F*** !!!, Just fried the mini video cam for my car Options

[campbellcj]

I am usually pretty decent with electrical/wiring stuff. Not today - I just cooked the tiny $125 wide angle video camera I was putting in my car. (The plan was to put the DV camcorder in a padded box - it has a remote - and then use the little remote cam and stereo mics mounted to the cage or basically anywhere I want, inside or outside.)

CRAP!

[Joe Bob]

Bummer.....Costco or Cicuit City would usually warranty those things...... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif)

[campbellcj]

The retail places don't carry these things...it is a little 2"x2" microlens CCD camera.

I might try to send it back under warranty (SuperCircuits) but the SMOKE smell might tip 'em off (IMG:style_emoticons/default/lol2.gif)

[Joe Bob]

Reverse the polarity? Run too much current?

[Downunderman]

I use the same setup. I stick the camera to the rear window with blue tack. Your problem is that you need a regulated power supply for the camera. They don't like more than about 13 volts. I picked up a diy regulator kit from Jaycar (like Radio shack) that did the job.

How

[john rogers]

That might be the same camera I have used for several years. I had trouble with the little mic that came with mine originally and the case was a weird shape. When I called, they sent two more mics and several cases at no charge. Unless they have changed they might be able to replace it for no cost??? Good luck

[john rogers]

I just thought of something else, if the model you bought has the optional little control module, you'll need it to do some adjustments since the inside of the 914, especially if it is black causes the video out the windshield to wash out. That's why I put the clear panel in my targa top to lighten up the inside. Good luck

[ss6]

Chris, which model did you use (fry)? Do you have the image washout problems John was mentioning? I had to mount my camera (see my avatar) just above the rear view mirror to avoid the issue.

[campbellcj]

I never had it working so I dunno how well it (would've) worked!

Yep, I reversed the polarity (dumbass) and probably also fed too much current and/or voltage into it. It was a little Supercircuits PC67XS2 or something like that - supposedly very good in low light and 400+ line vertical resolution.

I might go with a beefier C-mount type now, with a swappable lens and a rollbar mount. The tiny board mount cams seem very fragile and the only way to mount them would be tie-wraps. I might just use a small battery pack too, instead of car power.

The little Radio Shack mics I got seem to work fine w/ the camcorder. I will try to separate them towards each side of the car near the firewall to get some good stereo sound. The car is pretty stiff and extremely loud so this project will take some trial & error.

[ss6]

FWIW, I'm using a micro-cam from these guys

http://www.resunltd4u.com/index.html

It's their 470 line GM-4500-STD for $99. It comes in a cast aluminum shell, so it's very durable. It's small enough to tuck in at the top of the windshield above the mirror using a T-bracket that picks up the inboard sun visor mounting screws. It's all but invisible up there.

The camera is made by Mintron, a Taiwanese mfr that does almost as much camera volume as the Japanese giants. Aside from the washout problem with the over-the-shoulder mount, the video is great.

BTW, I tried mounting my mics on either front roll bar at dash level (to keep them out of the wind from open windows), and also on either side of the center console, letting the heads dangle on about 2" of wire for vibration isolation. Sound is good, stereo image is nothing to write home about, and once I hit 100 mph, I get a low frequency rumble that even wind filters won't kill off.

Let us know what you come up with -

[john rogers]

A couple of things, the washout from the over the shoulder mount is due to the mostly black interior affecting the white balance with a camera having a wide field of view. If the inside of the car was white there would be no trouble at all. Super Circuits also sells a control module that lets you override the auto settings on the unit that Cheris has (and I use too) I also put a lucite panel in the targa top of my race car that cured this problem and now I can read my gauges. The low frequecncy noises can be due to electrical interference. I was told by the Super Circuits tech guy to install "chokes" or filters on the power leads to the cmaera and recorder and when I did the strange background noises went away. If you use an MSD box of any kind they sell a choke that will isolate the car's electrical system from interference with the box. I have one on the power supplies to the MSD box. Good luck

[machina]

This past weekend I tried my sony mini-DV in the racecar. I can't believe how good the video is. When I used to use my old Hi-8 camcorder, image would jump at every bump. The new sony is rock solid, and the car is pretty stiff.

Anyway, my 2cents.

dave

[ss6]

John,

Have you tried that adjustable camera you mentioned *without* your lucite sunroof, ie can you get it to compensate for the black unlit interior? I tried the one I think you're talking about, didn't have much luck, and the box it came in was pretty flimsy so I sent it back. I guess the cameras built into camcorders are a lot smarter than the little solo guys, they don't seem to mind the contrast as much, but you can't break into the video stream of a camcorder if you want to get creative.

[john rogers]

I could get the minature camera to see out the front okay when overridding the shutter speed and white balance but then the interior ended up really black and it was hard to see even my hands on the wheel. The camera has electronic image stabilization so there is no vibration in the picture. The one I bought, at the tech guys recommendation was about $275 or something and he uses the same one in a R/C helicopter with good results. I also use a metal box and the camera is packed in foam inside so it can't move.