# Having fun with a keychain camera, In-cab videos



## afinegan (Jan 2, 2008)

I taped my keychain camera on the back of my livesteam coal-fired ruby for a high speed (thunder mountain railroad like) run around my new track.(yes the engine can run slower but I was having a bit of fun







)


The keychain is small enough to fit in a cab of one of our locomotives (tape it there somehow) and take a video of how it would be to run the engine from the cab (or inside a car or anywhere, its vERY small)
I bought the keychain from this ebay guy from hongkong, great deal for such a small video camera. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....0379878289

If you want one you will have to look for another posting since this ebay posting is expired. 


Cons: cant remove the yellow date out of the camera screen, yet I can set the date and time to be right (in the videos, date and time are wrong) 


Ride on the back 


Ride out the front window on firemans side (this is INSIDE the an accucraft rubys cab, camera is very small)



Ride behind the engineers seat 



I did take a video of my starting coal-fired engine up but that didn't come out (so Ill have to do it again sometime)
I am bringing this keychain camera to diamondhead this year if anyone wants to toy with it for fun.


I know Ill be there at least wednesday,thurs,fri,sat (I am trying to figure out a way to go longer though)


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## rkapuaala (Jan 3, 2008)

Sweet


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## dwegmull (Jan 2, 2008)

Nice! What type of camera are you using? 
I guess you just invented the flat roller coaster!


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## afinegan (Jan 2, 2008)

This generic keychain camera from an ebay seller in hong kong, it doesnt really have a name lol










make sure you scroll down
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....0379878289


I bought it because it was light and I was photographing inflight videos on my remote control airplane (not posting vid here cause too off topic)
Can see those videos in my youtube channel
http://www.youtube.com/user/drx630#p/u


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## rwjenkins (Jan 2, 2008)

Wow, I just watched a couple of your flight videos too. The picture quality is really pretty amazing considering how small and how cheap these things are. I had been toying with the idea of building a camera car with a radio-controlled camera mount and half a passenger car body on it so I could shoot on-board videos where you're "looking around" from "inside the train" instead of my usual camera-on-flatcar footage. With one of these little cameras there's no real need for the special car, you can put it in pretty much anything!


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## fkrutzke (Jan 24, 2008)

The real WOW is the ordering of two for the total price of $26.00 and change including shipping. 

Torry


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

One on order, should be interesting to include cabin views of future runs


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## fkrutzke (Jan 24, 2008)

Andrew: 

What size ( capacity ) memory cards are you using. The recording time seems to be more than adequate for the camera size. 

Torry


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## blueregal (Jan 3, 2008)

Here's the link to the site where this guy is selling looks like less than $14 shipped for free too!! May have to get one too! RegalSpy Key Chain Camera Video Recorder DVR Camcorder Mini on eBay (end time 18-Jan-10 10:37:29 GMT)


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## Ora Banda (Jan 2, 2008)

That's really neat, Andrew... 

What is also impressive is that there is no pressure variation showing on the gauge throughout the run (video 3). You must have that coal fired set-up working just right. Nice !


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## David_DK (Oct 24, 2008)

Hi Andrew 

Very good info. The pictures/film are just right  
Thanks for the links. 

Regards 

David


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## afinegan (Jan 2, 2008)

The max micro sd card this will take is an 8 gig, 8 gigs nets you 2 hours of video, The battery in it lasts only about 1 hour so a 4 gig micro sd card should be plenty, you mileage will vary, once in a blue moon it will lock up and you need to reset the device through the reset plug (with a paperclip). 


I have a 4 gig micro sd card in it
The one I posted is the 720X480 at 30fps version (some have lesser specs so keep an eye out) 


Now for some instructions to jott down when you get your camera, its in engrish so the guys in the model airplane forum had to figure it out, lucky for you, I have them right here.Keep in mind there are some variations of this same camera out there, but the one where you have to insert a micro sd card should work with these instructions 

--==Keychain Camera Instructions in english==--


To set the date and time correctly, please do the following:


Open "notpad" from within windows,
copy and paste the following (in a blank notepad)



[date]
2009/12/11
8:32:00


Change items accordingly -- USE MILITARY TIME

save the file as "TAG" -- normal notepad file(.txt)

drop this new file in the root of the camera ----(do not put it in a folder, as soon as you open the camera drive -- put it there)

unplug the camera, shut it off and restart it -- the date will now be correct. You will have to do this everytime you remove the media card :0) 
---- no reason to remove the card tho as it comes with a usb dongle ---





On to the operation of the camera:

the bottom 2 buttons are fake and for looks only


the top 2 control the camera and work as follows:

the lower of the 2 is the on and off button.
the upper takes still images or starts the video recording.





