DIY FPV Display with Fatshark Receiver Module and DVR

by Oscar

This post explains how I built my FPV display, a great tool for bench testing, and it lets others watch your flying in the field. This project requires 3D printing, some cheap components and basic soldering skills.

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I spent over a year designing and testing this little device, it was a fun project and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do :)

Table of Content

Features and Specs of DIY FPV Display

You can use any Fatshark receiver module in this FPV display as long as it has buttons to change channels. There are some cheap ones that costs $20 or lower (see parts list for link).

And it has a revolutionary power button! :)

Small LCD monitors available nowadays tend to display a blue screen (or black screen) when signal is gone. This is bad for FPV as we prefer to see static when signal gets low. After some researching, I found a solution.

The work around is simply wiring a DVR between the receiver and monitor. It also provides video recording, so why not? However, you will get OSD from the DVR, and so I added a slide switch which gives you the option to bypass the DVR whenever you want.

This FPV display is powered by 18650 Li-Ion battery, and it can be charged through USB.

There is a battery indicator reminding you when to recharge.

  • Battery: 18650 Li-Ion (two connected in parallel, or you can just use one if you want)
  • Battery level indicator
  • USB charging
  • On/Off power button!
  • 4.3″ Screen Size
  • Supports DVR
  • Supports any Fatshark receiver modules with buttons to change channel
  • Affordable
  • Putting your 3D printer to work :)
  • Dimension: 126x96x48mm
  • Weight: Around 330g (including Fatshark module and two 18650)

Parts List

Hardware:

  • All the 3D Printed Parts (STL files download): https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4186909
  • 4x M3 nuts (for the case)
  • 4x M3 10mm or 12mm screws (for the case)
  • 4x M2 3.5mm or 4mm screws (for the screen)
  • 3x M3 5mm or 6mm screws (for holding the PCB’s and module bay)
  • 2x M3 14mm or 15mm screws (for cooling fan)

Components:

Optional:

Wiring Diagram

Here are the connections between all the components I used.

I added a fuse for the battery, you don’t have to but it’s good for safety. 5A or 7.5A should do:

  • monitor: 0.25A at 12V (<3W)
  • True-D module: 0.65A at 5V (<3.25W)
  • Eachine Pro-DVR: 0.25A at 5V (<1.25W)

Total amp draw from the 18650 battery (3.7V) should be NO higher than 3A (including fan and battery indicator). Therefore 5A – 7.5A fuse should be enough.

Assembling Steps

Remove the monitor case.

Unsolder the wires, and keep the three-button controller for changing monitor settings. This is the soldering iron I use.

DC is voltage input, I believe the monitor takes 6V to 32V, and I am going to power it with 9V.

GND is ground.

AV1 is video input 1 which we will connect our video signal to later on.

AV2 is video input 2 but we are NOT going to use it.

Use M2 3.5mm (or 4mm) screws and the little 3D printed holders to secure the monitor in place. Do not over-tighten the screws!

If you don’t want to use screws, I guess hot glue would work too :)

Use M3 5mm screw (or 6mm) and the 3D printed holder to install the voltage regulators like so.

These are boost converters, they can covert lower voltage to higher voltage. Both regulators will be powered directly from 18650 (3.7V). One regulator should output 5V and the other should output 9V.

You can set the output voltage by turning the little knob, confirm output voltage with a multimeter.

And this is how you install the slide switch for the DVR.

Video signal from receiver goes into the DVR, then the monitor. This prevents “blue screen”, and it displays a “snowy screen” when signal gets weak, which is preferred for FPV. With the switch, you can bypass DVR to avoid the DVR OSD whenever you want.

There is a switch cap which you also need to 3D print.

Similar to the voltage regulators, this is how to mount the USB charging board (up side down).

Installing the power button.

Solder silicone wires and fuse to the 18650 batteries in parallel. You can also just use 1 cell if you want, but two gives you much longer run time.

This tutorial shows you how to solder 18650 cells.

And push the batteries in the holder very gently to avoid breaking the plastic.

There is an LED light on the power button, it’s powered by 9V, hence there are 4 wires.

I labelled the voltage regulators with their output voltages to avoid confusion.

Solder wires to the pin header, which we will use to connect the Fatshark receiver module.

This is the pinout for Fatshark receiver module. It’s universal.

Insert and glue the pin header in the 3D printed module bay. Make sure orientation is correct.

Solder the rest of the components: monitor, DVR, battery indicator, cooling fan, and this is how it looks :) You can now put the housing together.

Insert the M3 nuts in the top housing. It’s a snug fit, align and push it in gently with your finger nail.

Use M3 10mm or 12mm screws here.

Finally, you need to secure the module bay by using a M3 5mm or 6mm bolt.

And that’s it!

Any questions, let me know in the comment or in the forum thread for this project. Happy flying!

There are still some upgrades on my to-do list that I want to add to this display, I will make a V2 when I have time :)

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30 comments

Luis MB 25th February 2023 - 4:14 pm

Thank you very much! If I had a module that needs the googles to switch channels how could I add switches for that purpose?

Reply
Red ran 6th February 2023 - 2:30 pm

Hi Oscar,

This is a great project, thanks for the super detailed documentation! I’m new to the hobby (and learning to solder) and am putting one of these together — was just wondering about what upgrades you were thinking about for V2?

