Tornado GT40 in Texas

[Peter G-Pete Fritsche]

A little more research on that matter rear view camera got me to this. A rear view mirror with two cameras. One for the front and one for the rear. Not only you can see what is going on on your six - it records it in a loop. A G sensor locks the recording after an impact on the vehicle.
AT880 4.3 inch 1080P HD Car Rearview Mirror Camcorder-94.94 and Free Shipping| GearBest.com

 

[Ian Anderson]

Long time no updates

How's it coming along Bob?

Ian

 

[Dr. Bob Woods]

Ian,

Thanks for asking. Here's my story:

I had some minor surgery in March. Now don't worry about me I'm totally recovered now and it was minor; however, my wife says that there is no such thing as "minor" surgery. She also says that after surgery, your body takes as much energy as it needs to heal; if there is any left over, you can have some. Well, there wasn't much left over for about 3 months! Again, not to worry, I'm fine.

Now that the energy is back, I have been urgently working on the car instead of posting my progress. I have a lot to report. I am going on vacation in about a week and I plan to catch up at that time (while I can't work on the car!).

Since I have made a lot of progress, I will start reporting it daily. It will be like my hero Clayton who didn't post anything until he was finished with his car and then posted daily which made it sound like he was very busy from day to day. He had such good ideas and I tried to keep up with him, but he shot ahead and made it look like he built the whole car in a few weeks. I'm not that far along, but I do have some interesting developments which I will start posting in about a week.

-Bob Woods

 

[Howard Jones]

Doc, I am urgently interested in your rear view camera saga. I NEED a set up for my SLC. I have been waiting until somebody really figures out a solution. I am with you on this. It shouldn't be all that big of a deal but there must not be a very big market for this because if there was it is a pretty low tech/cost problem and should be a no brainer for a video camera company.

The good news is that the costs are coming down on a weekly basis. Maybe that's the problem. No money in a solution.

Oh......glad to hear you are OK.

 

[Gary Sharapata]

I was wondering why you have been so quiet. Glad to hear you are back....Have a great vacation.

 

[Ian Anderson]

Bob

Good to hear you are on the mend

Ian

 

[Dr. Bob Woods]

Rear View Camera

I did buy a Mobius. It is true HD and has features similar to a GoPro; however, the infra-structure is not as well developed. It can be used as a video recorder. The low-light recording is not as good as a GoPro. I bought mine on eBay for $58 including the video output cable adapter. Incredible price.

It can be used just as a camera. They sell an adapter cable that has a USB power input and a video and audio output cables. When you power the device on it automatically turns the video on. Therefore, you could get a 5 volt USB adapter for your 12 volt car and have the video come on as soon as you turn on the key.

I have already removed the rear clip section to take to the painter for paint prep (oops, I just let the cat out of the bag for a future post...) so I didn't actually mount the Mobius in the thin slot at the top of the rear clip as I have done with the Boyo cameras. However, I think it will fit, but I would need to develop a mounting hardware to secure it.

I have re-investigated 25:8 video monitors for cars. There are several new offerings, but they all seem to be based on the Hitachi monitor that is in the Tview and thus don't have a very good resolution (800 x 240 RGB). I still don't want a 16:9 monitor, but that might be better to have true HD (if you could find a HD rear view camera!).

Where I stopped in my last post #192 on page 10 was the Boyo 420 on the Tview RV808 as shown in the first photo below. The second photo is the Mobius on the Tview. Notice that the colors are much better on the Mobius and it has a better resolution; however the automatic exposure control almost blacked out the inside of the garage. The weak link is again the Tview. The third photo is the Mobius recording played back through the computer monitor, much better resolution and contrast.

Now the bad news, the lens on the standard Mobius is slightly wider than some of the others; however, you can evidently get different lenses so that is not a factor. The really bad news is that you cannot mirror the image on the screen. I think to work well as a rear view camera, you need to have the screen mirrored as you are accustomed to in an actual rear view mirror. This is the deal killer for me.

