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A. Download the file related to your vtx from HERE. The filename will contain the word ‘sky’ and look like this: Avatar…Sky..._xx.xx.x.img -
Next format the vtx using the goggles - this isn't wholly necessary, but is good practice.
Connect the usb cable in your computer and turn on the vtx - have a fan or some other means of cooling available to avoid overheating.
Put the download file on the root of the vtx then eject the usb cable, do NOT turn off the vtx. The led will blink slowly.
Press and hold until led goes off(around 8s) then release the button. Led will blink slowly,. This means the update process has started.
When ready the led will blink green.
Done!
Important notes:
If red led keeps solid, something incorrect has happened, for example a file older than what is currently installed (most common user error). It may be necessary to change the file name See HERE.
This VIDEO explains the process. (Nuno Pinho)
A. Currently the most tried and tested firmware is 36.42.4, however 37.42.7 has now been released and is stable. Walksnail is a project which is always being worked on, therefore there will always be bugs and inconsistencies. This means that no firmware can be truly called ‘stable’, however all firmware are safe. They will not brick your hardware. It is highly advised to READ the RELEASE NOTES.
A. Walksnail tries to prevent earlier firmware flashing, however there is a simple workaround by renaming the firmware filename. For example; if you are currently using fw37.42.4 and would like to flash the kernel version of fw36, then rename 36.42.4 to 38.42.4, the system will then see the firmware as an ‘upgrade’ and the update will be allowed. After flashing the firmware will still report as 36.42.4.
A. The kernel version of the firmware allows the use of ex-fat format. This means that dvr video files can be larger than 4gb meaning unsplit videos. Currently files of around 11min in length max out at 4gb. So using the kernel version allows longer than 11min files. See Here for more details.
A. Yes. You only need to apply the kernel update once. Any updates afterwards will still retain the ex-fat formatting. If you haven't applied the kernel version and wish to now you will have to apply the kernel version of fw36.
A. No. Each piece of hardware needs to be flashed with the kernel version of fw36 for it to have exfat formatting and thus 4gb+ file sizes.
A. The Moonlight is essentially the V2dual VTX with a 4k DVR board all packed into a tiny case. Currently there is a Moonlight specific firmware target we must use. This firmware updates both the VTX side and the DVR side of the unit (in the future it will be possible to update solely the DVR side with DVR specific firmware). So in order to update the Moonlight firmware we place the Moonlight firmware onto the units SD card and connect the little jst jumper cable. This cable effectively provides a route from the SD to the VTX onboard storage. With the firmware on the SD and the jumper cable connected (be sure to check the cable is inserted in the correct orientation) you can now power up the unit. Once powered up and the leds have settled hold the units button for approximately 8seconds. The leds should change state and the update proceed. See Here for more details.
A. The Moonlight firmware has 2 packages contained within it; the firmware file for the VTX and a firmware file for the DVR board. Placing this file onto the Moonlights SD along with the firmware files allows the system to separate these files from each other and update the DVR board ONLY. The only reason to use this file on the Moonlight DVR/VTX unit is if you have lost the jumper cable.
To update the moonlight unit without the jumper cable do the following (you will require a V2 usb cable):
Connect the V2 usb cable to the port closest to the SD card slot to gain access to the internal storage of the ML vtx. Flash the vtx as usual. Once the vtx side has been updated power off the unit. Now put the moonlight firmware onto the SD card along with the independ_upgrade.txt file. Place the SD card back into the moonlight unit. Once you power it up it should automatically boot and update the dvr board side of the unit.
Your ML should be updated
A. All Walknail cameras are compatible with all Walksnail VTX. This is one of the selling points of the system. You can use a 1s lite camera with a v2 dual VTX, or the Pro camera with a 1s VTX. Analogue or DJI cameras cannot be used.
A. Place these files onto the root of your goggles/VRX SD card and reboot.
A. The gyro data originates from the cameras which have a built-in gyro - Micro, Pro and Moonlight, therefore if you use a Pro cam with a VTX for example you will see a gryo file saved to the VTX along with the video file.
A. Yes, however in order to record 4k footage you need to use the 4k Moonlight DVR board. If you connect the Moonlight camera directly to a non-Moonlight VTX it will limit recording to 1080 resolution.
A. No. The Walksnail system as a whole transmits at a maximum of 1080 resolution. This is the same regardless of the VTX being used.
A. The main differences across the various VTX are the size/weight, accepted input voltage and output power. Confusingly there are no several iterations of the VTX.
