On board cam question?

SheepOfBlue · 05-14-2007, 12:21 PM

I had a grazing (off track) section in March and everything seemed fine. This time out the camera is getting jitter when moving at times. It got jitter when I went off in March for the first time. The other variable is that I reused tapes.

So I am thinking:
1 Clean the heads on the cam. I picked up tape coating on the head maybe.

2 Suspension on heads is collapsed from the first episode and will be fine for normal use but shot for on bike (with the heavier G loading)

3 Don't reuse tapes

4 Connector is stressed to much and will be fine for normal use but shot for on bike

Any ideas from other cam owners? I want it running good at Grattan

CBRVFR · 05-14-2007, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SheepOfBlue

I had a grazing (off track) section in March and everything seemed fine. This time out the camera is getting jitter when moving at times. It got jitter when I went off in March for the first time. The other variable is that I reused tapes.

So I am thinking:
1.> Quit going off the track.

1a.> reduce silly gadgetry to increase concentration on the track.

1b.> Clean the heads on the cam. I picked up tape coating on the head maybe.

2 Suspension on heads is collapsed from the first episode and will be fine for normal use but shot for on bike (with the heavier G loading)

3 Don't reuse tapes

4 Connector is stressed to much and will be fine for normal use but shot for on bike

Any ideas from other cam owners? I want it running good at Grattan

This would be a better list to start from, I think.

SheepOfBlue · 05-14-2007, 12:41 PM

Hater!

#1a) I will be analyzing laps tonight from the cam

My SDD allows me to occasionally remember to turn it on before I get on track. Once activated it is out of sight and I have no idea if it is operating or not.

Agree with #1 though

bwhip · 05-14-2007, 12:58 PM

Is this a remote cam setup, or just running the camcorder onboard?

SomeStrangeGuy · 05-14-2007, 01:18 PM

Define jitter...you just mean shaking of the images like it's on a loose tripod (but it isn't) or you mean pcr jitter or macroblocking?

SheepOfBlue · 05-14-2007, 01:46 PM

Remote cam running into a Sony DV cam.

By jitter it gets bars of garbage and occasional greyout. Of the three tapes one is much worse (thus I figured maybe a tape issue). Though it didn't seem to happen much if at all at an idle.

bwhip · 05-14-2007, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SheepOfBlue

Remote cam running into a Sony DV cam.

By jitter it gets bars of garbage and occasional greyout. Of the three tapes one is much worse (thus I figured maybe a tape issue). Though it didn't seem to happen much if at all at an idle.

Mine was doing that, and cleaning the heads made it stop.

SheepOfBlue · 05-14-2007, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bwhip

Mine was doing that, and cleaning the heads made it stop.

Thank you. I thought I might have got trash on the head from my March Fescue sampling mission

I think yours was the cam that did similar at Grattan some (though I would have to check)

RedRider · 05-15-2007, 08:26 AM

Mine did that too. How do you clean the heads?

SheepOfBlue · 05-15-2007, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedRider

Mine did that too. How do you clean the heads?

I got a mini-DV head cleaner. Just insert hit play for 10 seconds and go. Most are abrasive so do not use them on a regular basis.

bwhip · 05-15-2007, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SheepOfBlue

I got a mini-DV head cleaner. Just insert hit play for 10 seconds and go. Most are abrasive so do not use them on a regular basis.

Yep. They sell them at BestBuy and those types of places.

SheepOfBlue · 06-07-2007, 09:46 PM

OK I think I found this out. Cleaning the heads helped but did not cure it. So I thought cam or camcorder

I went to the garage and detached the cam and shook it; no jitter or noise. I shook the cam; noise. Well on further inspection I could wiggle the a/v connector and get noise. Strangely it was not the cam it seems to be the cable. I ordered a Sony VMC15FS cable and it seems to have cured it

So if you have a Sony check the cable (I think the spring loaded wires wore out)

Shenders1 · 06-08-2007, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SheepOfBlue

I had a grazing (off track) section in March ...

'Grazing', eh? I like it. We used to call it 'mowing the lawn' back in my SCCA days. RedRider coined my all-time favorite euphamism for it a year or so ago: 'dual-sporting'.

This is me on my much-missed 929 - End of front straight, Gingerman, 2004.

RedRider · 06-08-2007, 12:14 PM

Do we need to post the video of your "other" dual-sport moment?

quick26 · 06-08-2007, 03:50 PM

when i raced go carts we called the off track driving agracutlural driving

Shenders1 · 06-08-2007, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedRider

Do we need to post the video of your "other" dual-sport moment?

Nope - I've put that sort of behavior behind me. Concussion-free in '07, that's my motto.

Quote:

when i raced go carts we called the off track driving agracutlural driving

Yep - I've heard that one too.

ND4SPD · 06-08-2007, 10:25 PM

Are you the one that highsided into oblivion at Grattan in the wet?

