Off-road Camera System

wikid

Adventurer
I am not sure where to post this, but I am Working with Total Visions of Tucson developing a camera system to use for trail recording, spotting, with GPS tracking and quad channel recording with audio.
Currently we are doing the final phase of the install of a 8 camera system with the capabilities of running 16 . Here's where you ask the question.
Why so many camera's?
The answer is since these are fixed camera's you can choose between several different views.
The list for camera locations are (2) forward facing roof mounts long, view, wide view (2) rock spotters on the front bumper corners (1) front lower approach camera (1) Axle camera facing the rear axle area (1) rear roof camera (1) departure or backup camera
I have made a custom overhead console for my FJ Cruiser that will have (4) 5.6" Screens with 2 digital keypads to control which camera's are viewed and recorded. I plan on doing lots of trail video and reports. I have complete build of it with pictures, if folks are interested in seeing it evolve to the working stage. It will be displayed at the expo in the Total Vision area.
Would this be the right thead to put build pictures of it?

thanks
Don
 

Lizardo

New member
I've been contemplating similar but am nowhere near so far along. It'd be great to hear and see more about your setup.

David
 

wikid

Adventurer
WIKID has eyes for you... Baja Camera System install
From the Beginning.
I made several configurations of this OH console this is what I went with. Its actually secured from the lip of the front roof frame to the first cross support It will not come loose or down
camera002.jpg


While I am doing this project I am adding stuff as I go

Since the headliner is down I am doing a few things to make life easier.
Wilson 1000 antenna roof mounted. Say good bye to the lil will Mag mount. You won't see cables on the roof now. This antenna is about the best you can get for a CB The really nice feature is that you can unscrew the base of the antenna with you hand and screw a cap on the stub so you don't have to have the antenna up all the time. Its just a little black cap that is left.
sound_dead001.jpg





Next will be one more set of cables to run then the headliner can go back up.
I am waiting for the cables though

I decided to quiet the beast some with a product from Second Skin Audio
Sound Deadening Materials for Noise Reduction from Second Skin
The product is called Damplifier Pro. kills, vibration, heat and noise
It comes in 12"x20" sheets that have paper you peel to adhere to the roof. Its very sticky and I cannot see it coming off even if you begged it.

sound_dead008.jpg


sound_dead002.jpg


Next will be another insulation product I glue to the face of the Damplifier Pro
Its about 1/2 to 5/8th thick called "heat wave" and has great insulation properties

Friday I will have all the parts and doodads to begin installing the next phase of this project

Second part of insulating
sound_dead013.jpg


sound_dead017.jpg

I left it short till I secure the rest of my stuff but it will be finalized after it it all done
sound_dead018.jpg


Camera mount and wiring day. I completed 3 camera installs and ran about 80% of the wire/cables Location, location, location, was the theme of the day.
The picture below shows 2 of the 3 cameras installed today.
Camera 1
Drivers side on the roof Narrow view camera that shows lots of distance but not as much on the sides
Camera 2
Passenger side a wide angle but not much distance
My logic behind where there are mounted is..
I wanted to be able to easily clean them without having to make some kind of boom to reach the center ( remember I am short) I decided to follow the line of the washer nozzles. With that I also needed to establish an axis for where center would be in front of the truck. 8Ball and I worked it out with much effort
cam_locations2004.jpg

Side view Note: the covers have not been placed untill they are sealed with silicone into place.
cam_locations002.jpg


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wikid

Adventurer
A longer view
cam_locations2005.jpg


Camera 3
Rear roof . I decided a narrow view camera would be best for most conditions since I will also have a wide angle camera on the bumper
cam_locations2003.jpg


Cable and wire runs were also done today pictures to follow
Progress on the overhead console

I used headliner material to cover the monitor pods and made a center section which will house both of the keypads, cb radio and a few other goodies I have planned for it.
oh_center_console002.jpg

Here is a sample Keypad that will control the cameras. The center was cut and formed from 18 gauge steel. Angles were important along with forming a rigid back edge
oh_center_console003.jpg


oh_center_console004.jpg


One more view from the back of the truck.
The top edge should be the approx height of the headliner
oh_center_console001.jpg


