Dedicated Camera Rocket

[pick1e]

Maybe this has been done before but I decided to build a rocket specifically for taking video with a keychain spy camera. I have taped my camera to a couple rockets but I'm always worried about the weight and drag on my low power rockets.

I figured if I put the camera inside the body tube it would reduce the drag and balance the weight.

I took apart the camera and was happy to find that the lens was on a short ribbon, so the board could be inside the body tube and only the lens needs to protrude. I figured I'd make a shroud around the protruding lens.

Pic 1 shows the two main parts removed from the plastic case. The plastic case alone is 1/3 the weight of the whole thing. The board and the battery are nearly equal weight so it will be nice to mount the board to the inside of the body tube and mount the battery to the opposite side of the body tube to balance the weight.

Pic 2 is the cut-away mock-up I'm monkeying with to figure out the placement. Once I get it settled I will mount the camera to the inside of the actual body tube on a balsa "sled" and use a template from my mock-up to place the necessary holes in the body tube. I need a pin hole for each button, the LED, and the reset button, as well as a larger hole for the USB connector. I'll make some sort of plug for that larger hole.

I'm thinking of mounting the camera lens on a small strip of copper bent into a triangle with a micro-screw to use as a set screw to adjust the angle.

Pic 3 is what I'm thinking it should look like.

I plan the host rocket to be a Big Bertha since I don't have one yet and it is a BT-60. The camera seems to fit nicely into a BT-60 with room to spare. I figured I'd upgrade it to a 24mm motor mount.

[eggplant]

Wow! I guess I have to buy ANOTHER key chain camera to fool around with!

[hornet driver]

Now you have me thinking!!

[[POW]Eagle159]

Is there any particular place you got the cam from... eBay? Cause I'm thinking to get one soon.

[FastCargo]

Pick1e,

Hey, thanks for the info on the camera interiors...I've been wanting to do something similar but wasn't ready to play with really tiny mirrors to try to get the camera view to bend around a corner.

Also, the cameras I have take microSD cards, so that's one more opening...

Anyway, looking forward to your results and techniques!

FC

[thobin]

Hummm I might have to do this too. Get the HD 808 type 11 keychain cam it may cost more, but it does record in 720p HD. Its about $40 bucks instead of the $15 I paid for mine.

808 type 11 keychain cam

[pick1e]

Also, the cameras I have take microSD cards, so that's one more opening...

I thought about that but I don't really see a need to remove my card since it can be accessed by USB. I will probably just make a pin-hole to be able to re-seat it using a paper clip if necessary.

[pick1e]

Is there any particular place you got the cam from... eBay? Cause I'm thinking to get one soon.

It's just a $10 one from Ebay, #8 as I recall. I also got a #3 that's supposed to be a sharper picture but haven't bothered to compare them yet. The #8 picture is acceptable. I will do a comparison sometime and if the #3 looks better I will mount that one in the rocket.

[Rocket86]

Cool idea. I ended up with two cameras and one of them might just end up in a dedicated rocket similar to what you are doing. That's pretty slick, I must say.

[bjphoenix]

Dedicated camera rocket? I have this old one.

People have been building dedicated camera rockets for almost as long as they have been building model rockets. I remember the story in one of the original versions of _Handbook of Model Rocketry_ about the cluster rocket with the 8mm camera in it. Nevertheless I think the O.P. did a very good job with his.

[pick1e]

Dedicated camera rocket? I have this old one.

That's pretty serious! Really cool. I know there have been many in the past but I hadn't run across one before using the keychain cams.

[pick1e]

Pic 1) Backer pieces for the two halves.

Pic 2&3) The USB receptacle is thicker than the other components, so I cut away the balsa to recess the receptacle. This allows the board to sit flat on the balsa.

Pic 4&5) Sanded the edges of the backer pieces until they fit with the part just touching the tube wall.

[pick1e]

Pic 1) Added a piece to cover the USB jack. I added a third piece to extend beyond over the plastic of the USB plug to seal the compartment against the body tube (no photo, sorry).

