[Dick Foster]

Well I finally got it done. After years of threatening to do it, I finally got off my ass and got the camera system built, installed and working. I have six cameras mounted and running now. One looks down and to the rear it's mounted on rear edge of the bed cover. Handy for backing up as I can see within 2 feet of the rear bumper. Another is looking straight back and is mounted in the hitch receiver. It is for looking further back in the rearward direction and is pointed level with the truck. Yes, it's removable for when I want to use the hitch as a hitch. In fact I can then relocate the camera to the rear of what ever is being towed with an extension. I have two cameras on the main crossmember one is centered just under the transfer case and in line with the drive shaft. It looks at the rear axle. With it, I can see the entire rear axle, the drive line (cool to see the drive shaft spinning while you drive), the gas tank, muffler i.e. the usual under carriage rock bait. The other camera on the crossmember is off center on the drivers side to keep and eye on the front diff and drive shaft. There is another camera mounted within the front bumper that looks forward and down a tad. With that one I can see where I'm going if climbing up a steep obstacle or cresting a hill. The last one is mounted inside the windshield right behind the rear view mirror. It's function is enhanced night vision as silicon imagers are naturally responsive to near IR illumination it sees better at night than we do. Standard halogen lamps put out tons of near IR so is ideal for a silicon based B&W camera. That one will be good for off roading at night. The undercarriage cameras work well with the rock lights too. I have an input for plugging in a tethered random camera, probably with a magnetic mount. There is also an additional output with separate camera selector switch for connecting a second monitor or recorder and three spare selector switch positions, 10 in all. One will be for a wireless camera that I will get around to when time permits. Maybe I will add a couple of cameras looking down the sides with the other two switch positions. The main driver monitor is mounted in the driverside sunvisor. I need to swap out the visor monitor because is is a real POS. It has a crappy subcarrier PLL the does not properly decode color from some of the cameras. It has no aperture correction (sharpness) or contrast control either. I also do not like the push button adjustments as it takes too long to tweak, standard old knobs work much better as they stay where you leave them. Every time the ignition is switched off I have to turn it back on and readjust the picture controls. However, for now it works well enough to use.

 

[BLOWNYOTA]

Thats sick! I have a DVD player in my truck and i was going to try and hook up a undercarrage camera to record the rear axle while im goin over whoops. Any advice you could give me as far as camera recomendations or problems you ran into that i could possibly avoid? Thanks
-Drew

 

[Dick Foster]

Well I pretty much made my own cameras as I do image sensors for a living. One thing I did do considering the rigors of the outside vechice enviroment was to totally encapsulate the camera boards with solid poly urethane insead of using a dead air space housing that you have to worry about sealing up. Little video camera boards are so cheap and build with so few components that are so small these days that it is better to consider them as expendible items. That means allowing for repair access is a non issue. In other words I just potted them with the exception of the lens of course. It generally works out to a smaller sized package that way too. When rocks start flying around under there, smaller is better. The lens will die from a rock hit but I got a box full of replacement lenses to play with. It went through the car wash today and no problems were noted. I have been running the one of the bed cover for a couple of weeks now. We have had a lot of rain and so far it is holding up and proven to be at least splash proof. They may prove to be submersible, I'll have to wait and see but I think it is as I tried to accomplish that while sit allowing for lens replacement. I use museum was on the lens threads and then sealed the remaining exposed threads with silicon seal so they should be OK for the odd stream crossing or the mud. They will get dirty and have to be cleaned from time to time but that can only be expected.

 

[bluetaco]

So when do kits go on sale?
oh wait, when do the Off Road Adventure DVD's go on sale? LOL!

Sounds like a fun set up...are all the cameras hardwire and running on 12V..
.or do you have a wireless set with solar regenerative cells so you can monitor the thief's and vandals that might go after your truck when you are not in it from your Hotel or Home TV!

I am looking forward to seeing pictures!

