Mel, I googled this SQ8 and it comes up for under $10 with no brand and not with positive reviews. I googled the SQ11 by QEBIDUM for $20 with much better reviews. Who makes the SQ8 that you have?
I would mount it on a flat car with velcro for easy removal. Just want to find the best one to use for a reasonable cost.
If I ever get around to making one, I’ll probably do what I’ve been doing - just use the processor chip. The Nano is also killing you, running the unecessary USB, and the 3.3 regulator circuitry and whatever else is on there you don’t need. My servo controller, sitting idle (servos not moving) with neither relay pulled in, with the 2 LEDs lit on the pushbuttons and a hearetbead LED flashing on the board, is like 40ma. Add the two relays pulled in for the opposite position, after the servos stop, it’s now at like 50ma. I need to test it with my good meeter that has peak holding and data logging to see what it goes to worst case, with both servos moving, but I haven’t seen it flash above a few 100ma on my power supply - but it reacts slowly. If I hold on to a servo and stll it, the current shoots way up.
What does the Nano handle, exactly? BT to the servo to drive the pan mechanism and that’s it? I could probably do that with an ATTiny85.
–Randy
Neal
My SQ8 was given to me by my grandson and I think it is a Quelima. It has been a very good camera, I’ve never had any problems with it.
I bought a SQ7 early on off eBay and it didn’t work out of the box, eBay covered the cost. I liked the specs of the SQ7 and bought a second one from a different seller and it was also a dud as was the third. The fourth camera worked great and is still working very good.
When the SQ13 became available I ordered one and it also worked great out of the box and that is the camera I’m currently using. Extremely good video.
The only thing that bothers me is all of them get hot while charging. As I keep the cameras powered from my flat car the batteries never discharge and never get hot.
The wireless SQ cameras will not work WiFi without the SD Chip installed in the camera.
This is a link to my Google drive SQ8 Specs.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/17pYmK_fVhqfV_W-RPepJKSEBRNkJGIaX/view?usp=sharing
Mel
My Model Railroad
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/
Bakersfield, California
I’m beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
Randy
I screwed up the NANO/servo idle current is 38ma, when the servo is active the current is over 100ma. I drop the input to the BlueTooth transmitter to drop the idle current to the servo.
Mel
My Model Railroad
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/
Bakersfield, California
I’m beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
I bought an SQ8 for about $20, on line, and not happy. Anything more than a few inches away from the camera were blurry and out of focus.
I used it to take a video, from my truck dash, driving around town, and it seemed to be much better.
Go figure!
Mike.
Like I said my grandson bought the SQ8, he used it for a couple of months and didn’t like the way you have to push the buttons to get it to work and gave it to me.
The focus is very good from about 18” to 10’ or so, all I’ve tried is in my garage on my layout. It is also very stable as I’m sure the flat car wobbles and I can’t see the wobble in the video. The color is excellent and it works very good in low level light. I haven’t tried using the built-in night lighting, the E7 pusher has Super Bright LEDs in the cab through the windshield. The tunnel videos are like daylight and make the inside of my tunnels look pretty bad.
Like Mike says “Go figure”
Mel
My Model Railroad
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/
Bakersfield, California
I’m beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
Mel,
Thank you for your feedback and input on the cameras. I’m going look at the SQ13 more closely.
Neal
This is my CAD drawing of the SQ13, I haven’t been able to run it on my layout because of my health. The arthritis flare up in my ankles has kept my in a chair at my computer/workbench for weeks.
I had been working on my IR detection system on my mainline when I had to knock it off. Essentially my layout has been down until I can work standing.
I haven’t dinked around with my camera car in a year, I’ve been trying to improve the resolution of my IR signal detection by installing a bunch of Arduino FC-51 detectors.
Mel
My Model Railroad
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/
Bakersfield, California
I’m beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
Hey guys-
I purchased an SQ11 and a 32GB mini chip card from Amazing-dot-com-slash-prime yesterday. Total cost about $25 including free shipping. Should be here Friday or Saturday, depending on how you count 2-day delivery.
