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erco
Registered Member

Date Joined Mar 2008
Total Posts : 664

Posted 8/23/2009 8:37 AM (GMT -8)

My latest WOW find from China/Ebay is a tiny digital video camera/recorder for ~$40. Keychain car remote-sized, they call it a "spy" unit, and there are tons of uses. Stick one on your robot for a POV cam. Acts like a flashdrive, USB hookup. Records nice quality audio & video, 640x480, 30 FPS, also takes digital stills at 1280x960. Rechargeable built-in battery, built-in 4 GB memory will record ~1 hour of video! So tiny that you really can mount it anywhere with foam tape, weighs just 16 grams. Friggin' amazing.

My sample videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zde3DduyEWw outdoor bike ride

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Yjw6Z0-Kpw indoor light level

Sept 3 Edit: Recommend you ONLY look for 4 GB cameras that have a CCD sensor (NOT CMOS) and 30 FPS. There are cheaper 8 GB cameras using CMOS sensors that shoot 15 FPS and the picture and audio is poor quality. These will shoot longer duration video, but are suitable only for a fixed location camera. Moving them around gives a blurry smear of an image.

"If you build it, they will come."

Post Edited (erco) : 9/3/2009 1:59:37 AM GMT

Philldapill
Registered Member

Date Joined Dec 2007
Total Posts : 1256

Posted 8/23/2009 9:58 AM (GMT -8)

Wow is right! That is really an amazing find if there ever was one. I take it you download the video after you've taken it? I'm thinking about maybe hacking one of these, and intercepting the video feed or something... That way you can have LIVE video on your robot. This is just awesome erco!

Whit
Registered Member

Date Joined Mar 2007
Total Posts : 1137

Posted 8/23/2009 10:34 AM (GMT -8)

Great find erco!

After watching the bike ride video I am now on the floor with a damp washcloth on my head - the room is still spinning. I feel like I just watched The Blaire Witch Project. ;-)

This would be very cool on a robot! What an amazing little device. Thanks for the heads up.

Whit+

"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." - Walt Disney

HollyMinkowski
104lbs of trouble

Date Joined May 2009
Total Posts : 445

Posted 8/24/2009 4:40 AM (GMT -8)

WoW! Thankx for the link.

That would be useful as part of some security projects.
A controller could use that to take short videos...if it
turned out easy to interface/hack.

In a few years all camcorders will have no visible lens, or it will be
a small fisheye lens. Higher density and more sensitive image chips will take the wide view
image through a pinhold lens thus capturing all the action and no focus
needed as the pinhole makes it all sharp. Software will then take the distorted
fisheye image and convert that back to where everything looks normal.

- Some mornings I wake up cranky.....but usually I just let him sleep in -

HollyMinkowski
104lbs of trouble

Date Joined May 2009
Total Posts : 445

Posted 8/30/2009 8:16 PM (GMT -8)

I managed to snag 3 of these things.
Going to see if I can pop one open and interface it to a prop.
I have several cool project ideas for them.
Should be able to interface it safely using opto couplers I would think.

I'm curious what's inside these...bet it's cramped on that circuit board.

The video and audio from these is amazing!
Be cool if it was possible to make the 8gb of flash ram available to the prop.

Imagine a propeller security device that could snap thousands of 1.2mp snapshots
and 6+ hours of 640 by 480 video at 30 frames per sec....and add just 20.00 to
the project cost.

Might be best to pull the board out and interface it, then encapsulate it in
black plastic leaving just a row of pins sticking out the bottom...so snoops
can't figure out what it is and how cheap they really are.

They need to make a 16:9 aspect ratio model of this thing.

Videos made with this seem to have a date and time stamp on the bottom,
at least I think they do? Found several keychain spy cam vids on youtube
and they seem to have the stamp. Wonder if it can be turned off?

- Some mornings I wake up cranky.....but usually I just let him sleep -

Post Edited (HollyMinkowski) : 8/31/2009 5:08:17 AM GMT

erco
Registered Member

Date Joined Mar 2008
Total Posts : 664

Posted 8/31/2009 2:28 PM (GMT -8)

You and your encapsulating plastic... LOL.

