Camera Car Build

[Alaska Railroader]

Peteski,

I really enjoyed your videos.
Thanks for the ride!

[rogergperkins]

One aspect I discovered several years ago is that photographing ones layout gives a different perspective than viewing it directly.
I think that doing videos has the same critical outcome.
ONE SEE FLAWS! 
This is precisely why I have found photographing and taking videos of my layout have helped me improve the layout.
David, thanks for measuring the width of the camera and posting it.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Dies anyone know if the cemeras in a smart phone have a USB wire setup? I know they would not have the USB plug in there, but if the wires are the same, we may be able to get some sort of wi-fi tethering on it. The camera module is much smaller than anything we have here, digital, and even the mideiocre ones have good low light detection.

[rogergperkins]

Dan, I understand that my phone can be connect via a USB to a computer or TV to view photos or videos.
The phone usb for charging is a two way street on my LG phone.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

I'm talking internally. The webcam on your laptop is connected internially by the USB bus. It has nothing to do with the connectors or anything, thats just the protocol for transfering data from the camera to the CPU, which then stores it (hard drive), tranmits it (wifi, internet) or redirects it (to the screen).

If cameras on the phone run off a USB bus, then we need only to find a wifi/USB controler to make the camera work. It would cost less, fit better and do exactly what we want (HD, low light, live feed and storage possibilities).

[John]

Um, dude, you did tear out that entire layout... 

Oh ..

[VonRyan]

To where do I shove a fist full of dollars? Looks like it would sit nicely behind the engineer's window in an F unit. The whole point of positioning it there is so that it gives the viewer a sense of being at the throttle, even more so that by just holding a throttle (or cab depending on your preference).

-Cody F.

[seusscaboose]

Um, dude, you did tear out that entire layout... 

one internet point to Zox.

[eric220]

A little more progress this afternoon. I finally busted out the Silhouette. I've definitely got some learning to do, but this thing is awesome!  In no time I had whipped out a new floor for the RF16. A little surgery on the gear towers and I've got a hollow dummy RF16 with electrical pickups!





She's just completed her maiden voyage on the upper level and made it all the way around without derailing! I still need to add some internal vertical supports to make sure the ride height is correct. Then it's just a matter of installing the camera and some weight!

[daniel_leavitt2000]

I take it this is an alalog camera, and not digital? I like the size. I really like the light ring. I will not to analog at this point.

Here is the picture of the camera I am working with...promised earlier in the topic.





This is the camera only. It measures 4mm x 4mm x 13mm, runs of 3.5-5v, has an optional LED light ring (shown) and I believe it is 800x600 resolution (may be 640x460 though, can't remember what the gentleman told me it was when he gave it to me). I still need to come up with a way to transmit the signal from the camera.

Yellow wire is video signal out, Red is 3-5V+, Black ground, and White 3-5V+ to power the LED ring.

[peteski]

Cody, you seem to miss the point that even if you were able to install a camera behind the F unit's windshield, you would see (at the best) a very blurry outline of the window.  It will not add any "cab ambiance" to the picture. You would probably find it annoying. 

You know what? Try this experiment: Take any digital camera you have handy (one mounted in your phone or the one you take photos with) and take piece of dark colored paper.  Cut a F-unit shaped window in that piece of paper and place it in front of your camera , just far enough so you can see. Then focus the camera on the view through that window.  See if you like what you see.

As far as Tony's micro-camera goes, It is analog (yellow lead is the video output). To be honest, I think that all the camera's themselves (their imaging sensors) are internally analog. The translation to digital happens in the ancillary circuitry outside of the camera itself.  Let's not get "all digital or nothing'  here.   

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Well, we can give it a try. Where can we get a camera like that and how much?

[peteski]

Well, we can give it a try. Where can we get a camera like that and how much?

If you are talking about my post, I went back and edited it to clarify it.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

I was talking about Tony's post

[SkipGear]

I have a card for the guy that handed me this one. If I remember correctly, he said he could sell them for around $40 each. It may be less if we take the bulk lot off of his hands. I'm not sure how many he has but I know he has quite a few more the way he talked. For his application, the only problem was the LED light ring was not bright enough. He is making endoscopy equipment for race horses. He is trying to make a low cost, portable alternative to the 20K + equipment they are using now.

I will try to fire this one up this weekend and take a quick video with it to see the quality. He showed it to me on a portable 7" HD TV and it looked pretty good. I have a TV tuner in my PC and I can record direct from video so I should be able to post it.