In car camera+ more
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In car camera+ more
I didn't know whether to post this in an electronic forum or a car forum, so I chose the electronic section of a car forum.
I don't usually post, and sorry for the long post, but I think this is educational and may prompt new ideas of your own. There are pictures, but read first.
After I received a traffic ticket for something I did not do, going to court twice and have the officer lie in court, I decided I would never let that happen to me again. To this day, almost 2 years later, I'm still upset about the incident.
I did not post this project upon initial creation but since I had to take it apart for an update, I thought I would share.
Cost breakdown:
Camera: $150
Wide angle lens (not required): $25
Electronic parts: $25 not including the stuff I had in my pile of spare electronic parts.
Other junk: $25 ish
Time breakdown: I did the project in stages over about a year, but total time working on it was about 160 hours, or a month of full time 9 to 5 work, with no lunch.
So, a of total less than $200 for a fully automatic, self reliant, in car video monitor system and proof against lying cops
Before we get to the pictures, I'll talk about the logic of the program. This project/program performs two very different functions. The primary function is to control the in car camera. The second is an electric exhaust cutout monitor.
1.camera
The camera turns on and off with the car. This is good because you don't have to remember to turn it on and off each time you get in and out of the car. It's always there, like the radio or something. After having the camera in the car for about a year, I don't like driving my other car without it. It provides a lot of security and it you can back up your word, because your testimony in court is insignificant against a lying corrupt cop. I will be making another version for my other car.
To start recording, I set it up so that when I go over a defined throttle threshold, it starts recording. So basically, it starts recording whenever I drive because I have the threshold set low. Some of you racers could use a variation of this function to start recording at the beginning of your track session. I've read posts about people having trouble reaching the record switch/button when strapped in the seat.
That's all nice and good, but what happens when the memory chip is full of video? If you remember to look every time you get in the car or keep track of how many minutes per resolution you have been recording, you can delete the old video files yourself. That was too much for me.
To solve that, I made it such that the program will delete video based on certain conditions; record time being one several conditions. It will also reduce the resolution so that more video can be recorded, if according to the conditions it is necessary to reduce resolution, rather than deleting files. This helps keep the video on memory for longer drives, and longer periods of time, for you to review later.
You can also set it to not delete anything (while operating in the car) by pressing an external switch. You would do this if you recorded something important/interesting that you do not want to be deleted by the auto delete routine. Later, after downloading the video, you can reset the program back to normal operation with the same switch. This comes in handy when you recorded something with the camera outside the car (using camera as a hand held), and then mount the camera back in the car for the drive home.
2 Cut out
For those of you with high power cars, or those like myself who like a quiet exhaust, but need better flow the cut-out was the solution.
The second function preformed by the project is monitoring the position of an electric exhaust cut-out. When I updated the power supply for the camera, I decided to add in the ability to open the cut out without having to use the standard toggle switch. DMH cutout with no leaks after 2 years
The program will open the cut out when 'accelerating' (depending on my right foot), and inform the car's ECU of the position so that the correct fuel/timing maps are used I'm using AEM. You can still open the cut-out with the switch, and I also use this switch to set the camera in a particular mode (described above).
When the cut-out is open, it tells the ECU to use the more 'performance' maps and vice-versa when the cut-out is closed. The program also indicates to me, the driver, with a small LED, the current ECU mapping that is being used. LED on for 'performance', LED off for normal.
So that was the logic behind the program, now on to pictures and the real DIY'
I chose the aiptek camera because I didn't want an expensive camera banging around in the car all day, or getting stolen. It has limitations, but it works well for this purpose, and even well as a personal hand held camera with decent picture quality. It will fit in your back pocket too.
However, I will say, I am on my second camera. The first one went bad because it was being powered in the car by the Aiptek AC wall plug, plugged into the accessory port via a DC2AC converter. I think the cheap converter killed the internal voltage regulator of the camera and it stopped turning on. That is why I'm updating the power supply for this camera, and what has led me to make the post.
