Has anyone on the Forum tried replacing an old railscope camera from the late1980’s with a modern Wi-Fi or Bluetooth camera?
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Why ruin a collectable item when a modern camera van be installed in/on anything?
Although it's an interesting historical artifact, I'm not sure that a Railscope engine qualifies as collectible. IIRC, I saw a non-working copy go at auction within the past few months for a very low price ($20 or so?).
OTOH, it seems like it would be much simpler to mount a small camera either on a flat car in front of the engine, or attached to the engine itself, perhaps with the shell removed.
Thanks for the replies, the railscope gp9 already has an opening for the camera lens and if you remove the old railscope electronics from inside the shell there is lots of room. The dc motors are located in the locomotive trucks. I bought this locomotive for about $50. Can probably sell the old railscope electronics for $20. Hide a new WiFi or Bluetooth camera inside and I can have an engineers view sent to a monitor with a hidden camera.
@Big Hoss posted:Thanks for the replies, the railscope gp9 already has an opening for the camera lens and if you remove the old railscope electronics from inside the shell there is lots of room. The dc motors are located in the locomotive trucks. I bought this locomotive for about $50. Can probably sell the old railscope electronics for $20. Hide a new WiFi or Bluetooth camera inside and I can have an engineers view sent to a monitor with a hidden camera.
I have always considered doing that but have never gotted around to it.
Please post when you do it. I think it is a very interestingproject and would be a fan of following along as you do it!
Peter
If anyone is interested, this is a RailScope thread I started some years back......
Peter
@Big Hoss posted:Can probably sell the old railscope electronics for $20.
Good luck with that. Black and white analog RF... Sounds like E waste to me.
@Big Hoss posted:Has anyone on the Forum tried replacing an old railscope camera from the late1980’s with a modern Wi-Fi or Bluetooth camera?
Much easier to get a battery operated WiFi camera that will fit on the front of any diesel engine? I see no upside to converting a non scale can motor in truck driven engine? On Ebay HD 1080P wifi mini video camera 30FPM 25 bucks rechargeable
It's much harder to find one of those cheap WiFi cameras that will connect to your home network and thus allow you connections from anywhere. Most of them act as an Access Point and you need to connect directly with the phone.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:It's much harder to find one of those cheap WiFi cameras that will connect to your home network and thus allow you connections from anywhere. Most of them act as an Access Point and you need to connect directly with the phone.
Not at all, at least 50 on sale now on e bay connect direct to phone or tablet as they all have an app.
@ThatGuy posted:Not at all, at least 50 on sale now on e bay connect direct to phone or tablet as they all have an app.
You'll have to be more specific, did you actually buy one and connected it to your home network? I've have purchased several in the last couple years, and they all would only connect to a phone app locally and not to my home network. Of course, I also want one that is a true IP camera as I want to display the results on a full sized screen, not a 5" phone screen. So, it really has to either have a web browser interface or compatibility with a PC based video app.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:You'll have to be more specific, did you actually buy one and connected it to your home network? I've have purchased several in the last couple years, and they all would only connect to a phone app locally and not to my home network. Of course, I also want one that is a true IP camera as I want to display the results on a full sized screen, not a 5" phone screen. So, it really has to either have a web browser interface or compatibility with a PC based video app.
The one I purchased allowed the app to record it and sent it to my TV.another one I put the app on the fire stick allowing the video straight to tv
@ThatGuy posted:The one I purchased allowed the app to record it and sent it to my TV.another one I put the app on the fire stick allowing the video straight to tv
How exactly did it send to the TV? I'm not interested in recording and getting the video later, I want it broadcast from the camera in real-time to the display. That's the whole point of the WiFi.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:How exactly did it send to the TV? I'm not interested in recording and getting the video later, I want it broadcast from the camera in real-time to the display. That's the whole point of the WiFi.
Easy way to accomplish is too down load to TV, if not a smart TV then to a fire stick. The video is broadcast from camera to fire stick to tv. When I get home I will pull the one I used and send further info.
Yep, I think you're missing my point. I want it to go to my router first so it can be viewed anywhere, even in another country.
