On-Board Video Camera

Brian, this is a topic I'd like to hear some comments on. What video equipment are members using?

Thanks for posting.

Ray

This was done with a GoPro...

 

 

Actually, the camera was mounted to a flat car which was being pushed by the engine.

I want to operate my train by watching the video on a tablet live, like I am sitting in the cab - obeying signals as I go.

I would like to find a camera that I can use with a WiFi Direct connection (direct camera to tablet no router).  It needs to have decent frame rate so I don't have to go really slow. The sport/action (GoPro) cameras I have looked at have this feature but the live video is not 720p nor of a decent frame rate.  Still looking.

Dan

OK..we are off to a good start with this topic. I have a "spy" camera here that is wireless, so I am going to try and hook it up and see what happens. It is a pinhole color camera that would be stuffed into a teddy bear with a 9 volt battery for power.

I will keep you posted on my findings.

My problem is that I only have a 40x60 layout on the floor so far as I am getting all my materials ready for the build in the next two weeks or so. At least I can see if it works.

 

I used a $1.95 key fob camera that i placed on top an engine and held it with a small piece of masking tape for this video.

 

 

BigBoy4005

On the GoPro unit can you see what is being shot onto your TV screen ?

 

I guess I cheat.  I put a gondola in front of my engine and put a regular 'ole camcorder in the gondola.

 

 

Ron

 

That's pretty neat. Great setup so far.

It gets the point across, even though you cheated.

I say you still get an "A" for effort.

My plan is to put my mini pin hole camera somewhere in the loco up front.

Will see....

 

To date, that is the only video I've shot with the GoPro. It was just set to record and run around the layout. I think a live image can be transmitted directly to an ipad, though there may be a slight delay. I'm not sure what additional equipment is needed to send the picture straight to a TV.

The GoPro App has a Preview Mode, I found a table of supported resolutions some of which meet my needs.  If you turn recording on it will shut off the preview.  You can't do both at the same time.  The Preview mode is for setting up the shot for recording.

Resolutions Supported by GoPro App Preview (iOS and Android OS)

Does anyone have experience with a GoPro and Preview?

What is the delay for "near real time"?

Dan

Here's a screen-grab from a track powered ChooChoo Cam mounted in a BUDD car on the club's layout. They are a little bit pricey campared to the X-10's and the like but worth the extra cost.

I just purchased three mini video camaras off the bay.  One is a key fob HD and two others are for mounting on bicycle or helmet, both of these are HD also.  Together all three cost me $60.  Time for experimenting with them. 

 

Key search words - mini video HD camera

 

 

Steve, Lady and Tex

Lionel Railscope? 

Railscope was the bomb back in the day (1988-90). I still have one somewhere. My how technology has changed.

I have a couple of wireless color minicams for my layout.  One is mounted in the cab of a GP-20 dummy, looking right over the hood, and is powered by track power.  The picture is real time so you can run the train and get the actual view from the cab.  Frame rate is fast enough so no jerkiness.  The resolution is not HD, but OK for what I'm doing ( I'm not recording it ).  You do get some momentary flickering if something metal gets in the way of the signal.  I bought my first one from Micro-Mark, along with the power supply board.  It was on sale, and it and the board totalled about $100. 

http://www.micromark.com/wirel...und-24-ghz,8776.html

I have since found the same camera on ebay for about $30 plus shipping. 

The cameras come with a receiver which can use up to 4 different frequencies and the output is two different channels.  The range is at least 100 feet.  I use standard RCA cables to connect the receiver to the TV set. 

 

It's fun to use, I really get into running the train.  I did have a big surprise once when my cat jumped onto the layout and peered right into the camera.  Catzilla!

 

It's also fun to place cameras at trackside to get the railfan perspective.  I use the miniature security cams for that.

I used one of those G200 spy-cams for this video:

The chief attraction was that this pint-size camera, about an inch square by a half-inch deep, had its own LCD monitor on the back so you could monitor the shot. The drawback was that it's standard-def video, the microphone is easily overwhelmed by model-train noise levels, and as far as I know, its production was a one-shot thing and you can't really find them anymore.

 

---PCJ

Some real nice videos.

A friend of mine put one inside the cupola of a wide vision caboose I found for him. The camera looks out the front window, gives an awesome view looking for out over the train in front of you and there is nothing outside of the caboose, you don't see the camera unless you look in through the windows.  He has it connected to a big flat screen TV on the wall next to the layout. Really cool.

I just bought the Mobius. It can record in 1080p, is much cheaper than a Go-Pro and is about the size of a box of Tic-Tacs which means if you wanted, you could probably fit it inside the cab of an engine. I believe with some extras you could view live video too but that wasn't a concern of mine when I bought it. I wanted it for mounting on my bike, the dashboard of my airplane and the front of a train. Check out the Techmoan website.  The guy has many in-depth reviews of "Go-Pro" like cameras.

This is a great thread and the videos are very enjoyable....

 

Alan

Using my GoPro and a WiFi BacPac, I recorded this:

 

As you can see, it does allow streaming to Android and iOS devices while recording (In the video I have a Galaxy S3 phone).  And Android devices often have a video out that you could connect to a TV.

