Remote video camera for diagnostics – any interest?

Suppose you could rent a remote, weather-proof, industrial grade miniature color camera you could hook up to a video recorder (like many personal camcorders) and record parts of your truck working real time while you’re driving it. This could be used to diagnose or track down suspicious noises, thumps and bumps, oil leaks, etc. and see if your recent suspension modification or upgrade is working like you think it should. Or maybe you’re just curious what really happens under the hood during a hard run on the drag strip.



You could watch the waste gate working on your turbo. You could watch the steering shaft working when you’re hearing or feeling a grind or thump. You could see if there’s slop in your sway bars, track bar, steering box, etc. You could see if those traction bars are really killing the axle wrap. You could watch what’s going on with your trailer hitch/goose neck hitch/5th wheel hitch when you hear a noise under certain conditions. You could watch your suspension when you experience the “death wobble”! Of course, you could also use it on your car, motorcycle, etc.



The camera would have a focusing range of a few inches out to infinity. It could be clamped in place or held in place with a magnetic base. A lighting source may also be available to shed light on the subject. Connection to the recorder would be via a cable, which you could run through your window and duct-tape in place during your test runs. This camera is used by several car and motorcycle manufactures and testers (like magazines) for just these purposes.



Suppose you could rent the camera for a weekend or so for maybe $30 +/- plus shipping both ways. Of course, you’d be responsible for repairs or replacement if you damaged it.



Would anyone be interested?



Just a thought,

-Jay

 

I think the idea is a little far fetched to the point of being ridicules. Just keep yours eyes and ears open, do your maintenance and enjoy the ride. Grizzly

 

Actually, if the price was right, I would buy one just for these purposes.



Richard

 

I think it would be excellent to view suspension travel over various terrain and bumps.

Would be nice to connect to the PC and later view at the desk but you would need a way to match up "what bump produced what" like 2 cameras that gave a split screen with one on the suspension and the other on the road.



Beyond that I don't see much use as I doubt you could "see" a clunk. Attachment would be scary as I could see many dropped on the road.

 

A friend of mine has a remote lense for his video camera that he bought online, but I know you can get them at surveilance shops. It is about the size of AA battery and has an RCA jack for the video (no sound) and uses a 9V battery for power. We use it all the time when we rent the race track in Spokane to race our bikes. It gets great on-board video and we just pack the camera in a backpack or the under seat storage of the bike. It cost less than $100. Sounds like what you are proposing? They work great!

 

kinda like this.....



http://spyville.com/bullet-cameras.html

 

Yep, those are all like what I've looked at. I've looked at so many sites and cameras I'm bleary eyed! The biggest problem has been finding one that has the ability to handle short focal lengths. Most all of them go from about 2 or 3 feet out to infinity. But what if you want to look at something 10" away or less? I found one that will do that.



As to the fastening issue Matt400 mentioned, yeah, that's a concern. But the one I've found is only about 1" in diameter and 3 inches long and only a few ounces. Using rare-earth element magnets in the base or a mechanical clamp, with a safety strap, I'd think you'd be pretty safe from dropping one off for fatal road rash.



I also agree that capturing the data to a PC would be cool. Rather than using a camcorder, a PC with a video capture card could be used. With the addition of a microphone, sound could help determine when an issue occurred relative to what is seen in the video.



Any other thoughts on what it needs to be able to do or concerns for use?



I'm seriously thinking about getting one but can't justify it just for my own use. I'd make it available to members. The rent is to just cover cost of getting it put together and repairing/replacing worn cables/connectors/clamps/etc and upgrading capabilities. The cost is really not horrendous but you could have the equivalent of a set of 12-valve performance injectors tied up in it before it was ready to do all these things.



-Jay

 

We use waterproof ones at work that hold up quite well ... you may want to consider infared camera's due to the low light conditions

 

The one I'm looking at does not have the infrared LEDs for low-light conditions, but it does require only . 5 lux. I'm thinking I could rig up a separate light source with a handful of white LEDs that would do the trick. Then you could place the light where you wanted it independent of the camera.



The camera has a "weather-proof" housing. It's only source of leakage from water is where the cable enters the housing. The distributor says a dab of silicon sealant round the cable at that point will make it waterproof (others have done this). Maybe not submersible to X atmospheres, but better able to withstand rain and splash.



-Jay