Projects help setting up unique fpv setup for rc car

killercripple

New Member
m currently permanently bedridden, i would like to setup a fpv rc car that i can control from my desktop pc.
currently i have my pc setup at the foot of my bed,i only have enough physical mobility to move and click a mouse.
building a fpv rc car is the easy part
  1. i need to know is it possible to stream the video to my desktop.
  2. i need a way to control it. (maybe i can mirror a transmitter on my desktop and click the controls)
i just would like something i can cruise around my property with
 

RandyDSok

Well-Known Member
I can't chat about a project like this since I have my Mother's funeral to go to in a few minutes and will be busy most all day... but I can get you started with an internet search so you can at least start reading up on what will be involved.

See this search for more info for now ... control rc car with pc search
 

D.O.G.

Goblin 380 Supporter
m currently permanently bedridden, i would like to setup a fpv rc car that i can control from my desktop pc.
currently i have my pc setup at the foot of my bed,i only have enough physical mobility to move and click a mouse.
building a fpv rc car is the easy part
  1. i need to know is it possible to stream the video to my desktop.
  2. i need a way to control it. (maybe i can mirror a transmitter on my desktop and click the controls)
i just would like something i can cruise around my property with

:welcome1:killercripple to the site. If you have FPV goggles with head tracking you'll be able to look around while driving but i'm not sure about controling the rc car with a pc. Here's a video that might help some...I hope.
 

RandyDSok

Well-Known Member
A lot of the direction a real or good suggestion would rely on knowing the extent of the mobility issues. There are what I call "toy grade" options that have standard RC car controls which would required good control of a finger throttle and a knob wheel for controlling the steering. These are relatively common on Amazon if you search for FPV RC Car or Truck ... in fact, if those types of controls are workable... I'd suggest trying one of these first because anything of higher quality will be costly for one and it's always good idea to test the waters first.

If those won't fit the bill even just to test out your interest etc... Then you go into experimental territory pretty quickly. There will not be an "out of the box" solution. You would have to design ( or find a design ) that could be adapted and then solder up the electronics and probably also program the solution so it works with an RC car/truck. I did see some examples so they do exist out there.

Controls... are going to be a point that needs considered before selecting any design. A keyboard will be fine but not give fine controls for steering. A mouse's main disadvantage would be a lack of centering requiring you to recenter manually. I could see some mobility cases that needing that amount of fine control could be problematic. I can't think of a big issue with throttle control like I could with a keyboard or a mouse but there could be something I'm not thinking through.

The way I'd want to do it ( but personally don't have the required skills for myself ) ... would be to use a standard transmitter module so you could connect it to a standard receiver for the car. This would still require making/designing the interface between the PC and the transmitter module but would remove needing to design the transmit / receive portion. The Arduino methods I've seen mentioned would have a pretty crude transmit / receive setup and require programming skills as well. I'm uncertain if an Arduino could be used in the interface I mentioned or not. Anything you go with in these directions will require alot of research first.

WiFi cameras are pretty common and could be added with a additional battery to power it. You do need to make certain they are accessible from a PC since a lot of them are now just using smartphone apps only. So you'd want to find one that supports ONVIF so you could access it from a PC.

No matter which direction you decide on... the biggest obstacle you'll likely have with any solution will be the reception issue. Radio signals are easily blocked by the types of material the home is built from as well as anything made of metal... think refrigerator, ovens, AC / heating units and other similar things. Just going to the next room or two over could mean you have no connection because of these types of things and others I'm not thinking of. Most RC craft list a link distance that is line of sight without obstacles.
 

killercripple

New Member
A lot of the direction a real or good suggestion would rely on knowing the extent of the mobility issues. There are what I call "toy grade" options that have standard RC car controls which would required good control of a finger throttle and a knob wheel for controlling the steering. These are relatively common on Amazon if you search for FPV RC Car or Truck ... in fact, if those types of controls are workable... I'd suggest trying one of these first because anything of higher quality will be costly for one and it's always good idea to test the waters first.

If those won't fit the bill even just to test out your interest etc... Then you go into experimental territory pretty quickly. There will not be an "out of the box" solution. You would have to design ( or find a design ) that could be adapted and then solder up the electronics and probably also program the solution so it works with an RC car/truck. I did see some examples so they do exist out there.

Controls... are going to be a point that needs considered before selecting any design. A keyboard will be fine but not give fine controls for steering. A mouse's main disadvantage would be a lack of centering requiring you to recenter manually. I could see some mobility cases that needing that amount of fine control could be problematic. I can't think of a big issue with throttle control like I could with a keyboard or a mouse but there could be something I'm not thinking through.

The way I'd want to do it ( but personally don't have the required skills for myself ) ... would be to use a standard transmitter module so you could connect it to a standard receiver for the car. This would still require making/designing the interface between the PC and the transmitter module but would remove needing to design the transmit / receive portion. The Arduino methods I've seen mentioned would have a pretty crude transmit / receive setup and require programming skills as well. I'm uncertain if an Arduino could be used in the interface I mentioned or not. Anything you go with in these directions will require alot of research first.

