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Propeller as a video recorder — Parallax Forums

Propeller as a video recorder

Matt180Matt180 Posts: 7
edited 2010-07-20 02:51 in Propeller 1
Would it be possible to use the RCA jack and a miniSD card reader/writer with the propeller to record video off of a camera?

-Matt

Comments

  • EricREricR Posts: 35
    edited 2010-07-18 01:43
    I don't think so. Video needs about 6 MHz sample rate. This is quite fast for the Propeller. Then, you need to compress the signal to a rate compatible with storing on the SD card. That takes a lot of computation.

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    Eric
  • Matt180Matt180 Posts: 7
    edited 2010-07-18 14:18
    what would you guys recommend to do this? I don't have a lot of experience programing chips I have had a BS2 for a while now and I just recently bought a propeller.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 7,620
    edited 2010-07-18 14:39
    ADI's Blackfin chips have special video hardware and could probably manage it; the dual-core chips deliver 1200 MIPS, IIRC. I've got one of their evaluation boards with video input and output connectors. Interfacing it to an SD card would be quite easy.

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    Leon Heller
    Amateur radio callsign: G1HSM
  • pjvpjv Posts: 1,903
    edited 2010-07-18 15:50
    Hi All;

    I thought Rayman demonstrated this at UPEW last year?

    Cheers,

    Peter (pjv)
  • Matt180Matt180 Posts: 7
    edited 2010-07-18 21:22
    Leon would you recommend one of those boards over the rest. most of those Evaluation boards are way out of my price range
  • LeonLeon Posts: 7,620
    edited 2010-07-18 22:26
    Mine was on special offer when they launched the Blackfin some years ago, and was quite cheap, I think I got it for half price. I think the equivalent board now is the ADSP-BF533 EZ-KIT Lite which costs $450, it might even be the same board; I think I paid about $200 for mine. I could tell if they had a picture of it. They have just started using the Blackfin where I used to work, I designed their first system around the earlier ADSP-2187 chip.

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    Leon Heller
    Amateur radio callsign: G1HSM

    Post Edited (Leon) : 7/18/2010 10:35:44 PM GMT
  • Matt180Matt180 Posts: 7
    edited 2010-07-18 23:08
    $450 is way over what i would like to spend on this project. For less than that I could set my self up with a wireless camera with a 2 mile range on it.

    What i am trying to do is make a DVR small enough to fit inside of a rocket for a camera that is in the nose cone. I was also hoping to run it off of a couple of A23s or a small lipo pack. These rockets go 10,000 feet in a couple of seconds, I am looking to make something similar to what Estes made with there oracle except it can film the whole flight in a larger rocket vs the pathetic 20 seconds that it records for.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 7,620
    edited 2010-07-18 23:26
    You don't need the whole board, just the ADSP-533 chip and an ADC chip, plus a PCB. ADI's development software is very expensive, though.

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    Leon Heller
    Amateur radio callsign: G1HSM
  • RaymanRayman Posts: 15,008
    edited 2010-07-19 00:14
    I also want to put a camera in a rocket... But, you don't need a Prop for that... I picked up some sunglasses that record video to uSD card or onboard memory. I'm pretty sure they could be chopped up and put in a rocket. They were something like $50 a couple months ago. I'd bet you could also find uSD video modules from china somewhere so you wouldn't have to chop up glasses...

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  • whickerwhicker Posts: 749
    edited 2010-07-19 00:17
    I'd suggest just something pre-made, then.

    sorry about offsite link, but it's going to a hobby site with a $50 micro-SD spy camera.
    http://www.nitroplanes.com/sm18gfpvmivi.html
  • RossHRossH Posts: 5,552
    edited 2010-07-19 00:20
    @Matt180,

    Rayman is right - you don't need a Prop for that. You can use Rayman's suggestion, or buy a "spy pen" with a 4Gb on board flash drive for well under $100. I don't think you could even buy the parts for a Prop-based solution for that. The disassembled "spy pen" would probably also be smaller and lighter. Of course, you could use a Prop to turn the spy pen on and off - but even that seems like overkill!

    Ross.

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  • Cluso99Cluso99 Posts: 18,069
    edited 2010-07-19 00:46
    IIRC there was a discussed a month or two ago on the sandbox forum about recorders. Beware of the resolution of those cameras though. Holly may chime in here.

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    · Home of the MultiBladeProps: TriBlade,·RamBlade,·SixBlade, website
    · Single Board Computer:·3 Propeller ICs·and a·TriBladeProp board (ZiCog Z80 Emulator)
    · Prop Tools under Development or Completed (Index)
    · Emulators: CPUs Z80 etc; Micros Altair etc;· Terminals·VT100 etc; (Index) ZiCog (Z80) , MoCog (6809)·
    · Prop OS: SphinxOS·, PropDos , PropCmd··· Search the Propeller forums·(uses advanced Google search)
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  • Matt180Matt180 Posts: 7
    edited 2010-07-19 02:28
    @whicker id be weary from buying from nitroplanes its the same company that runs xheli and raidentech, there support is HORRID. i was sold a helicopter with broken parts and they wouldn't replace any of them. that's beside the fact.

    The reason i want to build something to record the video is I have a small HD Pinhole camera that takes amazing video for what it is (better video than some cameras you can walk in to bestbuy and buy) its rly small less than 1inX1inX1in it fits in the nose cone and still leaves room for all the other stuff I have to put in it
  • JasonDorieJasonDorie Posts: 1,930
    edited 2010-07-19 20:12
    Try one of these:

    www.hobby-lobby.com/rc-video-cameras.htm

    I have the "FlyCamOne2" - It recorded the sub-window in this video:
    www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjvJLm725h0

    Resolution is 640x480, quality is decent. Like any camera in this price range, it suffers from a decent amount of video shear. (Shear: horizontal wobbles because it samples scan-lines instead of a whole frame at once)

    Jason
  • HollyMinkowskiHollyMinkowski Posts: 1,398
    edited 2010-07-20 02:51
    erco started a thread that got a lot of posts. It was all
    about those 30.00 key chain cams. I still have several
    of them and they work great! But there are some really
    poor copies of them on sale on ebay so you have to be careful.
    (I have 3 of the Smile ones)

    They are easily taken apart, they contain a 2GB micro-sd
    card, a 370mah LiOn battery, a video processor, 2 xtals,
    3 switches, mic, and the camera device that aims out a pinhole
    in the case.

    Pretty easy to control all the functions using a small uC like
    a Tiny85. This thing can record for almost an hour. You can
    use them for all sorts of projects. Resolution is a good quality
    640x480 and they have real 30fps. (the Smile one are 15fps)
    erco posted some demo videos on his youtube page, he taped
    his cam to the handlebars of his bike and took a wild ride smile.gif

    erco may still have a few he'd sell you.

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