Glad you're pleased with 'em, I think they are the bee's knees. I like the date/time stamp myself. You set the time by making a "settime.txt" file in the root directory of the device. Might try setting to all blank or all zeroes to turn it off.

BTW, a friend found a firmware glitch when he left his camera on to record video until the onboard memory was full. He got about 1 hour on a 4 GB unit. He could download the file properly, and then he deleted the file, but the camera wouldn't function again until he reformatted it FAT32. Then all was fine.

MFR's Directions:
How do you set the time of video and images taken with the device?
Create a new Txt file on your computer named “SetTime”. Open the file, input the date and time in the following format: year , month, day, hours, minutes and seconds format (for example : 2009.05.18 18:28:23). Then save the text file, connect the device via USB and copy the text file to the root catalog of the device then disconnect the device. Then turn on the device again to record a video as usual; connect to the computer again and you will find the date and time have been changed to the one you had set. If this method does not work, please try formatting the device first, and then repeat the previous steps.

"If you build it, they will come."

HollyMinkowski
104lbs of trouble

Date Joined May 2009
Total Posts : 445

Posted 8/31/2009 7:05 PM (GMT -8)

These things just have to be worth 20-30 dollars.
An 8gb thumb drive costs nearly as much.
If it can just be interfaced to the prop you could
create all sorts of security gizmos and just fun toys.

Put it into a mundane object and have one cog running
at low clock speed watching and waiting for a good opportunity
to snap an image or record video....possibilities are endless.

Put it in a tiny box with a prop and velcro it to your dash, every time the car starts
the prop could start recording. It could start deleting files
in a fifo manner to always have space to continue. That would
be a great thing to have if you were in an accident or something
strange just happened while you were on the road.

Time lapse photography, one frame every second or two and this thing
could run for months.

Build a custom package with a prop that uses this as the camera and flash ram parts.
Plug in a VGA monitor and kbrd and customize what the device does in a zillion ways.
Sell them on ebay to security guys and geeks. A cheap GPS add on and a real time clock
would make the data look good in court.

Picture a tiny plastic case holding this cam, GPS, a prop
and a few amp hrs of battery...put a rare earth magnet on the case and stick it in a good
spot beneath the frame of a car....or wherever and however you could place it.
Make it small enough and with ingenuity you might get the target to
carry the thing around with them.

I wonder what sort of processor this thing has and wouldn't it be cool
if it can be re-programmed via the USB... if I had designed it I would
have left that option in case a bug turned up...they could be fixed and not
just dumped. I found out that the same device has VOX functions but the
newest version left off the switch, to save $ I'd guess. The vox started taking video
when sound was detected.

These are some of the cheap parts we have been waiting for

- Some mornings I wake up cranky.....but usually I just let him sleep -

erco
Registered Member

Date Joined Mar 2008
Total Posts : 664

Posted 9/1/2009 2:01 PM (GMT -8)

These DVRs are all over Ebay now, and I just got an inferior unit from a different source, so be careful what you're buying. My original 4 GB unit took much better photos and video because it had a CCD sensor and 30 FPS. The newer 8 GB unit was actually cheaper, but uses a CMOS sensor that is less sensitive, and the unit uses only 15 FPS. Granted, the 8 GB unit can store 4 hours of video compared to 1 hour for the 4 GB, but the audio & video quality is much lower. Its best use would be as a stationary camera, because the image smears noticeably when you move the camera.

I suggest you stick with CCD and 30 FPS, even if the memory is smaller (like the 4 GB unit). The rechargeable internal battery is probably only good for about an hour anyway.

"If you build it, they will come."

HollyMinkowski
104lbs of trouble

Date Joined May 2009
Total Posts : 445

Posted 9/1/2009 10:50 PM (GMT -8)

Ouch!
I hope the ones I ordered are 30 frames/second and not 15 :-(

That bike ride video of yours is scary

- Some mornings I wake up cranky.....but usually I just let him sleep -

erco
Registered Member

Date Joined Mar 2008
Total Posts : 664

Posted 9/2/2009 6:42 AM (GMT -8)

Whit and Holly, you both "enjoyed" our bike video. Actually, that was a fairly tame ride for us, I was riding the brakes the whole way. My 8-month pregnant wife (twin girls due any day now) was on the back, so we ride very conservatively these days. But between the camera's slightly fish-eye lens, the DVR & Youtube video compression algorithms and that howling wind noise, the video does look daredevil-worthy. Not to worry, I know I'm hauling precious cargo and we take it easy. As of last weekend, the bike is parked and we're max attentive to baby watch 2009. When my future posts only appear between 2-4 am feedings, you'll know that li'l Amy & Lindsey have arrived. Woo-Hoo!