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Oscar 6th February 2023 - 3:51 pm

Too many, like AV input, Power bank (USB charging for other devices), etc, or even HDMI input… but i have no plan of doing the V2 yet, it’s gonna take a while :)

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chandra 21st October 2022 - 2:48 pm

hi oscar, i build fvp monitor too, and i use rotg for receiver modul and then signal video connect into rca lcd and vtx camera on, but i dont see anything, only blank screen, can u explain ? thanks before oscar

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FPV124 14th August 2022 - 3:43 pm

Hi Oscar, its so interesting to build a project like this, to show the snowscreen, just put the monitor into factory mode and select the no signal choice to snow.

However you can go into factory mode by pressing the keypad (the one which comes with your 4.3 inch monitor) the combo 🤣 Menu,+,-,-,+,+ or Menu -,+,+,-,-

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Oscar 14th August 2022 - 8:28 pm

that’s amazing, it does have a hidden menu! Thank you that’s so good to know!

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FPV124 15th August 2022 - 2:42 am

You’re welcome Sir. nice to help the community. :)

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Nezo 5th March 2022 - 10:11 pm

Hi Oscar, thanks for sharing that build with us. Does adding the DVR in the signal add some noticeable latency ? (with/without recording ?). I’m using the same monitor inside a DIY FPV goggles and I’m thinking of adding a DVR as you to help with black screen problem.

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Oscar 5th March 2022 - 11:52 pm

if you split the camera video signal to the VTX and DVR that shouldn’t affect latency.
I have a bit more info regarding DVR here: https://oscarliang.com/onboard-dvr/

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Nezo 6th March 2022 - 9:42 am

Thanks for the infos. My goal is to avoid the monitor to turn to black screen when there is a signal loss on receiver side. So wiring that way : VRX – DVR – Monitor, should avoid the “black screen on bad reception” with the downside of added latency. right ?

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Oscar 6th March 2022 - 11:29 am

correct! That’s why i added a slider switch so I can by pass the DVR when i want no latency.

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Nezo 6th March 2022 - 11:55 am

Yup ! You mentioned a 63 ms latency ( https://oscarliang.com/onboard-dvr/ ). May I ask : is that the latency of DVR when recording or when not recording ? Thanks

Johnny 19th June 2021 - 12:55 am

Oscar, I love this mod and I have done something similar to my EV800Ds. I wanted to add the 5v regulator to power the Fatshark module to my EV800D, do you know where or how I could wire it up into the goggles?

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Sam 28th March 2022 - 5:20 pm

Hello Oscar,

Can this be used with hdzero/fatshark HD VTX transmitter only or can be used with any transmitter (Analog/Digital) ?

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Oscar 30th March 2022 - 2:58 pm

only Analog it doesn’t have HDMI input

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Kusnendar 24th June 2020 - 8:33 am

Hi, can u make DIY cheap Antenna FPV tracker?

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Harry Murphy 26th May 2020 - 5:18 pm

Excellent job; both in making the monitor and in the superb documentation.

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Polyphemus 27th April 2020 - 7:38 pm

Hi!

Great project, I’m currently printing one too.
Can you please tell me which antenna’s you are using?

Thanks!

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Oscar 3rd June 2020 - 12:08 am

Speedybee Omni antenna + DemonRC patch antenna

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kerry corcoran 24th April 2020 - 2:32 am

I have attempted to build this setup, however I am not getting any video signal to my monitor. I have have validated the module works fine when plugged into my goggles. I have validated the monitor works fine when I use an external receiver. Here is a video link to the wiring.

youtu.be/31N8_msgolY

Any insight to what I might be doing wrong?

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Oscar 3rd June 2020 - 12:07 am

1. connect a camera directly to the monitor and see if it works (video signal to video input)
2. make sure you are on the right channel on your video receiver, confirmed with your FPV goggles. If you are on the wrong channel the monitor will just display blue screen

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Cory 18th March 2020 - 12:39 am

Thanks for the informational project! I was inspired by your design and created one of my own (using yours as a reference and for ideas).

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Benjamin West 29th February 2020 - 7:04 pm

That’s a really cool project, maybe you could add estimated prices?

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Wilson 28th February 2020 - 2:28 pm

Oscar,

Great job. This is such a cool post. I noticed you have your Skystars X Talon 110 next to your newly-built monitor!! I bought this model specifically because you said it was a great toothpick, and I can say after about 20 flights I totally agree. I noticed, however, that you have an “aftermarket” motor on there. It appears to be a Xing? I was under the impression that you could not change the motors on this frame because of the unconventional mounting pattern? Also, is there a place to buy a spare frame for this model? Thanks so much!

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Oscar 11th March 2020 - 8:49 pm

i damaged one of the motors, and had no replacement so I just grabbed a random motor to put on it (Same specs), seems to work.
However, I am only using 2 screws on the motor, so do not recommend!

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Mark Pfeifer 28th February 2020 - 1:21 pm

Now do one for DJI and I’ll buy it.

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Florian 28th February 2020 - 7:35 am

Very Nice Oscar, thank you :) .
What do you think, may it be possible to add an hdmi interface to connect the googles and a thread insert into the bottom to mount it onto a tripod?
Then it could be used like a budget Long Range PowerDVR. That would combine the advantages of the PowerDVR with the DockKing in a budget version.

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Zehks 27th February 2020 - 1:36 pm

That’s very cool! Thank you for sharing. Just a little question here… You are saying “Solder silicone wires and fuse to the 18650 batteries in series. You can also just use 1 cell if you want, but two gives you much longer run time.” but in the pictures they are soldered in parallel. In addition, the charging board is for a 3.7v (one cell). Is it safe to charge them in parallel through the usb charging board?

Thanks for your time,
Zehks.

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Oscar 27th February 2020 - 1:44 pm

sorry I meant parallel :)

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Matt Brown 27th February 2020 - 10:33 am

That’s an amazing design Oscar, well done!

Reply