Pic 2) One of two rings to seal the ends of the compartments and help position the unit. I am trying to double the function as an ejection baffle.

Pic 3) Dry fit. The backers are glued to the bottom ring. I will be gluing this without the top ring first so I can make sure to seal along the edges of each backer piece. When dry I will add the top ring.

[pick1e]

Well, I've got the mounting cylinder done. I used a length of aluminum tubing epoxied into the balsa to bring the wires safely from one side to the other. I dressed the ends of the aluminum tube with a small bead of epoxy so there is no sharp edge for the wires to cut and short with vibration. There was JUST enough of the original wire to very carefully solder the wires back to the main board before setting it in place. I used scraps of balsa glued around the camera parts to keep them in place snugly. I will glue in the top ring after I glue in the main piece so that I can run some fillets where the vertical backing pieces meet the body tube. I don't want ejection gas up in there.

My access holes for the buttons and LED weren't 100% on the first try so I had to enlarge them. Now that I know their exact position I will fill them with a dab of epoxy, sand them back smooth, and re-drill the proper pinhole.

The next thing I need to do is figure out the adjustable mount for the camera eye- I think I have a plan that will work.

[Beergnome]

If I may be so bold? I would suggest using a bit of clear plastic rod to insert through the body tube and CA to the face of the LED. the light will be transmitted to the outside face of the rocket and you can sand it smooth to the finish. you can do the same with the push buttons, but ya gotta be really careful with the CA in case ya miss, and end up binding the push button function.

otherwise? Im completly stealing this Idea!

[pick1e]

If I may be so bold? I would suggest using a bit of clear plastic rod to insert through the body tube and CA to the face of the LED. the light will be transmitted to the outside face of the rocket and you can sand it smooth to the finish. you can do the same with the push buttons, but ya gotta be really careful with the CA in case ya miss, and end up binding the push button function.

otherwise? Im completly stealing this Idea!

We're on the same wavelength! My LHS actually has fiber optic plastic rod from Plastruct which I planned to use for the LED.

I previously dismissed the thought of doing something for the buttons, thinking it would be too complicated... I just wasn't sure how I'd retain them yet allow them to move enough to push the buttons. But now that I think about it again, you're right, why not glue them right to the buttons? What if I epoxy a small piece of styrene to the button before loading the camera assembly, then once it's in place, inserting a length of styrene rod through the body hole with a dab of plastic cement on the end, attaching it to the square that is attached to the button. I'd think that would be pretty straightforward.

I'm also going to use some plastic stock to make an adjustable pivot for the camera eye, just haven't made it over there in the last week. Not sure if it will work out but going to give it a try.

[pick1e]

I dusted off this project recently. I'm going to forgo the fancy stuff on this prototype and just get it in the air. Here are some pics of where it's at.

I'm going to simply hot glue the back of the camera "eye" to the balsa mount. I can always carefully remove it and reposition it if necessary. Right now it weighs 85g or 3oz sans recovery device. I plan to give it a basic paint job. Sorry for the bad pics

Here is the view from the top with everything glued in place.


Here is a closeup of the camera eye and access holes.


Just need a little paint!

[boomtube]

I built a dedicated camera rocket wherein the camera is installed in what would usually be the place where the motor goes. It points straight down between the fins.

The motors are located well forward using a FlisKit 24mm canted motor mount.

When launched there’s no smoke or other obstruction of the picture.

[closet astronaut]

NOW THATS FREEKIN COOL! I'm currently in a bidding war for one of these on ebay, I need new perspective in video footage for my next launch day video. Every video I've seen has been looking down, I want to get some looking up, filming ejection and chute deployment.

I really like you'r idea there, very inovative!

[BABAR]

I have played around (and am still playing with) camera video rockets. The are all air brake recovery, some look sideways on ascent, switch to look down on descent. (spyder2) Look up RocketRadiologist on YouTube and look at the "Spyder" videos. One key difference on mine is that they are designed to try to get good video on the way DOWN.

Latest is spydercam4

[JStarStar]

I just got my keychain cam in the mail and I am trying to figure out how to modify my old Astrocam carrier to carry the cam.