- 1s VTX: V1 - input voltage 3.1-5v, output power 350mw (no longer available)
V2 - input voltage 3.1-5v, output power 350mw
V3 - input voltage 3.1-13v, output power 500mw
- V1: input voltage 6-25.2v, output power 1200mw - silver cased, dual antenna
- V2: input voltage 6-25.2v, output power 1200mw - black cased, single antenna
- V2 dual: input voltage 6-25.2v, output power 1200mw - black cased, dual antenna
- V3 ‘race’: input voltage 3.1-13v, output power 500mw - essentially a cased 1s VTX
- Moonlight: input voltage 6-25.2v, output power 1200mw - black cased, dual antenna, includes 4k DVR board
A. No. The maximum fps available with Walksnail is 100fps. Whether you can utilize this will depend on the receiving hardware being used.
A. Currently there are 4 Walksnail goggles and 1 standalone receivers (the VRX) available;
- Walksnail Dominator (dark grey) (often referred to as the Walksnail V1)*
- Fatshark Dominator (light grey) (often referred to as the Fatshark V1)*
- Fatshark Recon (white coloured box goggles)
- Walksnail Goggles X
- VRX (no screen - to be used with analogue goggles or monitor with a HDMI in)
* The Dominator goggles are the same, only the colour is different.
A. There are lots of differences across the various goggles, however the major difference is the screen - the receiving hardware is essentially the same. The V1 goggles have a screen limited to a maximum of 1080/60fps while the X are capable of 1080/100fps. The Recon are a box goggle with 1080/60 capability. The VRX outputs via HDMI therefore the limitation will depend on the screen being used.
A. The short answer is none. HDMI out effectively mirrors the goggles screen, ie it outputs using the same resolution and frame rate. So you dont need any special settings, you just need to make sure the screen is capable of displaying your chosen resolution and framerate. Most screens can downscale the resolution, but can't manage an incompatible frame rate so initially using 720 60 will likely be the most compatible format.
A. Due to HDCP licensing, HDMI out from MAC hardware is NOT supported. You will need to use a HDCP stripper as a workaround (or a HDMI splitter). The known issues section in the release notes for fw36.42.4 state, “Goggles X does not yet support MAC hardware HDMI (HDCP) as a video source. ”
A. Yes. Walksnail uses a system that requires 4 antenna connected to the receiving hardware. 1 of these antenna transmit (TX) data to the VTX while the other 3 receive (RX) data from the VTX. On the V1 goggles and VRX this transmission port is located on the top right (while wearing the goggles). It is on the top left on the goggles X.
A. The communication between the video receiver and the VTX is two-way. The TX antenna is used to allow the video receiver to request thw re-transmission of missing data packets from the VTX while the 3 RX antenna are used to receive the transmission. If this two-way communication cannot take place then video transmission as a whole will be compromised. It is therefore of vital importance that antenna are carefully selected to allow this two-way communication to be robust.
A. This is debatable and often down to the fpv discipline being used, however it is widely accepted that patch/directional antenna whereby the ‘seeing ability’ of the antenna is focused to the front, gives better performance compared to omni antenna where the ‘seeing ability’ is less focused/directional.
A. Yes you can use them, but make sure to have matching polarization on both the VTX and Goggles/VRX.
A. Yes you can however Walksnail uses rp-sma connectors as default so you will need an rp-sma to sma adapter.
A. Various fonts for Betaflight, Inav, Ardu, etc can be found here:
A. OSD Overlay tool can be found here:
A. First you need to wire the VTX to a flight controller UART, making sure that the TX on the VTX is wired to a flight controller RX pad and the VTX RX wired to the UARTS TX pad. Within Betaflight navigate to the presets tab and select the Avatar preset. This will configure the UART and OSD. Within Inav, on the ports tab set the UART in which the VTX is connected to Displayport+MSP. See Here for more details.
A. The dotted box is the ‘viewfinder’. It can be switched off within the goggles menu. There is also an option within the menu for OSD position. You can use this to move the OSD around to your liking.
A. Unfortunately not. It can be toggled on or off, but cannot be relocated.
A. This is now called ‘Debug’. It is a toggle on or off switch that allows the viewing of the debug screen. Contrary to popular belief the addition of a zoom function is not as straightforward to implement as one would imagine therefore the option has been removed from the goggles menus.
A. Check the wiring is correct between the VTX and the FC, and that the FC is configured correctly.
A. Communication between the VTX and FC is established, however the VTX is not ‘seeing’ a camera. Check the integrity of the MIPI cable and that it is well seated to the camera and the VTX.
A. The VTX and camera are connected but the signal is being scrambled. Check the integrity of the MIPI cable.
A. This can happen due to grounding between the VTX or camera and the carbon frame. Try backing out mounting screws slightly or isolating the VTX/cam from the carbon frame.