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I have recieved quite a few PM’s & inquiries on the helmet cam set up we’re using so I copied a short response here for the “Karter” members. It’s quite simple. There’s more than likely a better set up but this is proving reliable. Thanks (I think) to Craig Neff for showing us what he was doing.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8927857506943710452
Here is a sample of some onboard using the highest res helmetcam.com unit ($200 e-bay) and the $149 aiptek flash recorder (Comp Usa). We have extra batteries for the recording device and 2 sd cards (1 Gig about 30 min record time) It will handle 2 Gig and doubles the record time.
For the money it seems to work the best for us. There were tape transport issues with the digital cam, tracking errors with the mini dvd and we tried a dvr and the hard drive would lock up and give errors, which was very frustrating. We also built a harness for the wiring once we figured out where we wanted things. Also coat all connections with dialectric
grease. (thanks Craig) So far this cheap little recorder has worked without a hitch, I did buy another as a back up once this showed some promise. Recorder is a little bigger than a pack of cig’s and we wear on a belt in a small digital camera bag. I would reccommend attaching a plastic washer or something like it around the “record” button, so you have to press the button to start recording and it can’t turn off by brushing it. It is easy to turn off as you slide it in the bag. It has a monitor screen to help with pointing.
It is fun to share with other drivers (very portable) and is a great tuning tool. All they need is a strip of velcro on the helmet. We run two classes, so a permanent mount will have to wait. I can read the gauge, see my drivers hands and hear the motor. Takes about 10 min to dump 1 gig to the lap top.
Roman edits to dvd and can make sound overs and effect’s to some of the footage if desired.
In addition to tuning, learing circuits etc.. it’s just fun to watch.
Please note. The quality is reduced significantly campared to the original. I’m not very technically inclined with this stuff, but putting this on Google Video for you to view must reduce the quality. Or possibly something I did.
Hope this helps.
Rick
Charles,
I got the url to link on Ekn but didn’t here, maybe someone could help with that.
Pass the above info to them. I reseached pretty heavily when we started and got a lot of quite expensive recommendations. I have shared our findings with some of these racers and you can spend a lot more money for very little additional quality gain (if any) from what we have discovered. I also can strap this set up to you for kicks. The batteries are similar to a cell phone battery. (lithium ion or something like that) The recorder company states 2 hour record time but we have found it closer to an 1 hour 30 min. I bought 5 extra to share this equipment with other racers.
You know, I wish I had this to preserve some of my “racing days” you don’t allways remember things in the heat of battle exactly the way they happened. A fellow racer at Bandimere thought maybe Roman made a little too aggressive of a pass, I showed the video to him and he admitted it was a “clean pass in an unusual passing zone that caught him a little by surprise”.This is something to preserve the memory of our racing, mine are gone forever or maybe left for me to exaggerate (older I get, the faster I was thing). One of the best side effect’s has been extracting driver feedback from Roman. I let him “come down” off the adrenaline, debrief, then watch the replay, it has helped to develop the accuracy he gives me for tuning. Sure seems like the young developing racers could benefit a lot from this. The visual seems to trigger the whole experience.
Anyway, if you or anyone else wants to try it, you can. The hard part seems making time to do it when your under the gun. We did not get footage at The Track due to running Romans Tag with Jay J. in Tag Senior in the same kart as Roman in Tag Masters and running the Shifter as well. We also had some urgency helping some of our teammates be able to race and just forgot it as a priority. We were on the grid for both finals when we remembered. We’re bummed. We’ll know better next time. It will become part of the check list.
I think there could be a lot of testing applications like, pointing the camera at the front tire or pointing to monitor the the inside rear tire to see if it is settling mid corner, at what point it sets or unloading enough etc… Seems like you could mount the little camera anywhere and if it gets damaged they will replace it for free if you send them a clip of the incident the damage occurs.
I’ll call before Imi so we can get out together Charles. Looking forward to the weekend off and letting the equipment cool off a little. (wallet too)
Good night,
Rick
Rick,
You’re right, having videos is a great souvenir from all these racing days. I have hours of Super 8 movies from my old racing days, but unfortunately very few videos of my karting.
I love racing, but it will be nice to have a weekend to recuperate. :zzz:
See you soon,
CharlesVideo is not only a great record of the race but we’ve learned that it makes a great training tool particularly for the kids. We sell the Twenty-20 brand which we have had good luck with, it’s simple to use and it records audio too. We sell the kit for $249.00 Let me know if your interested. Scott @ 303-888-8162
Scott,
What are you using to record. The little unit we are using is on sale now and is pretty compact.
If I got it wrong on the link, sorry.
What is the resolution of the camera you have. I like the idea of one nine volt battery.
Rick
Rick,
We are using a real small Cannon 8mm/Video Card camcorder which I put in a fanny pack straped to the back of Evan’s seat using the seat bolts through grommets in the straps. The resolution is 400.Scott
Does anyone use a dvr mounted to the frame somewhere?
I have tried two different camera’s on my son’s kart. The first was a Sony 8mm but because of its size was akward and got in his way. The second was a Sony DVR but I found that the vibration from the kart had a tendency to turn the device off. The “cadillac” of systems is available at http://www.chasecam.com. I recently purchased one and will testing it on the kart in the next couple of weeks. Regards.
Phil LaytonThanks Phil
Anyone tried the Oregon Sci-ATC-2000?
Phil,
Let us know how it works. Seems like a great set up, although $600 – $900 seems a little steep for the recording device only. But certainly has some killer features and looks really cool.
What camera are you using?
It also looks like there are some more flash recorders coming on that have good quality for the money. The unit we’ve been using can be purchased for $119 and has never gone dead but it looks like there are some low price units with better resolution available. Guess the recorder can limit the quality of the camera.
Post some video and provide a link when able. Look forward to seeing it. You might try using dielectric grease on your connectors to keep the signal more consistent.
We’ll cherish the video we have obtained and wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Rick
I am using the “helmet cam” lipstick camera. Those can be found at http://www.helmetcam.com. I use 3M double loop velcro to attach at different locations on the kart, as well as Ian’s helmet. While I have yet to have the opportunity to test the Chase Cam on the kart I hope to in the next two weeks, and will post on the web site. Regards.
Phil LaytonThe correct web site for the camera is http://www.helmetcamera.com. Regards.
Phil LaytonWe are stocking the Viosport Helmet Camera systems. You can visit http://www.severeracing.com/shop/index.php?cpath=24 for further information on the product. The Adventure Cam 3 Essentials package comes with a 1 ft. A/ cable; 3.5mm & RCA; battery holder and universal mount. A rechargable battery pack and five interchangable lenses up to 12.0mm wide angle lense are available options. The Ad Cam 3 package is $329.95, optional 5 ftr. A/Vable at $21.95; rechargable battery pack at $54.95 and the wideangle lense at $31.95. A small video cam recorder for the unit can be found for as little as $80.00 This company also offers other remote control options as well as additonal cables, lenses and filters and power sources.
Visit the website for furher details.
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