Camera Domes

True...it doesn't always have to be unique. Many times it is more a factor of just doing it better. Of course I'm more business minded nowadays. I'm not against it at all, I just kinda like the idea of having something different. If I didn't have other ideas I'd probably still consider it. But I'm also looking to go more 'film' style and not sure the dome camera gets me there either.

Is there anyone actually patenting their designs?
 
Jason Foster said:
Is there anyone actually patenting their designs?
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From what I've gathered, they are very expensive to obtain, even more expensive to defend, and can be skirted with a few changes. I'm not sure how feasible it would be to patent a camera enclosure marketed only to the niche market of storm chasers.
 
I am one of the 15 to 20 new people out in 2011 with one of these bubbles on my car. The #1 reason to do it, is what Skip said: to get an unobstructed view of a storm while you're on the move. It beats the hell out of trying to hold a handheld out the window, especially if said target is behind you. Last year I had a webcam attached to my rear view mirror, while I got some awesome time lapse of the Howes, SD tornado on 5/24 it's lack of mobility and obstructions in the car prevented me from getting similar awesome shots on 5/10, 5/18, 5/22 and 6/5.

That's what it boils down to, getting the shot.
 
Skip Talbot said:
I'm happy to help others in their endeavors to build camera domes, and share what I've learned. I believe the application is best suited as an alternative to a dash cam for streaming. There are several issues that a dome creates that detract from video quality, however, including rain, bugs, and the lensing effect of a curved enclosure.

My setup:
http://www.skip.cc/chase/cameradome
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Skip's response to this situation has been very telling of the type of person he is. A few years ago he saw a problem that needed a solution (how to shoot better storm video from a moving vehicle), created an incredibly detailed and unique design and then had the ingenuity and engineering prowess to pull it off. I'm still blown away by the fact that he created custom software for his TalbotDome that uses GPS data to automatically aim the video camera.

His motives behind making the TalbotDome weren't to become rich and famous (like Dr. Jonas Miller), he did it because he loves storms and wanted to create a better way to document and show them. He's willing to help others build their own iterations... for free, because he is a truly selfless and kind person. Skip nailed the execution with the camera dome in 2010 and his epic DVD "Storm Lapse" is the validation of all of his hard work.

However, with success in innovation comes imitation. I know that there is a fine line between inspiration and imitation- and I'm not calling you out if you're building a camera dome because you've seen what the TalbotDome can do. It's just that now there are those who wish to profit (greatly) off a design extremely similar to Skip's. They're even going so far as to try to obtain a US Patent. I'm not one to knock the entrepreneurial spirit, but pay some credit where credit is due.
 
Chad Cowan said:
Skip's response to this situation has been very telling of the type of person he is.
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I would also like to add that while building mine I've come across issues I hadn't prepared for. I'm a Computer Science guy by trade not an engineer, the software part of this project is cake, but mechanical workings sometimes escape me. In situations where I have made an inquiry with Skip regarding his build, he has been more than gracious in assisting me.
 
I think the patent lawyers will have their work cut out for them, seeing as how there is abundant proof that the idea and design existed for years before the MesoDome came to market. I also built a "roofcam" (can't call it a dome camera, since I didn't use a dome) back in 2008. I thought mine was unique at the time, as I didn't see any others on any other chase vehicles that could do what mine did, but I naturally assumed folks were working on similar ideas. This is what mine looked like:
http://facethewind.com/XTerra/Slide4.JPG
Video here:
http://facethewind.com/XTerra/roofcam-v2.wmv

However, it's a standard definition camera, and is thus unsuitable for marketing any video (I'm not looking to stream video...just get an unobstructed and somewhat uncommon view). So, this year I will be rebuilding it as an HD unit, and will likely go with the Bescor motorized pan/tilt head and a polycarbonate dome.

A couple design concerns I had, both for my idea and the mesodome. When I originally built my cam, I also used servos. But those servos didn't have the precision needed because of the gear backlash, leading to very shaky video on the road. I replaced the servos with metal geared zero-backlash motors and got a much more rigid system. I'm wondering what the gear backlash is for the Mesodome and the Bescor. Anyone have experience with how stable the video is?

My other concern is using an acrylic dome. Acrylic, while 6X stronger than glass, is much less resistant to impact than other plastics like Polycarbonate. I did some testing back in 2007, launching a 2" ice projectile out of a potato cannon at about 80mph. It punched a clean hole through a 1/4" Acrylic panel. It didn't even scratch the Polycarbonate. This is why I designed my hail guards from Polycarbonate. So, I'm curious how these domes handle large hail? I'd hate to ruin an expensive camera after spending so much money on the housing!
 
Whats funny is I'll have less than $75 invested and have a 370 degree remote control auto pan Camera that requires no drilling into the roof of a vehicle .. Most people from reading your comments also do not use the option that is built into 90 percent of vehicles .the rubber gromments that are in the floor boards for wire entry ! I could sell My plans for 75.00 and you will still be cheaper than any other option that Skip or Verne have put together ! And it requires next to nothing for engineering skills ..for a guy thats not tech savy ! And yes Skips and vernes are genius but if you break down the basics and use standard def for the streaming ..which 95 percent of chaser do .. you have a inexpensive and easy to install solution !
 
