tomkinsong
New member
I've thought long and hard about what I want out of this new hobby and figured I'd get a decent controller right off the bat - regardless of whether or not I used its full potential. I landed on the Falcon F48v4NS Differential Controller with Smart Receivers placed where I wanted them. I also had a couple of Pixel Stick Controllers that I initially purchased when I was on the fence about taking up the hobby. No going back now! :biggrin2:
I've read a great deal about power injection and keeping heavy loads off the main controller, so I've gone that route. The exceptions are the Pixel Sticks but those are pretty cheap to replace. I've replaced the controller boards that came with the Pixel Sticks with WEMOS D1 Mini Pros, these have external antennas that help with the Wi-Fi signal - as I've housed them in conduit outlet boxes.
For the F48, I opted for the 2500 box from HolidayCoro together with a few different mounting plates so that I could modify them if I needed. I squeezed a fair bit of kit in here. On the bottom are 2x 12V 350W power supplies and on top of that is the F48. Another layer up is a 5V supply with a 5V distribution board, this powers the F48 and one Smart Receiver. The topmost layer is a 12V distribution board for the power injection. I've passed 6x ethernet ports to the bottom for external Smart Receivers that will be located in other boxes (yet to build them). I wish I had thought about the holes in the bottom a little more, I most definitely could have squeezed in a few more ethernet connectors in there. Ah well, next time...
I plan on putting a fan in the front of the box at some point to deal with potential heat issues.
Anyways, aside from my lack of thought for the cabling holes, I'm pretty happy with the build.
I'm planning on running the controllers wirelessly as FPP Remotes from an outdoor access point. A wired BBB will be in the basement acting as the Falcon Player Master. Worst case, I have to run ethernet outside to the F48 but we will see!
Cheers, Gary
I've read a great deal about power injection and keeping heavy loads off the main controller, so I've gone that route. The exceptions are the Pixel Sticks but those are pretty cheap to replace. I've replaced the controller boards that came with the Pixel Sticks with WEMOS D1 Mini Pros, these have external antennas that help with the Wi-Fi signal - as I've housed them in conduit outlet boxes.
For the F48, I opted for the 2500 box from HolidayCoro together with a few different mounting plates so that I could modify them if I needed. I squeezed a fair bit of kit in here. On the bottom are 2x 12V 350W power supplies and on top of that is the F48. Another layer up is a 5V supply with a 5V distribution board, this powers the F48 and one Smart Receiver. The topmost layer is a 12V distribution board for the power injection. I've passed 6x ethernet ports to the bottom for external Smart Receivers that will be located in other boxes (yet to build them). I wish I had thought about the holes in the bottom a little more, I most definitely could have squeezed in a few more ethernet connectors in there. Ah well, next time...
I plan on putting a fan in the front of the box at some point to deal with potential heat issues.
Anyways, aside from my lack of thought for the cabling holes, I'm pretty happy with the build.
I'm planning on running the controllers wirelessly as FPP Remotes from an outdoor access point. A wired BBB will be in the basement acting as the Falcon Player Master. Worst case, I have to run ethernet outside to the F48 but we will see!
Cheers, Gary