 

[stevet47]

thats pretty bad ass, you gotta make a compliation video now showing those camera during some action

 

[Dick Foster]

Before I do that I need to get a recorder of some sort. At least all I gotta do is plug it in.

 

[Dick Foster]

So far they are all hard wired but I can add a wireless pretty easily because I have the recepter cable already for it. Yes, they all run off the truck 12V system alothough I did make an 8V regulated supply or preregulator to power the cameras with. That gets rid of a lot of the noise found in automotive 12V systems and eliminates some of the power loss to heat in the cameras themselves. Each camera then has it's own 5V regulator that takes it the rest of the way down to 5VDC that the camera chips run with. What with double pass regulation and the liberal use of filter caps it winds up to be fairly clean power for the imager. A clean power source is typically essential for imaging chips.

 

[ARB1977]

Well I pretty much made my own cameras as I do image sensors for a living. One thing I did do considering the rigors of the outside vechice enviroment was to totally encapsulate the camera boards with solid poly urethane insead of using a dead air space housing that you have to worry about sealing up. Little video camera boards are so cheap and build with so few components that are so small these days that it is better to consider them as expendible items. That means allowing for repair access is a non issue. In other words I just potted them with the exception of the lens of course. It generally works out to a smaller sized package that way too. When rocks start flying around under there, smaller is better. The lens will die from a rock hit but I got a box full of replacement lenses to play with. It went through the car wash today and no problems were noted. I have been running the one of the bed cover for a couple of weeks now. We have had a lot of rain and so far it is holding up and proven to be at least splash proof. They may prove to be submersible, I'll have to wait and see but I think it is as I tried to accomplish that while sit allowing for lens replacement. I use museum was on the lens threads and then sealed the remaining exposed threads with silicon seal so they should be OK for the odd stream crossing or the mud. They will get dirty and have to be cleaned from time to time but that can only be expected.

Its time for another norcal eat and greet to welcome your new camera bling. There was one for deans SAS bling why not for your camera bling.

 

[not2XS]

Thats sick! I have a DVD player in my truck and i was going to try and hook up a undercarrage camera to record the rear axle while im goin over whoops. Any advice you could give me as far as camera recomendations or problems you ran into that i could possibly avoid? Thanks
-Drew

I've had an X-10 camera on my rear axle, looking forward. I wrapped masking tape over the seam in the casing in case it needed more waterproofing. It's just fastened on with baling wire. It's been there for about 3 years and has been submerged a few times, and has survived. The main downside to the X-10 is the lens is not quite wide-angle enough (the upside is it has a flat transparent cover over the lens which is easy to wipe mud off of).

 

[Dick Foster]

It's gonna have to be after AZ Rocks now.

 

[Dick Foster]

Maybe if you moved it to another location the FOV of the lens would be suitable. I figured that the axle would be moving so much that the image would not be as useable as would a camera mounted on the cab or frame looking at the axle. My intent was to get a view that would allow me to avoid banging the diff, gas tank and some other stuff with rocks. As the undercarrage cameras are on top of the crossmember, they are fairly well protected from physical damage.

 

[absolut taco]

I've had an X-10 camera on my rear axle, looking forward. I wrapped masking tape over the seam in the casing in case it needed more waterproofing. It's just fastened on with baling wire. It's been there for about 3 years and has been submerged a few times, and has survived. The main downside to the X-10 is the lens is not quite wide-angle enough (the upside is it has a flat transparent cover over the lens which is easy to wipe mud off of).

Someone bought one of those? That company pissed me off so bad with their $%@$#@% popups 3 years ago... Is it good?

 

[absolut taco]

Before I do that I need to get a recorder of some sort. At least all I gotta do is plug it in.

Your project sounds very impressive. How much did you spend / camera, and how hard were they to make?

 

[SteveO]

You are "The King", nice work.

