Trains.com

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Best MINI train Camera

5575 views
8 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    August 2007
  • From: Kalamazoo, MI
  • 323 posts
Posted by tattooguy67 on Tuesday, September 4, 2007 6:07 PM
Hey all i would like to know my self, i do N-scale so size is even more critical, would not mind mounting it to a flat car, so any thoughts, i see one listed in the Micro-Mark catalog, any body use one of those before?, thanks.
Is it time to run the tiny trains yet george?! is it huh huh is it?!
  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Bedford, MA, USA
  • 21,483 posts
Posted by MisterBeasley on Tuesday, September 4, 2007 12:29 PM

I also got mine from SJT Enterprises,

http://www.wirelessmicrocolorcam.com/estore/index.php

The camera comes with a 9-volt battery.  I didn't want to mess with changing batteries, so I got the DCC-compatable power supply along with it.  I mounted this in a Proto 1K R-17 subway car.  This is one of the unpowered cars.  Here's the car, camera unit and power supply board as they came originally.  (Click on the pictures for a bigger view.)

No, this stuff didn't all fit.  The jack at the end of the black wire coming off the camera takes another plug, and that connects up to the 9-volt connectors on the power supply.  I couldn't fit all that connecting hardware, so I swapped e-mails with Jerry at SJT, and for $15 (really good deal) he rewired it to my specifications, including shipping it back.  Note that there's a small circuit board embedded in the jack, so it's more than just snipping wires and re-soldering some connections.  This is what came back about a week later:

The capacitor has been moved off-board, too.  I installed the board inside the gray box in the center of the car.  (That's where the motor is in the powered version.)

This is the nose-on view of the car.  The camera is in the center porthole.  The large gaping holes at the bottom are for the LEDs, which haven't been installed yet.  I removed the original silly incandescents and put in small LEDs to get more lighting in the tunnels.

I installed small slide switches on the bottom of the car to independently control the lights and the camera power.  I don't run the receiver very often, so I don't want to put more hours on the camera when it's not in use.

The camera is sensitive to heat.  I had to remove the front window glazing, and take out the interior lighting at the front of the car, too.  Even so, the picture does deteriorate after 10 or 15 minutes of running, but it recovers if I let it cool down again.  (This is one good reason to just put it on a flat car, by the way.)

I run mine with a 30-inch standard old-style TV.  It looks great, and always gets a big "Cool!" when I show it to visitors.

This is my YouTube video.  It was taken some time ago, before I finished a lot of the scenery.  At that time, the camera was sitting in a gondola, which is why it tilts a bit towards the end.  There were no front lights on the gon, either, but you can get an idea of how these work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g82i9arQMyw

 

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

  • Member since
    October 2006
  • From: Texas
  • 2,934 posts
Posted by C&O Fan on Tuesday, September 4, 2007 11:20 AM

No i push it around the layout on a flat car in front of the Loco

It does have an amazing depth of field

TerryinTexas

See my Web Site Here

http://conewriversubdivision.yolasite.com/

 

 

  • Member since
    October 2006
  • From: Texas
  • 2,934 posts
Posted by C&O Fan on Tuesday, September 4, 2007 10:57 AM

I have one of these

http://www.wirelessmicrocolorcam.com/estore/product_info.php?products_id=41

Great little camera !

Takes about 2 hours to charge and will run about 50 min on one charge

the broadcast range will vary depending on the number of obstacles

About 200 ft max

it will transmit while going thru tunnels

And yes it has sound

TerryinTexas

See my Web Site Here

http://conewriversubdivision.yolasite.com/

 

 

  • Member since
    February 2005
  • 732 posts
Best MINI train Camera
Posted by conrail92 on Monday, September 3, 2007 9:46 PM
What is the best mini camera for your money that you could mount on a flat car or similiar, for On board videos. Keep in mind it's for HO scale. Nothing guranteed just thought it might be kinda cool too see videos of my empire on a realistic view.
"If you can dream it you can do it" Enzo Ferrari :)

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Users Online

There are no community member online

Search the Community

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Model Railroader Newsletter See all
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!