The new Boostervision Gearcam DV.

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Luv2launch

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That's pretty good video, both the frame rate and the resolution. Maybe I'll have to pick up one of those.... ;)
 
What is a T rail? It says it can be mounted by t-rail. I just do not think marking tape will pass a lot of RSO inspections.
 
What is a T rail? It says it can be mounted by t-rail. I just do not think marking tape will pass a lot of RSO inspections.

I don't know about masking tape, but electrical tape works well - although it does make a mess of the rocket and the camera. :)

This camera is no larger or heavier than a C motor. So, it wouldn't present much of a hazard if it fell off. But, I really think tape, even masking tape, would hold it fine.

I assume the T-Rail is just two pieces of wood or other material formed into a T-shape (like half a steel beam) that the camera slides onto.

-- Roger
 
I used an old aerotech igniter tube flattened out and slid into the slot for the rail wrapped masking tape around the ends to level it out on the side of the rocket then used masking tade and electrical tape to secure it to the rocket it wasn't moving.
 
the footage looks really good, i was about to buy one of these, but i picked up a cheap spy camera for under $30 off ebay, will wait to see what the video quality is like from that, can't image that it is as good as the footage from the Gearcam, so i might buy one of these afterall.
 
I was reading about these keychain dv cameras in another thread I think they might be similar cameras.
https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?t=6119

If you follow the link in the thread it talks about different versions of it that are a bit lower quality.
https://forums.parallax.com/forums/default.aspx?f=15&m=378648

The gearcam is only 2 gigs this other one is 4 gigs and the cheaper ones are 6 gigs.

that's the one i got, also purchased another 4Gig one for £7
 
What is a T rail? It says it can be mounted by t-rail. I just do not think marking tape will pass a lot of RSO inspections.

Hi,
This product has not yet been Press Released yet as all photos and the new website are not finished yet. I'll send out a press release when the new website is all finished with photos and videos.

Masking tape works well, show the RSO the proof in our videos we will have up soon.

Heres video of a star burst on two D12-5s
https://Boostervision.com/wmv/starburst-dvr-640.wmv

We use Black Electrical tape on H and I rockets and have used Duck tape on K rockets.

A I beam or T rail can be made from a 1/4 x 1/8 basswood strip.

First cut a length about 6 inches long. CA a 4" section on it to form a upside down T. Then CA a 4" section to that to form an I beam or an H depending on the way you look at it. Small screws used as rail stops can then hold the camera on.

Our JMRC club now has about 18 owners of these so far. All have used black tape as its quick and easy.

StarBurst-Street.jpg

Art
 
Our 2 gig holds more then the 80-90 mins of video the battery last for so that is all you really need with our DVR.

Art
 
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I bought one of the Boostervision Gearcam DVs. I haven't flown it yet. My first reactions, though, are a little mixed. It's amazingly small and lightweight and seems to be built well. It's shape is great for rocketry use. I had the correct codec already loaded, so it was pretty much "plug-and-play."

The quality of the video is not great, but it's much better than I would have expected from such a small, light-weight camera. For a camera that's small enough to tape to the side of a model rocket, it's impressive.

But, the controls are very confusing. To start a recording, you press a button and wait for a blue LED to flash. I was expecting to see a rhythmic flashing. Instead the LED flickers. To stop the recording, you press the same button and the blue LED stops flickering - I think. In practice, it's hard to tell when it is recording or not.

I'm looking forward to giving it a try this weekend.

-- Roger
 
We use Black Electrical tape on H and I rockets and have used Duck tape on K rockets.

I've used electrical tape to attach much larger and heavier cameras to the "leg" of our Big Daddy Akavish:

2009_03_21_13_54-003.jpg

I've done this on several flights on J and K motors with no problem.


The camera's I've used weigh much more than the Boostervision camera and I'm certain there's no way they will come loose during flight. The tape "grabs" harder if you try to pull the camera away.

