Helmet Camera Setup Details

[RedMan]

Hey all,

We have had several questions on the new helmet camera setup we used at the Hurricane Tri-State ATV Jamboree.

Components:
A: Sony TRV22 DV camera. This is the perfect camera for this type of use. It is small, shoots digital video. It has an external Microphone input, external headphone out, SVideo and a DV in/out jack. It has a LANC remote control jack and you can get a battery that will power it for 10 hours. You need all of these functions or trying to shoot video will drive you crazy fiddling with the start and stop or not knowing if your audio is working. Most camera menu steps can be painful to record in VCR mode (the TRV22 thinks its acting as a VCR), not something pleasant to do when wearing gloves or in the dirt, mud, rain snow etc. Using the TRV-22 with a LANC makes life a breeze. This is a discontinued Sony camera. Ebay $137.50 in new condition. 10 hour battery $29
B: Skullcamz bullet camera. 580 line Sony Ex-view CCD. Best picture I have ever seen from a bullet. Great low light color and fantastic white balance. Better than the ccd on the TRV-22. comes with a mic and battery pack that will last 7 hours. $189 plus batteries. This was the best deal I found and the guys who run the company were super to deal with, know their stuff and seem to be enthusiasts about shooting video with helmet cams, not just hawking a camera.
C: Cam-Eye Sport LANC v1.4 remote control. This allows you to power up, power off, start and pause recording of the combined system using a single button. Has a dual colored LED that indicated the mode and function you are using. Even tells you if the battery or tape is near its end. $65 ebay
D: A remote on-off switch with LED indicator to power up/off the bullet camera. About $6 in Radio shack parts.

Total about $450 including shipping.

This project was assembled with a few simple parts from Radio shack and as you can see we simply put a switch and LED in a small project case and attached the LANC to the face of it and taped the wires together creating a single wire remote control for the system.

The Cam-Eye LANC v1.4 (do not get the v1.6 for a TRV22)
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a246/ATVDude/Camera/PICT3942.jpg

The Various Radio Shack parts (with RS part numbers) for the power switch to control the bullet camera.
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a246/ATVDude/Camera/PICT3948copy.jpg

Both controls assembled and combined into a single unit. THe one LED tells you the bullet cam is powered on. The LED on the LANC tells you the satsu of the camera, recording, standby, off etc.
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a246/ATVDude/Camera/PICT3953copy.jpg

The Bullet Camera inside of a small Flashlight case with a removeable UV filter on the front
This is simply to protect the camera from the elements.
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a246/ATVDude/Camera/PICT3940copy.jpg

The whole system assembled. The TRV22, battery pack and cables go in a padded fanny pack.
The bullet camera is attached to a strip of velcro on top of my helmet.
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a246/ATVDude/Camera/PICT3958copy.jpg

I have some video that I'm editing and will post soon.

If you want to do this with your video camera these items are important.

1: It MUST have Svideo or DV mini jack IN. Lots of cameras have an OUT but not IN.
2: Without LANC you will be miserable and likely not shoot much video. It allows total control of the camera with one button.
It saves a ton of tape and battery life.
3: Don't buy a cheap bullet or you will get cheap looking video. 520 lines is a minimum. The Ex-view is the best. There are a LOT of shady characters lying about the capabilities of their bullet cams on the net. Buy from someone that is really selling helmet cams systems, not just repurposing bullet cams.
4: Try to protect the bullet cam a bit. They are small and can get damaged easily. Lenses are a pain to change and you will likely have to clean it fequently (several times a day). The hollowed out flashlight works great.

[Sombeech]

1: It MUST have Svideo or DV mini jack IN. Lots of cameras have an OUT but not IN.
I can confirm that. I had to borrow my parent's camcorder because mine only had an OUT.

2: Without LANC you will be miserable and likely not shoot much video. It allows total control of the camera with one button.
It saves a ton of tape and battery life.
That is exactly what I need. I shot my first footage a month ago, and basically pushed "record", and wasted a ton of tape and battery because I didn't want to get into my backpack each time to stop and start it again.

3: Don't buy a cheap bullet or you will get cheap looking video. 520 lines is a minimum.
I've got 480 lines, and it turned out pretty decent. I wouldn't go any lower, not only because of resolution, but it can start to "fish eye" on the TV.
Here is just one of the 6 vids of some VERY compressed helmet cam footage of mine. I'll eventually put it here, but we were having issues a few weeks ago. The original footage is a lot clearer than this:
http://media.putfile.com/Green-Valley-Loop-Helmet-Cam-2

Here is a still photo of the quality with my 480 line, before I compressed it.