TO TAKE PICTURES:

Turn camera on by pushing and holding the lower button of the top group. 
A amber light will show ---- simply push the top button everytime you want a still picture.



TO TAKE VIDEO

Turn camera on by pushing and holding the lower button of the top group.
A amber light will show ---- press and hold the top button until the amberlight flashes three times, the light will go out (spycam remember:0) and you are recording vido -- click the top button to stop and auto save the vid.





TO RETRIEVE PICS / VIDS:

plug into an available usb and wait for the pc to read it and ask wht you would like to do -- usually "open folder to view files" 





Now I just need to use a block or something to get the position just right for looking out the front window of some of my engines, maybe the shay will be next


P.S. I cannibalized my other ruby (old eccentrics on coal-fired ruby were worn out!) and got my coal fired engine to run perfect, the exhaust alone will keep the fire blazing hot (dumping my water out the blow off valve in the process and not allowing the water pump to keep up), I have to slow the engine down to lessen the cylinder exhaust, not a bad thing!







Good job DJB! (boilermaker)


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## StevenJ (Apr 24, 2009)

Do you always keep it running at 40 psi? No wonder it runs and pulls so well! Wish mny butane Ruby could do that but the pressure keeps dropping as it runs. Hope to see it at Tradewinds, some day.


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## afinegan (Jan 2, 2008)

This ruby has a different boiler and the pressure is set to blow off 60 psi (as per the boiler cert from DJB, says running pressure 60psi), 

I try NOT to have it blow off because the water pump cant keep up if its constantly popping off(this engine uses a lot more water than a stock ruby) 

What is weird on this engine is 1/2 a sight glass of water means full (any more and water comes out of the stack), the reason I haven't posted my other videos, the water is always sitting at 1/4 height on the sight glass (unless a bubble is sitting on the bottom - thankfully it has a sight glass purge). I wonder if the bolt from the steam turret is longer than it needs to be or the plug is long, I don't know (will take a look at it tonight) 

I will be at diamondhead 12-16 and driving home on the 17th, so Ill miss run-day(at tradewinds and atlantic) in Jan also, arrg, BUT I do think we have a fun run on Jan 30 in which I WILL be there. I will also try to make it to workday the saturday before run week


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## HMeinhold (Jan 2, 2008)

I ordered one right away. It is already in transit. Thanks for the tip! BTW, can you suppress the date by loading blanks? 
Regards


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## afinegan (Jan 2, 2008)

They haven't figured out how to suppress the date in the airplane forums yet, the forum is 102 pages long.. (the forum has many cameras though)

doh

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1115052


(and yes im bored at work staring at the forum every few mins lol)


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Very nice - loved the "thunder Mountain" ride!


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By StevenJ on 31 Dec 2009 09:23 AM 
Do you always keep it running at 40 psi? No wonder it runs and pulls so well! Wish mny butane Ruby could do that but the pressure keeps dropping as it runs. Hope to see it at Tradewinds, some day. Steve
There is a thread many moons ago about mods to the safety to all the engine upwards to 60 PSI as we have run ours for years. The mods were basically stretching the spring and adding washers to a longer screw.

This allowed for more steam pressure. Might be able to find in the older archive threads.


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## Les (Feb 11, 2008)

Andrew,

Absolutely fascinating!


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## trainmax (Feb 16, 2008)

Wow thats like cool! I had to order one. Hope it gets here before DH


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## Britstrains (Feb 24, 2008)

I just ordered one. I hope it arrives in time for cabin fever.


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## Bill4373 (Jan 3, 2008)

I bought a 4GB memory card at Wal-Mart for $17.88. (more for the card than the camera)

.


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