I am working with Rod from Total Vision of Tucson, AZ. Total Vision Products: The new standard in mobile vision products I gave him the thoughts I had and he developed the system. We are working together with the install. So far my end of the install is almost done. Rod is designing another system that could be a great addition to the FJ crowd along with others who may want something like it. The system being designed is not this involved for the install. Mine is just over the top. I will post more details about that soon
Besides all of the wiring I accomplished the oh center console is painted and fitted.
painted_console001.jpg

I am pleased with the way it came out. There are still some things to add to it but it is on the way to being complete.
painted_console005.jpg


I will start with a view from the drivers seat while driving home from Tucson. The left picture is facing forward from one of the 2 front facing roof cams. The right picture is the long view rear roof cam picture. I was hoping to catch this guy pickin his nose
IMG_0023.jpg


We have most of the system in and 2 of the cameras viewing.

There is lots of wiring and configuring to do. This is the semi complete oh console after today's progress
IMG_0019.jpg


Even though it doesn't look like it, we are fairly close to trimming everything out and doing final adjustments, before the headliner goes back up. Its a slow process because this is totally custom and there are many things that come up while we progress

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wikid

Adventurer
IMG_0017-1.jpg


Wiring in the 2 ecu's that are controlled from the keypads on the console
IMG_0011-1.jpg


I can't wait till I can start putting stuff back together. It seems like the more we do the more we take apart, but that's the fun of making something from nothing.
IMG_0018-1.jpg

The part you don't see is the DVR. I forgot pictures of it, but pictures will follow
I decided to make a harness for all the switches in the OH console. I ran one 12 gauge wire for power and a ground. Then soldered and wired each switch. I used (2) 5 wire cables to use as trigger wires to run to all of the accessories that will need to be switched. I should never have to pull anything apart in the roof area to add anything from now on .
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DSCN2371.jpg


This is just a pic of all the switches being tested
DSCN2370.jpg


Of the 9 switches in the console 5 are already dedicated off-road light and The Baja Camera System.

Today is camera install day part 2
Here is a rock spotting camera located on the front drivers side. The passenger side has the same

DSCN2374.jpg

I drilled a 1" hole angled down and painted the exposed edge. The camera's have brackets that are epoxied in place
DSCN2376.jpg


Approach angle camera
DSCN2375.jpg


Here is the departure camera or backup cam
DSCN2377.jpg


DSCN2378.jpg


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wikid

Adventurer
Rear axle cam protected buy my skids and with clear view of the dif and inner tires
DSCN2385.jpg


Quad channel DVR with GPS tracking and alarm mode
DSCN2396.jpg


Here is the wiring finalized. It will not move or show after the headliner is installed. We still have to test the whole system before the headliner goes up just in case..
DSCN2391.jpg


Here are the 2 ecu's wired and ready for testing. I am going to make a wire keeper for the top of this where all the wires that come out of the ecu's will so have support above them so they won't wiggle out. Testing mode doesn't require neat appearance til I know its right

DSCN2392.jpg


As part of my Camera mod I have had to relocate a few things
This is a picture of the way my GPS was mounted before the Camera Mod
gpsmount3.jpg


Since this is close to the configuration I am dealing with now the GPS needed a new home
IMG_0019.jpg


Here is what I fabbed up today to make that new home for my Lowrance

DSCN2427.jpg


Pardon the sloppy look I tack welded it in many places not to distort the metal. I will clean it up and paint it.
DSCN2428.jpg


This has a swivel mount from a fishfinder like it was in it's previous location

DSCN2426.jpg


Here it is where it will be mounted. I still have access to the transfer case shifter and all the controls on the dash along with still being able to see the radio controls
DSCN2424.jpg


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wikid

Adventurer
I made the angles specific so I could still shift with no interference. Its 16 gauge steel with formed edges and 1 inch bar stock to re enforce the lower plate then 1/4 inch dowl rod bend and joined in the middle with a baseplate welded on top to attach the mount
DSCN2425.jpg

I can now reattach my rear view mirror.

