Booster Vision

[BigL]

After a long search, I found a company that makes tiny cameras that fit model rockets. Does anyone have experience with these?
https://www.boostervision.com/boostervision/default.htm
I have seen the same product on ebay but for much less? Which is the route to go?

 

[jflis]

Interesting site. I gotta beleive that this can be had at lower cost though.

Oh, by the way, I love your signature! (thanx!)

 

[Prowler901]

Lower cost, Jim? Wow, I thought that $100 was a pretty good deal for the camera, transmitter, and receiver. I'm considering getting one. But, if you think it can be done cheaper, well then I'm all ears

Regards,
Todd

 

[BigL]

Originally posted by Prowler901
Lower cost, Jim? Wow, I thought that $100 was a pretty good deal for the camera, transmitter, and receiver. I'm considering getting one. But, if you think it can be done cheaper, well then I'm all ears

Regards,
Todd

Hmm, look familiar?
https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3047112047&category=14957
Problem is that the product is located in China and shipping is $28.

 

[BigL]

Probably Higher quality and in the US.
https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3046628299&category=21165#ebayphotohosting

 

[sandman]

BigL,

That's the one!!

So sorry I couldn't find it for you last night but i'm glad you did.

Jim, don't you remember this guy at NARAM? He had the booth next to yours.

They were only $80 a set at NARAM...seemed pretty cheap to me.

sandman

 

[BigL]

Originally posted by sandman
BigL,

That's the one!!

So sorry I couldn't find it for you last night but i'm glad you did.

Jim, don't you remember this guy at NARAM? He had the booth next to yours.

They were only $80 a set at NARAM...seemed pretty cheap to me.

sandman

Hey Sandman, do you think the camera could be velcroed to the side of the rocket? Would it blow off? How was it attached at NARAM?

 

[SwingWing]

It looks like a camera based on the X-10 home security wireless cameras. Do an ebay search on "X-10 Xcam2"
These cameras are not "rocket ready" but they can be modified to fly. There is some good info on x-10's here: https://www.VideoRocketry.com


Jim

 

[jflis]

Yea, those are them (sand: yep I remember them! great folks too!)

The $100 price looks like a holdover price. The technology was new many months (year?) ago and, like all technology, time raveges the price/value.

$80 isn't bad, $60 would be more reasonable (**I** don't know where you could get them at such prices, i'm just speculating on cost vrs value).

heck, the $1000 camera I bought just a couple short years ago wouldn't be worth $150 brand new on the open market LOL

jim

 

[Prowler901]

Hmmmm... $70 isn't too bad....

Hey, Jim. Perhaps I'll pick one up and it will take a ride in the Duece you just sent to me Hmmmm.... uh oh... the wheels are turnin'

Oh boy... this hobby is gonna make me a poor but very happy man...

Regards,
Todd

 

[pinter75]

From what I have seen of air to ground video transmission can be tricky!

For a start you need some kid of portable VCR or camcorder with video input. These will not be cheap so the cost will start spiralling up quickly. Also the video transmission can get disturbed easily and the resulting video is full of breakups at ejection etc.

Now I would love to do transmission based video but getting tiny 1.3 MegaPixel cameras with CMOS capturing of video at 640x480 (higher than anamorphic PAL TV - NTSC too not sure?) for £26! ($41) is a better investment. Also loosing a cool bit of kit like that would be hard to stomach - I lost my PenCam flyer 2 weeks ago - But a new camera was bought that evening!

Here are/were my flying pencam constructions

Side looking

Rear looking

- Stay tuned for the new high resolution version, coming soon.



Steve.

 

[shockwaveriderz]

you could also use a laptop that has a Hauppage usb video capture:
https://www.hauppauge.com/html/usb_data.htm

you can then capture the video live at the field for later playback....

shockie B)

 

[BigL]

Nice, but how much? That issue of live playback is not a real issue for me because I have a DC-AC converter for a vcr and a portable LCD screen for the PS2 so that will work out on the field.

 

[pinter75]

OK, I knew it - these things can be had for next to nothing. Do a search on ebay for "wireless camera"

Wireless camera - CHEAP!

BTW on booster vision I could not find video specs - I suppose it is VGA 320x240 ish - not all that great.

Steve.

 

[Ryan S.]

Vidoes on rockets are so awsome...I definantly need to get into it once I get some bigger rockets to put them on

 

[BigL]

They all advertise at a really low cost, but then they charge $30 shipping since it is from China. Most of those wireless cams on ebay are shipping from China. Take a look at the links to auctions that I posted above.

 

[cls]

you could also use a laptop that has a Hauppage usb video capture:

mr shockwaveriderz - what kind of frame rate do you get with Hauppage?

I bought a boostervision. I "think" it is xmitting 60 frames per second, but the Adaptec VideOH is putting ~30 in to the laptop. probably a software configuration thing ...

I put the boostervision on a Q EZ Payloader, just like on the web page. it works a lot better now that I got the antenna thing sorted out. it's a small xmitter so very sensitive to getting the antennas aligned.

works best with very fresh 9v batteries.

the camera weighs 22 grams. the battery weighs 50 grams. I know where to look for some weight savings!

 

[Prowler901]

CLS,

I've just received a similar system to the Boostervision. What sort of antenna issues did you have? And, how did you resolve them? The antennas seem a bit short, and I was wondering if making them longer would help at all.

Regards,
Todd

 

[sandman]

This seems to be progressing in the right direction!

When you guys get is all sorted out let me know.

I like this so far.

I really want to do this too but...well, it's sorta like buying a computer 4 or 5 years ago...obsolete before ya got it home.

Tell me more, tell me more...I'm listening.

sandman

 

[cls]

the antenna issue is really the "polarization" of the signal.

I taped the camera's antenna vertically, to the nose cone.

leave the camera's antenna sticking out horizontally. leave the receiver's antenna sticking out horizontally too. the antennas gotta match - and the signal isn't strong enough to get through trees, human bodies, etc. so be sure the receiver always has line-of-sight to the camera/rocket.

Art suggested putting the receiver up on a pole to get it over the crowd.

I haven't done the math but you could probably improve things a bit with a 900MHz Yagi or dipole antenna instead of the shorty that comes with the set.

but the line-of-sight and 300' apogee of the Q EZ Payloader does the trick for us.

before I improve the antenna I gotta get a better frame rate. the camera does 60 frames (interlaced) per second, the video grabber does 30. sometimes the motion is jerky because the rocket moves a LOT between frames.


it's great fun to play with!!

Sandman, I don't think the cameras & radios are going to be obsolete or change much very soon. the batteries are the things holding us back right now. look, the boostervision camera is 22 grams. the 9v battery is 50 grams!!


by the way I put a Q EZ Payloader rocksim file up on EMRR, if anyone wants to sim the payloads & battery changes.

 

[Prowler901]

Thanks for the info I'm planning on installing my camera inside, and keeping the antenna vertical. I've tested it in this configuration at home. The signal is degraded slightly. And, I imagine it cuts the range down as well, but I've not checked yet. Perhaps if I try to lengthen the camera antenna and run it on the outside of the BT.

I can see how the frame rate will be an issue as well. I'm using a Dazzle80 USB capture device. It uses a software called Moviestar5. I'll have to try messing with the frame rates there.

Thanks again.

Regards,
Todd