Camera mounts for track days

Equipment that may be needed plus general information on track days.
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HypoThermia
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Camera mounts for track days

Post by HypoThermia »

With Paul posting up [urlw=http://www.rx8ownersclub.co.uk/forum/vi ... 22&t=39227]a quick review and info about the keyfob cam[/urlw] and some of his own YouTube footage, I thought I'd post up about the details of how its mounted and where to get it from. Recent track day rules at MSV organised events (we go to a lot of these) prohibit the use of suction mount cameras due to concerns about them falling off of the car (whether inside or outside) and causing an accident. With the proper mounting system (see below) these keyfob cameras have been used externally mounted at over 120mph.

In summary what you'll need to buy, total cost around £45-£50:
  • Key fob camera (normal or jumbo model) HD808 #11
  • microSD card (8Gb class 6 recommended)
  • 3M Dual Lock tape for mounting.
Keyfob camera - 720p HD widescreen format
The camera itself is a about the size of an ordinary car keyfob (surprise) and records an amazing 720p 30fps video output onto microSD cards. The colour, saturation and detail are very very good indeed. There are two models currently available - a smaller one with about 40 minutes of battery life and a "jumbo" model with around 100 minutes.

There are many different models on ebay, but the one that we're talking about here is the HD808 #11 (be aware that there are many other models called HD808 but are not the #11 - be careful as cheaper in this case is not better). It produces a 30fps H.264 format output (in a MOV container format). It also takes stills and can act as a web cam. The unit can be flash upgraded to remove the timer and also allow for continuous recording and improve the contrast control (see the [urlw=http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1362692]RC group link[/urlw]).

The overall price is around £25 for the basic model (reviewed in the YouTube video below), while the jumbo version goes for around £30.

You will also need to by at least one microSD card - a 20 minute recording takes up around 1Gb of space. I would recommend an 8Gb card class 6 to avoid the risk of dropping frames due to poor card quality.

Review by TechMoan
Includes a side by side video capture comparison of other models that look similar but contain inferior cameras.

[youtubewide][/youtubewide]

Mounting the camera
I found [urlw=http://solutions.3m.co.uk/wps/portal/3M ... /DualLock/]an industrial fastener called 3M Dual lock[/urlw] that offers a much better solution than using Velcro.

You can buy in 1m lengths from [urlw=http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/convertape/?_ ... 4340.l2559]convertape[/urlw] on eBay ([urlw=http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3M-DUAL-LOCK- ... 53df1188d5]link to eBay listing[/urlw]). Other sizes are available, but this stuff is so good you'll use it for other fixings as well :D

Standard Velcro would not be strong enough for external use on a track day car.

Known issues
There are really only three main issues with the camera:

The first is with the battery life. At 40 minutes for the smaller camera this equates to about 2 sessions on track. This is largely solved by an in-car charger and a second camera (or buying the jumbo!)

The second is with vibration. This is picked up by the camera and looks like a vertical "compression" effect that is rather like going into the hall of mirrors. Usually not a significant problem when it is fixed mounted on a car while on the track.

Lastly there can be significant windnoise at high speed that appears to be picked up from the body of the camera (at least covering the mic hole hasn't fixed it...) This distorts and overloads the mic producing a nasty white noise sound that is unpleasant to the ear. Still looking for a cure for this...

Ebay links
The camera can be bought in around 10 ebay stores.

[urlw=http://stores.ebay.com/hxelepro360-Dianas-Store]hxelepro360[/urlw]
[urlw=http://myworld.ebay.com/eletoponline365]eletoponline365[/urlw]
[urlw=http://stores.ebay.com/digitalele889]digitalele889[/urlw]
[urlw=http://myworld.ebay.com/beetleonline]beetleonline[/urlw]
[urlw=http://stores.ebay.com/kdataonline999]kdataonline999[/urlw]
[urlw=http://stores.ebay.com/power-gps]power-gps[/urlw]
[urlw=http://stores.ebay.com.my/internet-shop365]internet-shop365[/urlw]
[urlw=http://stores.ebay.com/powerdigital898]powerdigital898[/urlw]
[urlw=http://stores.ebay.co.uk/eletech086]eletech086[/urlw]
[urlw=http://stores.ebay.com/cuspdigitalele666]cuspdigitalele666[/urlw]

Here are some sample links to internet-shop365 (where I've now bought 3 from them) and as with all things E-bay they will age and disappear.

[urlw=http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/11-Key-Chain- ... 3cb962809a]Standard keyfob camera, 40 minutes battery life[/urlw]
[urlw=http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/11-HD-DV-Vide ... 3a678efef3]Jumbo keyfob camera, 100 minutes battery life[/urlw]

Shipping takes 2-3 weeks.

More links
[urlw=http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1362692]More details about the cameras (RC group forum), including flash upgrades, ebay sellers etc.[/urlw]
[urlw=http://www.chucklohr.com/808/]Loads more details about the camera (dedicated web site)[/urlw]
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Re: Camera mounts for track days

Post by HypoThermia »

Ski hatch fixed mount system

Place holder... details to follow.
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Re: Camera mounts for track days

Post by warpc0il »

Headrest mount system?
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Re: Camera mounts for track days

Post by HypoThermia »

Tom has one of those and I don't, so I'm not qualified to do the writeup...
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Re: Camera mounts for track days

Post by Zarterone »

A couple of things I have found out

Firstly most of the sellers if not all are the same company don't know why this is, and don't know why this matters, but I thought I pass it on.

Heavy duty Velcro has work for me the camera has stayed on my motor bike, been out for over 90 minutes and its has stayed put, not been up to 100MPH+,though (likely top track speed) but 70MPH :wink:

but Ian idea is more secure, and a better long term ,but just if your in a rush to test the camera out as I was, this was suitable, and can't see it being a problem in the car no wind force unless you had beans the night before :lol:

And if you not so technically minded like Ian, and can't be bothered with the video guide make sure you get camera number 11 that's the HD one
Paul

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Re: Camera mounts for track days

Post by Dr. FrankenRex »

HypoThermia wrote:Ski hatch fixed mount system

Place holder... details to follow.
Resurrection of an old thread, however I have one of these in my car and it works great. Needs a bit of finesse to make it shiny and sexy and reduce a bit of vibration - I'm waiting on some parts turning up, but will post it up when I can.
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