Subj : Dash Cameras To : Mike Powell From : Barry Martin Date : Tue Nov 03 2020 07:16:00 Hi Mike! > When I ready the inquiry yesterday I initially thought "Raspberry Pi" > but then my way is a more complicated than sticking a recording device > to the dash. MP> Honestly, I thought about the Pi also. There might be some MP> challenges, as you point out, with getting enough power to it in MP> the car. As you noticed, it would give more space to save video MP> as the thumbdrives are usually larger than the sim cards. Right: the power issue is the main problem, though that may be simply restricting one to using an RPi 3 and below in order to use a department store bought cigarette lighter power adapter. As one who does a bit of electronics hobbyist I'd probably buy a regulator with a 5A or so output and make my own adapter. As for space-saving thumbdrives, the SanDisk 256GB Ultra Fit USB 3.1 Flass Drive - SDCZ430-256G-G46 is nice and compact -- sticks out a bit over a quarter-inch from the USB 3.0 port on my RPi4. > I agreen with Nigel's nightvision suggestion, just don't know if would > work with the glare of headlights. Or brakelights. Aside from that > detail be sure to get a camera/s with low lux: 0.1. I'm using > ELP-USB100W03M-BL36 -- about a 2" cube, plus has a little mounting bar. > Not sure about the lens -- 3.6mm works nicely for monitoring the front > yard from the second story window here. The camera is also HD (1080) > resolution -- high resolutions have more detail but also require more > recording space. Low resolutions require less space but less > detail/grainy. A highter frame rate also will make for larger > recodings. (I currently record at 2 fps.) MP> What I have noticed in some side-by-side review videos is that MP> the cameras meant to be dash cams appear to do better in MP> low-light situations than the action cameras do, i.e. at night. MP> On the other hand, the action cameras do better catching objects MP> in motion in daylight, and with colors. All depends what they're designed to do. :) Now I'm thinking get a USB splitter, use both cameras.... Splitter wouldn't work because of the data paths getting mixed but could power a USB hub from the 12v in the car (I'd use a buck-boost to stabilize). And there are non-powered USB hubs. Argh! Now you've really getting the Rube Goldburg going! > Better yet Google "Raspberry Pi dashcam"; first hit is for a > "RoadApplePi". Read through various options even if 'naaah": I scanned > through the one on Dride Zero and an interesting point: British law > ('who cares, I'm U.S.' -- waaait!) allows the dash cam as long as it > doens't block the driver's view, so behind the mirror. (Same would > apply the cameras.) MP> I plan to, thanks! I have also wondered about the blocking the MP> view... I saw one video where a guy was testing 4 cameras in his MP> car at once. He showed where they were mounted and they had to MP> be obscuring his vision out of the center of the window. He was MP> somewhere that the drive on the left side of the road and have MP> McDonald's. :) So he wasn't in Antarctica! I'm thinking how the car is made and how much the person wants to hide the wires has a big to say in the camera location. Plus not obscuring vision, of course. To me in the corner would probably work, especially top corners of the (front) windshield. Behind the rear view mirror seems logical too: can't see through that mirror. Thought from memory I don't think would work as I think there's some sort of black dot field on the windshield to make things look pretty. > Semi-interesting little tid-bit on blocking view stuff. When I was > working in New Hampshire in the early 70's the side window parking decal > required by the company I worked for (headquartered in NH) was > technically illegal by NH State Law as it blocked the view! MP> That figures. I would not be surprised if a government facility MP> required the same thing. :) Close: was a government sub-contractor which also built the computer systems for Avis Rent-a-Car and some airlines. ¯ BarryMartin3@ ® ¯ @MyMetronet.NET ® .... Restroom Sign: Express Lane: Five beers or less. --- MultiMail/Win32 v0.47 þ wcECHO 4.2 ÷ ILink: The Safe BBS þ Bettendorf, IA --- QScan/PCB v1.20a / 01-0462 * Origin: ILink: CFBBS | cfbbs.no-ip.com | 856-933-7096 (454:1/1) .