Solved RunCam Micro Eagle running on its own LiPo possible?

[fftb]

Hi,

I have some fundamental technical knowledge but am new to FPV equipment. Maybe you guys know the solution to a problem I ran into:

What I have at home is the RunCam Micro Eagle with the RunCam TX200U transmitter. I want to create a compact little module with its own power supply, so I can move this camera + transmitter + LiPo from one plane to another, depending on which one I want to fly.

When trying to buy a small 2S power supply at the local RC store, the seller told me that it is impossible to power a camera and transmitter with its own LiPo. They have to be soldered to the ESC/BEC and there is no other way to make any use of the RunCam Micro Eagle. That's how he does it on his race copter and that's the only way to go. I doubt that.

Can't I just buy a 2S 250 mAh LiPo and connect it to my transmitter? And would I need anything else besides of the camera, transmitter and power source?

Also, what is the name of the tiny connector on the RunCam TX200U power cable? Are there LiPos available with this connector, so I just plug them in and am ready to go? Or do I need to buy an adapter?

Google and the search function on the forum didn't really help me to find a clear answer to this. For you guys this is probably basic knowledge, so maybe you can tell me what I need for my little mobile FPV module.

Thanks,
Florian

 

[ElectriSean]

The camera can take 5-36V, however the VTx has a much smaller range of 3.5-5.5V. A 2S lipo would definitely fry it, but a single cell (1S) would work fine. The power connector looks like a JST-XH but it's hard to tell. I'm not aware of any batteries that have this connector except on the balance leads, but single cell batteries don't have balance leads I would clip that off and use JST-RCY connectors, they are fairly common on smaller batteries - commonly just called JST connectors.

https://www.banggood.com/10-Pairs-2...0mm-Red-p-1268119.html?p=HR290766671852016094

 

[fftb]

Thanks a lot! That saved me from ruining the VTx with the wrong voltage.

 

[dayve]

The camera won't run from one cell, though. You can get a fairly small switching regulator to install in that JST-RCY cable. That will give you a regulated 5V from any 2S-6S pack. That's enough for the camera, but not too much for the VTX.

Small 2A BEC
REALLY small 1A BEC
One amp should be enough. The TX200U claims a max of 250ma. The Micro Eagle claims 200ma @ 5V.

 

[ElectriSean]

The camera won't run from one cell, though. You can get a fairly small switching regulator to install in that JST-RCY cable. That will give you a regulated 5V from any 2S-6S pack. That's enough for the camera, but not too much for the VTX.

Small 2A BEC
REALLY small 1A BEC
One amp should be enough. The TX200U claims a max of 250ma. The Micro Eagle claims 200ma @ 5V.

The Tx provides 5V for the camera, he shouldn't need a separate BEC.

 

[dayve]

The Tx provides 5V for the camera, he shouldn't need a separate BEC.

Well, that's pretty awesome. I didn't catch that when I looked at it. My cheapo Banggood VTXs don't do that, so I wasn't even thinking about the VTX having a boost converter. In that case, yeah, connect a 1S lipo to the VTX and you're good.

 

[fftb]

After testing it I can confirm. A single S1 240 mAh LiPo is powering the VTX and through it the camera. Problem solved. Thank you for your help!