KalNet Message Board

Just had a brain storm!
Not sure if it will work, but it is worth a try.
I have 2 720p webcams. We could pop them on to a laptop and put them in a building and run the camera outside on a roof.
We could get hours of footage and we could use wireless and VNC to control them.

I think since the light is good outside we should have no issues. In either case it is worth a shot.
So plan out as many place to put stationary cameras as you can and then Prioritize them where you think they would be best.

I have a 1080p webcam... We don't even need to control them. Just hit record and leave them on all day. Cut out the boring stuff later. You do have those RJ-45 USB extensions right??

I do but they might not work well with high bandwidth devices.
I am just going to put a laptop near it. I dont mind drilling holes to make it work.

Lets figure out the best places to put them and then we can workout wiring.

I actually have two laptops I can donate for this. Both are Gateways. One is a P4 model with a busted hinge and dead hard drive, the other has a busted screen but is complete and works great. The second one is, I think, a fairly old Celeron M model.

Whether they're fast enough to cap 720 or 1080p video I'm not sure. The first one I'd say yes but the second might be too slow. Either way they're up for grabs if they're needed.

Edit: I was sort of right about the first one. Its a 1.6ghz Pentium Dual Core Mobile, which I believe is based on the shameful P4 arch. Specs here:
http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/200 ... Rsp2.shtml

This one needs a hard drive but thats about it. Everything else works, even the screen. The hinge is quite mangled on the left side but if you're gentle you can still close the laptop. These and other parts were all given to me when I used to do IT consulting so I really don't care what you do with them as long as you don't give them back.

eight_ender wrote:I really don't care what you do with them as long as you don't give them back.

That would be awesome. We will find a spot for them and put them to good use!

The second is a Gateway M210:
http://support.gateway.com/s/Manuals/Mobile/8510423.pdf

This thing was a turd even when it left the factory so again I have no idea how this would do encoding 720p video on the fly. Certainly some sort of very minimal XP Lite or Linux distro would be in order.

The second consideration is heat. Both of these laptops have operating temps of 90F max. I don't doubt that they could run at higher temps but if you've got them crunching away encoding video they might overheat. This could be made worse by being stuff up somewhere at the top of a kiln. Another aspect is weather. Ideally we don't have Kalbob climbing up somewhere to place and then fetch these things every match and the video could simply be downloaded from them over wireless or a long ethernet cable. Some sort of weatherproof box would be great but might make heat problems worse.

One of those cheap $10 USB laptop cooler pads glued to the bottom of a small plastic tote with some holes cut in it would probably do the trick. Glue the laptop down inside and run the power and USB out. Then you can just pick them up and move them wherever you'd like.

Great ideas

New viedo posted!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOd_w_5MoIg

Nice.

That camera doesn't do bad at all at 1080p. Impressive.

New glasses camera arrived today! Let the testing/modding begin!

Damn you lol, mine are still stuck at customs!

[PX]Kal Bob wrote:Damn you lol, mine are still stuck at customs!

Strange, considering I ordered mine after you...

Mine was delayed getting the gun rails I ordered.

I just placed an order for the following camera:

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/usb-rechar ... slot-41777

and I have a 25mm mount that it will hopefully fit into.

The camera is the same as Bob's. This will be another interchangeable camera that anyone with rails can use.