"If you build it, they will come."

Whit
Registered Member

Date Joined Mar 2007
Total Posts : 1137

Posted 9/2/2009 7:43 AM (GMT -8)

Yes, I "enjoyed" the ride! Glad to hear all is well. I love the names.

Thanks for the tip on the inferior DVRs! I am about to place an order.

Edit- I just took a look. I can find the 30 frames per second, but the ones I can find are all CMOS. I will keep looking. Even the one you initially linked is a Color CMOS sensor.

Whit+

"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." - Walt Disney

Post Edited (Whit) : 9/2/2009 3:54:23 PM GMT

HollyMinkowski
104lbs of trouble

Date Joined May 2009
Total Posts : 445

Posted 9/2/2009 11:50 AM (GMT -8)

@erco

Wonderful news about the twin babies!
I hope they are identicals

I just love babies!!!

Makes me shudder to think of her behind you on that wild ride while 8mos pregnant...shame on you guys

Post a photo of the girls after they arrive.

I bet I am going to end up with the cheaper cmos cams...darn it.
It does say 30fps though..not 15. If you can provide a link to cams
that you know are like the first one you bought please post it.
Or sell it to me!?

I know!

When the babies arrive use your original cam to make a short clip of the darlings.
Then make another with the cmos cam you just bought and post them to http://www.ziddu.com/
(you can post anonymously without registering) and let us download the original clips
instead of the youtubed versions.... maybe you could post that wild bike ride
on ziddu as well.

- Some mornings I wake up cranky.....but usually I just let him sleep -

Post Edited (HollyMinkowski) : 9/2/2009 7:58:43 PM GMT

erco
Registered Member

Date Joined Mar 2008
Total Posts : 664

Posted 9/2/2009 5:12 PM (GMT -8)

Whit: Sorry about that bum info. When I first posted, I didn't know I had a "good" camera and that there were "bad" cameras out there. I'll go back and edit my first post. Now I know to look only for 4 GB CCD 30 FPS cameras such as this one: http://cgi.ebay.com/Keychain-DV-DVR-Video-Camera-Spy-cam-CCD-Camcorder_W0QQitemZ250486006903QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3a52212477&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

That's a $35 Buy it Now with free shipping, the best I can find right now. Hope it helps, and glad you approve of our baby names!!!

Holly: Glad you like babies so much! Ours are not identical, and per the ultrasounds so far, one's already bigger than the other. If you're a diapering expert, please stop by and give us a few dozen lessons the next time you're in LA!

"If you build it, they will come."

Post Edited (erco) : 9/3/2009 2:00:54 AM GMT

Whit
Registered Member

Date Joined Mar 2007
Total Posts : 1137

Posted 9/2/2009 5:59 PM (GMT -8)

No appology required! I did not mean for you to go shopping either - but... now that you have - thanks!

Wonder if you could make a dirty diaper detector out of one of these? http://www.parallax.com/Store/Sensors/PressureFlexRPM/tabid/177/CategoryID/46/List/0/SortField/0/Level/a/ProductID/557/Default.aspx

I know it will work on the daiper bin. skull

Whit+

"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." - Walt Disney

Post Edited (Whit) : 9/3/2009 2:59:05 AM GMT

HollyMinkowski
104lbs of trouble

Date Joined May 2009
Total Posts : 445

Posted 9/2/2009 6:25 PM (GMT -8)

If my cams are bad I will sell them to the guys at work (suckers)

erco, I'm the fastest diaperer in the west!

I get to LA about twice/year
I usually drive there, straight
out I10 all the way.