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That's great Michael, but the mods will probably determine that your post probably belongs in the Marketplace thread, where Brad Emel placed his. I understand that Skip has been very helpful (without cost) to people who are seriously interested in building their own. Also, for anyone interested in "giving it a go". Verne Carlson has fairly inexpensive plans and parts lists available. (Google it.)
 
Michael Ratliff said:
Whats funny is I'll have less than $75 invested and have a 370 degree remote control auto pan Camera that requires no drilling into the roof of a vehicle .. Most people from reading your comments also do not use the option that is built into 90 percent of vehicles .the rubber gromments that are in the floor boards for wire entry ! I could sell My plans for 75.00 and you will still be cheaper than any other option that Skip or Verne have put together ! And it requires next to nothing for engineering skills ..for a guy thats not tech savy ! And yes Skips and vernes are genius but if you break down the basics and use standard def for the streaming ..which 95 percent of chaser do .. you have a inexpensive and easy to install solution !
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This is exactly what a streaming solution needs: a cheap, simple setup. I think a dome cam excels in the streaming application, but falls a little short for obtaining high quality video. We need a dirt cheap solution like this to make it feasible.

The solution I built was for moving a rather substantial camera (over 2 pounds), and also has about +90 and -30 degrees of tilt control. The design gets substantially more expensive when you integrate it with software control as well. A simple enclosure with an out of the box pan motor and controller that can move up to a couple pounds of weight is just what is needed for streaming though.
 
Dave Lewison said:
A couple design concerns I had, both for my idea and the mesodome. When I originally built my cam, I also used servos. But those servos didn't have the precision needed because of the gear backlash, leading to very shaky video on the road. I replaced the servos with metal geared zero-backlash motors and got a much more rigid system. I'm wondering what the gear backlash is for the Mesodome and the Bescor. Anyone have experience with how stable the video is?
Click to expand...

The gearboxes from Servo City are pretty nice and have decent servos. They have a ton of torque and operate smoothly. The gears they use increase the torque, slow the motor, and increase the precision. The gearboxes are also quite expensive. They're nice pans are around $100 and the tilts aren't far behind. That's probably part of the reason for the steep price on the MesoDome (in addition to all the electronics).

Dave Lewison said:
My other concern is using an acrylic dome. Acrylic, while 6X stronger than glass, is much less resistant to impact than other plastics like Polycarbonate. I did some testing back in 2007, launching a 2" ice projectile out of a potato cannon at about 80mph. It punched a clean hole through a 1/4" Acrylic panel. It didn't even scratch the Polycarbonate. This is why I designed my hail guards from Polycarbonate. So, I'm curious how these domes handle large hail? I'd hate to ruin an expensive camera after spending so much money on the housing!
Click to expand...

I've carefully considered the two plastics. The problem with polycarbonate, despite being much, much stronger, is that it scratches more easily, it yellows in the sunlight, and it costs A LOT more. My $65 acrylic dome costs $195 to have made out of polycarbonate. Even if I wanted to spend that much, the yellowing and scratching make it impractical for the application. For hail protection, it definitely makes sense to use polycarbonate (although those sheets are super expensive too), since you want the strongest material, and it doesn't need to have perfect optical qualities. Quarter inch acrylic is still very, very strong. I think the dome shape enhances the strength as well compared to sheets of acrylic. The domes are cast acrylic too, rather than extruded, which also contributes to the strength. I've put the dome through golfball to two inch hail without an issue, while the windshield cracked. I'm sure a hit from a softball would probably take it out. I generally avoid hail cores though.
 
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Donovan Gruner said:
Motorized Tripod Head

Just found this. Didn't even know you could get something like that so cheap. I'd probably still end up drilling a small hole in the roof so I'd be able to run a few wires out, and also not have antenna wires, etc. running through windows anymore. A 3/4 inch hole is a lot better than cutting a 10 inch hole in the roof. I like the idea of being directly connected to the head so it would theoretically always work. Not saying the remote control wouldn't work all the time, but I would be more comfortable with a solid line controlling it. Thanks for the heads up!
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There is an easy conversion for that pan/tilt head to make it do 360 degrees. There were no clear instructions on how to do this online so I made a how to page here. Also for anyone using this mount and you want a longer cord, you can just use some rj45 (ethernet) wiring to make it longer. I tried to build a cheap dome, but also one that accomplised everything I wanted it to. So far I think its been a little over $300 not including the camera, because I already had an HD camera to use for this application.

I had seen some video from other dome cameras, but I was not impressed till I saw Skip's videos. I have missed so much potential footage over the years, it would be crazy not to build one. I had alot of good reason to build a dome camera, but the biggest was safety. Not being about to see what the storm was doing while I was driving has bugged me for years and this solves that problem.
 
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