I fail to understand why I can't buy a HD rear view camera and a HD 25:8 monitor for automotive use. They say that 640 x 480 is standard for a backup camera. I know that several of the new cars are coming out with rear view cameras and monitors, so It is just a matter of time before we can get improved rear view cameras and monitors.

Ok, so I'm stuck with the Boyo 420 and the Tview RV808. So I built a bracket to hold the monitor. The bracket is mounted with rivet nuts in the roof. In this position, it is less intrusive on the forward view than an actual rear view mirror would be. These automotive monitors are designed to clip onto an existing mirror, so they have a spring-loaded clamp on the back side. I had to trim one of the tabs down so the monitor could fit against the ceiling of the roof. The next photo is the monitor mounted on the roof. Since the roof is composed of two layers of fiberglass, I was able to run the video cable between the two sections of the ceiling to the back of the cockpit so it cannot be seen.

Sorry for the bad photo quality. Let me know if you find any better equipment...

-Bob Woods

 

[Randy V]

Thanks for all the data points Bob...
I can't help but wonder if there is a simple change which can be made to make the image reverse?

 

[Bill Musarra]

Randy,
There are only 2 ways to do that(change the function). One is built into the monitor(most have a button on the face of the monitor) and the other is to add a chip to the line to the camera the size of plugins on computer boards.

Bill

 

[Dr. Bob Woods]

Randy,

I found one for $600...

-Bob Woods

 

[Randy V]

Hmmmm... I just installed a combined wireless backup camera / GPS Nav unit from Garmin in my truck with 40' fifth wheel camper.
Not real high resolution, but works great. Since the transmitter is a separate unit from the camera, it may be able to take a higher resolution camera input if needed. The 7" Garmin screen has graphics that well exceed the 640x480 resolution of the camera - so maybe....
The model is Garmin 760LMT with backup camera. I purchased from GPSCity.com via their eBay store for $409 including a 50' extenstion cable to get the transmitter closer to the front of the trailer.
Here is a sample pic (poor as this was a very bright and sunny day)...

 

[Randy V]

Here's a screen shot of my jpg that my iPad would not allow me to upload earlier..

 

[Clayton]

Good to see you're back in action Bob.
Have a great holiday and I'll be looking forward to your updates.

Clayton

 

[Rick Merz]

Bob,
Which one did you find?

 

[Joseph Alesnik MD]

Bob, any updates or current build photos? It has been a while.

 

[Dr. Bob Woods]

Joseph,

I have made a lot of progress. Right now the body parts are out to paint. Engine is about to go in. I just seem to spend what time I have to make progress on the car instead of writing posts. I do plan to document all of my progress in the next few weeks. I do have some good information and progress. Sorry for the delays.

-Bob Woods

 

[Peter G-Pete Fritsche]

We kept Bob from working on his car on Saturday - not all Bob's fault...

 

[Peter G-Pete Fritsche]

Now Bob what is the scoop? What have you done and how far are you?

Here comes my motivational Poster for you...
..

 

[Dr. Bob Woods]

Ok Pete, I've been silent for too long... I do have my progress documented and will post full updates soon; however, I am in a big push to finish a few things so I can start final assembly. And yes, your photo is inspirational.

I have test fitted the engine for the plumbing and throttle. I have all of the body parts back from paint except for the rear deck. I have completed the plumbing for the radiator, heater, vacuum for boosters, and A/C. I am almost through with the brake and clutch plumbing as well as the fuel plumbing.

As soon as I finish the plumbing I will finish the wiring. I have the wiring harness provided by Tornado, but some circuits I don't need and I will have to add several circuits that are not in the harness. I haven't started on the wiring for the ECU yet.

I have had the entire car together with doors slamming before I disassembled it for paint. Now with it naked I want to finish the plumbing, wiring, and other things before I put the body back on. Once I finish these things, most of the other parts have been pre-fitted so final assembly will hopefully go fast.

Full reports to follow soon.

-Bob Woods

 

[Randy V]

Looking good Bob!

You may want to consider installing a breather tank and running a pair of -8 or -10 hoses to it. The breathers you show on the valve covers don't look sufficient and if they start wheezing oil, you stand the risk of fire.