Dash Cams

[ark_ader]

After a recent accident, I have decided to get some additional security for when I am on the road.

I looked at a raspberry Pi Zero with the new camera attachment and a USB Webcam, but wanted a GPS.  This site had a really cool mod, but I am cheap: http://pidashcam.blogspot.nl/

So I looked at my spare ZTE Maven I got for $9.99 on sale at my local grocery store, which should fit my requirements, except I have a composite backup camera and I need it to record at the same time as the phone.  Well it appears if I get a cheap easycap device, and plug it into the phone, I will have a cheap and simple backup screen, with GPS with no recording function.  I also have a ODII BT Car Diagnostic, that keeps tabs on the running of the car, and speed incase I get a ticket or an accident.

There are several android dash cam softwares out there.  I'm using Caro0 (free version but will get the Pro) and it works with pretty much with what I have already.  I don't know about the back up camera but I am sure I can write something up to get it all to work.  I have a spare battery pack and now looking for a windshield mount.

So, if you do use a dash cam, what method do you use, and how are you finding it, and how do you mount it?

[Le Chuck]

I have a dashcam in my FJ Cruiser, Wampa.  It's the Accfly.  My app of choice to run it is ZSANYCAM (ios) which isn't the manufacturer's app but is a dashcam app that works with a broad spectrum of cams and has really nice functionality, but a little delay if viewing live, about a second or so.


Accfly cam.

I have a factory back-up cam but it isn't hooked up to a recorder or wireless.  Might be a mod worth looking into in the future.  I do a lot of trail running so I have the cam for cool ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---, not really for accidents (furiously knocks on wood). 

Just FYI, to get that cam to fit into an FJ, as they have a near vertical windshield, one should modify the housing to mount on the FJ's instrument cluster. This is actually a really fun project that involves flipping the camera inside the housing, altering how the mainboard is mounted, and grinding off about half of the plastic housing and contouring it to fit the curved top of the dash cluster and then hacking into the cluster wiring. 

[ark_ader]

That is totally the boss!  I would like to put a behind-the-visor mount but I would get pulled over and I would not be able to use the back up camera.  What I do have is a nice big round sticker (where I'm not supposed to have) stuck on my bottom right corner of the windshield, and I'm looking for a mount to hide the suction cup behind the sticker.  Cops here in Nevada are sneaky, but they haven't noticed or mentioned the sticker (well they will now right?) but the view does not obscure the road so...

I bet you get some awesome vids.

[Titchgamer]

I use a next base which was relatively cheap and does the job nicely.

[ark_ader]

I managed to get the rear camera working via easycap.  There is an android app called Easycap Viewer.  This works very well and can detect when a video feed is on or off.  I am looking at the SCOSCHE Magnetic Mount, which I do not know what it will do to the Note5, I know the battery will not last, but I found this cool adapter: which will allow a battery pack to be connected to supply power to the easycap.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00M7X6XNG/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=ELO680G2O41E&coliid=I2TKKZ77AYTK9N

[danny_galaga]

I had no idea there were so many Russians on this forum 

[lilshawn]

not russia... i'm canada... this is why...

[danny_galaga]

not russia... i'm canada... this is why...

Same sort of temperatures 

[Dal1980]

Nice idea to use the Raspi,

My wife has 2 NextBase dashcams after I spent a wad of cash on some top of the range (cheap) dashcam from HK which didn't work. Going with a reputable manufacturer has really worked out after I took the cards out last night to get footage of an incident. The camera both back and front of the car are independent units and neither of them were recording correctly. The front one missed 90% of the 45min drive home as it took 21 minutes to record a 3 minute video and store it on the card. Basically have footage of her leaving work then arriving at home  The back camera hasn't been recording at all since last year!

I would not recommend spending any money on any manufactured dashcams. Pi will at least be fixable, these things are just outside the warranty period so they are nothing more than paperweights now.

 

[slickam]

I saw pretty much the same thing on the way to work Friday morning (also in Edmonton). Someone decided it was better to do a left turn through a red light instead of waiting ten seconds.

[jdbailey1206]

I don't know if it is because I travel more for work now but I have noticed peoples stupidity on the road is escalating.  I might have to get one of these.  Do they work like Trail cams for hunters?

[lilshawn]

Do they work like Trail cams for hunters?

records until your card is full, then overwrites the oldest file.

I have my cam setup to record in 10 minute chunks. that way if there is an incident, i can push the button to lock that file (from whenever the 10 minute segment started untill after I pushed the button.) and i'm only losing out on under a gigabyte of space until i pull the card and copy the data from it.

if you record one huge chunk then it's kind of a pain to extract the portion you need from a huge 16,32,64 gigabyte file.

[pbj]

Friend of mine had an essentially abandoned house out in the country that local high school students were vandalizing.  He put some trail cams up and sure enough those idiots came back to repeat the deed.  The dorkiest looking girl in the crew at one point looks dead into the camera and has an "oh ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---!" moment and is never seen in the pictures again...