I may mount it with industrial strength velcro but am still pondering it as of now.
 

wikid

Adventurer
Like most weekends I was consumed with finishing this project. We had all of the cameras going today and actually recorded on the DVR. Its cool because you can use one screen to play back anything you have recorded. You can choose to playback all of the channels at once with a quad split on the screen and also pull up any recording you have done with a time stamp on it . It will also record GPS tracks where the recording took place. There is an option to have it power on with motion and also track braking, turning backing up etc. As a simple backup feature it will power on by itself when you put it in reverse to view as many as 4 cameras if you choose to but for sure I will have the rear cameras active on backup. Pictures will follow when I have more light to take them, with all the bells and whistles going.
 

C Red

Adventurer
With all those cameras I would never have to worry about blind spots ever again.
I think the camera system is a great idea and will probably give you some interesting view of obstacles as you traverse them.
Your execution seems well thought out. Bravo!
 

craig

Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
Your wife's going to kill you for putting that greasy bracket on her white dining chair. :)

Looks like a lot of work, and it is coming together nicely.

What sort of work did you do to determine overall power consumption and what changes did you make to the vehicle charging system/battery to accoodate the extra load?
 

haven

Expedition Leader
Looks like a great rolling platform for reality TV. Are all the cameras 4:3 format? Do you have a camera pointed at the driver to capture the "thrill of victory" moments? Any provision for a driver's point of view head-mounted cam? Where are mics placed to capture audio?
 

wikid

Adventurer
Your wife's going to kill you for putting that greasy bracket on her white dining chair. :)

Looks like a lot of work, and it is coming together nicely.

What sort of work did you do to determine overall power consumption and what changes did you make to the vehicle charging system/battery to accoodate the extra load?
Luckily that chair is my shop chair, so I wasn't so worried about my butt getting dirty
Very good question about the power consumption.
I already have a National Luna dual battery system. The second battery will support the needs of the Camera System. The power consumption is minimal. We think it will pull 3 at the most under full load. We are running 2, 3 amp fuses to power each half of the system. All the power for the system goes through the 2, 3 amp fuses. The only thing not covered under that is the quad channel DVR. It runs straight from the battery with a 1.5 amp fuse inline. It can be a on demand, so it doesn't need to run all the time. The cool feature is a secondary circuit wired into the back lights and running lights to auto dim the monitors for night use and it will bypass the main power to show what images I want to in reverse, automatically. The other feature is the DVR will work on a motion sensor activation to begin recording.
All very good questions
Thanks
Don
 

wikid

Adventurer
Looks like a great rolling platform for reality TV. Are all the cameras 4:3 format? Do you have a camera pointed at the driver to capture the "thrill of victory" moments? Any provision for a driver's point of view head-mounted cam? Where are mics placed to capture audio?
Wow You guys are sharp
I am not sure of the format, but I will fins out I think its 4:3 We were just talking bout a incab camera with a mic attached for the drivers perspective
There are 2 audio outs. I haven't decided where I want them yet. I may have one on a mobile platform to record what I want to record such as trail interviews, etc and maybe the other one can be the drivers cam
Thanks for the great questions
On another note , I have been driving around with the system working near flawlessly. There is a vacant lot near my house with a few places to try out the rock spotting. It worked great. I was able to spot myself to put my tires exactly where I wanted them. I also had a great view as I climbed an obstacle on
what was on the other side. The approach camera is one I know will be used frequently.
Don
 
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Every Miles A Memory

Expedition Leader
Don, that looks like a dream system I'd like to have some day!

Wiring the cameras and the system right to the vehicles batteries, isnt there any buzz/hum from the 12 volt? Did you have to run the power through some sort of filter or sinewave inverter of some sort?

I know when I power our laptop from the trucks batteries it is always flickering compared to running it from the sinewave inverter in the camper.
 

wikid

Adventurer
The dual battery setup I am running is perfectly suited for this system. With the battery in the rear, directly next to the place where the camera set up is powered from, seems to buffer the problems with video noise. We have perfect images.
Thanks
Don
 

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