I really like the onboard view of using a video camera while driving my tank. Unfortunately it means I am limited to using this feature only in my back yard close to my TV.

I noticed a Spy RC car for sale that has a B&W video camera and a set of glasses with a flip down LCD screen that you view. It was less the $100 to buy, but the camera was quite a bit larger then the one I am using now. Still it had that flip down LCD viewing screen!!!!! I was wondering if anyone has any knowledge of portable hand held LCD video screen devices that could be used with the wireless cameras to make this video experience a more portable thing.

http://www.pinecomputer.com/wirelesscamera.html

Excellent. A little pricey, but when you factor in the fun, I think I have to make this happen. Image a battle meet with only the view from on board the tank. You really wouldn't have a clue what is coming around the corner!!!!!

I've thought about that it would be intense, and it would be neat to have the option maybe 5 time per battle or something to be able to look at an overall view of the battle field! If you have to use it stategically like a time out and only for a limited time it would be very challenging cool![sm=shades_smile.gif]

Radio Shack has a neat portable "Pocket vision" color TV , 3x4 inch screeen that sells for around $69 or so...runs on a 9v battery, as the mini cams and it's no problem at all in packing it with the tanks and taking it along. Just need a couple 9v Battery snap-on connectors ...hey, if I can do it, ANY one can!

Pattoncommander does that TV take a wireless signal probably not! so you still have to buy the reciever i bought the little baby monitor, The monitor is one that recieves the wireless 2.4 gig signal video and sound!!! I can attach it to my radio and woud drive around in my front yard with out leaving the house! It can recieve 3 channels so I can switch viewing perspectives and swithc over to my home security cam that mounted on the roof it is on a differant channel, so i can get a top view as well! I got really into the camera thing before I wanted to start IR battling them!! It would freak people out at work when i was in my office and I would control the tank across the parking lot to the smokers (No smoking in the buiding or near in California) section and take shot at them!

The Blitz

I've seen those cameras for sale at the AUCTION, you can hook your camera stuff up to them. I hook mine up either to my Pontiac's DVD Player in back or to a Camcorder. If you have one of those portable DVD Players, get one that takes the inputs and you're good to go too.

Wildplanet was actually selling the headsets alone, without the rest of the car:
http://www.shopwildplanet.com/prod/WPT70133-HEAD.html
And it can be hooked up directly to a regular video signal:
http://jakeofalltrades.wordpress.com...unted-display/

Dunno if they're getting anymore in, they are saying "FINAL INVENTORY AT THIS PRICE - SHIPS EARLY DECEMBER".

I actually have two that I haven't gotten around to trying yet, figured it was a cheap way to get into first person flying with a heli...even if it's B&W.
Got mine for pretty cheap too, tho the full car with 2.4ghz video transmitter might not be a bad deal, as it's apparently really a color transmitter, so hooking up a color micro cam is possible. Ah well, hope to try it soon.

D.

Darkith,

That is very cool to have the scree right on the eyeball! And who knows maybe the wierd car has some parts we can us on a tank or half track build!

The blitz

Hey Blitz, I use the mini cam and portable monitor on my 1;6 Stuart and it works great. The people at demos really get a kick out of it. I have a second camera I plan to put in the turret, the first being mounted in the driver's hatch. This will give me a turret and driver crew and make it fairly realistic. Hope the signals won't be too close or mixed.

Hello pattoncommander, if it entertains the people it must be neat! I looked for it on the Radio Shack site but could not pull it up, do you have a part number? If it is using 1.2 or 2.4 signal then the camera comes with an individual channels on them. I have one camera that I can change the channel on, but normaly for the mini cams they are one channel. If you bought the first one from the same guy/gal that you are going to buy the second one then hopefully they can make sure that your second camera is a different channel.

The Blitz

Radio Shack 16-3035. You have to buy a connector for 9v battery or you can use the wall plug.

Not too bad pattoncomander i like the big screen, here is what I was using, the camera is big but i had great vision![8D][sm=spinnyeyes.gif][sm=stupid.gif]

The bigger camera is nice but I had a problem finding a place for my smaller one in the 1;16 scale tanks. I wanted it in the gunners position, but just too much in the turet to mount it right without interfering with some moving oarts, and I don't want it sticking out the loader or TC hatch.

No your right, I just mounted on the out side right next to the barrel on the turret of the Panzer III, it already had a hole there where I used one screw from the bracket! This was just good for exploring, after I finsih some of my other 5 other projects I will get back into finding a tiny camera and working on a concealed spot on a different tank( KT?)! The nice thing about mounting the camera on the turret was I could move my line of sight up and down and side to side, although side to side, can get confusing if you loose drive orientation if you are just driving looking throught the little monitor! [

The Blitz

that's the problem I had with the turret mount. OK 'til you traverse and loose your driving orientation. In the driver's position, it's almost like driving the real thing. I want to put a second one in the turret and try a 2 man crew. The 1;6 Stuart is great as the battery and cable for the mini cam fits right in the bow gunner's hatch with easy access for changing battery and adjustments, although I have been using the same battery for a year, just running every 3-4 months for a couple hours. Know anything about frequencies and problems with being that close?

Know anything about frequencies and problems with being that close?

That is a good question, I don't think so, but I can test this out fast enought tonight! I will get back to you later with some results!

The Blitz

Noticed that ToyRUs has the Spy Car on sale for $70. Not a bad price for a camera, transmitter, receiver, and B&W headset. I bet the camera is smaller than the box it's mounted in on the car.

D.

Heng Long should scoop the idea and build a set up like this designed for tankers. Lose the car, and package the video equipment up in olive drab and sell it for $60.00. I bet they would sell a pile of them.

I think my wife may have bought me one of these cars for Christmas. If she has I will report on the conversion from spy car to battlevision.

pattoncommander, the lab test results, crystal clear No interference and the antenas are about three inches apart! But that is just sitting on the bench not bouncing around in the tank, but that varies anyway by what you drive by!

Dang darkith, I am spending enough money that is a good deal for someone who wants get a video setup for cheap!
Reminds me I need to put my order in for more of your DBC before you take off on a sking trip or something![sm=shades_smile.gif]

The Blitz

Modified my headset so I could use it with my wireless camera (really just soldering a plug adapter and moving a jumper on the PCB to set it for NTSC).
Taped the camera on my PzIII and was able to drive around downstairs from my upstairs office without much difficulty. Cheap wireless camera likes lots of light, so it can be tricky in the dark, but the LEDs on the tank help.
Nice cheap fun anyway.

D.

Hey Darkith,

The headset that you modified is that the one that you posted in this string earlier? And what was the head set running off before 1.2 gig?

The Blitz

Any chance of a little tutorial on this with a couple of pictures???? I think I got one sitting under the tree.

Blitz,
I bought just the headset, no wireless RX/TX. It has a 3.5mm plug that carries power and standard PAL format video from the Spy-car remote control hand unit. I threw together an adapter than has a 3.5mm socket on one end, and a RCA video plug and power plug on the other.
The wireless setup I used is one of those cheapo 1.2ghz ebay cameras, but you could use anything that outputs a standard video signal.

YHR,
The conversion is detailed here as I posted earlier:
http://jakeofalltrades.wordpress.com...unted-display/
By default the headset is PAL, so you have to (re)move a resister to make it NTSC. If you're planning on using *just* the spy-car video setup, you won't have to do anything. If you're going to use both the spy-car and another video source which is NTSC, you may want to connect a very small switch to the pads so you can convert it from PAL to NTSC and back.

D.