@ThatGuy posted:Much easier to get a battery operated WiFi camera that will fit on the front of any diesel engine? I see no upside to converting a non scale can motor in truck driven engine? On Ebay HD 1080P wifi mini video camera 30FPM 25 bucks rechargeable
I think you may have meant to say 30 FPS, but my experience with many of these little cheap cameras is that they almost always shoot at 30 frames per minute (2 FPS). That frame rate is excruciating to watch. Wi-Fi & Bluetooth packet overhead make live (IP based) 30 FPS video next to impossible (or extremely expensive) to achieve without using a buffer which would cause a somewhat significant delay in the live video feed.
We had a club member gut a railscope engine and install a $35 Wi-fi camera kit that claimed 30FPS. It was a nice fit and the camera at the end of the ribbon cable mounted perfectly into the precut hole of the engine. Below is the camera kit he used:
This camera did allow him to join the camera to a Wi-fi router so that his phone didn't have to connect to a dedicated Wi-fi camera network and it also supported ONVIF (Open Network Video Interface Forum) so he could display the image on his computer & laptop and then to his TV. But as expected, the camera was underwhelming. The best he got was 22 FPS in dimly lit situations, with the lights on it barely made 10 FPS.
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@H1000 posted:I think you may have meant to say 30 FPS, but my experience with many of these little cheap cameras is that they almost always shoot at 30 frames per minute (2 FPS). That frame rate is excruciating to watch. Wi-Fi & Bluetooth packet overhead make live (IP based) 30 FPS video next to impossible (or extremely expensive) to achieve without using a buffer which would cause a somewhat significant delay in the live video feed.
We had a club member gut a railscope engine and install a $35 Wi-fi camera kit that claimed 30FPS. It was a nice fit and the camera at the end of the ribbon cable mounted perfectly into the precut hole of the engine. Below is the camera kit he used:
This camera did allow him to join the camera to a Wi-fi router so that his phone didn't have to connect to a dedicated Wi-fi camera network and it also supported ONVIF (Open Network Video Interface Forum) so he could display the image on his computer & laptop and then to his TV. But as expected, the camera was underwhelming. The best he got was 22 FPS in dimly lit situations, with the lights on it barely made 10 FPS.
I did say 30 fpm and yes it does shoot at that speed, some do not. When I get home I will post the model that broadcasts at a decent frame rate.
Thanks all, now you got me thinking about digging up my Railscope stuff and hooking it up again.
@Big Hoss posted:Thanks for the replies, the railscope gp9 already has an opening for the camera lens and if you remove the old railscope electronics from inside the shell there is lots of room. The dc motors are located in the locomotive trucks. I bought this locomotive for about $50. Can probably sell the old railscope electronics for $20. Hide a new WiFi or Bluetooth camera inside and I can have an engineers view sent to a monitor with a hidden camera.
I have the RailScope Geep and that's sure the route I would prefer to take with mine. If someone comes up with a good how-to-do-it article to describe/illustrate the process of updating a RailScope locomotive with new technology, please consider submitting it to the magazine. It will also get you some $ to defray the cost of the components you might need.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:I also want one that is a true IP camera as I want to display the results on a full sized screen, not a 5" phone screen. So, it really has to either have a web browser interface or compatibility with a PC based video app.
That's certainly what I would want as well!
@Allan Miller posted:That's certainly what I would want as well!
Yep, and that's the elusive unicorn it seems among these small WiFi cameras. I have a box of them kicking around, and none have done the trick.
Well I pulled the trigger and bought a mini camera off EBay. We’ll just have to see how this project develops. If I can get the camera working through the WiFi router my next would to to set the up reusing the original on/off switch and figure a way power the thing with track. I’ll my best to document the whole process. Thanks all for your input!
@Big Hoss posted:Well I pulled the trigger and bought a mini camera off EBay. We’ll just have to see how this project develops. If I can get the camera working through the WiFi router my next would to to set the up reusing the original on/off switch and figure a way power the thing with track. I’ll my best to document the whole process. Thanks all for your input!
If you find one that connects directly to the router, I'd be VERY interested in hearing the details! 
@Allan Miller posted:I have the RailScope Geep and that's sure the route I would prefer to take with mine. If someone comes up with a good how-to-do-it article to describe/illustrate the process of updating a RailScope locomotive with new technology, please consider submitting it to the magazine. It will also get you some $ to defray the cost of the components you might need.
