{"id":134,"date":"2014-08-10T18:12:15","date_gmt":"2014-08-10T17:12:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jamiebrightmore.com\/?p=134"},"modified":"2016-07-03T12:09:08","modified_gmt":"2016-07-03T11:09:08","slug":"installing-a-tk102-gps-tracker-inside-a-phantom-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jamiebrightmore.com\/aerial-photography\/installing-a-tk102-gps-tracker-inside-a-phantom-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Installing a TK102 GPS Tracker inside a Phantom 2"},"content":{"rendered":"
A comprehensive tutorial for installing a TK102 GPS tracker inside a Phantom 2<\/a>.<\/p>\n Disclaimer: This is a tricky mod and most definitely NOT a walk in the park. It requires lots of time and patience and making modifications to your Phantom\u2019s shell. If you are not comfortable with things like this, don\u2019t do it<\/strong> and leave the tracker fitted externally. There is always going to be some risk doing things like this, so please be sure you understand this if you want to proceed. If you mess up, take your time and think things through. If you want to stop and ask a question I\u2019m happy to try and help you out, so stop<\/strong> where you are and drop me a comment below\u00a0if you need to. Lastly, I take no responsibility for anyone\u2019s actions \/ consequences. I am simply detailing the processes I went through. If you want to use this to help you do a similar mod, go ahead but it\u2019s obviously at your own risk : )<\/p>\n I won\u2019t go into to much detail here as this is a lengthy procedure. The best thing to do is watch a few videos. Here is a good one: http:\/\/youtu.be\/A0QQctngzSg<\/a><\/p>\n The guy is doing a P1 to P2 shell conversion but the majority of what he is showing will apply for this mod. The key differences are a P2 \/ Vision will have a fixed power plug assembly and a different USB socket to disassemble. The guy in the linked video had replaced his stock RX with an aftermarket system, if you have too, you will already know how to remove it. If not, just remove the stock RX board prior to the last step, the power plug assembly.<\/p>\n For reference, the image above\u00a0(fig.3)<\/em> above shows the locations of the screws you’ll need to remove.<\/p>\n The power plug thing is a little tricky, here\u2019s what I did:<\/p>\n Once you have removed all the screws + nuts (and motor nuts) which hold all the guts in place, you will not be able to remove everything fully until you release the power plug assembly by removing it’s two screws. Essentially the red\/black power leads are a tight fit and therefor will not be allowing much movement here, so you\u2019ll need to gently move the main board into a position which allows you to access the two screws which hold the power plug assembly in place. Take your time and don\u2019t force anything, there will be a way with a long screwdriver but just be mindful to try and keep the motors and boards from falling around. Also be aware that you can only do this when everything, including the motors, are loose\/free. This will make more sense when you are actually doing the procedure.<\/p>\n Once the two power plug assembly screws are out, carefully thread all the wires (compass, gimbal etc.) up through the lower shell. Then you can gingerly remove all the guts as best you can, and put them somewhere safe well out of the way. Do not<\/strong> let the motors get twisted.<\/p>\n Nb<\/strong>. This procedure is very tricky and needs much care as you can seriously injure your self.<\/p>\n Please be careful!<\/strong><\/p>\n * A useful tip; have a vacuum cleaner on standby to get rid of the shrapnel as you go, it keeps your workspace nice and tidy.<\/p>\n If you do not have a multitool, or do not want to use one \u2014 you will have to somehow remove this plastic with a knife. Once again exercise extreme caution as you can easily injure yourself. Please be careful either way. I told you this was a tricky step!<\/p>\n Once you\u2019re done, get all the bits of plastic out (fig.5)<\/em>. A vacuum cleaner is the best bet here. Failing that, just blow and brush it all out.<\/p>\n Option 1<\/strong>: The guy who\u00a0inspired my mod (info here<\/a>) soldered a lead \/ plug to his TK board to allow battery charging with an external charger.<\/p>\n Option 2<\/strong>: I decided to utilise the USB \/ data socket which is already on the TK\u2019s board to allow me to charge the battery when needed. The USB lead you get with the device will charge the battery fine, Just to be certain I\u2019ve tested the battery with a multimeter before \/ after plugging-in, so you’re good.<\/p>\n Either way you need to cable tie the battery onto the TK\u2019s board. I did this laterally to firmly keep the battery in place, with it\u2019s contacts firmly pressed onto the board’s connection point. In case of any vertical movement I added a small elastic band vertically to ensure everything stays in place. In order to provide access to the USB \/ data socket, and the on\/off switch, I positioned the unit as pictured. A slight concern was the GPS component was facing inwards, but it seems to be working fine so far, GPS signals work fine through plastic.<\/p>\n Once you have ironed out the details above and are happy everything fits well you can do the final tracker install.<\/p>\n A few things to be sure of before continuing:<\/p>\n Again, the video linked above will help you work this out (fig.9)<\/em>. Only difference is that the guy puts his guts on top etc. You have to transfer it over in your own way. I used a cutting mat to hold all the guts, which I slid out bit-by-bit.<\/p>\n Carefully reinstall the parts in the reverse order you removed them, i.e,<\/p>\n The tricky bit here will be the battery plug assembly. With the TK in place things get even tighter than before. Just take your time and make sure no leads are being pulled too tight etc. before you re-screw the two screws which hold the plug assembly in place.<\/p>\n I actually found when I screwed the board back in place it pushed my TK unit forward a touch (towards the Phantom\u2019s USB socket). This was down to the negative (black) lead pushing on one of the cable tie blocks. No major drama, but the TK charge slot I had made needed widening with a scalpel. With hindsight I probably should have made the slot 1.5x \/ 2x larger than it needed to be to ensure any play wouldn\u2019t cause any issues getting the plug in-and-out.<\/p>\n Again this is just a reverse procedure. Get all your leads through the right holes, then secure the top half of the shell in place before finally reattaching the landing skids. Finally reinstall your gimbal.<\/p>\n Hope this is helpful if you’re planning to attempt a similar modification.<\/p>\n Feel free to post questions and I’ll do my best to help.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A comprehensive tutorial for installing a TK102 GPS tracker inside a Phantom 2.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":173,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[5,19,22,25,24,20,7,14,23],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTool list<\/h2>\n
\n
Disassemble the TK102<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
<\/a>
Disassemble the Phantom<\/h2>\n
\n
Remove the Phantom\u2019s guts<\/h2>\n
Modify the inside of the shell<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
Preparing the tracker and shell for access<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
Installing the tracker<\/h2>\n
\n
Reinstall the Phantom\u2019s guts<\/h2>\n
\n
Reassemble the Phantom<\/h2>\n
Test everything (indoors first)<\/h2>\n
\n
Conclusion<\/h2>\n