ben7 Posted May 23, 2003 Share Posted May 23, 2003 Just unpacked my new bullet cam and noticed the health warning advising not to fix it straight to a vehicle as the vibrations will kill it. Are the suppliers being over cautious and if not, has anybody got any ideas how to reduce the vibrations?. I would prefer to use the velcro mount as opposed to the fixed mount if poss. cheers, Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick p Posted May 23, 2003 Share Posted May 23, 2003 Ben, Don't know which cam you've got but I race with mine and have not had any vibration problems yet. Initally I used the velcro mount, but found it annoying trying to get the picture correctly aligned, particularly if you remove the camera between events. I adapted the fixed mount that came with it (from Rf concepts) by drilling a hole through an exhaust clamp, and screwing the fixed mount on. So now you can clamp the cam anywhere on the rollcage, and easily align the picture. As regards, reducing vibration, I intend to line the clamp with rubber or foam, which should help at the margin Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben7 Posted May 23, 2003 Author Share Posted May 23, 2003 Nick, Thanks for the advice, the clamp seems like a great idea! Cheers, Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myles Posted May 23, 2003 Share Posted May 23, 2003 First of all (don't want to dilute or derail the thread though) - which did you end up with, where did you get it etc. etc. I want one. Secondly, there are some old threads about this elsewhere in the forums - the short answer is that I would imagine that a simple velcro mount might well be sufficient, but if you want to go the whole hog, there are a number of (expensive) specialist mounts with elastomer vibration absorbers. I've not attached anything to a 7 before - but I did quite a lot of video work in my 4x4 in the deserts of Dubai. I didn't use a bullet cam - just mounted my Sony PC110E onto a modified Cullman clamp thing attached to the headrest supports of the drivers seat. It worked a bit like this... http://www.b-hague.co.uk/Mounting%20Brackets.htm The car took some massive hits as well as just general abusive vibration and the Sony came through just fine - I think all you really need to do is isolate the bulletcam from direct 'hard' contact with the chassis/rollbar to reduce road and engine buzz from the image. Regds, Myles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Beaumont Posted May 23, 2003 Share Posted May 23, 2003 I'm quite chuffed with the solution I made to mount my bullet cam. 1) Unscrew the circular base from the supplied mount. 2) Cut a piece of metal sheet approx 1" x 5". Use as template to cut a similar size piece from a thick mouse mat. 3) Drill hole in centre of plate, cut a larger hole in the mouse mat to clear the screw head. 4) Glue the mouse mat to the plate, and loctite the screw into the camera swivel mount. 5) Tape the cam anywhere you like with strips of parcel tape either side of the camera. Works on bars, headlights, even flat surfaces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Plant Posted May 23, 2003 Share Posted May 23, 2003 My low tech solution is to use blu tack to align the camera and damp any vibrations and gaffer tape to hold it in place. I'm going to try the velcro route soon though since I need a "stealth" solution as the 'ring has banned the use of video equipment on public days. Martin www.caterhamblackbird.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mav Posted May 23, 2003 Share Posted May 23, 2003 I've used the velcro method on the nose cone with great sucess so far.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Plant Posted May 23, 2003 Share Posted May 23, 2003 Dotcha prefer the driver's eye view looking down the bonnet? Guess it might be a problem if you don't have a cage, but for me I think thats the best place. Martin www.caterhamblackbird.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mav Posted May 23, 2003 Share Posted May 23, 2003 I'll be trying a few different mounting positions over the summer. From the Roll Bar / Cage is probably my next option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Plant Posted May 23, 2003 Share Posted May 23, 2003 Mav Drop me a line and I'll send you a CD with some 'ring action shot from a bullet cam on the cage if you're interested. Martin www.caterhamblackbird.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caterhamnut Posted May 23, 2003 Share Posted May 23, 2003 Like the exhaust clamp idea - I have mounted my bullet cam on the end of a windsurfing mast, out the back of the car, looking down - late at night in depths of Somerset - gets the whole car in shot - and also on the end of an ali mono-pod taped to the roll bar, sticking about 5ft out of the side of the car at Brooklands, which has led to some great film! 😬41,000 miles in 21 months! angus@tinyworld.co.uk Caterham pics here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben7 Posted May 27, 2003 Author Share Posted May 27, 2003 Back from a weekend of testing. I ended up using a large jubilee clip with a hole drilled through it, similar to the exhaust clamp solution mentioned by Nick. Vibrations were reduced by the ingenious use of some self adhesive draft excluder stuck directly on to the roll bar, then fixing the clip around it. Myles, I bought mine from RF Concepts complete with microphone etc. Went for the 380 lines rather than the 420 lines as I reckoned the 10% increase would be lost in the general blur of the movement. It seems plenty fine for me, but there again I'm a cheap skate! Well worth the investment though. Talking of blur (or lack of), whilst I take a decidely sad pleasure in watching my blats on my return home, I have noticed that with the camara mounted at such a high level on the roll bar, you don't seem to get any impression of speed. Maybe I'm spoilt having watched my 'In Car 956' dvd more times than I dare admit, but even a ton plus seems slow. Any tips on best position lower on the car? Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captain chaos Posted May 29, 2003 Share Posted May 29, 2003 I think the sensation of speed is improved by driving a Vx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrTrilby Posted May 29, 2003 Share Posted May 29, 2003 I've only used mine once in anger so far, but the suggestion someone made that worked well for me was to duct tape it to the top of one of the rear wings. Being close to the ground the footage looks quite nice and exciting, and gives you a clear view of the front wheel moving up and down and opposite locking. Next time out I fancy trying it mounted up on the FIA bar with a wideangle lens, so you get to see what's going on in the cockpit and hopefully a bit more of a sensation of the car going sideways; and also taped somewhere towards the front of the nosecone to try for some good action shots of the car in front. Best idea IMHO is to hook the camcorder up to it and wander around the car with the bullet cam trying out the various views before duct taping it in place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caterhamnut Posted May 29, 2003 Share Posted May 29, 2003 You get a very good sensation of speed with the camera facing backwards, low down. Got some good shots with it mounted under the tyre rack facing to the rear at Spa. You get the real sensation of the road/track disappearing away behind you. 😬41,000 miles in 21 months! angus@tinyworld.co.uk Caterham pics here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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