Live Streaming Dome Cam Construction

[Verne Carlson]

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I have the opportunity to build a second of these and I thought I'd post each step on my blog. If you'd like to follow along you can build your own for this coming chase season. As parts arrive I will be adding new posts and details and post the updates here. If you've seen Skip Talbot's StormLapse DVD you know the awesome perspectives a roof mounted cam can give.

So with that here's what we'll be building:

>> Completed Project Here <<

 

[Skip Talbot]

Neato Verne, the dome cam is definitely a great way to capture the chase, but it comes with its own unique problems and challenges as well. I've found it quite difficult to keep the dirt, bugs, and rain drops off the dome even applying some rain-x like waxes. Its a big enough problem that I'm considering abandoning the dome, or using it in a limited fashion and building something else for this season. The motors and hardware to drive them can also be quite gremlin prone as well. For streaming applications though where the video quality is not as big a priority, I think its a great idea. I see you are using the same servos. What are you using to control them?

The parts list isn't too bad for actually building the enclosure. Here's what I used:

• 18x9x¼” Acrylic dome with square flange from http://www.cleardomes.com/
• Acrylic hinge, squares pieces, cement, and drill bits from http://www.usplastics.com
• Weather sealing, fasteners, and square tubing for mounting are all available at Home Depot

Using an acrylic hinge and base will save you alot of drilling and fastening as you can just chemically weld the parts together. They even have acrylic handles you can weld on, but I found it unnessary as you can easily lift it by the base. I do like the metal trim around the base though.

Just housing a fixed webcam in that enclosure should work fairly well. Adding pan/tilt support involves some motors and the design gets a bit more complicated here, especially when it comes to controlling them:

• Medium duty pan and tilt servo motors from http://servocity.com/html/pan_tilt_roll___accessories.html
• Servo controlers, knob and slider sensors, and interface kit from http://www.phidgets.com
• Plastic project boxes from radio shack
• To connect the components from the dome to the control box I used a DB15 cable and DB15 breakout boards from http://www.winfordeng.com/products/brk15.php

You'll need some software to control the Phidgets, but its very easy to write if you've got some programming experience. This might very well be the most difficult part for those who are not programmers. The hardware based solutions that don't involve tethering to a laptop and software involve using some R/C type joystick controlers. They work, but I believe they make aiming the camera a lot more difficult than having a knob that directly corresponds to the actual direction of the camera as you have to monitor the camera's feed to see where its actually pointing (difficult if you are multitasking).

I can't wait to see the blog, Verne, and hope to get some ideas myself on improvements I can make. If you or anyone else has any questions on how the contraption works, let me know as I'd love to collaborate.

 

[Verne Carlson]

Thanks Skip - I was hoping you'd jump on the thread and add to the discussion! My version is controlled by a hand paddle joystick so no special boards or programming are required. Since it is for live streaming and you will have a view of the camera on your laptop I have made this one so that it can continuously rotate 360 by having the wires route through the center axle. One other thing that I am really excited about is that it mounts in a standard ski rack. You can leave it in the car until you reach your target and then mount it. It locks in place with a key for security and when you are done for the day you can throw it back in the backseat of the car!

So here we go with >> Step 1 <<

 

[Jason Foster]

I will read up on this. Idea for others as a consideration I had for myself (granted I wasn't going to build for a while), if you have a sunroof, you might be able to build the bottom plate to fit in with a lip or some other feature. Just make sure it is clamped tight for the wind load.

Not having read Verne's stuff yet, one thing on my idea was to provide a 'wiper' of sorts. For the most part the dome will shed water quickly, but for me, winter is a major component and snow is more of a problem.

Another thing I planned on, that see in the photo, which may or may not be a problem, is securing the wires and making sure they are bundled and given enough slack. Depending on the set-up, considering a bracket/reinforcement screwed into the camera is a plus. I haven't found the firewire and/or USB ports to be reliable enough to trust the connect to be steady if a lot of rotation is occurring. Just be sure you know what's inside the camera and there is clearance underneath.

 

[Jerry Prsha]

I've found it quite difficult to keep the dirt, bugs, and rain drops off the dome even applying some rain-x like waxes. Its a big enough problem that I'm considering abandoning the dome, or using it in a limited fashion and building something else for this season.

I know he folks who broadcast NASCAR have some type of rotating acrylic that spins and cleans the debris off the camera continually.

Just an idea...

 

[Skip Talbot]

So here we go with >> Step 1

If you got a dome with a square flange, could you skip getting a second sheet, cutting it, and fastening it to the dome? Perhaps welding the pieces together might work for the two pieces instead of fasteners?

 

[Skip Talbot]

I know he folks who broadcast NASCAR have some type of rotating acrylic that spins and cleans the debris off the camera continually.

Just an idea...

Yeah, I've heard of this and pondered it. I think the extra hardware needed would vastly complicate the setup though. There would also be an obstruction where you mounted it. If you panned the camera straight back your view would be blocked by the wiper blades or whatever.

 

[Verne Carlson]

If you got a dome with a square flange, could you skip getting a second sheet, cutting it, and fastening it to the dome? Perhaps welding the pieces together might work for the two pieces instead of fasteners?

That would be the best. In fact this is the setup I was looking for but opted for off the shelf components to keep the cost down. If I could get a good cheap quote on a small batch of these, it would be ideal.

 

[Verne Carlson]

Yeah, I've heard of this and pondered it. I think the extra hardware needed would vastly complicate the setup though. There would also be an obstruction where you mounted it. If you panned the camera straight back your view would be blocked by the wiper blades or whatever.

I'm thinking of doing something with compressed air.

 

[Skip Talbot]

I'm thinking of doing something with compressed air.

I've thought about that too, but I'm not sure how I could get the jet of air to cover the entire surface area of the dome. Its quite a big area actually, and the rain is a problem on all sides not just the front. I'm also not sure if I'd like to cart a tank of compressed air around either though. I'd love to see this implemented though and how well it works.

 

[James Hammett]

I'm thinking of doing something with compressed air.

And I'm working on doing something with washer fluid spray AND a spinning lens filter. I thought about going the compressed air route but figured the spinning lens would take care of precip and there would be times a liquid spray could be useful to blast off gravel dust and such. Remains to be seen how practical my scheme will be though.

 

[Johnathan Brouwer]

Verne, as you may remember from chasercon, here is my dome originally designed 2 years ago, went with a smaller surface area and a ptz low profile cam. Seems to work good, found I need to stop every now and then and hit with a disposable ranix wipe to keep clean and free of bugs...

 

[Jim Parsons]

Here is a spinning lens filter to check out.... http://www.innovision-optics.com/prod/spintec.shtml