Shenders1 · 06-09-2007, 07:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ND4SPD

Are you the one that highsided into oblivion at Grattan in the wet?

I'm at least the one that did it in front of a camera. Not my finest moment.

ND4SPD · 06-09-2007, 08:26 AM

That may be true, however my vote goes towards posting the video

RedRider · 06-09-2007, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shenders1

I'm at least the one that did it in front of a camera. Not my finest moment.

I think you've mastered the ragdoll technique quite well!

SheepOfBlue · 06-13-2007, 01:00 PM

On further examination the cable is not it. The board is loose and I could tape and brace but it is not going to be great for bike cam anymore (works fine otherwise) So I started the search. Well Sony only makes one that has LANC and AV in (the HD's do not have AV in

) and is NOT dvd or harddrive. So I looked around and the only other unit I could find is a Canon ZR850 which has no LANC and gets low reviews. It seems options for a bike cam will be getting hard in the future

So I found this cool gadget. Pricey but it might hold up better. Has LANC and a regular (

Sony) a/v port. Hope it can make it in time for Grattan. Also at night I can take it out of the bike and replay passes of FrenchieR6 for skeptics

navydevildoc · 06-13-2007, 04:38 PM

Archos or someone similar makes a few HDD based models. You might want to look into that.

OR.... get a small notebook drive, slave it off of the Wooly Computer, and take firewire DV in straight to disk.

SheepOfBlue · 06-13-2007, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by navydevildoc

Archos or someone similar makes a few HDD based models. You might want to look into that.

OR.... get a small notebook drive, slave it off of the Wooly Computer, and take firewire DV in straight to disk.

Disk or DVD don't take the punishment a tape setup will. I have heard from multiple people with HD setups that failed FAST. A solid state system would be sweet but they all that I know of compress the stream into something non-DV so editing becomes a pain (and most compressors are lossy)

bwhip · 06-13-2007, 05:49 PM

I hope mine still works after my get-off on Sunday. I had it mounted, but wasn't capturing video at the time. The camera pouch got ripped from the tail section, and was full of dirt and dust, but the camcorder still seemed to work okay once I got back to the pits. The remote camera had been tweaked sideways in its mount on the front fairing, but I haven't had a chance to see if it's still working. I sure hope so.

bwhip · 06-14-2007, 09:55 AM

Tested the setup this morning. Thankfully, it still works.

I've got some major dust-cleaning to do, though. The runoff at Miller is extremely safe (for which I'm currently quite grateful), but man does it produce a thick layer of micro-fine dirt and dust on everything on, in, or around a bike and rider that slides across it!

05-14-2007, 12:41 PM	#3
SheepOfBlue SRA President Join Date: 12-18-2006 Location: Huntsville, AL Age: 46 Bike(s): CBR1000RR, RC51, VT500FT Posts: 6,400	Re: On board cam question? Hater! #1a) I will be analyzing laps tonight from the cam My SDD allows me to occasionally remember to turn it on before I get on track. Once activated it is out of sight and I have no idea if it is operating or not. Agree with #1 though __________________ A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way

05-14-2007, 12:58 PM	#4
bwhip Every ride a gift... Join Date: 12-13-2006 Location: Idaho, USA Bike(s): 1098S-SXV550-849-Ruckus Posts: 3,899	Re: On board cam question? Is this a remote cam setup, or just running the camcorder onboard? __________________ My Gallery

05-14-2007, 01:18 PM	#5
SomeStrangeGuy no longer ready to mingle. Join Date: 12-13-2006 Location: Debt, where else? Bike(s): GS / KLR Posts: 3,816	Re: On board cam question? Define jitter...you just mean shaking of the images like it's on a loose tripod (but it isn't) or you mean pcr jitter or macroblocking? __________________ GPS Discussion Forums Time is the ultimate currency.

05-14-2007, 01:46 PM	#6
SheepOfBlue SRA President Join Date: 12-18-2006 Location: Huntsville, AL Age: 46 Bike(s): CBR1000RR, RC51, VT500FT Posts: 6,400	Re: On board cam question? Remote cam running into a Sony DV cam. By jitter it gets bars of garbage and occasional greyout. Of the three tapes one is much worse (thus I figured maybe a tape issue). Though it didn't seem to happen much if at all at an idle. __________________ A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way

05-15-2007, 08:26 AM	#9
RedRider Join Date: 12-13-2006 Age: 49 Bike(s): 929 Posts: 2,386	Re: On board cam question? Mine did that too. How do you clean the heads?

