Keychain Cam to Android Phone on the field

[Marc_G]

Hi folks,

Maybe this belongs in the electronics/software forum (mods, feel free to move!), but I figured I'd start here.

I've recently bought one of those keychain cams to take onboard rocket videos. It's coming from china and will be here in a month or so...

Also, in a completely unrelated development, I am the proud recent owner of a Droid X phone.

I'm wondering, when I'm out there on the field, having hopefully successfully recovered the camera after a flight, can I just plug a cable into the camer and my phone and view the video on the phone somehow? I'd rather not bring a laptop onto the field, and being an impatient sort, would like to see if there's a way to use the phone as a portable viewer.

I figure some of the folks who lurk here may do something like this already and I'm open to pointers.

Thanks!

Marc

 

[Peter Olivola]

There's probably an app for that. Search the various Android app sites.

 

[eggplant]

Actually, you could just take the micro-sd card out of the camera, and put it directly into your phone. Then you could use some sort of video viewer on your phone to watch it.

 

[Marc_G]

Actually, you could just take the micro-sd card out of the camera, and put it directly into your phone. Then you could use some sort of video viewer on your phone to watch it.

This makes a lot of sense. But I'd rather not open up the cam and phone out there... if I can work a cable arrangement there's less likelihood of catostrophic user errors, lost tiny SD cards...

I'll probably ask around on the Android forums to see if someone has done this. Probably there, the "field rocketry" angle will be pretty unusual!

 

[JDcluster]

If you want to do a cable transfer you will need a micro to mini USB cable. They aren't widely available.

https://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=103&cp_id=10314&cs_id=1031401&p_id=4813&seq=1&format=2



JD

 

[Marc_G]

Thanks!

I saw an interesting note on that page:

"When connecting two devices together it is important to have a host on one end and a downstream device on the other. The host device initiates communication, so if two downstream devices are connected directly to each other without a host, they will just sit there waiting for the other to initiate some action which will never happen. If two host devices are connected together, they will generally conflict since appropriate drivers to control another host are not available. The only downstream device that will connect directly to another downstream device is a hub or a device acting as a hub through which the secondary device can access the host through the first"

I might have trouble as the phone and camera are both "downstream devices."

I'll poke around the android forums and see what people there have to say.

Marc

 

[jderimig]

The DroidX USB is not a host so it cannot grab data from your camera.

 

[Marc_G]

RATS! You mean I actually have to wait until I get back to the car where my laptop is to see full onboard video ?

 

[eggplant]

Not unless you use my idea!

 

[Marc_G]

Not unless you use my idea!

:wink:
I think the likelihood of a catastrophic failure of my phone, or loss of the tiny micro sd card, is too high for me to do it particularly when my 3 & 6 year olds are around! If I get desperate I'll give it a shot.

I remember 35 years ago when the prospect of getting a single exposure per flight on film to be developed, was the most amazing thing ever...

 

[eggplant]

You could do it on a flat surface like the trunk of your car, to minimize the risk.