In any case, the Boostervision camera weighs no more than an Estes motor casing. So, it wouldn't present any threat if it fell free.

The only real problem is that electric tape leaves a gummy mess on the camera and rocket. I've started wrapping the camera in plastic wrap first to keep the residue off the camera at least.


-- Roger
 
But, the controls are very confusing. To start a recording, you press a button and wait for a blue LED to flash. I was expecting to see a rhythmic flashing. Instead the LED flickers. To stop the recording, you press the same button and the blue LED stops flickering - I think. In practice, it's hard to tell when it is recording or not.

I'm looking forward to giving it a try this weekend.

-- Roger

Hi Roger, you do have to get a little used to starting and stoping it.

You press the OK buton to start and wait for 5 seconds and/or press it up to 3-5 times until the Blue LED starts flashing. This will continue to flash while recording.

Before you shut off the camera you must get it to write the end of file marker to the flash memory. Press the OK button just as the blue LED lights up.

The flashing will then start to get quicker and quicker and then shut off as it writes the end of file marker. The longer the recording, the longer the quicker Blue LED flashing time as it is writing the file marker.

Practice a few times before flying to shut off the recording.

Email me at ArtUpton AT Yahoo DOT com if you have some more questions Roger.
 
The only real problem is that electric tape leaves a gummy mess on the camera and rocket. I've started wrapping the camera in plastic wrap first to keep the residue off the camera at least.
-- Roger

Humm, might be the brand or type of black electrical tape?

The rolls I've used for years (bought a case of generic tape years ago) leave very little if any residue. I've always been able to clean it off with a hand wipe.

Now Duct tape, that leaves a gummy mess for me.
 
The only real problem is that electric tape leaves a gummy mess on the camera and rocket. I've started wrapping the camera in plastic wrap first to keep the residue off the camera at least.

Gaffer's tape is the answer to your problem.

It's not cheap ($15 or so a roll), but imagine duct tape specifically designed so that it doesn't leave a gummy mess.

Art - you've seen it; it's the 2" wide tape we use on our big projects.

The stuff is fantastic, and is the answer to all of this.

-Kevin
 
You can also get gumless electrical tape for wiring harnesses if you look for it... it's basically the standard 1/2 wide electrical tape without any adhesive on it whatsoever. It's used to wrap wiring harnesses for automobiles and trailers. I got a pack of like six rolls for $1 or two at a Homier or Cummins tool sale that came through town on an 18 wheeler. It's supposed to 'stick' to itself as you wrap the harness if you stretch it slightly; as it rebounds it bites into itself.

This would work well as an adjunct to regular electrical tape-- make a wrap or two with the gumless stuff to keep the adhesive off the rocket/camera, and then make a few wraps with regular electrical tape to make sure the gumless stuff doesn't turn loose. That's how I usually end up using it, because it really doesn't want to seem to stick to itself anyway...

Later and good luck! OL JR :)
 
Hi Roger, you do have to get a little used to starting and stoping it.

You press the OK buton to start and wait for 5 seconds and/or press it up to 3-5 times until the Blue LED starts flashing. This will continue to flash while recording.

Before you shut off the camera you must get it to write the end of file marker to the flash memory. Press the OK button just as the blue LED lights up.

The flashing will then start to get quicker and quicker and then shut off as it writes the end of file marker. The longer the recording, the longer the quicker Blue LED flashing time as it is writing the file marker.

Practice a few times before flying to shut off the recording.

Email me at ArtUpton AT Yahoo DOT com if you have some more questions Roger.

Thanks, Art. I look forward to giving the camera a try tomorrow.

I'm now the owner of, I think, eight digital cameras that I've bought specifically for the purpose of flying in rockets. :)

-- Roger
 
Gaffer's tape is the answer to your problem.

Yep... gaffer's tape is the tape of the Godz! Love the stuff. It also sticks runs of wiring to carpet, better than anything else.
 
This camera is no larger or heavier than a C motor.

