My staging is hidden under these hills along the left wall. Trains go behind and then under brown hill at the far end, then into the gray rock banks, to exit at this of the room.
Each of the 3 staging tracks hidden therin holds 2 trains, parked end to end. I need a camera and monitor to see the center of the area, where the trains pull up close to each other, so as not to couple. It's tight in there, and all I need is to see are the cabeese of the leading train on the track, and the Locos on the point of the following ones.
I'm not real tech savvy. One guy suggested a bluetooth camera to use with my phone. I could do that, but would rather use a small dedicated screen if such is available, & reasonably affordable.
Does anyone have a similar setup or ideas you recommend? Dan
I bought one of these for my lower level staging. I have cameras at each end of the yards...
https://www.harborfreight.com/4-channel-wireless-surveillance-system-with-2-cameras-63842.html
Neal
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=Homeland+Security+Camera+and+Monitor&_sacat=0&rt=nc&LH_ItemCondition=3Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California Turned 84 in July, aging is definitely not for wimps.
Gotta think outside the box to get the better prices. ....
https://www.ebay.com/itm/175088163450?epid=3031911616&hash=item28c4115a7a:g:5l8AAOSwg7BhzeQc
Mark.
¡ uʍop ǝpısdn sı ǝɹnʇɐuƃıs ʎɯ 'dlǝɥ
Mark R.Gotta think outside the box to get the better prices. ....
Yes, but then you need to purchase a vehicle and a spot in your basement to park it to get the cigarette lighter power supply.
maxman Mark R. Gotta think outside the box to get the better prices. .... Yes, but then you need to purchase a vehicle and a spot in your basement to park it to get the cigarette lighter power supply.
Mark R. Gotta think outside the box to get the better prices. ....
....
It runs off 12 volts. I purchased a number of these for my hidden staging and they work just fine off an old 12 volt transformer.
That's what I'm looking for. Didn't think about automotive baby-cam. Um, I have plenty of 12 v transformers but don't tell my wife. Might be an excuse to get that vehicle! Thanks for the replies. Dan
If you do get the vehicle be sure to drive it in backwards. That way if the wife catches you you can tell her you were just returning it.
nealknows I bought one of these for my lower level staging. I have cameras at each end of the yards... https://www.harborfreight.com/4-channel-wireless-surveillance-system-with-2-cameras-63842.html Neal
Simpler, cheaper is this HF item:
https://www.harborfreight.com/color-security-system-with-night-vision-63129.html
I have several, along with the old Radio Shack equivalent.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
My wife sets up a cheapo camera and uses a junker tablet for a screen if she needs to monitor a sick animal or litter of puppies from another room in the house.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
You might put in some kind of overhead track or slide, and a 'clothesline' style loop to pull, so you could run the camera up and down over the length of the yard. One of the cameras with built'in illumination or ring light would inherently move the light source right along and aim it if you arrange pan or tilt...
mlehmanSimpler, cheaper is this HF item: https://www.harborfreight.com/color-security-system-with-night-vision-63129.html
How long are the extension cables for this item, and are longer ones available?
maxmanHow long are the extension cables for this item, and are longer ones available?
I found the lit for the older CRT version and they were 58' long. I suspect the answer about the new flat screen version is "adequate" as I don't recall coming up short. It's some sort of DIN plug on the flat screen version I have, but the recent pics suggest this connector may have changed.
You could get a chap digital camera and prop it up in a flat car or open gon.
mlehman maxman How long are the extension cables for this item, and are longer ones available? I found the lit for the older CRT version and they were 58' long. I suspect the answer about the new flat screen version is "adequate" as I don't recall coming up short. It's some sort of DIN plug on the flat screen version I have, but the recent pics suggest this connector may have changed.
maxman How long are the extension cables for this item, and are longer ones available?
Is that 58 feet or 58 inches?
If a vehicle "mirror" monitor is used, will the baby appear on the monitor as if HE was in a mirror, thus if he raises his left hand you'll see it on the left of the screen? Or will it appear it as if you physically turned around, looking at his left hand on YOUR right side of the screen? If it's like a mirror, then the trains in staging, coming towards the camera on tracks 1,2,3 will appear 3,2,1?
Do these cameras offer a choice of how the monitor is biased?
Edited in: I just looked at home wireless baby monitors with a small screen. The adjustable focus feature looks pretty handy, and no DC conversion needed. Hmmm...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_oPGq5OsJY
Good Luck, Ed
maxmanIs that 58 feet or 58 inches?
58' = 58 feet
58" = 58 inches
mlehman maxman Is that 58 feet or 58 inches? 58' = 58 feet 58" = 58 inches
maxman
I also experimented with some cheap automotive backup cameras, and indeed was the case, the onscreen image was reversed. I was able to correct that by using front facing cameras instead of rear facing. Most of the rear facing also had an unpleasant red/yellow/green alignment grid on the screen that could not be turned off.
How about a $20- $40 web cam. Use your laptop or an old one you might have laying around.
Thanks for the additional replies. Space is very limited in my staging. I'll look into the forward automobile cam idea.
maxman 58' = 58 feet 58" = 58 inches Ummm, yes, I understand that. But you typed 58' and what I was really asking was did you type a ' instead of a ". This is a common typing error and I wanted to be sure. Thanks
Ummm, yes, I understand that. But you typed 58' and what I was really asking was did you type a ' instead of a ". This is a common typing error and I wanted to be sure. Thanks
OK. Also consider that a remote camera with a cable lenth of a little under 5' would be pretty darn useless.
I don't know if I even still have it, but at one point I planned to use an old camcorder with a bad tape transport to monitor hidden trackage. It was kind of overkill, but the optics all still worked. Power came from a charger unit and a cable, and I could monitor the image with a simple cable. I even had an old monitor.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
mlehmanOK. Also consider that a remote camera with a cable lenth of a little under 5' would be pretty darn useless.
Yes, I did consider that, but stranger things have happened. I've found that one needs to read all the details thoroughly to avoid disappointment later.