I will bring the proper equipment
for a guy to change a diaper.
(guys really really hate to change diapers)

LoL, while looking for a thumbnail image of rubber gloves I saw this one...wonder what this
guys problem is

- Some mornings I wake up cranky.....but usually I just let him sleep -

erco
Registered Member

Date Joined Mar 2008
Total Posts : 664

Posted 9/2/2009 7:05 PM (GMT -8)

You kids are awesome! That's just the kind of humor that just might get me through this (wonderful) ordeal. The gas mask is standard equipment, natch. Whit's methane detector is just a BS2 away from triggering some Rube Goldberg-type robotic diapering contraption built from Holly's parts roundup. How hard could it be? Except someone beat me to it... http://dsi.kqed.org/index.php/projects/story_big/85/

What's funny is that I'll be almost 49 when the girls are born, so I'll be 70 when they're 21. At some point, I'll be going into diapers just as they're coming out of them.

BTW, the GOOD cameras I have seen have the time/date stamp on the bottom right in red, as shown in Holly's still image shown previously. The BAD cameras have the time/date code in small hi-res white numbers on the top left.

"If you build it, they will come."

Post Edited (erco) : 9/3/2009 3:10:31 AM GMT

HollyMinkowski
104lbs of trouble

Date Joined May 2009
Total Posts : 445

Posted 9/2/2009 7:38 PM (GMT -8)

It's pretty confusing about these cams.

One place I found on ebay shows the box that says ccd
but the written description says cmos...wth

I have found no youtube vid from a spy cam that
has the time in upper left. Why don't you take a short vid
using the 2nd 'bad' cam you got and post to
Ziddu.com anonymously and then put the link here so
we can download the actual video...and does that bad cam
look exactly like the good one?

Saw some reviews for the 8gb cams that claims they are good?
Maybe there is more than 1 version of the 8gb cams?

Where did you buy the 2nd cam that was not as good as the first?
So we can avoid them...probably it's where I just bought mine.
I have bad karma for stuff like this.

Look at this toon.... the pregnant lady is at one of those
Obamacare town halls.... The 6 greasy burritos sounds
about right for a pregnant lady that far along.
HUNGER!
Your wife will like this toon...

A 70yr old guy with 2 young daughters!?
You will never survive it

I wants me some babies, but it makes me nervous.
I just can't believe that 'it' can really stretch that far.
It's just that I picture this big scene where the MD says
"it's just not gonna fit through, quick! bring me the scissors!"
They actually do sometimes have to just cut the edge of 'it' so
that the baby will fit through...it's called an episiotomy
and I feel faint just thinking about it.

don't go look at real images on google of that...it will scare your wife.

- Some mornings I wake up cranky.....but usually I just let him sleep -

Post Edited (HollyMinkowski) : 9/3/2009 3:56:34 AM GMT

W9GFO
Am I still a noob?

Date Joined Jul 2006
Total Posts : 638

Posted 9/2/2009 8:28 PM (GMT -8)

HollyMinkowski said...

I wants me some babies, but it makes me nervous.
I just can't believe that 'it' can really stretch that far.
It's just that I picture this big scene where the MD says
"it's just not gonna fit through, quick! bring me the scissors!"
They actually do sometimes have to just cut the edge of 'it' so
that the baby will fit through...it's called an episiotomy
and I feel faint just thinking about it.

I was very relieved on the night my twins (fraternal) were delivered when the doctor decided a cesarean would be best. I was not looking forward to witnessing such trauma. My own trip down the birth canal, which took literally days, resulted in my mother first seeing her son as a banana with eyes. Fortunately, baby skulls are soft so I didn't retain the potassium rich appearance for very long. My kids didn't have to make that trip, the doc just reached in and pulled them right out, nice. More interesting is when they pulled the entire uterus out and flipped it side to side checking that all was ok. You'd think they would handle internal organs more carefully.

If you decide to have kids, good for you! Undoubtedly, the most rewarding experience possible.

If you decide not to have kids, good for you! You'll avoid massive amounts of stress and worry plus you won't be contributing to overpopulation - and you'll save tons of money.

Rich H

The Servo Boss, a 12 channel servo tester kit from Gadget Gangster.

erco
Registered Member

Date Joined Mar 2008
Total Posts : 664

Posted 9/2/2009 9:13 PM (GMT -8)

Holly: here's your DVR comparison on Youtube:

4 GB, CCD, 30 FPS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Yjw6Z0-Kpw Good audio/video

8 GB, CMOS, 15 FPS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-avxyodwVis Bad audio/video

Note the different time stamp formats.