As a note, Aiptek was SUPER nice with customer service and even allowed me to exchange the broken camera (with holes I drilled for wires in the plastic case) for a new/refurb model. I was good with that.
AIPTEK A-HD+
You can find specs of it online anywhere.
Here are the internals with my wire harness connections attached. The wires are tiny and soldering was not easy.
After camera is put back together, this is the only external visual clue. I didn't want a bunch of extra wires hanging out of the camera because I may want to use it as a hand held unit as well. This is nice and clean, easy to disconnect from the wire harness.
Wire harness from the camera to control box is nothing more than CAT5 cable.
Breadboard work getting the software and hardware to mingle with each other.
After I created the schematic and getting the bugs worked out on the breadboard, I made the final PCB with the toner transfer DIY method of creating PCBs. Here is how that turned out. The picture is the first board I made, I have since made another/better one.
The software can be updated while on the PCB. So making the circuit work for other cars/cameras wouldn't be that hard.
Here is the control box case. It came from an old power supply that I took apart (cheap ftw). It mounts to the underside of the dash with some Velcro strips. Total weight with circuit board is only a few ounces; 4"x 3"x 1.5" dimension. Control box with circuit board installed. The connectors is a Honda 8pin connector, looks factory, haha.
Camera mounted in the car on my $5 camera mount, with a quick release wing nut.
Yes, the mount scratches the case some. Not a big deal to me.
Dust included
Here is a video taken the first week I had the camera installed. It is this type of thing that I catch all the time. No wide angle yet. Webshots kills the quality, but I have the original files on my PC and can read the truck's license plate. You can also see the speed on the original file. However, you can see the stability on the terrible roads. Not perfect, but good for 5 bucks.
in car video
I realize this reaches 2 different groups of hobbyist, automotive and electronic.
I'm not in the market to sell these, but now that the schematic is done with an on board programming port on the PCB, and the software is complete, it would be easy to make versions using the same circuit with updated software provided you have a camera.
If you would like to know more, just ask.
I don't usually post, and sorry for the long post, but I think this is educational and may prompt new ideas of your own. There are pictures, but read first.
After I received a traffic ticket for something I did not do, going to court twice and have the officer lie in court, I decided I would never let that happen to me again. To this day, almost 2 years later, I'm still upset about the incident.
I did not post this project upon initial creation but since I had to take it apart for an update, I thought I would share.
Cost breakdown:
Camera: $150
Wide angle lens (not required): $25
Electronic parts: $25 not including the stuff I had in my pile of spare electronic parts.
Other junk: $25 ish
Time breakdown: I did the project in stages over about a year, but total time working on it was about 160 hours, or a month of full time 9 to 5 work, with no lunch.
So, a of total less than $200 for a fully automatic, self reliant, in car video monitor system and proof against lying cops
Before we get to the pictures, I'll talk about the logic of the program. This project/program performs two very different functions. The primary function is to control the in car camera. The second is an electric exhaust cutout monitor.
1.camera
The camera turns on and off with the car. This is good because you don't have to remember to turn it on and off each time you get in and out of the car. It's always there, like the radio or something. After having the camera in the car for about a year, I don't like driving my other car without it. It provides a lot of security and it you can back up your word, because your testimony in court is insignificant against a lying corrupt cop. I will be making another version for my other car.
To start recording, I set it up so that when I go over a defined throttle threshold, it starts recording. So basically, it starts recording whenever I drive because I have the threshold set low. Some of you racers could use a variation of this function to start recording at the beginning of your track session. I've read posts about people having trouble reaching the record switch/button when strapped in the seat.
That's all nice and good, but what happens when the memory chip is full of video? If you remember to look every time you get in the car or keep track of how many minutes per resolution you have been recording, you can delete the old video files yourself. That was too much for me.
