Black feed on goggles

[OrderlyHippo]

Hello.
I'm building an fpv quad for the first time. I connected my camera and I saw the feed but after completing the build and looking at the goggles, I just saw a black screen. ??? I'm so confused. I'm on the correct channel. The other channels are all staticky like normal. I checked and re-checked my connections but while doing this I accidentally broke my VTX rip. I got a new one that's different and connected everything today. The feed is still black though (I was on the correct channel and I did take the lens off lol). Are only certain cameras compatible with certain VTX's?

Any tips or suggestions are very much appreciated. Thank you!

 

[FDS]

We need more information about what parts you have. The make and model of the VTX, camera, FC and goggles to start.
If you have a black screen with the Betaflight on screen display visible but no picture then it’s usually a camera problem.
Are you using a smoke stopper? If not make one and start using it now. Did you have an antenna on the VTX when you powered on? NEVER power up a VTX without an antenna.
All 5.8mhz cameras should work with any 5.8 VTX when wired right.

 

[cranialrectosis]

Did you at any time power the VTX without the antenna connected to it?

Did you replace the VTX antenna?

Antennas are specific. The wrong ones fit but don't transmit. @FDS is right. We need more detail. Make, model, links the stuff that helps us research what you had/have.

 

[OrderlyHippo]

We need more information about what parts you have. The make and model of the VTX, camera, FC and goggles to start.
If you have a black screen with the Betaflight on screen display visible but no picture then it’s usually a camera problem.
Are you using a smoke stopper? If not make one and start using it now. Did you have an antenna on the VTX when you powered on? NEVER power up a VTX without an antenna.
All 5.8mhz cameras should work with any 5.8 VTX when wired right.

Did you at any time power the VTX without the antenna connected to it?

Did you replace the VTX antenna?

Antennas are specific. The wrong ones fit but don't transmit. @FDS is right. We need more detail. Make, model, links the stuff that helps us research what you had/have.

I'm not using a smoke stopper. Is it difficult to make one? What the risk if you don't use one?
My feed doesn't even show an OSD. It never showed an OSD. When I used the old vtx and was still building the quad I tested the video and it worked. I saw in the goggles what the cam saw but there wasn't an OSD. I tried again later and it was a black screen. With the new VTX I tried turning on the OSD thing in cleanflight but nothing happened. I think that issue isn't related though. I'll solve it when I actually go and adjust the settings to my liking (rates, osd info etc.) I don't think I ever powered the quad without an antenna on the VTX. I wasn't even aware that was a bad thing...lol.

As for the antenna's i'm using, I don't know much about how the compatibility works but I ordered 2 pagoda ones and connected one to the VTX and one to my goggles. Is that the proper way to do it? I was going to use the standard stick antenna things it comes with but the new VTX didn't come with one so I thought I might as well upgrade the antennas.

Thanks so much for your help!

-part details below-

Old/broken VTX:
Eachine VTX03 Super Mini 5.8G 72CH 0/25mW/50mw/200mW Switchable FPV Transmitter
Link:
https://www.youtube.com/redirect?re...http://bit.ly/2iF1bTB&event=video_description

New VTX:
AKK X2-Ultimate 5.8GHz 0.01mW/25mW/200mW/600mW/1000mW Switchable FPV Transmitter Compatible with Betaflight OSD FC Configuring Upgraded Long Range Version
Link:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DPG5H1T/?tag=lstir-20

Camera:
FPV Camera JJA-960H HD Cam 2.5mm Lens 120 Degree with OSD NTSC PAL for Multicopter Quadcopter by Crazepony
Link:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0744DTYYJ/?tag=lstir-20

FC:
F3 Flight Controller Acro 6 DOF/Deluxe 10 DOF for RC Multirotor FPV Racing Drone - Acro
Link:
https://www.banggood.com/Upgrade-NA...4181822629201506N&ID=519209&cur_warehouse=USA

Goggles:
Eachine VR-007 Pro VR007 5.8G 40CH FPV Goggles 4.3 Inch With 3.7V 1600mAh Battery for RC Drone
Link:
https://www.banggood.com/Eachine-VR...1081&p=CG24181822629201506N&cur_warehouse=USA

Antenna:
iFlight Pagoda-2 5.8G RHCP Antenna 5.8ghz SMA Male Omnidirectional 50mm Antenna for FPV Multicopter VTX (Pack of 2)
Link:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0793N3SR9/?tag=lstir-20

 

[FDS]

F3 support in Betaflight stopped in 4.02? That’s an old board. I would consider buying a better flight controller at some point, F4 is cheap enough there’s no reason to keep using F3 boards. If Cleanflight reads your board then you need to go check that OSD is turned on and the FC is configured right. No idea about the Cleanflight OSD, I have only one CF build and it’s dead!
Not using a smoke stopper means if you make a mistake with any power connection, you smoke the parts or your FC. A smoke stopper is a tail light bulb inline on your power lead, with a battery connector each end. Lots of how to make videos, check out Joshua Bardwells channel. Always plug one in whenever you change anything or on a new build.
As long as your VTX has an antenna ON BEFORE BEING POWERED UP it won’t matter which sort, for flying yes two of the same type is good for reception. If you turned on the VTX with no antenna connected, then it’s dead. If it’s an MMCX plug on the VTX with a pigtail, make sure the pigtail AND antenna are plugged in before power.
Your new VTX may not run off 5v, my AKK one needs 6-24v to work, so if your FC has a Vbat pad use that. Keep the ground the same, ideally share the camera ground pad. The AKK has 5v out, I run my camera off that to reduce electrical noise in my feed. Look at the wiring instructions for the new VTX, it might be different to the Eachine one, even if the plug is the same.