 

[Dick Foster]

Didn't spend much at all. Cameras were free because I'm in the business and made the rest. I spent a little money on the stuff for making the rubber mode and casting resin. Other than that, I think the only thing I paid for was stuff like the display, figure about $150 for that and the connectors. I did buy another sunvisor to cut up for the display. I think it was $20-$30. The other stuff wire, votage regulator ICs, caps, resistors, switches, etc were cheap or out of my electronics hell box.

 

[Dick Foster]

Thanks, Steve.

 

[Dick Foster]

Hey!!! The X10 fuckers used my imager chips so it was money in my pocket. At least some of it was in the family so to speak.

 

[Bear]

Damn it Dick! I was impressed with your ideas last month when you were emailing back and forth with me over this project, but now that you have it finished, I am even more amazed. Makes my ideas seem like popcicle sticks and bubble gum!

I know you are in the biz so I expect quality from you, that is a given. I am just wondering now if there is anyway, I could get you to build a "kit" for me and put a price tag on it. hee hee hee! Like I said your methods are hellva lot better than mine! I am not interested is re-inventing the wheel so if you have a proven formula, I would love to have it duplicated for my use. Given that you are willing to share. (understandable if you are not)

Have fun at the "rocks" wish it wasn't so far for me or I would try and make it. Hopefully we both will make Take over this year, if so I will definitely be hunting you down for all the low downs on your projects.

Take care buddy! keep up the good, no the great work!

 

[Dick Foster]

Thanks for the props pard. However, just this one took me forever so I won't be doing a kit. I just got no time to do much of anything anymore. However I will be more than happy to pass along any info that you may need or help in other ways. I got some things to make better anyway. Just getting it installed is more or less just a start for me. Now I gotta go fiddle with it to make it better. For starters I got to do something about that POS display then I want to work on doing better cameras as far as having a higher dynamic range response, higher sensitivity, then there are still some cameras to add etc. etc.

 

[TQM3 (Last IFS in AZ)]

Well I finally got it done. After years of threatening to do it, I finally got off my ass and got the camera system built, installed and working. I have six cameras mounted and running now. One looks down and to the rear it's mounted on rear edge of the bed cover. Handy for backing up as I can see within 2 feet of the rear bumper. Another is looking straight back and is mounted in the hitch receiver. It is for looking further back in the rearward direction and is pointed level with the truck. Yes, it's removable for when I want to use the hitch as a hitch. In fact I can then relocate the camera to the rear of what ever is being towed with an extension. I have two cameras on the main crossmember one is centered just under the transfer case and in line with the drive shaft. It looks at the rear axle. With it, I can see the entire rear axle, the drive line (cool to see the drive shaft spinning while you drive), the gas tank, muffler i.e. the usual under carriage rock bait. The other camera on the crossmember is off center on the drivers side to keep and eye on the front diff and drive shaft. There is another camera mounted within the front bumper that looks forward and down a tad. With that one I can see where I'm going if climbing up a steep obstacle or cresting a hill. The last one is mounted inside the windshield right behind the rear view mirror. It's function is enhanced night vision as silicon imagers are naturally responsive to near IR illumination it sees better at night than we do. Standard halogen lamps put out tons of near IR so is ideal for a silicon based B&W camera. That one will be good for off roading at night. The undercarriage cameras work well with the rock lights too. I have an input for plugging in a tethered random camera, probably with a magnetic mount. There is also an additional output with separate camera selector switch for connecting a second monitor or recorder and three spare selector switch positions, 10 in all. One will be for a wireless camera that I will get around to when time permits. Maybe I will add a couple of cameras looking down the sides with the other two switch positions. The main driver monitor is mounted in the driverside sunvisor. I need to swap out the visor monitor because is is a real POS. It has a crappy subcarrier PLL the does not properly decode color from some of the cameras. It has no aperture correction (sharpness) or contrast control either. I also do not like the push button adjustments as it takes too long to tweak, standard old knobs work much better as they stay where you leave them. Every time the ignition is switched off I have to turn it back on and readjust the picture controls. However, for now it works well enough to use.

You are in fact the BLING KING!