Project NiteVision - NiteMax + HUD + carputer - Page 10

shotgunefx · 04-29-2006, 06:34 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by Genesisfactor

and the outside view is undistorted? I'll have to get privacy film too.

You mean from the film or the windshield? Eitherway the answer is no, though I haven't done any day time experimentation with it yet.

shotgunefx · 04-29-2006, 06:36 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by jammy_basturd

Found the following on the above linked website. Just thinking out loud, I spose using them would be a bit too advanced for most?

http://www.goldmine-elec-products.co...?number=G13751

Interesting find. Don't know how I missed that. I got a bunch of odds and ends, don't remember seeing that though.

jammy_basturd · 04-29-2006, 07:25 AM

So they could be usuable?? I think I found an even smaller one on there as well. IIRC, from when I read a 'How things work' guide the image is split into R G B and then shone at those mirrors? So we'd still have to find something to project the image?

NiteMax Mark · 04-29-2006, 11:41 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by jammy_basturd

So they could be usuable?? I think I found an even smaller one on there as well. IIRC, from when I read a 'How things work' guide the image is split into R G B and then shone at those mirrors? So we'd still have to find something to project the image?

These are used in "DLP" Projection TVs and other Projectors. There's only one of them and a bright white bulb as the light source. Between the white light source and the chip is a RGB color wheel that spins very fast. The projector synchronizes itself to this wheel and "turns on" the pixels for each color as theat color is being created by the color wheel. In this way, the one (normally) expensive sensor can use an inexpensive white light bulb to create full-color images.

jammy_basturd · 04-29-2006, 12:04 PM

Ahhhh, so it really would take some work to produce a HUD using one!

NiteMax Mark · 04-29-2006, 12:11 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by jammy_basturd

Ahhhh, so it really would take some work to produce a HUD using one!

Instead of trying to figure out how to drive the MEMS display, you can start with the NiteMax LCD -- you'll have a fully functional color video display. With a little care, the back-light can carefully removed from the LCD itself. With the back-light removed you'll have the equivalent of a electronically controlled "slide" because you can actually see through it. Build up the optics as if you were building an overhead projector and you'll have a working projection system for cheap.

shotgunefx · 04-29-2006, 09:07 PM

I'm with Mark. It's interesting, but I'll bet it would be 100 times harder to figure out how those work without datasheets (nevermind the other stuff to get it working, and it says they might be scratched or broken).

In other news, found a cheap fresnel 3X magnifier at CVS for $2.

TomG · 05-01-2006, 06:11 AM

well I haven't contributed much to this yet but I've been working silently in the background

I've got a system set up as follows now:

one Nitemax body with the image on the screen flipped horizontally.
one switch on the body to power on and off the CCD(s) so the video out becomes video in.
two CCDs connected via a selector switch and both mounted externally along with a single set of IR LEDs.
one of the CCDs is a standard B+W one and will be used for forward facing night vision, the other is a colour one with its image flipped onboard so it appears the correct way round on the screen
the switch will be replaced with one in the gearbox or at least linked to the one already there so that when reverse is selected, the colour camera is selected and as the image has been flipped twice, the image will appear the correct way round when used as a HUD.
The video in is connected to a car pc so I can switch over to sat nav display on the HUD, this is switchable to an output and that goes into a capture card which in turn goes to the pc.
I will hopefully find a way of overlaying the sat nav on to the night vision video feed so I can get night vision and sat nav on the HUD simultaneously, but I'm currently having problems getting the damn capture card to work at all

One question though, when the PC data is displayed on the 2.5" LCD, it is B+W. I know the screen is fine as it displays colour from the colour CCD as well as from my digital camera as a source and a VCR. Why is it doing this and can it be fixed? I've tried all the range of TV signals (and in turn frequencies) to no avail.

ta

Genesisfactor · 05-01-2006, 06:35 AM

I too have been thinking about the simulatneous display, esp after meeting with alti at the NYC meet yesterday afternoon (i feed off smart people, jk jk). Have you tried getting a transperancy program? I've used them with MSN Messenger (msnplus, good stuff!). Basically, you want the iguidance to be the one that is in focus, so it should be on top and mre transperant. Keep it in night mode (black is most transperant). I'll take a screen shot of what i'm saying later on in the day.

What TV capture card are you using? So it displays data from the color CCD in color from the computer in B&W, but color only from a direct feed?

shotgunefx · 05-01-2006, 08:07 AM

Ok. Did some playing. I found an even better way to mount the front camera.

Instead of mounting it to the mirror mount, I added a 2" tab to the top of the camera, sticking out backwards.

Then I just slid it right under the headliner. Perfect.

Still some problems to work out. The cameras are just to damn sensitive and it's not compensating enough.

Couple notes.
Shot this morning about 6:30am. All vids are Divx encoded. You can normally see some glare from the dash, but even more noticable though the camera.