WiFi cameras are pretty common and could be added with a additional battery to power it. You do need to make certain they are accessible from a PC since a lot of them are now just using smartphone apps only. So you'd want to find one that supports ONVIF so you could access it from a PC.

No matter which direction you decide on... the biggest obstacle you'll likely have with any solution will be the reception issue. Radio signals are easily blocked by the types of material the home is built from as well as anything made of metal... think refrigerator, ovens, AC / heating units and other similar things. Just going to the next room or two over could mean you have no connection because of these types of things and others I'm not thinking of. Most RC craft list a link distance that is line of sight without obstacles.

i have pretty much zero mobility, right now im lay in hospital bed and hooked to a ventilator, i have my desktop setup at the foot of my bed so i can use it, i can't even use a keyboard, so i have to use the on-screen keyboard, hope that gives a little more detail.

im not looking to drive fast or anything, just be able to drive around and kill my boredom

range is not a real problem, my property is only 1 acre, the property is all fenced, so i couldn't drive more than that.

i don't think getting a video feed will be held.

it's controlling it, that's my only real problem that i see
 

RandyDSok

Well-Known Member
I'm not ( and I doubt most people won't ) be able to tell you what you will need for this idea you have. My last post was just to give you information that you should consider while making your own decisions about the direction you want to try and or take. Don't expect to find a list of steps to address all of your requirements you need, I believe your situation is unique enough that you will need to design the solutions yourself to fit those needs.

The first post with the search link I made, is where I'd suggest you start. You can look at what others have designed and talked about. If you have almost no dexterity with your hands, this will make finding a solution pretty difficult since most directions will require that. Some of the solutions found on Amazon did allow use of a smartphone or tablet for control, perhaps something in that direction could be a consideration although I'm a bit doubtful based on your description you gave.

While range may not sound like a potential problem, the obstacles between where you are located and the vehicle is at, can not be ignored even if the distance is low. Just driving around a refrigerator, as a simple example, could block the radio signal. Video signals can be even more prone to these issues but if you have wifi, these can be worked around but would require additional access points if there are trouble spots.

So I'd recommend reading through the search results first. If you feel controlling it is the main issue at least read what was posted already by others and also consider the points I mentioned so you can at least avoid issues others have found or considered. You at least may find answers to parts of the solution across the various ones others have had.

I also believe you'll may end up enjoying the research itself as I know I do when I have to overcome an uncommon issue. I'd probably suggest also keeping a list of the URL's ( web addresses ) for potential solutions to some of what you are looking for so you can refer back to them later.

I'm going to skip over suggesting a controller since your situation isn't something I can make a good suggestion for directly. I will say until you select one, don't worry about getting the other items yet. That won't stop you needing to research the other things, it just delays getting them until later.

When you get to the point of selecting a vehicle... Look for ones made more for rock crawling and being able to get over potential obstacles. These are typically not fast but have more torque and power for those situations.

RC radios ( in the USA at least ) are divided into two categories so they don't conflict with each other... air and ground vehicles. So if you purchase these separate from the vehicle, just take that into consideration. Ground types are further divided into two styles... the trigger/wheel controller I briefly mentioned and the joystick type. I'm not certain that either style would work for you but still good info to remember. Radio brands like Futaba, Hitec, Spectrum and others ... use different radio protocols. That means that one brands products won't work with another brands product because they "talk different languages" ( so to speak ). There are some off brand products that do multiple protocols also. This just means the transmitter and receivers must use the same protocol when you are selecting them.

We may still be able to help with some of the questions you have if they fall into categories we do have experience in. So if you have a question about a typical RC related thing... do feel free to post and ask about it. We are not opposed to questions beyond RC either, we just may or may not have any experience with those subjects... but we are full of opinions.. lol
 

RandyDSok

Well-Known Member
I found a Youtube video on providing alternate controller options for RC that can provide a wide range of options for control. This side of it does not require a PC except for possible coding that may be needed.



With the controls and interface to a RC transmitter solution ... then it's just a matter addressing the video side. Those options are the standard NTSC / PAL options that many existing FPV googles or screens use ... or a WiFi camera that could work using your existing WiFi you may already have in place.
 

D.O.G.

Goblin 380 Supporter
I found a Youtube video on providing alternate controller options for RC that can provide a wide range of options for control. This side of it does not require a PC except for possible coding that may be needed.



With the controls and interface to a RC transmitter solution ... then it's just a matter addressing the video side. Those options are the standard NTSC / PAL options that many existing FPV googles or screens use ... or a WiFi camera that could work using your existing WiFi you may already have in place.
Nice find Randy :thumbsup:
 

RandyDSok

Well-Known Member
My search FU is strong... LOL

Actually, I thought of a different search string to use ... something like RC for disabilities or similar ( can't recall now ) and then read through a few results to find that video. Of course you have to still ignore unrelated results many of which were solutions for real cars etc.
 
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