figureitout Posted February 4, 2016 Report Share Posted February 4, 2016 I wasn't sure what heading to put this under, but this is what I did in my shop today. It's a home built, totally portable wireless utility camera system. I got two "project boxes" from radio shack, a cheap backup camera and monitor, a couple SLA 12 volt batteries, and a transmitter. The main function is simple, the camera transmits the image it sees to the monitor, and both units are self contained and rechargeable through the 12V, size M jack on the side. It gets pretty complex though. First the LED light on the camera box, it's actually a license plate light from my parts drawer, is controlled by the remote control so I can turn it on and off without going to the camera side. With just those two functions I'll use these for innumerable things, the initial idea was for parking customer cars in my too-small garage. I place it against the back wall, park as close as possible, then shut the garage, place it against the door and pull up as close as I can, leaving maximum room between the car and back wall. I could have mounted fixed cameras, but I see many other uses for portability, like fishing wires, parking trailers in tight spaces, testing brake lights etc. I'm guessing I'll just keep coming up with little things that'll be easier with this third eye.The rest of the functions I built in would only be useful to someone who installs CCTV or automotive camera systems. Each box's charging port is also capable of powering a standard 12V camera, and each box has RCA jacks for external cameras and monitors. The camera box can transmit either its own image, or an image from one of the RCA jacks, and the remote control can switch the transmission between the different inputs and the onboard camera. The main use for this would be to have a display of camera's image right in front of you as you adjust the camera mounting for angle and coverage. It's also very useful for testing cameras side by side to gauge their quality and field of view. The monitor box also has an auxiliary RCA input and power jack, so I can quickly bench test a camera, or test that I'm getting a good image at the end of a long run. Being able to break down all the connections and such will be very useful in trouble shooting, I can very quickly determine what's working and what's not. It'll cut process of elimination time in half or better.Anyway, it was a ton work and despite it's rough appearance I was pleased with the result, and I thought I'd show you guys. I'm guessing total cost was about $100, but I had the majority of the components around anyway, so it's hard to know really what it cost me. I know I couldn't have bought a tool with all the functionality at any cost.Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337Z using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comp56 Posted February 4, 2016 Report Share Posted February 4, 2016 sweet set up, I like it very well done. I like that it is portable not as small as a nanny cam but it really doesn't have to be..... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimboS1ice Posted February 4, 2016 Report Share Posted February 4, 2016 Nice job, way beyond my capabilities!Sent from my LG-V410 using TapatalkJimbo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
figureitout Posted February 4, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2016 sweet set up, I like it very well done. I like that it is portable not as small as a nanny cam but it really doesn't have to be.....The batteries inside are most of the bulk for sure. Each battery is about the size of four decks of cards. I do NOT want to run low in the middle of something. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337Z using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comp56 Posted February 4, 2016 Report Share Posted February 4, 2016 as I look close I had the same monitor you are using....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hathatyl Posted February 4, 2016 Report Share Posted February 4, 2016 damn thats pretty sweet 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigmikez Posted February 4, 2016 Report Share Posted February 4, 2016 That's really cool man! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Millerzconstruction Posted February 4, 2016 Report Share Posted February 4, 2016 Very cool man. Is there any way to make it where you could use a tool battery? Like a dewalt 12v or 20v battery. I'm not much on electronics just wondering?Millerz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
figureitout Posted February 4, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2016 Very cool man. Is there any way to make it where you could use a tool battery? Like a dewalt 12v or 20v battery. I'm not much on electronics just wondering?MillerzYes, I used to use a Bosch 12 volt battery and jumble of wires to accomplish some of the same purposes. It sure wouldn't be as nice though unless you had a 3D printer to make a clip-in for the battery. I like being able to just plug in a little SLA charger, and when the batteries go bad in 3-5 years they're only $20.Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337Z using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T75R Posted February 4, 2016 Report Share Posted February 4, 2016 Very cool dude. How long did it take to complete out of curiosity? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
figureitout Posted February 5, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2016 Very cool dude. How long did it take to complete out of curiosity?Probably 12 hours total with shopping and all, if you don't count just thinking and drinking coffee.Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337Z using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DR99 Posted February 5, 2016 Report Share Posted February 5, 2016 That is pretty cool. I want to put up some security cams around my house just for peace of mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigmikez Posted February 6, 2016 Report Share Posted February 6, 2016 That is pretty cool. I want to put up some security cams around my house just for peace of mind.. Same here bro but they're pretty pricey but I'm saving for them any good brands the crew can recommend? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chadlanthier Posted February 7, 2016 Report Share Posted February 7, 2016 I would love to set some up in my shop. Would like to watch my xcarve from the comfort of my recliner. Plus u never know when someone could break in there or something. I had a dam squirrel make it into the shop. Fucker chewed a hole in my $60 pair of brand new chaps. And created a nest in a roll of insulation I hadn't put up yet. Still can't figure how or when he got in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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