You can see in this first vid, how bright the headlights appear, even in daylight.

Front Cam 1 - 5897 KB

Front Cam 2 - 6238 KB

Front Cam 3 - 6953 KB

A couple minutes after these vids, it got very overcast and oddly enough, it kills the picture. Totally drowns it out. The next vid illustrates this. I'll have to play with some of the pins on the camera and expirement with the gain controls again.

The first few seconds are of my original (and expensive) SAVV backup cam. You can see how noisy and unbalanced the pic is at night.

Front Cam 4 - 3994 KB

alti · 05-01-2006, 09:05 AM

thanks for the vids, shotgun, they really help.

The headlights are distrubingly bright, and the proplems with glare on the windshield is apparent. I am starting to think that it might be a good idea to start investigating how to mount the camera on the front of the vehicle.

alti · 05-01-2006, 09:07 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by TomG

well I haven't contributed much to this yet but I've been working silently in the background

I've got a system set up as follows now:

one Nitemax body with the image on the screen flipped horizontally.
one switch on the body to power on and off the CCD(s) so the video out becomes video in.
two CCDs connected via a selector switch and both mounted externally along with a single set of IR LEDs.
one of the CCDs is a standard B+W one and will be used for forward facing night vision, the other is a colour one with its image flipped onboard so it appears the correct way round on the screen
the switch will be replaced with one in the gearbox or at least linked to the one already there so that when reverse is selected, the colour camera is selected and as the image has been flipped twice, the image will appear the correct way round when used as a HUD.
The video in is connected to a car pc so I can switch over to sat nav display on the HUD, this is switchable to an output and that goes into a capture card which in turn goes to the pc.
I will hopefully find a way of overlaying the sat nav on to the night vision video feed so I can get night vision and sat nav on the HUD simultaneously, but I'm currently having problems getting the damn capture card to work at all

One question though, when the PC data is displayed on the 2.5" LCD, it is B+W. I know the screen is fine as it displays colour from the colour CCD as well as from my digital camera as a source and a VCR. Why is it doing this and can it be fixed? I've tried all the range of TV signals (and in turn frequencies) to no avail.

ta

awsome, do you have any pics??? I would love to see what it looks like.

I dont have an answer to your question unfortunatly, I have not not tried to use the nitemax screen to display anything other then the output of the camera.

shotgunefx · 05-01-2006, 09:17 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by alti

thanks for the vids, shotgun, they really help.

The headlights are distrubingly bright, and the proplems with glare on the windshield is apparent. I am starting to think that it might be a good idea to start investigating how to mount the camera on the front of the vehicle.

To be fair, I don't think with a stock dash you'd have nearly as much problems.

Mine is quite shiny the way I finished it.

I've tried two of the Nitemax Ultra CCDs and they are both the same concerning light brightness. I might try a lens with a higher F-stop. Or maybe give a polarizer I shot. I think of something..

Genesisfactor · 05-01-2006, 09:22 AM

Hehe, just watched htree and was half expecting you to blow that stop sign

Have no idea why though. I have to agree with alti. Though in the daylight this is probably more apparent, its too apparent.

See, i wanted to have it installed at the bottom of my windshield at the corners to try to prevent this. However, you don't get a great view of the road other than the road ahead. And hell i want to see the squirrel just before i run it over (jk jk).

My car is black, so i can pretty much mount it whereever with less chance of anything being seen, but the two BEST exterior places is in the front lip where people cut out for headlights, but knowing me, its definitely going to get damaged or dislodged, plus i want something a little higher, or in the grill, which i'm not too keen on doing either

EDIT: (at the pic above) Well that could explain it... Would a polarizer be a good choice for a low light camera though?

shotgunefx · 05-01-2006, 09:36 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by Genesisfactor

Hehe, just watched htree and was half expecting you to blow that stop sign

Have no idea why though. I have to agree with alti. Though in the daylight this is probably more apparent, its too apparent.

See, i wanted to have it inwtalled at the bottom of my windshield at the corners to try to prevent this. However, you don't get a great view of the road other than the road ahead. And hell i want to see the squirrel just before i run it over (jk jk).

My car is black, so i can pretty much mount it whereever with less chance of anything being seen, but the two BEST exterior places is in the front lip where people cut out for headlights, but knowing me, its definitely going to get damaged or dislodged, plus i want something a little higher, or in the grill, which i'm not too keen on doing either

EDIT: (at the pic above) Well that could explain it... Would a polarizer be a good choice for a low light camera though?

It also looks faster than it is due to the lens I think. 40mph was about the fastest I was going in any of those.

Funny though, in 3, that corner, half way around the park, is a really tight turn. Everything in my trunk flew to the other side. In the video, it doesn't look tight at all.

As far as cutting down the light, I dunno, it's damn sensitive.

Look at the previous post with the night shot.

Even the traffic signals which are fairly dim and directional look like novas.