This started as an offshoot of another topic, but that was a good topic by itself so I didn’t want to hijack it anymore than I already had. I was asked for details about the video camera system I’ve installed in my HO scale subway train.
First, this is the R-17 Redbird P1K train from the old Life-Like. The set comes with 1 powered and 3 unpowered cars. I installed a decoder in the powered car. For the camera, I cut out the headlight bracket and the unused front gearbox from one of the unpowered cars. I mounted a pair of LEDs down low, where you can see a couple of holes in the last picture. The camera just fits snugly in the front, and the circuit board for the camera power supply sits inside the empty gray motor housing amidships. The large capacitor from the power supply was removed from the board and mounted a bit further back. I took power off the car’s lighting circuit board for the supply, which is designed for DCC power pickup,
I’m using the camera from www.wirelessmicrocolorcam.com with their DCC power supply, too. Jerry supports his product very well. I needed a couple of wiring modifications to fit the whole package into the car, and he did all that work, plus paid the return postage, for the staggering sum of $15. The camera system is wireless. It has a small antenna in the car, and it transmits to a converter box that puts out a video signal. This can be plugged into the video input of a TV, VCR or camcorder.
This is the unpowered car and the camera and power supply as originally built:
Here’s the same thing with the parts modified to fit:
And this is the package after installation:
Here’s the front view of the car. The camera lens sits right behind the porthole in the front door: Gaping
Very interesting. I don’t have the know-how or the money-how, but it certainly would be something I would consider if a rich uncle died. Oops, they are all already dead and I didn’t get anything. On the practical side this would make a person more carefull about their scenery. It would be helpful in finding parts that fell off or objects that found their way onto the tracks that you could not see.
Thanks for a very interesting subject. I look forward to seeing it in action.
Now all you need to do is develop the virtual reality program that allows you to move the various controls in real life while watching the picture out the front of the engine. That is the ultimate system to me.
Yes, I added the LEDs later. I also have lighting (LEDs again) inside the tunnels, but they tend to brighten the opposite walls without illuminating much down the track.
That “virtual reality controller” turns out to be my DCC throttle. I’ve got the TV in the train room, so I can sit on the couch and play motorman.
I’ll look up that YouTube URL tonight and post it for those who haven’t seen it.
And one other thing I forgot to mention - These CCD cameras are kind of sensitive to heat. I removed the front window glazing from that car, and also took out the front interior light, which is incandescent and thus adds heat. That made a big difference, and I can run the camera continuously now.
Video cameras present a real dilema for me. I had planned just using filler material anyplace that is hidden from the aisle view such as backsides of buildings, the nearside of a deep cut, etc. Those are things they typically would never be seen but now they would be visible from a train mounted camera so I am going to have to rethink the plan. The prices on these things have come way down since they were first introduced back in the 1980s and I’m sure the picture quality is much better as well. It’s only a matter of time since I go get one.
I will warn you that it’s very dark. This was taken before I installed the LEDs in the front to provide additional light. It’s raw video with only a little cutting and splicing.
My tunnels are completely scenicked inside. However, I haven’t paid much attention to the inside of the curves, since that really can’t be seen from the camera. All the details (like conduits, circuit boxes, catwalks) are on the outside of the curves. The tunnel lighting is LEDs, which are mounted on the inside curves to shine on the outside. They are only a few inches from the outer walls, though, so they are very much a spotlight beam rather than a floodlight.
That’s awesome Mr.B. It’s the next best thing to shrinking yourself down to HO scale. And you don’t have to worry about getting eaten by the cat or spiders.
The video reminded me of the movie Beetlejuice when the ghost are on the diaorama.
Have you tried one of these Radio Shack signal boosters for the receiver?
No, but that might help. The camera I have does its wireless transmission at 1.2 GHz., so it’s not down in the normal TV band. Do you happen to know where the RS booster works?
I checked the Radio Shack site for the info. I should know by now it’s not the old Radio Shack I used to know and love. They don’t have much info about specks other than dimensions and connector type.
I did find one on Allelectronics but unfortunately the bandwidth is in the 54-890MHz range. So that would mean all video amps on the market operate in the Megahertz range. Too low in the bandwidth for your needs.
I didn’t know it was that high of a frequency. I guess it would have to be. Otherwise you neighbors would be taking virtual trips through your tube instead of watching American Idol. In my opinion that would be much better.
I wonder if it’s possible to home brew a video signal amplifier. The owner of my local model train shop also does TV repair and is a ham radio operator. Now that I know that the signal is 1.2 GHz, I’ll run it by him.
Suspicions confirmed! The best place to mount an on-board TV camera is in the nose of an MU car. Combine that with the appropriate (1:2 scale) motorman’s control stand and somebody could have a ball with one of my Japanese-prototype DMU or EMU sets.
Incidentally, does the other end of your train read ‘Parkchester,’ or ‘Pelham Bay Park?’
Before the time the first cars like yours appeared on the L over Westchester Avenue, I lived between those two stations.
Cool. [8D] It reads Pelham Bay Park. Thanks for pointing that out - I never even noticed that the cars have different destination placards on each end. I think the only photos I’ve shot of these cars happen to be from the Brooklyn Bridge end.
And I was born in Mercy Hospital in the heart of Brooklyn. I should have looked more closely. Thanks, LifeLike, for a nice detail.
Also on the to-do list for these cars is the end gates and chains. I got the gates from NJ International, and I picked up some chains at the last Big E show in Springfield.