To solve that, I made it such that the program will delete video based on certain conditions; record time being one several conditions. It will also reduce the resolution so that more video can be recorded, if according to the conditions it is necessary to reduce resolution, rather than deleting files. This helps keep the video on memory for longer drives, and longer periods of time, for you to review later.
You can also set it to not delete anything (while operating in the car) by pressing an external switch. You would do this if you recorded something important/interesting that you do not want to be deleted by the auto delete routine. Later, after downloading the video, you can reset the program back to normal operation with the same switch. This comes in handy when you recorded something with the camera outside the car (using camera as a hand held), and then mount the camera back in the car for the drive home.
2 Cut out
For those of you with high power cars, or those like myself who like a quiet exhaust, but need better flow the cut-out was the solution.
The second function preformed by the project is monitoring the position of an electric exhaust cut-out. When I updated the power supply for the camera, I decided to add in the ability to open the cut out without having to use the standard toggle switch. DMH cutout with no leaks after 2 years
The program will open the cut out when 'accelerating' (depending on my right foot), and inform the car's ECU of the position so that the correct fuel/timing maps are used I'm using AEM. You can still open the cut-out with the switch, and I also use this switch to set the camera in a particular mode (described above).
When the cut-out is open, it tells the ECU to use the more 'performance' maps and vice-versa when the cut-out is closed. The program also indicates to me, the driver, with a small LED, the current ECU mapping that is being used. LED on for 'performance', LED off for normal.
So that was the logic behind the program, now on to pictures and the real DIY'
I chose the aiptek camera because I didn't want an expensive camera banging around in the car all day, or getting stolen. It has limitations, but it works well for this purpose, and even well as a personal hand held camera with decent picture quality. It will fit in your back pocket too.
However, I will say, I am on my second camera. The first one went bad because it was being powered in the car by the Aiptek AC wall plug, plugged into the accessory port via a DC2AC converter. I think the cheap converter killed the internal voltage regulator of the camera and it stopped turning on. That is why I'm updating the power supply for this camera, and what has led me to make the post.
As a note, Aiptek was SUPER nice with customer service and even allowed me to exchange the broken camera (with holes I drilled for wires in the plastic case) for a new/refurb model. I was good with that.
AIPTEK A-HD+
You can find specs of it online anywhere.
Here are the internals with my wire harness connections attached. The wires are tiny and soldering was not easy.
After camera is put back together, this is the only external visual clue. I didn't want a bunch of extra wires hanging out of the camera because I may want to use it as a hand held unit as well. This is nice and clean, easy to disconnect from the wire harness.
Wire harness from the camera to control box is nothing more than CAT5 cable.
Breadboard work getting the software and hardware to mingle with each other.
After I created the schematic and getting the bugs worked out on the breadboard, I made the final PCB with the toner transfer DIY method of creating PCBs. Here is how that turned out. The picture is the first board I made, I have since made another/better one.
The software can be updated while on the PCB. So making the circuit work for other cars/cameras wouldn't be that hard.
Here is the control box case. It came from an old power supply that I took apart (cheap ftw). It mounts to the underside of the dash with some Velcro strips. Total weight with circuit board is only a few ounces; 4"x 3"x 1.5" dimension. Control box with circuit board installed. The connectors is a Honda 8pin connector, looks factory, haha.
Camera mounted in the car on my $5 camera mount, with a quick release wing nut.
Yes, the mount scratches the case some. Not a big deal to me.
Dust included
Here is a video taken the first week I had the camera installed. It is this type of thing that I catch all the time. No wide angle yet. Webshots kills the quality, but I have the original files on my PC and can read the truck's license plate. You can also see the speed on the original file. However, you can see the stability on the terrible roads. Not perfect, but good for 5 bucks.
in car video
I realize this reaches 2 different groups of hobbyist, automotive and electronic.
I'm not in the market to sell these, but now that the schematic is done with an on board programming port on the PCB, and the software is complete, it would be easy to make versions using the same circuit with updated software provided you have a camera.
If you would like to know more, just ask.
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