 

There is a lag time, as illustrated by this video.  Also, if I adjusted the settings on the camera and played with it for a while, I could get a good quality video out of it, as illustrated by the NJHR GoPro posts a while back.

 

I recently found a program that says it will stream to PC also.  Haven't tested it yet.

 

... sorry for the messy desk!

 

Ed

My unscientific timer thought it looked like ~3 second delay.  That may be too much for want to do.  Thank you very much for the video demonstration.

Dan 

I think that in general, we're talking about two ways use a camera on a train.  To record a trip around the layout or, to get an "in the engineer's seat" view that's live.

 

To Record:

The Go Pro creates high quality video.  The tour that the NJHighRailers posted recently illustrates just how good a recorded video can be.  BUT, to stream and view at the same time, you have to live with some lag (at least with a GoPro).

 

To View:

A Wifi video feed is good, but an RF (radio) signal transmitted to the TV is as "live" as you can get, BUT the quality of the video is subject to interference from accessories, metal objects, rf-reflective surfaces, etc.  We have one of these at our club, and while the video is viewable, it is NOT high quality, and we do get interference at some spots along the rails.  It would not produce a high quality video if the signal was fed to a recorder.

 

IMHO,

Ed

It sounds like what you want is the real time view, as mentioned above by Eddiem.  The 24MHZ cameras will do that, but as mentioned, it'll have picture dropouts along the way.  In my experience, you will tend to ignore those glitches, and it is fun. 

 

The cameras can now be found cheap.  If you buy them on ebay make sure that they are US video standard (NTSC), and not Euro or asian standard (PAL, SECAM).  They will run for a while using a battery, but if you want to run them on track power the MicroMark board is the only power supply board that I've found so far.

Also, K-line made a flatcar with a track powered camera.  They are kind of big and the camera is an older style X-10, but it works.  My club uses one at our Christmas show and it is popular with the visitors.

John

Looking at the cheap ones on the bay I see .SystemAL/CCIR NESC/EIA.

Would you please advise what that means?You said to look for NTSC. I also don't understand that acronym means.

Thanks for your time.

Larry

Larry,

 

As John said, NTSC is the standard for TVs in the US.  You want a NTSC compatible video signal so it will work with your TV.  If you got a PAL/SECAM system, it would be like trying to control a DCS engine with a LEGACY controller... itsa nogo!

 

Although I am probably watering down my odds, I would suggest that readers of this thread visit the GoPro website at:  http://gopro.com/daily-giveaway/  

Every day they give away a complete GoPro camera and all of the accessories they make.  You just need to key in some info to enter and might win "the works".  Of course they accept entries from all over the world, so it may take a while for you to win! 

 

Ed

 

 

this car is designed for an I phone. it shoots through the angled mirror. this one is HO

 

I've used a Choo Choo cam for years. It is mounted in the nose of a lead dummy locomotive which is double headed, not "lashed up" , with a powered unit.

It is track powered and transmits a video signal to a receiver.

Like others have said, there are occasional dropout glitches and it is nothing close to HD, but it is in real time and at a decent frame rate.

I occasionally run the output of the receiver to my Virtual Vision RX glasses (similar to the photo below) which contain a small TV monitor in front of one eye. The illusion is that you are watching a large screen TV from about 6 feet away, similar to an automobile's heads up display.

If you really want an engineer's point of view, even though your layout sometimes looks like you're inside space Mountain when they turn the lights on, this is the ticket.

Remember to keep the barf bag handy.

TJ

 

I found this one, apparently it will operate on either NTSC or PAL.  Best to ask the seller to make sure.  At least he is in the USA.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Wireless-Spy-Mini-Micro-Camera-Hidden-Cam-with-Receiver-FULL-SYSTEM-/261248323075?pt=Camcorders_Professional_Video_Cameras&hash=item3cd39d0e03#ht_1399wt_994

 

Also, when you look at these cameras - check the shipping price.  Some bad types will have a real low price on the camera, but charge $25 or more for shipping.  The link above has free shipping so that's good.

That's something I might try  this afternoon: I have a gondola and I think my camera would work.  I worry vibration would shake it so, even if taped down,  that the image would not be very watchable, though.

 

I'm also looking at some of the smaller cameras: doubt I could mount one in a Superstreets car, but they look like they were fit in the trailer of my 18 wheelers, the view out the front of the trailer over the tractor/s roof would be cool.  

Thanks John and Ed. I understand. John I checked that one out and have a idea of what your talking about. That particular seller has a wee bit of bad feedback IMO. I think it would be entertaining running one one of those on the TV.

Thanks

Larry

Several years ago there was a good thread about the 'key-fob' camera from overseas that was supposed to be true HD (720?) and was about $10. I sent for one at the time and couldn't get it to work with my computer. It was misplaced during the move but may still turn up again sometime.  Many forum members talked of using them but the thread died out.

Anyone have video from one?

This is an old video I made using the key fob camera.

I spotted a couple of wireless HD micro cameras on the bay too.  Those weren't around a year ago.  Price was over a C note, but I'm sure it will come down in the future.

It's pretty cheap and it is fun.  One time I took the receiver upstairs and hooked it to the living room TV.  I used my TMCC control and ran the train from there.  It all worked fine.