PCA SDR

This was a trial of a new in-car camera system available at www.AffordableRacingData.com (code "PCASDR" gets -10%), the ELMO SUV Cam. Roof-mounted, in Carl & Pierre's KS 968. I think we had the audio/mic sensitivity turned up too high, and YouTube loses picture quality, but you get the idea of the course. The run was a 107.67X I think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zynVWnIzV2Q

Those of you with ChaseCam or other camcorder video, post up!

The rooftop mount is cool. You can actually "feel" the car roll, especially though the slalom.

JamesWilson wrote:This was a trial of a new in-car camera system available at www.AffordableRacingData.com (code "PCASDR" gets -10%), the ELMO SUV Cam. Roof-mounted, in Carl & Pierre's KS 968. I think we had the audio/mic sensitivity turned up too high, and YouTube loses picture quality, but you get the idea of the course. The run was a 107.67X I think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zynVWnIzV2Q

Those of you with ChaseCam or other camcorder video, post up!

Sorry I missed you. I would have stopped by. Do you still want to talk mounts?

Chris

Another alternative is to use a suction mount such as the one at:
http://www.filmtools.com/gripsuccupca.html

For $91.45 plus tax and shipping you can get the suction mount and use your own video camera which can be mounted inside your window or outside your car. Neil Heimburge was the one that told me about this and I bought one. It works great.

Here is a sample video that Neil created:
http://www.pcasdr.org/img/2007/video/20 ... mburge.wmv

http://www.n2.net/diving/gripper3025.jpg

I've seen that one in use, works well (using an I/O Port or AutoPower-style upper articulating arms and a Glass-Installer industry suction cup), but is heavy, and a little overpriced. I have a few new suction mount designs that I will likely have at the next AutoX, weigh about 6-8oz (versus over a pound) for less vibration and better window-mountability. They cost between $40-$70, depending on the style.

I also have rollbar/harness bar mounts that are very lighweight, prevents camera shake, especially on harness bars.

What is a common bar diameter for the BK, Stable, and other Harness bars? I usually have 1.5" and 1.75" for roll cages, as well as 40mm for the Porsche factory cage bars. Help?

Hmmm... I am not sure I would want to be in a car with a camera+mount attached to the windshield with a suction cup if that car spun, or worse, impacted something. What kind of G-forces does it take for a couple of pounds of metal to pop the suction cup loose (at head level)? Especially lateral loads (spin, sideways impact)? What about after the rubber starts to stiffen/break down? How well did the driver stick it on the windshield in the first place? Was there dirt/grime loosening the suction through the day?

The harness/roll bar mounts seem a lot safer to me. Or, better yet - the exterior mounts.

Kim-- that is definitely true, although less so with smaller/lighter cameras out these days. Most suction mounts for racing are designed to hold 80+lbs of dead force....take a 6oz camera mount and a 1lb camcorder or 2oz bullet camera, and even at several g's of cornering (or 20+g's in a crash), it still should not go anywhere, if properly designed.

A rollbar/harness bar/wind deflecter mount is a good, safe location, and can provide a good shot of driver inputs and the course/track at the same time. If the camera is good enough, it should show all in-car and outside images clearly.