DIY camera mount

[Darrel]

The original gopro camera mount has one suction cup and seems to work well.

I'm sure it mine will do equally well with a slightly heavier camera and different frame. Having a safety strap would be a good idea to keep it off the floor if it does fail.

Here's my camera mount in action. The original sessions were 20 and 15 minutes.

[TomoHawk]

I don't have a rollbar or anything else in my car, so my camera goes on the windscreen.

[TomoHawk]

Here is my version of the camera mount using the suction cup mentioned earlier. It can be attached to either the windscreen or the side window. I will probably replace the wood post with an adjustable square post, and maybe a few other small improvements.

Edited September 28, 2009 by TomoHawk

[TomoHawk]

I finished the mount. I don't think there is anything I can do to it to make it better.

Does anyone have a favorite App to record time-lapse videos in WMV format? AVI files are HUGE! I'm using Flix right now. HandyAVI is OK, but doesn't make a video as you go. WinTLV makes AVI videos. A 10 minute recording (1s interval) makes a 150 Mb video!

thxZ

Below: suction cup clamp open & closed

Edited October 3, 2009 by TomoHawk

[TomoHawk]

Ok...

The camera mount works well ( it has 3-axes of adjustment), and the software works (on the laptop, on the battery.) I got a 12V power inverter to plug the power supply into to power the laptop, because a DC power adapter for a laptop is very expensive.

The next thing to solve is where to put the inverter and how to hook it up to the car's power. I think I might run a wire dirrect to the auxiliary power jack in the center console, and no idea what to do with the inverter?

thxZ

[Darrel]

The gopro has officially turned into a money pit.

The batteries don't want to work in the cold so i needed to hard wire it in the car.

Total cost so far.

free---- gopro camera

$5-------fix old mount with bolts and suction cups from harbor freight.

$4-------cig lighter usb adapter

$26------usb data cable from usb adapter to camera

$0-------drill camera case to accept the usb data cable

total-- $35

Now I'm going to have to buy a bigger sd card

[TomoHawk]

Unless you have a wide-angle lens on the camera, try sticking it to the back window or the side window, try a video, and let us know how it comes out. Most people only look at the little field that the camera is focused on, and don't think about what they actually see with their eyes while driving; and how WIDE of a field it is they do see with their eyes. That is what makes the difference between a so-so video and a great one.

[Darrel]

It's the wide angle 5mp gopro.