EDIT- The AKK one you have wants 7v minimum, make sure it’s on Vbat not 5v. Use the wires it came with, the separate red/black cable is power IN, Vbat and a ground, the other two red/black wires are 5V OUT to the camera.
Video goes to VTX video in on the FC, Smartaudio goes to a Uart if you have a spare one, then cam video wire stays the same as before.

 

[ElectriSean]

No OSD on that FC... Pics of your connections would be the next step

 

[cranialrectosis]

I'm not using a smoke stopper. Is it difficult to make one? What the risk if you don't use one?

Smoke, maybe fire, a loud pop, loss of your parts and your wife complaining about the stink of burnt motor for a week.

From the links, it seems you are likely running the right antennas (SMA per the VTX link).

I concur with @ElectriSean. It's time to look at connections.

 

[OrderlyHippo]

Smoke, maybe fire, a loud pop, loss of your parts and your wife complaining about the stink of burnt motor for a week.

From the links, it seems you are likely running the right antennas (SMA per the VTX link).

I concur with @ElectriSean. It's time to look at connections.

No OSD on that FC... Pics of your connections would be the next step

F3 support in Betaflight stopped in 4.02? That’s an old board. I would consider buying a better flight controller at some point, F4 is cheap enough there’s no reason to keep using F3 boards. If Cleanflight reads your board then you need to go check that OSD is turned on and the FC is configured right. No idea about the Cleanflight OSD, I have only one CF build and it’s dead!
Not using a smoke stopper means if you make a mistake with any power connection, you smoke the parts or your FC. A smoke stopper is a tail light bulb inline on your power lead, with a battery connector each end. Lots of how to make videos, check out Joshua Bardwells channel. Always plug one in whenever you change anything or on a new build.
As long as your VTX has an antenna ON BEFORE BEING POWERED UP it won’t matter which sort, for flying yes two of the same type is good for reception. If you turned on the VTX with no antenna connected, then it’s dead. If it’s an MMCX plug on the VTX with a pigtail, make sure the pigtail AND antenna are plugged in before power.
Your new VTX may not run off 5v, my AKK one needs 6-24v to work, so if your FC has a Vbat pad use that. Keep the ground the same, ideally share the camera ground pad. The AKK has 5v out, I run my camera off that to reduce electrical noise in my feed. Look at the wiring instructions for the new VTX, it might be different to the Eachine one, even if the plug is the same.

EDIT- The AKK one you have wants 7v minimum, make sure it’s on Vbat not 5v. Use the wires it came with, the separate red/black cable is power IN, Vbat and a ground, the other two red/black wires are 5V OUT to the camera.
Video goes to VTX video in on the FC, Smartaudio goes to a Uart if you have a spare one, then cam video wire stays the same as before.

I attached some pics of my connections. I’m not going to connect the smart audio cause i have no use for it. I don’t know where it goes either lol. I tried connecting the camera to the board directly for power both on the 5v and 12v pad but still got black screen.

Are all my connections correct? I connected the VTX’s video straight to the camera just like some build guide I was watching. It was always connected like that and worked with my old VTX.

 

[FDS]

I am going to ask a third time. Did you connect the VTX to any power without an antenna?
Also a lot of the wiring joins are poorly insulated, that’s a recipe for short circuits, especially the motor wires. Buy a mixed set of heat shrink, USE IT. You are going to fry components for sure if you have dodgy insulation like there is now.
I will look at the wiring and see if anything leaps out. 12v feed is fine for the VTX.

 

[OrderlyHippo]

I am going to ask a third time. Did you connect the VTX to any power without an antenna?
Also a lot of the wiring joins are poorly insulated, that’s a recipe for short circuits, especially the motor wires. Buy a mixed set of heat shrink, USE IT. You are going to fry components for sure if you have dodgy insulation like there is now.
I will look at the wiring and see if anything leaps out. 12v feed is fine for the VTX.

No I didn’t. I said that in a paragraph above the part list. It’s kind of tucked away in there.

Thanks for your help.

 

[cranialrectosis]

Sorry but I gotta ask... Is that a lens cap on your camera?

I know you said you pulled it but do I see it in the photos?

 

[OrderlyHippo]

Sorry but I gotta ask... Is that a lens cap on your camera?

I know you said you pulled it but do I see it in the photos?

lol yeah the lens cap is on in the photos but I took it off for my tests

 

[FDS]

Sorry, must have missed that detail.
Without other means to test the signal from the camera or VTX you are going to struggle to tie down any fault. Black screen usually means no signal at all from the camera. Snow means no VTX. The VTX could be working, I would also be tidying up those wires. No bare solder, ideally use plugs for all your connections etc.

 

[ElectriSean]

I'm with @FDS, it's probably the camera. Does the channel go to snow when you power off the VTx? That's a pretty good sign the VTx is transmitting with no signal You might try powering the camera from 12V rather than from the VTx, that might wake it up.