C5VRX-5 project turns ESP32-C5 into a 5.8 GHz FPV receiver
Key Takeaway
The C5VRX-5 project uses the built-in Wi-Fi radio of an ESP32-C5 to demodulate analog 5.8 GHz FPV video signals.
Summary
The open source C5VRX-5 project enables a Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32-C5 to function as a 5.8 GHz analog FPV receiver. Instead of using specialized radio hardware, it repurposes the chip's Wi-Fi radio and uses custom firmware to recover video. The system outputs a composite video signal compatible with PAL or NTSC via a simple passive 6-bit DAC made of resistors.
Technical implementation of C5VRX-5
- Uses the ESP32-C5 built-in Wi-Fi radio for signal reception and demodulation.
- Samples the radio's ADC at 40 million samples per second via a CPU-independent pipeline.
- Employs the U85Q demodulation algorithm with an untrained 32-phase tracker.
- Features Direct Gain V6 for automatic gain adjustment and AFC for carrier centering.
- Generates video output using a passive 6-bit DAC constructed from six resistors connected to GPIO pins D4 through D9.
- Supports 48 channels and is compatible with PAL and NTSC standards.
Why it matters
This project demonstrates how repurposing existing Wi-Fi hardware can provide low-cost alternatives for specialized analog video reception in the FPV drone community.
Original reference: www.hackster.io →