25mW output setting. In the reality it is outputting 15mW (11.8dBm) and consuming about 1W of electrical power.
At 200mW setting VTX outputs 178 mW (22.5dBm) and uses 1.38W.
Here is the measurements table and the graph of the AKK Race VTX power output test:
Blue bar is expected value and the red bar is real power output.
Power output linearity on the Raceband channels with 25mW setting:
At 200mW setting:
PROS
Small and very thin
Lightweight
Pit mode/25/200mW switchable power modes
Smart Audio control (to be tested)
Microphone on board (to be tested)
Slow power on
LC filter on camera power line
CONS
Input voltage is 5V only
Non linear power output level
CONCLUSION
AKK Race VTX is designed for racing quads having in mind what the racers need. AKK has asked the community for features request and has listened to them, making the final result as VTX that people would really want. This VTX turned outquite small and very thin and could be mounted in the tightest builds, needing only 3.5mm of the space in height. In fact it is pretty simple VTX, but simpicity makes it so light and small. Despite beeing simple it has a number of the good features that racers will love. It has SmartAudio controllable 37 channels on 5 bands, outputs 25mW and 200mW and also has pit mode. Race VTX has audio microphone on board, MMCX antenna connector, small LED indicators for status and even push button for manual settings.
Power output test shows that this VTX does not exceed 25mW and 200mw limit on the entire Raceband range. Measured values ranging from 8mW to 16mW on 25mW setting and from 85mW to 186mW on 200mW setting. Another one slightly negative moment is non linear Raceband power output on both power levels.
Overall it is really nice VTX at the perfect price of only $9.99.
To be tested: Audio feed from microphone, SmartAudio feature.
Available @ AKK: https://www.akktek.com/products/vtx/akk-race-vtx.html
Disclaimer: This item was bought by myself for a fair and unbiased review. AKK never asked for a positive review and never infuenced my opinion in any way. I’m trying my best to stay uninfluenced and give only my own opinion. All affiliate links if there are any help me purchase items for future reviews.
]]>Declared receiver sensitivity is -93 to -95 dbi.
I will update this post once I will gather more info.
Available @ AKK: https://www.akktek.com/products/vtx-modules/akk-diversity-rx.html
AKK Diversity RX User Manual: https://www.akktek.com/media/wysiwyg/AKK_Diversity_RX.pdf
Specifications:
Frequency: 5.8GHz
Number of CH: 48 Channels
Receiver sensitivity: –93 to –95 dbi
Current consumption: 5V @ 380-400 mA (1.9-2W)
Antenna connector: SMA Female
Input voltage: 5V
Compatible with FatShark goggles
Built-in Low Power Buzzer
2018-12-04: Additional info updated
]]>Now the one of the best features – it’s price is only $9.99.
Available @ AKK: https://www.akktek.com/products/vtx/akk-race-vtx.html
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X2P is standart sized VTX. It has switchable output power setting of 25mW/200mW/500mW and 800mW. Selectable 40 channels that can be changed with push button.
VTX has the microphone on board, so you can enjoy the sound of the motors if you use audio feed on your FPV goggles. It also adds some real sound in the DVR recordings instead of the dead silence in FPV flights.
Update: Unfortunately I could not get audio from microphone working. There is something wrong with the design, and unless someone confirms the opposite, audio is not working on this VTX.
The one of the most interesting features of this X2P VTX is SmartAudio feature. There is a special wire that should be connected to the Flight controllers TX (UART) output to enable the remote control of the VTX channel, band and power levels. These settings can be changed by radio controllers stick commands via Betaflight OSD, LUA script on your radio controller or by the help of the CLI commands in the Betaflight Configurator.
VTX pinout is SmartAudio, 5V out for FPV camera, Ground, Video input from camera, Ground and 7-24V power input.
Connector is JST-GH. It has locking tab that secures the connection and prevents from the accidental disconnection. This type of the connector is used in TBS Unify VTX.
X2P has a soldered pigtail with a SMA connector on the end. SMA connector type is the only option and you will have to use adapter or solder your own pigtail if you want to use RP-SMA type antennas.
For testing purposes I’ve constructed test rig with RF power meter and cooling fan. As VTX heats up, the power output drops drastically, so we need to ensure that VTX will be cooled duaring the tests. Despite the cooling fan there is difference between the power output right after the video transmitter is powered on and after a few minutes of the operation.
RF power output was measured on A1 channel (5865MHz).
25 mW setting
Actual power output 21.4 mW (13.3dBm)
200 mW setting
Actual power output on startup 281 mW (24.5 dBm)
Actual power output after 5 minutes of operation 245 mW (23.9 dBm):
500 mW setting
Actual power output on startup 513 mW (27.1 dBm):
Actual power output after 5 minutes of operation 479 mW (26.8 dBm):
800 mW setting
Actual power output on startup 661 mW (28.2 dBm):
Actual power output after 5 minutes of operation 562 mW (27.5 dBm):
So this AKK X2P video transmitter showed good results on 25/200/500mW, but is not outputting the full 800mW as stated in the specification.
[To be tested: SmartAudio and microphone sound]
BAD
AKK X2P video transmitter can be purchased:
@ AKKtek: https://www.akktek.com/akk-x2p.html
@ Ebay: http://stores.ebay.com/AKKOfficial
@ Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/AKK-Switchable-Transmitter-Compatible-Betaflight/
Disclaimer: This item was supplied by AKK for a fair and unbiased review. AKK never asked for a positive review and never infuenced my opinion in any way. I’m trying my best to stay uninfluenced and give only my own opinion. All affiliate links, if there are any, will help me purchase items for future reviews.
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