"If you build it, they will come."

HollyMinkowski
104lbs of trouble

Date Joined May 2009
Total Posts : 445

Posted 9/2/2009 11:55 PM (GMT -8)

Thanks erco

The image on the 8gb cam actually looks just fine.
But the smearing limits it to lesser uses than the other cam.
OK for stills probably, ok for certain uses like security
type chores where the quality may not be as critical.

I just bet that the flash is much cheaper and slower than the
4gb one and that is why the frame rate has dropped.
I'm inclined to think it is trying to write at 30fps but the
flash speed just won't allow it, thus it is missing frames
and the rate is lowered.

They probably decided that they could sell more with
8gb of really cheap and slow flash than 4gb of fast flash...price probably came
out about the same but 8gb sounds better to the masses.
The flash speed can be determined by sending a large file
to it over USB and checking the time it takes compared to
the 4gb version.

Oh well, if my cams turn out to be slow ones I will just have
to find someone selling the same ones you bought first.
If the cams won't do 30fps I will give scathing reviews to
the seller so that others might be forewarned.
In the place where you put the buyers review
I will place a link to a youtube vid of me using their
sad excuse for a camera...they will rue the day

Was that link you posted before the one to the very same seller and camera you got 1st?
cgi.ebay.com/Keychain-DV-DVR-Video-Camera-Spy-cam-CCD-Camcorder_W0QQitemZ250486006903QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3a52212477&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

- Some mornings I wake up cranky.....but usually I just let him sleep -

erco
Registered Member

Date Joined Mar 2008
Total Posts : 664

Posted 9/3/2009 7:57 AM (GMT -8)

Holly: My camera seller & listing are long gone now. I emailed the seller gadget.topseller88 in that new link I posted, to ask about CCD and 30 FPS, he says yes to both.

One other thing: the good cameras came in a nice little gift box (~4x3x1.5 inch) and included a 120v USB charger in the package. The bad cameras simply came in a small flat envelope in bubble wrap. Both included the cable and minimal instructions.

The above seller above also verified his cams come in a gift box w/charger, so I'm pretty sure they are the good ones.

"If you build it, they will come."

erco
Registered Member

Date Joined Mar 2008
Total Posts : 664

Posted 9/3/2009 2:00 PM (GMT -8)

PCB closeups for your hacking consideration. This is the good 4 GB CCD 30 FPS cam.

"If you build it, they will come."

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HollyMinkowski
104lbs of trouble

Date Joined May 2009
Total Posts : 445

Posted 9/3/2009 2:19 PM (GMT -8)

WoW! cool...

Thanks for those images erco

Were they hard to get popped open?

I foresee a use for both the 35$ better ones and the 20 dollar cheapies.
The lower quality ones will still suffice for lots of gadgets you could make
using a prop

That circuit looks awfully tiny... I will have to use the rework station at work
with the binocular scope attached to make changes and connections to those tiny things.

Be nice to make them start filming or taking stills in response to changes in
the cameras detected image or sound, remote switch closures..etc
I wonder how difficult to tap the video data stream from cam to the
propeller for analysis?

Will we be getting images of the insides of the cheaper cam?

- Some mornings I wake up cranky.....but usually I just let him sleep -

HollyMinkowski
104lbs of trouble

Date Joined May 2009
Total Posts : 445

Posted 9/3/2009 2:24 PM (GMT -8)

Oh, I looked at your other youtube vids and saw one where you are with your wife.
When you said she was behind you on that bike ride I didn't realize it was a bike for 2

She really was behind you...that looks like a fun way to exercise.

- Some mornings I wake up cranky.....but usually I just let him sleep -

HollyMinkowski
104lbs of trouble

Date Joined May 2009
Total Posts : 445

Posted 9/3/2009 2:32 PM (GMT -8)

Yipee, the flash is on ordinary micro sd it appears.

I expected it to be one of those cob chips covered with epoxy.

Looks easy enough to connect to the pins for the USB socket.
Also appears you can easily encapsulate it in plastic and leave the mic
and cds cam exposed at the front.

Then harvest the battery.

Looks very hackable, be a good article for Hack-a-day

- Some mornings I wake up cranky.....but usually I just let him sleep -

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