Or, I might order up one of Semroc's Mini-Omega kits and try to fix that up into a Vidcameroc.

[jadebox]

I just got my keychain cam in the mail and I am trying to figure out how to modify my old Astrocam carrier to carry the cam.

Or, I might order up one of Semroc's Mini-Omega kits and try to fix that up into a Vidcameroc.

Semroc is about to release a full-size Omega clone which has a Cineroc-style payload section in which you could place a camera.

I already have an Omega clone and I bought the parts from Semroc to build the "Cineroc" for it. It's one of a long list of things in my To Do list.

-- Roger

[JStarStar]

Semroc is about to release a full-size Omega clone which has a Cineroc-style payload section in which you could place a camera.

I already have an Omega clone and I bought the parts from Semroc to build the "Cineroc" for it. It's one of a long list of things in my To Do list.

-- Roger

Actually, I think the Mini-Omega, with the BT-50-ish main tube and BT-55 payload tube, might be better suited to launch keychain cams.

The original Omega was built big (24mm D-engine BT-50 motor mounts in a BT-60 tube) to accommodate the Cineroc in both size and weight. Even though the Cineroc was a marvel of its day, today's keychain cams are much smaller and lighter so I think a smaller rocket could do the job.

Cut a lengthwise slot to hold the cam, just fit it in the slot, wrap it with a turn of plastic electrical tape, push the button and go.

(Plus of course you could cook up a Mini-Omega minumum-diameter version using 24mm D and E motors that would really get up and scoot.)

[jadebox]

Actually, I think the Mini-Omega, with the BT-50-ish main tube and BT-55 payload tube, might be better suited to launch keychain cams.

Ah, but that just wouldn't have the same nostalgia factor. At least not for for me.

Back in 1970-something, I saved my allowance for weeks (it may have been months) to buy the Omega/Cineroc which I had placed on lay-away at the local Base Exchange. The Omega was the coolest rocket I flew as a kid and the Cineroc was an amazing piece of technology. D motors were so big and powerful (and expensive) that I only flew it on D motors a few times. Later I used C6 motors. I never flew it two-stage - one D motor was scary enough!

I've got to find the video tape with the transfer of my once Cineroc film on it. It's funny. I forgot the blast deflector so I used a piece of aluminum foil. The foil was no match for the big, scary D motor.

-- Roger

[pick1e]

My camera rocket flew its maiden voyage today at NARAM-54. It flew on an Estes E9-6. OpenRocket estimated over 1300ft. I forgot my USB cable so I couldn't charge it before flight but at least it got everything up to just after the parachute deployed.

[closet astronaut]

Hey pickle

This is excellent! Great video, looks like you got some real altittude there.

You posted in you'r forst thread that this may have been done before, I started a thread on the watering hole forum under (has anyone seen this) check it out, at the fifteen second mark they install a devise that looks simular to you'rs.

Thaks for posting the video!

[Green Jello]

This is so awesome. I wish someone would mass produce a kit like this available in various body tube sizes.

[K'Tesh]

This is so awesome. I wish someone would mass produce a kit like this available in various body tube sizes.

+1

Out of nostalga, I'm making a clone of the Cineroc/Omega to visually appear as the 1974 Estes Catalog combination offer. I WILL be using this thread to help me with the camera's mount.

Build report: Backdating Semroc Omega to Estes Cineroc w/Astron Omega Launch Body.

And the parallel thread on YORF

Thanks!
K'Tesh

[pick1e]

Unfortunately, this rocket was lost in a corn field on its second voyage last fall. It has been made into cereal by now. I will rebuild it

[luke strawwalker]

Unfortunately, this rocket was lost in a corn field on its second voyage last fall. It has been made into cereal by now. I will rebuild it

Is that why my Frosted Flakes had a distinctly "balsa" taste to them??

Hehehe...

Sorry you lost your rocket... that always stinks...

"Gentlemen, we can rebuild it... we can make it better than it was before... better... stronger... faster...."

Later! OL JR