Dash Camera/ Neat Toy

[JackConrad]

    Recently there was talk about a dash camera to document accidents (hopefully none of us will be involved in one) and security cameras.  I purchased a waterproof helmet camera for my kayak helmet and also purchased an extra mount to install on the dash of our bus.  I am very impressed with the quality of this little (about the size of a pack of cigarettes) camera. In standard resolution (640 x 480 & 30 FPS, you can film for 8 hours with a 32 Gig SD card. In the time lapse mode (1 photo every 2 seconds), you can record about 8 days total.  A pair of Lithium-Ion AA bateries are supposed to last about 10 hours or you can use a "Green Power" pack that runs off 12 volt DC or 120 volt AC, although it is not waterproof when using the pack.  http://www.tachyoninc.com/XC2010.html  I have no financial interest in this company, just a very satified customer.
   We plan to film our trip from near Dearing, GA to Palmetto Cove next Tuesday.  Should be neat to be able to show people what it looks like to roll down the road in a bus conversion.  And Heaven Forbid, could be documention in case of an accident.  Jack

[Iceni John]

Does this system, or any other type of system, have the ability to record the most recent half-hour's worth of 30 FPS footage, then continuously re-record over it, sort of like an aircraft's Cockpit Voice Recorder?   One would hope that events more than half-hour or so before a Significant Happening would be irrelevent, and that one would need only the most current recording.

I like the idea of something that continuously records whenever the key is in the ignition (do diesels have "ignition"?), ideally from more than one camera.   Maybe one camera facing forward, another facing back, both with wide-angle lenses to capture as much as possible around the bus.   Perhaps this could be tied into a rear-view backing-up camera system.

Thanks, John

[JackConrad]

Not this camera. When the SD memory card is full, it stops recording. There are other systems out there that will only save the last 30 minutes or whatever it is set to save, but not at a price I can afford. And, I needed the ability to run off batteries and have a waterproof camera for my kayak helmet.  Jack

[Dreamscape]

That's pretty neat Jack..........The Boys and Their Toys has a special meaning now huh!

[Ace]

I might have to look into one of these for my bike especially after this past Saturday!

[ruthi]

Jack, that is pretty neat. Sounds like a fun toy. Have fun, let us know how it goes. Ruthi

[Ed Hackenbruch]

Rather than a "toy", i regard it more of a safety item. Just today in the bus we had someone who passed a car in the other lane on a corner. We had to start hitting the brakes to give them enough time to get back in their lane without hitting us.  That also happened a few days ago in our jeep. And years ago i got sideswiped by somebody coming too fast around a corner on a narrow road. He told his insurance company that i was to blame. If i do something i will own up to it. But nothing lights my fuse faster than to be accused of something that i did not do!!!! A month later I finally got his insurance company to have somebody come out and look at the skid marks and they agreed that he lied to them. What really ticked me off is that i pulled him out of the ditch so he did not have to call a wrecker.  I think i will be getting one of those cameras in the very near future.

[Tim Strommen]

Does this system, or any other type of system, have the ability to record the most recent half-hour's worth of 30 FPS footage, then continuously re-record over it, sort of like an aircraft's Cockpit Voice Recorder?   One would hope that events more than half-hour or so before a Significant Happening would be irrelevant, and that one would need only the most current recording.

I like the idea of something that continuously records whenever the key is in the ignition (do diesels have "ignition"?), ideally from more than one camera.   Maybe one camera facing forward, another facing back, both with wide-angle lenses to capture as much as possible around the bus.   Perhaps this could be tied into a rear-view backing-up camera system.

This is exactly what I did in my pickup truck.  I used an off-the-shelf 8-channel DVR (link is to the 16-channel version, 8-channel is unlisted) with a forward camera, pickup-bed/rear camera, left/right side cameras, driver/passenger interior cameras -and then one channel for telemetry (this is black-box data) + 8 audio inputs (one per camera).  The DVR I used is out of China - knock it if you want, but all of the US guys buy them from China and re-badge them...

You can get this type of DVR to record when it has power (hook it up to you accessory supply), or you can do what I did in my truck and hook up the alarm inputs for the individual camera inputs to the ignition so that it records when the truck is running, and then I have video motion detection setup as well, in case there is something going on while the truck is off.

Nice thing about my DVR is it supports up to 8x of 1.5TB hard drives and records in H.264 (high quality compression, low data utilization) at full video speed.  I only use one 64GB Flash-drive, but with all cameras recording 24x7 I get about a month of non-stop recording, plus I can off-load to USB or DVD-ROM (to give as evidence to cops at the scene of something).  The DVR is programmed to over-write the oldest recorded data (except that which is “locked”, like video of a crash I want to save), I so I only have the most recent month’s worth of video on the DVR.  I also have it plugged into my DashPC, so I can log into my truck over 3G and see what's going on with it, and I rigged up a board that pretends it’s a Pan-Tilt-Zoom-Camera so I can lock/unlock doors, put on a light show, and start/stop the engine remotely (better than On-Star or Lo-Jack combined, they don’t have video… I hope ).

