Cycle Cam

Bob Downie

Perhaps this has already been invented; the technology already exists.

I would love to have a small, handle-bar mounted, video camera recording
to perhaps a flash memory. It would save a continuous loop of at least
10 minutes duration with a stop button to save the last 2 minutes of
video. Reasonable resolution to capture the registration number would be
more important than duration of recording.

Then, when the idiots cut you up, knock you off or just generally give
you dogs abuse you have them on camera, complete with their registration
number. If its bad enough (and it often is) you have something to go to
the police/their employer with.

Does this exist? If not, if anyone can make one the right side of 100
pounds they have my money.


--
Bob Downie
Downie GeoScience Ltd.
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Simon Mason

"Bob Downie" <Bob_news@downie-geo.#n0spam#co.uk> wrote in message
news:8yG4kXF4tXvBFwSY@downie-geo.%23n0spam%23co.uk...
> Perhaps this has already been invented; the technology already exists.
>
> I would love to have a small, handle-bar mounted, video camera recording
> to perhaps a flash memory. It would save a continuous loop of at least 10
> minutes duration with a stop button to save the last 2 minutes of video.
> Reasonable resolution to capture the registration number would be more
> important than duration of recording.
>
> Then, when the idiots cut you up, knock you off or just generally give you
> dogs abuse you have them on camera, complete with their registration
> number. If its bad enough (and it often is) you have something to go to
> the police/their employer with.
>
> Does this exist? If not, if anyone can make one the right side of 100
> pounds they have my money.
>

Someone on this group rigged one up a few months ago and posted the clip
here. It was a time lapse trip through some home counties town IIRC.

Google for the thread "Cycling at 1300 kph" 20 OCT 04

--
Simon M.

Colin Blackburn

Bob Downie wrote:
> Perhaps this has already been invented; the technology already exists.
>
> I would love to have a small, handle-bar mounted, video camera recording
> to perhaps a flash memory. It would save a continuous loop of at least
> 10 minutes duration with a stop button to save the last 2 minutes of
> video. Reasonable resolution to capture the registration number would be
> more important than duration of recording.

I read somewhere over the weekend, Velo Vision?, of a helmet mountable
radio camera---you can stick the recording bit in a bag. Not sure it
would be under 100 though.

Colin

Bob Downie

>
>Someone on this group rigged one up a few months ago and posted the clip
>here. It was a time lapse trip through some home counties town IIRC.
>
>Google for the thread "Cycling at 1300 kph" 20 OCT 04
>

That's the general idea. A user friendly version is what I would be
interested in. There must be a market for this.
--
Bob Downie
Downie GeoScience Ltd.
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Tumbleweed

"Bob Downie" <Bob_news@downie-geo.#n0spam#co.uk> wrote in message
news:+dlIfjG2SYvBFwBk@downie-geo.%23n0spam%23co.uk...
> >
>>Someone on this group rigged one up a few months ago and posted the clip
>>here. It was a time lapse trip through some home counties town IIRC.
>>
>>Google for the thread "Cycling at 1300 kph" 20 OCT 04
>>
>
> That's the general idea. A user friendly version is what I would be
> interested in. There must be a market for this.

You can buy flash-memory based video cams for £50 and up. I dont know if any
of them have a 'continuous loop' recording mode though.
Message copied to uk.rec.video.digital maybe someone there knows if there is
a cheap video cam that will record on an endless loop, eg whatever fits in
the memory, say the last 5 or 10 minutes or so, and keep going until the
battery runs out?

--
Tumbleweed

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Mark Tranchant

Tumbleweed wrote:

> You can buy flash-memory based video cams for £50 and up. I dont knowif any
> of them have a 'continuous loop' recording mode though.
> Message copied to uk.rec.video.digital maybe someone there knows if there is
> a cheap video cam that will record on an endless loop, eg whatever fitsin
> the memory, say the last 5 or 10 minutes or so, and keep going until the
> battery runs out?

This would rapidly trash most flash memories, which have a large but
finite number of write cycles.

--
Mark.
http://tranchant.plus.com/

David Glover

Mark Tranchant <mark@tranchant.plus.com> wrote:
> This would rapidly trash most flash memories, which have a large but
> finite number of write cycles.

The limit is usually around 100,000 cycles for modern flash media. Assuming
a 10 minute loop, you could record continuously for 2 years before the media
died, and that's assuming you left it on all the time, 24/7.

Even when it did wear out, a replacement flash card won't cost much.

--
Geek Made Easy - http://www.geekmadeeasy.com/
We're geeks so you don't have to be

Tumbleweed

"Mark Tranchant" <mark@tranchant.plus.com> wrote in message
news:41bdb66d$0$9349$ed2619ec@ptn-nntp-reader02.plus.net...
Tumbleweed wrote:

> You can buy flash-memory based video cams for £50 and up. I dont know if
> any of them have a 'continuous loop' recording mode though.
> Message copied to uk.rec.video.digital maybe someone there knows if there
> is a cheap video cam that will record on an endless loop, eg whatever fits
> in the memory, say the last 5 or 10 minutes or so, and keep going until
> the battery runs out?

This would rapidly trash most flash memories, which have a large but
finite number of write cycles.


For value of rapidly which in the range of years I suspect. For example,
IIRC, write cycles are in the region of 100k and upwards write cycles per
bit. So if you had 5 minutes of memory to write to(just a guess) that is
500,000 minutes or 8,000+ hours of recording. At 8 hours a day that is 3
years. Or more like 12 years if you did 2 hours cycling per day.

--
Tumbleweed

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Richard Bates

On Mon, 13 Dec 2004 11:22:32 +0000, Bob Downie
<Bob_news@downie-geo.#n0spam#co.uk> wrote:

>Then, when the idiots cut you up, knock you off or just generally give
>you dogs abuse you have them on camera, complete with their registration
>number. If its bad enough (and it often is) you have something to go to
>the police/their employer with.

Would it be acceptable as evidence. I suspect that if speed cameras
are invalid without motorists being warned of their presence then the
same might possibly apply to your idea.

??

--
Amazon: "If you are interested in 'Asimov's I-Robot',
you may also be interested in 'Garfield - The Movie'.
... erm, how do they figure that one out?

mt99999@hotmail.com

Bob Downie wrote:
> Perhaps this has already been invented; the technology already
exists.
>
> I would love to have a small, handle-bar mounted, video camera
recording
> to perhaps a flash memory. It would save a continuous loop of at
least
> 10 minutes duration with a stop button to save the last 2 minutes of
> video. Reasonable resolution to capture the registration number would
be
> more important than duration of recording.

istr a glasses mounted cam which recorded to flash memory with aremote
switch to save the preceeding 30 seconds or so. It was either on
slashdot or Neet To Know or somewheer like that, within the last six
months I think

best wishes
james

Bob Downie

>
>Would it be acceptable as evidence. I suspect that if speed cameras
>are invalid without motorists being warned of their presence then the
>same might possibly apply to your idea.
>

Possibly not, though I am sure if the abuse is flagrant enough, the
police at the very least would have to speak to the driver in question.
That in itself would give some satisfaction.

On the other hand, the worst perpetrators in my experience are
professional drivers such as taxis, vans and buses. The drivers of these
might not welcome their driving misdemeanours being emailed to their
bosses (as well as local press, TV, MP, God etc).
--
Bob Downie
Downie GeoScience Ltd.
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