[Sombeech]

By the way, I'm still looking for a camcorder with A/V in. This will only be used for my helmet cam, so the lens can be broken, damaged viewfinder, whatever. I'm just looking for an inexpencive camcorder so I can "permanently" arrange for easy hookup with the helmet cam.

Any ideas? I've looked on ebay, pawn shops, paper, and elsewhere. It's all just luck. If anybody knows someone getting rid of one, I'd love to know. It just needs to have the IN jack. Thanks.

[Mtnman1830]

After watching Sombeech's helmet cam vid, maybe I will buy a bike...

[RedMan]

Sombeech,

The TRV22 is cheap and occasionally you can find one that is broken.
Unfortunatley the ones I saw that were broken had broken transports.

At $137.50 I can't imagine finding one much cheaper that has the functions you need. Keep and eye on ebay. I watched for a week and bid on 4 units before winning.

[Sombeech]

After watching Sombeech's helmet cam vid, maybe I will buy a bike...

:haha: You should see the rest of them! First trail I rode was that Green Valley Loop with KillEmAll. Then a few years later, accadacca took me to Gooseberry Mesa on a rental. I went back and bought a bike after that.



The TRV22 is cheap and occasionally you can find one that is broken.

Thanks redman. I'll keep an eye out. How's your footage coming along?

[marc olivares]

great vidi tech Redman...that's way cheaper than my "helmetcam" setup.

[RedMan]

I have about 10 hours of tape from the TriState Jamboree in Hurricane last week.

Trying to edit it down is killing me. It all great stuff.

[Sombeech]

I have about 10 hours of tape from the TriState Jamboree in Hurricane last week.

Trying to edit it down is killing me. It all great stuff.

I know what you mean, man. It's a painful process.

[Sombeech]

C: Cam-Eye Sport LANC v1.4 remote control. This allows you to power up, power off, start and pause recording of the combined system using a single button. Has a dual colored LED that indicated the mode and function you are using. Even tells you if the battery or tape is near its end. $65 ebay
D: A remote on-off switch with LED indicator to power up/off the bullet camera. About $6 in Radio shack parts.

Can you tell me more about this? I've got a "new" camcorder coming in, with a LANC jack. What is the v1.4? Is this something specifically that comes on the camcorder itself, or is this a type of after market remote control?

I bought this camcorder (Sony HCR-HC32) because of the A/V in and LANC ports, and I'm going to make/buy a remote control button I can strap to my cheststrap on my backpack. I'd love to be able to make one for 6 bucks!

Thanks.

[RedMan]

Sombeech,

V1.4 and V1.6 apparently refer to specific versions of LANC protocols.

My older Sony model has a physical switch to change from "camera" mode to "VCR" mode. Your newer HC-32 probably has a menu select for VCR mode rather than a physical switch.

The LANC V1.6 controller actually has a minor bit of logic built in to tell your camera to 1: Power on, 2: set to VCR mode in software, 3: start recording with a single button.

For helmet cam work I really like the single button LANC, they now have a waterproofed version that I wish I had gotten.

I do not believe you can easily make a LANC controller for $6. Or even anywhere close to that. Its not a simple tip/ring type of system. I'm a tight wad and know my way around a schematic and soldering iron. I built a similar control for my panasonic (not LANC) but did not want to tackle LANC when such an elegant little controller existed.

There are other LANC controllers out there, they let you zoom, fast forward, rewind etc. None of that will help you much on a helmet cam. And most of these are not built for outdoor use. Dust and moisture will wreck them in a heartbeat.

[Sombeech]

So, what you built for $6, was just a "power switch" for the camera itself? Rather than the basic LANC button that records and stops recording, you have a feature that actually turns off your camera?

[RedMan]

The $6 switch is just to switch the power to the bullet cam.
It has a seperate power supply from the mini-dv.

The Lanc controls the mini-dv only.

So you have to turn the bullet cam on, and then turn on the mini-dv.

[Sombeech]

The $6 switch is just to switch the power to the bullet cam.
It has a seperate power supply from the mini-dv.

Oh, OK. I guess that cuts down on the power sucking from your 8 AAs constantly?

[RedMan]

Yup, the 8xAA pack only supplies power to the bullet.
Being able to turn it on an off as I go makes it last longer.

I can usually get about 3 full mini-dv tapes of video from 8-AA's.
I constantly check the monitor to make sure my signal is still strong and the video is straight and the lens is clean.