After my recent theft issue at my storage place, I’ve been thinking about putting a full-time camera system on my bus while it’s under construction, then leaving it in while in use.

-Tim

P.S. I should note, for my system, some assembly was required -T

[philiptompkjns]

Does this system, or any other type of system, have the ability to record the most recent half-hour's worth of 30 FPS footage, then continuously re-record over it, sort of like an aircraft's Cockpit Voice Recorder?   One would hope that events more than half-hour or so before a Significant Happening would be irrelevant, and that one would need only the most current recording.

I like the idea of something that continuously records whenever the key is in the ignition (do diesels have "ignition"?), ideally from more than one camera.   Maybe one camera facing forward, another facing back, both with wide-angle lenses to capture as much as possible around the bus.   Perhaps this could be tied into a rear-view backing-up camera system.

This is exactly what I did in my pickup truck.  I used an off-the-shelf 8-channel DVR (link is to the 16-channel version, 8-channel is unlisted) with a forward camera, pickup-bed/rear camera, left/right side cameras, driver/passenger interior cameras -and then one channel for telemetry (this is black-box data) + 8 audio inputs (one per camera).  The DVR I used is out of China - knock it if you want, but all of the US guys buy them from China and re-badge them...

You can get this type of DVR to record when it has power (hook it up to you accessory supply), or you can do what I did in my truck and hook up the alarm inputs for the individual camera inputs to the ignition so that it records when the truck is running, and then I have video motion detection setup as well, in case there is something going on while the truck is off.

Nice thing about my DVR is it supports up to 8x of 1.5TB hard drives and records in H.264 (high quality compression, low data utilization) at full video speed.  I only use one 64GB Flash-drive, but with all cameras recording 24x7 I get about a month of non-stop recording, plus I can off-load to USB or DVD-ROM (to give as evidence to cops at the scene of something).  The DVR is programmed to over-write the oldest recorded data (except that which is "locked", like video of a crash I want to save), I so I only have the most recent month's worth of video on the DVR.  I also have it plugged into my DashPC, so I can log into my truck over 3G and see what's going on with it, and I rigged up a board that pretends it's a Pan-Tilt-Zoom-Camera so I can lock/unlock doors, put on a light show, and start/stop the engine remotely (better than On-Star or Lo-Jack combined, they don't have video... I hope ).

After my recent theft issue at my storage place, I've been thinking about putting a full-time camera system on my bus while it's under construction, then leaving it in while in use.

-Tim

P.S. I should note, for my system, some assembly was required -T

I've got to hand it  to you, that is one awesome system you've got.

[belfert]

This is exactly what I did in my pickup truck.  I used an off-the-shelf 8-channel DVR (link is to the 16-channel version, 8-channel is unlisted) with a forward camera, pickup-bed/rear camera, left/right side cameras, driver/passenger interior cameras -and then one channel for telemetry (this is black-box data) + 8 audio inputs (one per camera).  The DVR I used is out of China - knock it if you want, but all of the US guys buy them from China and re-badge them...

A little paranoid about getting into an accident that wasn't your fault?  I could see this in a bus, but a pickup?

A large commercial type vehicle is almost always going to be held liable no matter what just because the vehicle is large.

[Tim Strommen]

A little paranoid about getting into an accident that wasn't your fault?  I could see this in a bus, but a pickup?

A large commercial type vehicle is almost always going to be held liable no matter what just because the vehicle is large…

Maybe with the Bus, but not the truck (the paranoia, that is) - that is mostly for my amusement.  The four accidents I’ve captured with the system, I was a witness only - one was hit and run.  Video/audio makes for great evidence.  The other toys I put in are more for vehicle theft/vandalism, and showing off a bit.  I’d like to think I wouldn’t be the cause of an accident, I’ve only had one in my 12 years of driving (low speed) – and it wasn’t serious enough to have to report (just a ding, combined damage $127, and no injuries).

-Tim

[5B Steve]

   Jack,

   Maybe put it on U tube?

  Steve 5B......

[WVA_NATIVE]

All I can say is very cool!!!

WVaNative

[cody]

SHHHHHHHHHH, don't tell libby about that, I'm trying to convince her the 4th camera input on the monitor is for the shower cam lol.

[FloridaCliff]

Jack,

I think you should wear the Kayak helmet with the camera while driving and forget the dash mount.

One look and people will most likely give you a little extra room (Safety first) and we can see what your really looking at when driving.......

Cliff