Thread: Night Vision in Car

Originally Posted by Scouse Monkey

just wear these when driving: http://www.cobra-optics.co.uk/images/wirl.jpg

You'd be mistaken for a terrorist

Originally Posted by Scouse Monkey

it's ok, i dont drive round with a towel on my head!

(thats gonna get me in trouble 0l33l stylee)

Reported! I also PMed DJx and Eskalade.




jk

Originally Posted by Scouse Monkey

I just watched Team America. Couldnt help myself!

I wanted to test how the camera would perform if the signal needed to travel more than the 1" red/yellow/black wires that connect it to the main board. It worked perfectly, and means the CCD board can be relocated with the lens pretty much anywhere in the car.

I ran some 18 gauge service wire (3 copper twisted) and basically spliced 15 feet of wire between the boards. I put the mount I made for behind the grille (yes my $1.00 paperclip holder) in another room of the house and took a few stills running it through the PC. Pics below. Top pic is zero lights, totally dark. Middle is with an over head light on (not the lamp, it is off) and the last pic was with the IRs only from one of the other NiteMax cameras next to my grille enclosure.

The front of the camera lens is 15.5 feet away from the lamp.

So for those of you that want to relocate the CCD board and have the display shown on a separate LCD, especially if you are putting the lens up near the rearview mirror where space and safety is a concern, here are my suggestions:

Rather than gut the NiteMax down and try to hard wire it to the DC, the simplest solution is to take apart the camera body and remove the CCD board (4 screws). Cut the red/yellow/black wires in half and splice in enough wire for your mounting location. Get a CS threaded mount that attaches to the board (Mark has them, and they are a ***** to remove from the Nitemax body). Run your RCA cable from the video out to your monitor, and power it with a 12v regulated PS (or if your feeling lucky, 12V from the cig lighter) to the DC IN using a "C" power plug from Radio Shack (4.7mm OD 1.7mm ID). OR, you could, get one of the 12v fake batteries from Mark and hardwire +/- through the 2 leads in there.

I disconnected the IR board, since they me do no good under the seat, and would recommend disconnecting the LCD (cut the pink/white wires right at the source on the main board, and/or disconnect the ribbon cable) while you have it apart, it throws off alot of heat.

By doing this, you can mount the camera lens in one location and keep the rest of the Nitemax in tact. If you ever wanted to go back to using the camera like it was intended, restoring it is simple.

Originally Posted by 0l33l

Haven't gotten my lens yet, so I don't know. I got a 2.8mm one with a 130deg angle and its f1.2

Cool. Where?

Originally Posted by shotgunefx

Cool. Where?

Hour of comparing items on ebay.

130º
85º 36’

Originally Posted by 0l33l

Hour of comparing items on ebay.

130º
85º 36’

Thanks. Good find. I was doing that the other day (hence telling you to look on ebay), but I was looking at board camera lenses and all the ones I found were F-2

Given the price and shallowness of the lens, me thinks I'm going to just stick with the CS-Mount. Be easier that way anyway.