This post covers upgrading an Axisflying Kolas 7″ frame to DJI O4 Pro.
The Axisflying Kolas 7” is a folding 7″ quad frame that was released in 2024 and designed for the Walksnail or DJI O3 camera mounts that were prevalent at that time. Converting to the DJI O4 Pro setup presented a few challenges to overcome.
- The DJI O4 Pro stock cable that connects the camera to the VTX is too short for the Kolas 7″ frame setup
- The DJI O4 Pro camera is bigger than the Walksnail/O3 and has a different mount to the one that comes with the Kolas 7″ frame. Additionally, the DJI VTX unit is slightly larger than the Walksnail VTX, but it has the same camera bolt mounts.
DJI O4 Pro Cable Replacement
The cable connecting the camera and the VTX that comes with the DJI is not long enough to route from the camera at the front of the drone to the VTX at the tail. It’s also not possible to install the VTX at the front, owing to space, and the requirement to extend the antennas, which has the potential to reduce transmission quality.
One therefore has to purchase a (decent) replacement cable. The one I purchased was the “Flywoo Flexible DJI O4 Pro Coaxial Cable 25cm right-angle 90 degree“. The right-angle part is important in order it installs correctly – buy one with the right-angle at both ends. Whilst 20 cm is suffice, I could only locate one that was 25cm.
To mount, one has to carefully remove the bolts and where there is adhesive, slowly peel the cable off it. Take care to mount the connector correctly and as the original cable routed.
DJI O4 Pro Camera Mount
The DJI O4 Pro utilises a different mounting pattern to the older O3 or Walksnail cameras, and creating a TPU shim that fits between the carbon fibre side plates and camera is not feasible as the mounting screws for the camera prevent installation. Instead, I created a 3D model that replicates the left and right camera side plate with the ability to mount the O4 camera.
The 3D model can be found on Thingyverse here: Axisflying Kolas 7” DJI O4 Pro Camera Mount
For strength, I 3D-printed using a PETG-CF filament, but a PLA or PETG should work equally well, as the Kolas 7″ is not intended for bando flights! The result is a camera cage that looks like this:
On the drone:
Complete!
Success, here’s the drone with the O4 Pro installed in it.
