Initial feedback on the Runcam Split (Patreon)
Content
I know many of you are eagerly waiting for my review of the Runcam Split. The full review is coming! I just finished writing an email with initial feedback to Runcam, and I thought you would enjoy if I shared it with you.
PLEASE UNDERSTAND that this is raw feedback and it does not represent the totatlity of my opinion on this product. The goal of this is to help Runcam make the product better, so it focuses very much on nit-picky negatives. There are many positive things which I simply didn't mention. Still, I thought you would enjoy seeing the kind of raw feedback that vendors get from me when they send a product for review.
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- The locking SD card slot is very good, assuming it retains the card. I haven't flown yet to verify if it pops open. Slide-in SD card slots can cause lost SD card in a crash. So this is a good improvement.
- The locking SD card holder needs room for the door to flip open. On many builds, there is not enough room. Either a board is above the Split (such as the FC) or the top plate is close to the Split. I am not sure whether the locking SD card slot is actually the best. Maybe it would be better to use a slide-in SD card slot, which will give more flexibility in where the Split is mounted. This is a tough call because the locking SD card slot on the Split is truly an improvement, but it also has a cost.
- The WiFi module has electronic components on back. When I plug it in to the Split, the electronic components touch the USB port on the FC.
- The WiFi module is difficult or impossible to install on some frames because other components are in the way. Could the WiFi module be provided with a wire header instead of pins?
- I am VERY HAPPY that I can use the USB on the Split to download footage without removing the card.
- The camera FOV on the Split is different from the FOV of other cameras, like Swift and Eagle. I mounted the Split in my QAV-R, and even when I install it in the front set of mounting holes, I can see the front standoffs in the HD cam. I think this is because the lens is shorter on the Split than on the Swift etc. One solution is to use a narrower FOV lens, but this is a bad solution. Narrower FOV is worse for FPV flying. Not sure what the best solution should be though...The Split has a bracket that lets it mount in a standard 1177 style space. Maybe the bracket could be modified to move the Split forwards so that the front of its lens was closer to where a Swift would be? Then the full FOV could be maintained without seeing props or standoffs in the HD cam view.