Dashcam setups (cheap)
 

If anyone is using a dashcam, I'd love to see the setup, as well as the device you as using.

I'm in the process of [probably] adding one myself, and want to keep it cheap and effective.

...except for the "180-degee phase-reversal", the common 'mirror' works well (wink,wink).

... unless you're trying to replace or augment an existing mirror with a camera. ;)

Are you trying to replace rear view mirrors, or are you looking for forward-looking video capture and storage?

I'm sorry, I should have been more clear. I want to capture forward-facing footage of my 15-20 minute commute.

I believe Arrongonis(sp) is using one. If you are looking for a cheap one check out Techmoan on Youtube or his blog Techmoan - Techmoan he does great reviews.

Kirk

As soon as my car gets out of the shop, I'll take pictures of the mounting hardware & camera setup. It's nothing fancy - once you see the parts, you can figure out what it looks like. :)


Camera:
JVC Everio HD
from the local Walmart ~$140
(separate 32GB SDHC flash & a larger JVC 14Wh battery pack [BN-VG138U; 3750mAh] bought online, somewhere)


Dash mounting parts from Ram-Mount:

1" Ball with 1/4"-20 Male Thread
Product Number: RAM-B-237U
Your Price: $8.19

Double Socket Arm for 1" Ball Bases
Product Number: RAM-B-201U
Your Price: $13.31

1.5" x 2" Rectangle Base with 1" Ball
Product Number: RAM-B-202U-152
Your Price: $20.43


Acquired from Home Depot:
Toggle Bolts
Drill bit for tile

An Iphone4. Cost = $0 for video (already had one). $15 and you can get Harry's Lap Timer, which will allow you to datalog OBD2 information alongside/overlayed on the video using a PLX OBD Wifi (PLX Kiwi Wifi - Connect your iPhone / iPod Touch to your car's OBD2 OBDII Port.).

example: (not me) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5O0rDuHDZA

The data can also be exported for analysis.

There is a similar app for Android phones.

I have tried a few ideas with differing results. I started out with mini DVR cameras you can buy for about £10-20 on ebay - things like this

http://www.mobilesandeverything.co.u...scam_side1.jpg

Sometimes these come in a tube design but the insides are the same.

http://mall.bfewww.com/bfepics/fast2.../T2409/4-1.jpg

They record onto Micro SD cards and can take 8GB ones easily - but the film is split into 500MB segments. When the card is full the oldest is deleted to make room. I've recorded an hour or so on a card and had room left over.

Downsides ? The mountings are usually cr@p - the suction cup fails very quickly. Secondly the batteries are hit and miss, they usually fail after a couple of months completely. Finally the tube ones have a metal case with a glass cover at the front which rattles making the sound useless.

I've now switched to using my phone. Work was kind enough to get me a new Samsung Galaxy S2 (although I understand there is an inferior Apple alternative also available :D). I added a windscreen mount like this

http://www.ultimate-mobiles.co.uk/li.../gallery/1.jpg

which has a slot for the camera. The flexible mount allows you to put it where you like and it can be bent as well, mine is behind the rear view mirror so it doesn't take any windscreen space.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-ar...3474-mount.jpg

The little blob of blu-tak stops it shaking. The phone also takes the Micro SD cards I got for the other cameras and I can get an hour's journey onto a card in HD. Here is a short test so you can see the quality - I put the SG2 into the shot as well. If you select 1080p on youtube you can see the SG2 figures very clearly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bm4Ue_1fzo

Hope this helps.

Torque for Android comes in free and paid versions - there is a thread on it somewhere.

I got one of those ELM (?) OBDII adaptors as well for £6 - the usually cost £10-15. The Torque WIKI says they may work but for £6 I got 2 just in case.

Both worked and I sold one on for what I paid for it, and actually also the second one - I didn't get into Torque that much because there were issues about turning the engine off at lights and having the app come back on automatically etc.