The general plan is to rig up some sort of bracket to mount it low on a flat car or a little higher on the gunwales of an open gondola. I want it far enough forward so that the lower half of the view is not the floor boards of the transport car. I specifically chose the SQ11 (0.9" by 0.9" by 0.9" cube) because it is a little smaller than the SQ13.
The first order of business is to see if it will pass through the bridge portals. Put the rig on the car, push the tiny buttons, and push the whole cabboble with a trusty SD40-2 workhorse. After that, I’ll worry about software drivers and uploading movies and remote real-time live feed to the laptop screen or my smartphone and whatnot. And then sometime in the near future I’ll piddle with movie editing and composition and all that glamorous audio/video stuff.
First things first.
Robert
Thanks!
I’m a Mac user and things seem to integrate well. I think you end up with MPEG as far as direct output, but it easily converts to MOV and Quicktime IIRC using VLC.
One issue I didn’t track down with the Eachine camera is the audio. They way I have it rigged generates a loud hum that is annoying. Probably some easy fix, just never bothered solving. Newer versions may have a built-in solution or maybe the audio is just funky on mine? I know I never figured out where I should put the ground wire, which may be the culprit. The latest versions have what is called “Smart Audio” which also may solve the issue.
I’m sorry for commandeering your post, have any of the posts been helpful?
If your looking for real time only Mike’s system is probably the best way to go.
I used a system that transmitted direct to a TV (analog) on channel 3 or 4 for many years with the camera mounted in a Dummy PA pushed by a couple of PBs in a 11 car passenger consist.
Then I went to a newer version with a similar NTSC system using 2.4ghz transmitter to a 2.4ghz receiver with NTSC video out in a dummy E7A pushed by a couple of E7Bs, again a 11 car Southern Pacific Daylight Passenger consist.
The system is powered by two lithium 4 volt 4200ma batteries in series for 8 volt operation, one on top of the other. This system is wireless on 2.4ghz powered by the Lithium batteries. The two yellow relays on the left are controled from a DCC decoder, they control the power to the camera and the six super bright LEDs mounted on top of the camera on the right. The system would operate for a several hours on a charge.
I went with battery power because I didn’t have any luck using track power, the slight wheel or motor arcing glitched the video. I even tried paralleling the wheels to all the E7s.
Robert, can you post some video when you’re finished?
I dunno. Maybe. I’ve never made videos before, I’ve never uploaded videos before, and I’ve never posted videos before. But . . . assuming I can, then I will. I generally don’t let little problems like that get in the way.
Camera is still not yet here. It appears that Amazon doesn’t know how to count up to two. No worries.
Robert
I think y’all have lost your OP. [swg]
Rich
I ordered a camera today with a Radio AV receiver. I’m hoping ot will work in tunnels. What I really wanted was Morse TC-9 microwave camera to match my Morse receiver but none could be found.
Keep us posted, I’m very interested in how it goes.
Mel
My Model Railroad
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/
Bakersfield, California
I’m beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
My camera also has glitches from poor rail contact. Wonder if a keep alive module would work. Like what you did mounting the system on the dummy loco. I’ll give it a try.
I had to isolate the camera from rail power to get rid of the glitching.
Mel
My Model Railroad
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/
Bakersfield, California
I’m beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
One little thing to watch is that some switching power supplies, of the type that might be used to do voltage-to-voltage conversion or keep LiPO batteries float-charged correctly may emit RF interference that might couple to nearby sound decoders. Shielding methods do exist but it may be better to anticipate this than troubleshoot it after the fact.
Randy
I gave your idea a shot with goodies on hand, a 1⅜” x 2¼” DC to DC Buck Converter, too big to fit on a HO flat car. Rails to a 1 amp bridge direct to the converter, I set the converter to 5 volts and it works great on my bench test track (48”).
I just set the camera (SQ13) with the 3 amp Buck Converter on a flat car for the test. The flat car has Mel Kadee coupler pocket wheel wipers, no glitching in the video.
I powered the rails with my Prodigy Advance and pushed the flat car back and fourth with an Athearn SD40 with a MRC 1730 decoder.
I ordered a smaller DC to DC converter, .83”W x 1.7”L x .55”H.