FPV Goggles are one of the most important element when flying freestyle/racing quadcopters in first person view: the quality of the image received from the quadcopter is one of the critical factors determining how well the pilot will react and command the aircraft in the desired direction.
Even if digital FPV systems are getting more affordable, the majority of FPV pilots are still using analog systems: one of the reasons is the feeling given by analog systems, but there is also the cost factor since on board digital transmission systems are still too expensive compared to analog ones.
This is why in this article we are going to take a look at the Skyzone SKY04X OLED FPV Goggles, which are probably the best product for viewing and receiving FPV video feed using analog systems. We are also going to compare some of Skyzone SKY04X features with FatShark HDO 2.
Skyzone SKY04X OLED FPV Goggles are available in four different colors: white, black, red and silver. White is probably the best one, especially during summer when temperature is high and this can affect electronics performances.
Package contents
Skyzone SKY04X OLED FPV Goggles box contains the following items:
- SKY04X Goggles
- Steadyview Receiver Module
- 2 x faceplate (wide and narrow)
- Sponge with velcro
- Zipper case
- Power cable
- Headtracker cable
- 2 x 5.8GHz 2dB antennas
- Video/Audio Cable
- USB-C Cable
- User Manual
Features
Here are reported Skyzone SKY04X OLED FPV Goggles main features:
- Screen: OLED
- Resolution: 1280 x 960 pixels
- FOV (Diagonal): 46°
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3/16:9
- Focus adjustment: -6, +6 adjustable
- Interpupillary distance(IPD): 58-71mm
- Receiver: 5.8Ghz 48CH Steadyview receiver
- Language: 10 languages
- Power Supply: DC 6.5-25.2V/USB 5V
- Power Consumption: 720mA@12V
- DVR: H264, 60fps, MOV6Mbps, SD Card support up to 128GB
- Head Tracker: 3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis gyroscope
- Shuttle wheel control for easy menu navigation
- 10 Languages
- Dimensions: 185*75*67mm
- Weight: 267g
Let us take a look at the most interesting features.
Shuttle Wheel Control
Like happened for the X9D 2019 Plus transmitter by Taranis, also Skyzone with the SKY04X OLED FPV goggles has introduced a shuttle wheel to navigate through the menus: this gives clearly a more intuitive menu control since we do not have to remember all the buttons combinations to activate functions or to enter in some particular mode.
Ports
Skyzone SKY04X FPV goggles have a good amount of input and output ports:
- DC IN: to power up the goggles using LiPo battery or 18650 battery pack
- HT OUT: Head Tracker port (useful for FPV plane pilots that have installed and head tracker system)
- A/V: outputs video to another system (for example, a monitor)
- Headphones: useful if you have a VTX which transmits also audio signal and you want to listen quad motors sound
- USB-C: to charge or to connect the goggles to a PC (for example to load firmware updates)
- HDMI-IN: this is useful if you want to play simulator through the goggles or if you want to review, for example, GoPro flight footage played through your PC and sent your goggles via HDMI input (Skyzone SKY04X can handle also 4:3 aspect ratio differently from Fatshark HDO 2 that can only play 16:9 via HDMI input)
- SD card port: if you want to record FPV footage using internal DVR an SD card is needed
SteadyView Receiver
Skyzone SKY04X FPV goggles come with a very good receiver module called SteadyView. This is an important feature considering that you do not have to buy a third party receiver module like happens with other goggles (like FatShark HD0 2): this has a significant impact on the final cost taking into account the price of good receiver modules.
SteadyView receiver merge two signal to one, make image more stable and clear in challenging condition.
Skyzone SKY04X FPV goggles can be configured to have quad diversity, meaning we have the possibility to equip these goggles with two different diversity receiver modules using side module bays.
This can be achieved, for example, by connecting the Eachine Rapidmix Receiver in the empty module bay.
Focus Adjustment
The new optics have a Field of View (FOV) of 46 degrees, which is the same of the FatShark HDO2, and the optics have focus adjustment feature (-6, +6), so there is no need of diopter lens any more (generally goggles have -6, +2, so this is another plus).
OLED Screen
One of the features that makes Skyzone SKY04X FPV goggles a very nice product is the OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) screen instead of the classic LCD one. The 1280*960 screen has a high resolution (same as the FatShark HDO 2) and vivid colors with an high contrast ratio so pilots can see a big amount of details.
The aspect ratio is switchable with four preset screen settings and three customized settings for indoor, outdoor flight or different weather.
DVR
Skyzone SKY04X FPV goggles have built in DVR (Digital Video Recorder) capable of H264 encoding. The recommended SD card is Class 10 with a maximum size of 128GB.
SD card is not included, so a cheap good choice is the BlitzWolf BW-TF1 Class 10 UHS-3 V30 64GB or 128GB SD Card.
Beware the SD card has to be formatted into FAT32 format to be read by the goggles.
Antennas
For high end FPV goggles, antennas to receive video signal feed are not included, so pilots have to buy them separately.
Since we have already a diversity receiver module included, we can choose to equip an omnidirectional antenna for close range and a patch antenna for long distance:
The first one is pretty nice because it has a pretty long tube, so the receiving part bypass our head that acts like an insulator, allowing to receive a better video signal.
Battery
Skyzone SKY04X FPV goggles can be powered up with 2S LiPo or 2x18650 LiOn batteries.
In case you want to use 18650 Li-ion batteries, beware battery pack is not included.
Down below there are some options:
- Fatshark Li-ion Cell Battery Case Box with 2x MECO 18650 3.7V 4000mAh
- ZOHD Li-ion pack 18650 2S 3500mAh (differently from the first option, you have the battery pack preassembled)
- LiPo 2S 2700mAh battery with integrated goggles connector
Going digital with Fatshark Byte
Skyzone SKY04X FPV goggles are compatible with FatShark Byte, so if you decide to go digital you can do that by adding that module.
Firmware
Firmware updates for Skyzone SKY04X FPV goggles are available at the Skyzone Hobbies official website.
Conclusions
Skyzone SKY04X FPV OLED goggles are probably the best analog goggles available right now on the market, since they have every single feature a pilot can desire. The FOV of 46° and the OLED screen give a really immersive experience during the flight.
Lastly, even if they are analog goggles, it is still possible to go digital by acquiring the FatShark Byte module.
Skyzone SKY04X FPV OLED goggles are available here.