So treat it like a motor and install it in a motor mount tube. I am envisioning something like the SR-71 Blackbird engine pods. Just slip the camera in the engine pod. You'd need a way to securely attach the camera but that should be difficult to come up with.

Might be cool to put in the nose of a boost glider as well to get some in your face descent video. Although trimming might be hard.
 
Humm, might be the brand or type of black electrical tape?

The rolls I've used for years (bought a case of generic tape years ago) leave very little if any residue. I've always been able to clean it off with a hand wipe.

Now Duct tape, that leaves a gummy mess for me.

Hey Art !!!

Have you seen this ?

https://www.oldrocketforum.com/showthread.php?t=5967&page=1&pp=10

I have not seen the product up close that you are selling described here in this thread. It appears to me that it is very similiar to the one in the thread linked above over on YORF. I have seen the videos from that one and they are pretty nice. He used the same type of attachment on his, just a piece of electrical tape.
 
Hey Art !!!

Have you seen this ?

https://www.oldrocketforum.com/showthread.php?t=5967&page=1&pp=10

I have not seen the product up close that you are selling described here in this thread. It appears to me that it is very similiar to the one in the thread linked above over on YORF. I have seen the videos from that one and they are pretty nice. He used the same type of attachment on his, just a piece of electrical tape.


Hi, no these are not the same. Those "chewing gum" cams normally sell for about $49 with shipping from china included. Note that china can ship to us air postal mail for about $2 while it costs us $12-$17 to ship back if its broken.

They look out the side and have an issue with the buttons to trigger it not in the right place. I see someone solved that problem with an amazing rig he riged up.

Our Bomb shaped unit makes mounting much more easy.

GC-DRV-lg.jpg
 
Very Kewl Rich,

If you have the classic media player installed, one of the options is to take a frame grab piciture of the flight. Also you can use the step forward command to move frame by frame.

I saw a quick couple of frames that showed your rockets smoke trail all the way up that would look Kewl on a website for you.

Art
 
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Hi, no these are not the same. Those "chewing gum" cams normally sell for about $49 with shipping from china included. Note that china can ship to us air postal mail for about $2 while it costs us $12-$17 to ship back if its broken.

They look out the side and have an issue with the buttons to trigger it not in the right place. I see someone solved that problem with an amazing rig he riged up.

Our Bomb shaped unit makes mounting much more easy.

GC-DRV-lg.jpg

Hi Art,
Cool looking camera. Actually, the "chewing gum" camera I used cost $19 (they are now down to $14.99 since I bought mine :rolleyes:) shipped from China... The ones with internal memory are $23.
 
Very Kewl Rich,

If you have the classic media player installed, one of the options is to take a frame grab piciture of the flight. Also you can use the step forward command to move frame by frame.

I saw a quick couple of frames that showed your rockets smoke trail all the way up that would look Kewl on a website for you.

Art

Art,
Here's a picture from a frame that shows the moment of booster seperation. I'm the little black speck on the ground near the fin on the right side of the frame.
Rich

seperation.jpg
 
Hi Art,
Cool looking camera. Actually, the "chewing gum" camera I used cost $19 (they are now down to $14.99 since I bought mine :rolleyes:) shipped from China... The ones with internal memory are $23.

You "might" be getting the referbs from the returns to the china plant they sell at the local bazars.

I know the 1000 and 5000 unit price on them from the true factory. Of course there are two other clone factories selling mock ups as well.

I've had to ship back at least 3 of them out of several units I have sampled from various [ebay] sellers. One [ebay] seller never did return my unit.
 
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You "might" be getting the referbs from the returns to the china plant they sell at the local bazars.

I know the 1000 and 5000 unit price on them from the true factory. Of course there are two other clone factories selling mock ups as well.

Yeah, my company has products manufactured in China and we import a variety of stuff. We are talking with the factories that make those cameras and hope to have them by Christmas. They are just too cool.
 
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