I didn't do this with a Railscope Geep but it was my quest for smooth live motion video and ease of use to drive to this project:
https://ogrforum.com/topic/823...5#154307984004363555
@H1000 posted:In my on ongoing quest to build an HD quality FPV camera car that will output to any TV with an HDMI input has yielded a new project.
The Goals in this project were:
1) HD 720p or 1080p output
2) No image delay (Zero latency)
3) Eliminate static interference found in analog wireless cameras
4) Wireless range of 50 feet or better
5) Conceal the entire project in a dummy locomotive and camouflage the camera as best as possible
6) Keep the operation and connection as simple as possibleEverything in the dummy is battery powered but I do plan to add a track powered charging system for the battery system. Mounted to the frame is the Camera and Wireless transmitter. In the Shell is a 3000 mAh battery back with 12 Volt and 5 volt outputs. To separate the shell the from the frame two power connectors (12v barrel & 5v mini USB) need to be unplugged. There are three warm LED lights for forward lighting that turn on when all components are powered up with a slide switch mounted on the side of the shell for easy access. There is also a charging port on the back of the shell so that the batteries can be charged externally.
Lastly there is the external receiver.
Between the bright LEDs and the very dark opening on the front of the shell, the camera is very hard to see:
Now the major component Build list with MSRP prices:
Camera: AIDA HD100a (https://aidaimaging.com/hd-100a/) -- $280
Wireless Tranmitter / Reciever : NYRIUS ARIES Pro (https://www.nyrius.com/aries-p...transmitter-receiver) -- $250
Battery: TalentCell Rechargeable 12V 3000mAh Lithium ion Battery Pack -- $25
Dummy: MTH F40PH dummy --$80 (estimated)
MISC. Supplies -- $10This thing has handily exceeded my expectations! The rated range of the Wireless HDMI ARIES Pro is 100 feet with line of sight. I have tested it to work reliably at 70 feet through scenery, tunnels and one interior wall. There was absolutely no latency and no loss in image quality at that 70 foot range. The camera is performed very well in low light (with night mode & color enabled) and it has many ways for your to customize the the output of the image. It handles the transition from dark to bright situations very well. The battery pack can easily run the whole system for 4 hours and my last test yielded 4.5 hours before the battery shutdown. It takes about 6 to 7 hours to fully recharge the battery pack with the included charger.
It checks all of the right boxes except price. I listed MSRP prices above but the NYRIUS ARIES Pro was bought used for $150 and there are cheaper versions available with less range for $200 (MSRP). I have already researched alternatives for the camera and one stand out item was the Hawkeye Firefly Split camera (Hawkeye FPV Camera) for $77. It's much smaller than the AIDA, has onboard recording to an SD card and has a Micro HDMI output port which could be adapted to work with the NYRIUS. With this camera and the lower cost NYRIUS systems, it may be possible to build this into something smaller and reduce the cost considerably.
The operation and setup of this system is so simple. Plug in the NYRIUS receiver and connect it to a TV with an HDMI cable, next slide the switch on the "camera engine" to power up all of the components inside. In about 10 seconds or less, the Wireless Transmitter & Receiver will find each other and the live image is displayed on the TV at 1080p 30FPS
I'll get some video of this posted soon, it been outstanding to see how clear the image is and the reception quality it absolutely amazing!
I have since received numerous requests and built a half-dozen or so of these camera engines for forum members. The only changes I've made from the original project are the addition of a battery charging system from rail power or installing a larger battery pack.
The camera in this use case would be too big for the railscope but if one is willing to cut a bigger hole for the larger lens, there might be some inventive ways to pack everything into a Geep body.
Very nice! When you add track power I would be interested in knowing how you decide to do it.
@Big Hoss posted:Very nice! When you add track power I would be interested in knowing how you decide to do it.
Track power is a pretty easy feature to add. You still have a battery pack to compensate for track power dropout but the battery pack can now be much smaller. The track power is a simple 1 amp AC/DC buck converter set to output 12.6 volts exactly to match the battery charging system input voltage. The buck converter needs at least 9 volts of AC input or 12 volts of DC input power to operate, otherwise the battery takes over and runs the system.
About half of my build requests include track power charging and I remove the charging port from the back of the engine when added.
Well, if you want to knock on the door to $1,000, I suspect there are ways to accomplish it. However, I was thinking more along the lines of less than $100! 
