Overview
This article reports my experience installing and implementing a SIYI A8 Mini camera/gimbal on a quad-copter utilizing ArduPilot, CubePilot’s Orange Cube flight controller and CubePilot’s HereLink V1.1 control radio.
The A8 is connected to the HereLink V1.1 air unit by ethernet to support RTSP streaming. RTSP also includes basic gimbal and camera control functionality that’s accessible only using the SIYI Android apps running on my HereLink ground controller.
Both HDMI and CVBS(AV) video output are also supported. I tested the HDMI output and it worked well with the Herelink. I have not tested the CVBS(AV). All three outputs can be enabled simultaneously or selectively. The lowest latency is available with only CVBS enabled.
The A8 is also connected to the Orange Cube flight controller with a serial connection. ArduPilot has a serial driver available for the A8 that allows MavLink commands to operate the A8’s gimbal and the camera.
With the serial connection to the autopilot enabled, the command and control functions supported by RTSP appear to be disabled. RTSP video streaming however remains functional.
My tests included night operation, automated photo survey flights and ROI (region of interest) camera targeting utilizing ArduPilot missions.
The Siyi A8 weighs about 90 grams and costs under $300. It comes with an anti-vibration mount – and is designed to be installed either hanging down or standing upright.
Many features of the A8 appear to be designed to be tightly integrated with SIYI control radios such as the SIYI MK15 and MK32. So far I’ve had few difficulties using the HereLink V1.1. Notable challenges were finding instructions on implementing video streaming over ethernet and installing SIYI apps on the HereLink ground controller. The SIYI apps support the A8’s ethernet video streaming and gimbal control. Instructions for these tasks were found on YouTube videos by World Drone Market – a retailer of drone products.
The A8’s gimbal and camera each have their own firmware – and both had to be updated to be at the latest version. The A8’s documentation notes that several advertised features of the A8 are not yet available. (For instance, intelligent subject tracking.) And some of the technical shortcomings are promised be addressed. (For example, the requirement for SD cards to be formatted as FAT32.) Even though firmware is still in a somewhat “beta” status, the A8 is still very usable and can create some good results for an 8MP camera.