05-14-2007, 12:21 PM	#1
SheepOfBlue SRA President Join Date: 12-18-2006 Location: Huntsville, AL Age: 46 Bike(s): CBR1000RR, RC51, VT500FT Posts: 6,400	On board cam question? I had a grazing (off track) section in March and everything seemed fine. This time out the camera is getting jitter when moving at times. It got jitter when I went off in March for the first time. The other variable is that I reused tapes. So I am thinking: 1 Clean the heads on the cam. I picked up tape coating on the head maybe. 2 Suspension on heads is collapsed from the first episode and will be fine for normal use but shot for on bike (with the heavier G loading) 3 Don't reuse tapes 4 Connector is stressed to much and will be fine for normal use but shot for on bike Any ideas from other cam owners? I want it running good at Grattan __________________ A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way

06-07-2007, 09:46 PM	#12
SheepOfBlue SRA President Join Date: 12-18-2006 Location: Huntsville, AL Age: 46 Bike(s): CBR1000RR, RC51, VT500FT Posts: 6,400	Re: On board cam question? OK I think I found this out. Cleaning the heads helped but did not cure it. So I thought cam or camcorder I went to the garage and detached the cam and shook it; no jitter or noise. I shook the cam; noise. Well on further inspection I could wiggle the a/v connector and get noise. Strangely it was not the cam it seems to be the cable. I ordered a Sony VMC15FS cable and it seems to have cured it So if you have a Sony check the cable (I think the spring loaded wires wore out) __________________ A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way

06-08-2007, 12:14 PM	#14
RedRider Join Date: 12-13-2006 Age: 49 Bike(s): 929 Posts: 2,386	Re: On board cam question? Do we need to post the video of your "other" dual-sport moment?

06-08-2007, 03:50 PM	#15
quick26 Join Date: 12-18-2006 Location: Elizabeth City, NC Age: 25 Bike(s): 06 TRX 450r Posts: 1,613	Re: On board cam question? when i raced go carts we called the off track driving agracutlural driving __________________ I am not post whoring, I am providing an abundance of useless opinion.

06-08-2007, 10:25 PM	#17
ND4SPD I'm BATMAN!!! Join Date: 12-12-2006 Bike(s): Trek Posts: 8,055 Images: 25	Re: On board cam question? Are you the one that highsided into oblivion at Grattan in the wet? __________________ "This is your life - are you who you want to be?" Learn all you need to know about Mac OS X

06-09-2007, 08:26 AM	#19
ND4SPD I'm BATMAN!!! Join Date: 12-12-2006 Bike(s): Trek Posts: 8,055 Images: 25	Re: On board cam question? That may be true, however my vote goes towards posting the video __________________ "This is your life - are you who you want to be?" Learn all you need to know about Mac OS X

06-13-2007, 01:00 PM	#21
SheepOfBlue SRA President Join Date: 12-18-2006 Location: Huntsville, AL Age: 46 Bike(s): CBR1000RR, RC51, VT500FT Posts: 6,400	Re: On board cam question? On further examination the cable is not it. The board is loose and I could tape and brace but it is not going to be great for bike cam anymore (works fine otherwise) So I started the search. Well Sony only makes one that has LANC and AV in (the HD's do not have AV in ) and is NOT dvd or harddrive. So I looked around and the only other unit I could find is a Canon ZR850 which has no LANC and gets low reviews. It seems options for a bike cam will be getting hard in the future So I found this cool gadget. Pricey but it might hold up better. Has LANC and a regular ( Sony) a/v port. Hope it can make it in time for Grattan. Also at night I can take it out of the bike and replay passes of FrenchieR6 for skeptics __________________ A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way

06-13-2007, 04:38 PM	#22
navydevildoc Smog is better. Join Date: 12-13-2006 Bike(s): Aprilia RSV-R Posts: 1,266	Re: On board cam question? Archos or someone similar makes a few HDD based models. You might want to look into that. OR.... get a small notebook drive, slave it off of the Wooly Computer, and take firewire DV in straight to disk. __________________ Chuck Norris can divide by zero.

06-13-2007, 05:49 PM	#24
bwhip Every ride a gift... Join Date: 12-13-2006 Location: Idaho, USA Bike(s): 1098S-SXV550-849-Ruckus Posts: 3,899	Re: On board cam question? I hope mine still works after my get-off on Sunday. I had it mounted, but wasn't capturing video at the time. The camera pouch got ripped from the tail section, and was full of dirt and dust, but the camcorder still seemed to work okay once I got back to the pits. The remote camera had been tweaked sideways in its mount on the front fairing, but I haven't had a chance to see if it's still working. I sure hope so. __________________ My Gallery

06-14-2007, 09:55 AM	#25
bwhip Every ride a gift... Join Date: 12-13-2006 Location: Idaho, USA Bike(s): 1098S-SXV550-849-Ruckus Posts: 3,899	Re: On board cam question? Tested the setup this morning. Thankfully, it still works. I've got some major dust-cleaning to do, though. The runoff at Miller is extremely safe (for which I'm currently quite grateful), but man does it produce a thick layer of micro-fine dirt and dust on everything on, in, or around a bike and rider that slides across it! __________________ My Gallery