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My new video camera


chevysoldier

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I just got this in the mail from Hong Kong today. Was like $11 off of ebay and about the size of my thumb. I know some LE people that use them while on duty, main reason I got it. I'll probably see about mounting it to the bike too. I figure for $11 bucks shipped, if it craps out after a while I can get another. Smith and Wesson and a few other reputable people make (stick their name on) the same sort of cameras but sell for upwards of $100.

After I've actually used it, I'll post up a review.

mini-dv-5.jpg

Edit:

I love manuals in broken English. lol

The battery is built-in lithium rechargeable battery, so when you use it the first time, please charge firstly. The method for charging as following:

1.) Connect computer: use USB cable to connect the computer, then it can be charged.

2.) Use adaptor: connect charger plug with USB cable, then plug into electrical connector receptacle, it can be charged.

When you charge it, blue light and red light will bright simultaneously, of which states are stillness.

Notice: when battery power is not enough, D001 will enter into protection mode, so it cannot be turn on. Now, please charge for it.

Edited by chevysoldier
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Are these the cameras you are able to trigger with ignition on? And that automatically record over old videos?

NoBama 2012

No automatic recording and no auto overwrite. Have to remember to turn it on and off. And delete video each time.

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You have a link for these?

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/300k-pixel-mini-camcorder-spy-camera-with-tf-card-slot-32022

You can get them all over fleebay and several other places also. Most right around the same price. Most don't come with a micro-sd card so plan for that also.

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You have a link for these?

Search for "mini cam" or "MD80 cam" I hear the ones with the alloy case and slider switches are better. The ebay listing showed that type but when I got it it was the plastic case one and push buttons. Oh well...And yeah, they usually don't come with a micro SD sd card. I just used the 4g card that came with my Droid when I expanded to 8g

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Search for "mini cam" or "MD80 cam" I hear the ones with the alloy case and slider switches are better. The ebay listing showed that type but when I got it it was the plastic case one and push buttons. Oh well...And yeah, they usually don't come with a micro SD sd card. I just used the 4g card that came with my Droid when I expanded to 8g

Will do, I've got a couple of sd cards laying around so I'll have one any idea how much they can expand to?

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Figured out how to record while it is plugged in. You hold the record button while you plug in the power cord. Once it turns on and the led's stop flashing you can then go ahead and press the record button as normal and it will film while plugged into the charger.

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The one on dealextreme says 80 minute record time on a full charge. I wonder it will record while plugged into a USB power adapter, giving you longer time on it?

You thinking I should carry a power pack in my pocket and keep it plugged in? lol

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IMG00278-20101019-2206.jpg

Here's how I mounted mine. It's just a velcro cable tie that sticks to the helmet liner. In the helmet=no vibration. Also I can give commentary, read out license plates and describe things that the camera can't see (what I can see in the distance, or in the mirrors)

It's just a PITA to have to remember to start and stop the recording. If you power off the camera without hitting stop then you will lose your recording. If the card fills up or the battery goes flat, though, it WILL automatically stop and save.

I need to write a scheduled task that checks for the existence of a certain filename ("E:\md80.here" or something similarly unique). If it finds that file that it downloads any video from the camera (just copies AVI files) to my PC then deletes the files from the sd card.

That way I can get home, plug it into the computer and it will auto-archive and clear itself. Next time I ride I just unplug it up and cram it back intot he helmet mount.

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That's actually a pretty cool place to mount the thing. I would imagine you are using a regular piece of velcro to hold it in? I tried all kinds of silliness to have it mounted on the outside of the helmet and nothing temporary would deal with the wind at highway speed.

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Figured out how to record while it is plugged in. You hold the record button while you plug in the power cord. Once it turns on and the led's stop flashing you can then go ahead and press the record button as normal and it will film while plugged into the charger.

If you plug it into a computer it can go into USB mode or webcam mode too. That's what the mode button switched between.

Still, a very manual process. When I install dashcams I go with fully automated types that require no intervention to start or stop them. I know that in an accident I will likely forget it's there and mishandle the camera/lose the footage.

Example: I had an old DVR about 6 years ago that I installed in a car. It was a 4-channel home/office DVR. If it lost power while recording it would not save the recording to hard drive. Had an interaction with the police (as the reporting party) I was CCW at the time and went through a very tense police notification (we were all new at notification, CCW had just passed - officer looked like he thought I was threatening him!) etc. Afterwards all was sorted out I forgot to hit the save button on the DVR - turned it off, lost the footage of me and two cops trying to figure out why I was telling them I had a gun. I was pissed. But also I knew I'd probably lose any accident footage for the same reason. Full auto only for me.

I use the helmet cam sometimes, but only in addition to an existing full auto camera setup on the bike.

(The footage would have been interesting, but in the end the officers finally understood I was just doing that new-fangled CCW notification and we all had a laugh about it afterwards. Their first notification too. I wasn't treated badly so, meh...)

Edited by Scruit
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No automatic recording and no auto overwrite. Have to remember to turn it on and off. And delete video each time.

Aren't u the one who has like half a dozen cameras mounted in each car, that come on automatically and automatically overwrite old recordings? You have a link to the cameras that do that?

NoBama 2012

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