Solman

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aQDI-wVoxA[/youtube]

Aframomum

My Feedback: (10)

OMG Solman, I feel like I was on a rollercoaster from hell - is there a barf bag on board this flight?!?

Nice flying though.

Have you tried a hat cam yet? Some of us have improvised an old hat so that it can hold a small digital camera (either by velcro, string, or some other means), makes for nice and steady footage. Of course to anyone passing by you may look a bit silly.

Mark

Encoder

My Feedback: (1)

Ha! Missed landing pad did we...lol. Very nice video. What camera and mount did you use? Have pics of your setup?

Solman

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWNX:IT


Not bad for a $12 camera and shipping was a lot quicker than I expected.

patryn

My Feedback: (1)

That was sweet. I can now document my oh**** moments and edit the video to include dollar signs as I roll it over and try a blade landing. I may be ordering one of these soon.

Mack66

What size SD Memory card did you use? Also how about a piccie of how you mounted the keychain cam? This has GOT to be the way to go with on board cameras.

Mack

patryn

My Feedback: (1)

I put one on order right after I saw this. I didn't realize they were that cheap.

Solman

The link I sent had it to me fairly quick for Hong Kong shipping. I will take a picture as soon as I am able too. It basically straps in just like your battery on the Blade 400. One piece on the frame, one piece on the camera, and one wrapped around it to secure it. BTW, I think I got a 4 gig memory card in it. It is more than enough for filming a flight or two.

patryn

My Feedback: (1)

Any chance I could get a pic of your setup. I've tried recording one flight on my CPP2 and two on my 400. Every time I hit the damn button on the frame and the video stops. Talk about a disappointment every time I get home and go to look at the video and it's 5 secs of my hand.

1320Fastback

Here's a video from my Blade400, you a more skilled pilot though as I am still learning basic hovering.
http://vimeo.com/10142807

patryn

My Feedback: (1)

I just went out to the field and the keyfob cam wouldn't fire up. I'm trying to figure out if it's already toast. I'll be quite irritated. I knew I should have ordered more than one.

patryn

My Feedback: (1)

Alright, Solman. I need your help here. I used velcro to fasten it to the bottom this time. I did get my first video including 3 loops. But it's so shaky it almost puts you in convulsions. Then to top it off, I get back to my car to find some underage kid from Zimbabwe sitting in the driver's seat drawing on the steering wheel. I swear, you couldn't write this ****. I should have pulled out my knife and stabbed his soccer ball, but I was still in disbelief. Here's my setup and video.





[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvPctH3Q2Ko[/youtube]

Solman

Right concept, but it doesn't look like you velcro it around the frame. I can do one better than send a picture because you have the right concept. Secure it the same way you secure your lipo battery. One piece of velcro to the frame and the other wrapping around the frame.

AH-64_d

Solman,

You say "One piece of velcro to the frame and the other wrapping around the frame." Does this mean that you are sandwiching the camera against the frame with a Velcro strap in addition to sticiking it to the frame with Velcro? My videos frequently shake like Patryn's. I was hanging my camera under the belly using Velcro buttons, which seems to be very similar to the way Patryn attached his camera to his aircraft. Please post a picture of the way you mount your camera.

AH-64 D

Solman

One piece of velcro to the camera,

The other piece of velcro to the frame

A third piece of velcro wrapping around the camera and the frame like the lipo battery

I have to make a new velcro to wrap around. I used it for the battery on my airplane.

AH-64_d

Solman,

Thanks for the clarification. This morning, I mounted the camera to the belly of the helicopter with Velcro buttons and then used painters' tape to securely hold it to the body. The resulting video was steady as a rock.

AH-64 D

Solman

fantastic, glad to hear.

sergeantstumpy

DONTTAZERMEBRO!!!!!!! DONTTAZERMEBRO!!!!

Yep looks like there is some harmonic vibration issues there. Maybe secure it a little better or use 2 layers of doublesided tape between the velcro and the frame to help isolate the camera from the harmonic vibrations.
Good luck
Stumpy

AH-64_d

Choice of camera is also important. Attached are 3 frame grabs of video shot (a) 5/28 using a FlyCamOne2 held in place with velcro buttons, (b) 6/2 FlyCamOne2 held in place with velcro buttons and painters' tape, and (c) 6/4 gumstick camera mounted with velcro buttons and painters' tape. Once the shaking was under control, the gumstick camera clearly out performed the FlyCamOne2.

Sergeantstumpy does have a point about harmonic vibrations. I bought some Sorbothane from Edmund Scientific to dampen harmonic vibrations, but figured its use would be a waste of time until Solman described how to properly secure a camera to the airframe. My next step will be to place Sorbothane between the camera and the airframe - like lettuce on a burger. BTW, Sorbothane looks exactly like the blue stuff found in a Dr. Scholl's shoe insert. Someone might want to cut up a Dr. Scholl's to see if a piece will dampen harmonic vibrations. An added benefit might be the ability to recover a lost aircraft by smell....

Solman

As I have said before,I am not sure how to better describe it than to fasten it the same way you fasten your battery to a Blade 400. One piece on the camera, the other on the bottom of the frame, and the third wrapping around through the frame and around the battery.

AH-64_d

Solman,

You did clearly describe how to attach a camera...I was trying to credit/thank you for that in my last response. Did not realize that it reads as if I was still waiting for clarification. Please understand that what you wrote was very clear and I am very pleased with video results I obtained when I used tape rather than a velcro strap to securely bind a camera to the helicopter.

Best regards, AH-64 D

Solman

Oops, sorry, I misread it. I sometimes do that when I don't have my reading glasses on. I appreciate you bringing that to my attention.