It is still installed though and I think (I haven't tried it - yet) it can record position / time via GPS without being connected to the car so you can combine the video and a map from Google - might try this at some point.

Except when you're being followed by one of the a**holes in the giant SUVs, now with two sets of headlights - one low, one high - that they refuse to dim.

Also for night driving, it'd be nice to have something with image enhancement to bring out things - like deer! - beyond the range of your headlights.

Infrared flood lights would work. I'm not sure how one would make those aerodynamic.

UVA spotlights should work for lighting up street signs.

Shouldn't need any added light, just image processing/intensification on the existing ambient light.

Just wearing night vision goggles may do that ?

I suppose it depends on where one is driving. 1am, no moon, up in the mountain; stars aren't enough (even with night vision goggles on) to see a deer on the side of the road. IR will light everything up for the camera, UV will light up the deer's eyes and signs for the driver.

I'm really thinking about it also, especially after this video..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRC7RO2tOJQ

Thank you Arragonis - that's basically what I'm looking for. Just something real basic. Doesn't even need to be the highest quality.

Did you fare okay with the cheaper ones until you upgraded? I mean, even if they weren't great, did they do the job?

The cheapo cameras worked ok with the problems I listed - rattles from the case, the mounting and battery life. But for £5-15 a time they seemed worth the risk even if they don't work - its not worth sending them back at that price. The quality was OK - see my youtube entries for the shaky ones where I mounted the camera on the headrest using rubber bands.

If you can stretch to it I would go with the phone mount option - most mobiles can take reasonable videos and mountings are widely available together with chargers and memory cards - and blutak is a worldwide product...

Also it is dead easy for casual use, as in you don't have to mount / setup loads of stuff before you film - clip in the phone, set the camera off and drive.

Post back with your videos ;)

I would like to resurrect this thread. I'm looking into getting a dashcam as it's probably the best thing you can have on the road for how cheap its become. I try to be very aware of my surroundings when i drive, as well as leaving a lot of room in front of me. But you can't trust everyone you see on the road no matter how well you try to avoid them. I know you can get police dashcams pretty cheap from law enforcement auctions. Well see how it goes, then i'll review whatever i buy here.

Komando Dash Cam Premium Edition - Practical Items, Great Gifts and Affordable Prices at The Store at Komando.com

Don't know anything about them just hear her advertising them.

If you travel abroad.
 

Spend the money and get a portable unit.
My friend Phil was detained or held for ransom basically because a Kuwati 27 yo T boned his rental car.
After 2 months he was allowed to leave but it required 1/2 million deposite.
This Guy hit him and sued because Phil diddnt get outa the way fast enough.
All said and done it cost him just under 14k to settle and get bond released.
If he had had a camera showing correct safe driving it woulda never effected his job and life. Worst part was it injured his own neck and he still has another suit against his own insurance now 3 yrs later he is destined to loose.

Are there Android apps that loop the videos, or delete old videos after a preset amount of time?

I'd like something I can use all the time, that automatically maintains the files by overwriting the old ones.

I'd rather spend the $14k to make a few people wish they had chosen a different occupation.

I did a bit of research on dashcams. I have been interested in getting one, for evidence and for entertainment. Oh the drivers I come across...

Anyway, the one that stands out is the DVR-027. I don't know the brand, but its called the DVR-027. You can buy it on eBay. Beware, there are fakes. It should cost $60-$70 with free shipping. It's a dedicated dashcam that starts recording when it receives power. Records in HD to a SD card. Loops the video so that when you run out of space on the SD card, it records back over the oldest data. Also has some other nifty features.

For $60 + the cost of an SD card, I call that pretty cheap for a dedicated dashcam that you can set and forget.

My car DVR/dashcam thread is here, with video results.

I was thinking the same thing earlier, also an app that carries on recording when a call comes in :D

I hate to revive an old thread but I ended up using the AutoBoy Blackbox app for android and run it in the background while I watch my dash command otherwise, so I just had to adjust the angle of the mount to show it, and now I am glad I did.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4irqRHWxmY