Camera car gets new camera

[Zox]

I've spent a bit of time this week setting up a new, "interference free" 900MHz camera for DODX 1603, the Advanced Video Camera Support System (AVCSS), also known as my N-scale camera car.

Note: there may be an actual DODX 1603, but since the AVCSS theoretically dates back to the late 40s or early 50s, I'm going to claim priority.

Here's a few of the stages in the work, if anyone else is contemplating a similar project.

The unmodified camera, removed from its supplied mounting bracket.


The insides of the camera. The plastic bracket must be unscrewed on the inside of the case (you'll need a skinny screwdriver) before the radio board can be pulled out.


Here, I've extended the wires between the camera and radio boards, and hardwired a 9-volt battery clip.


The camera is now mounted on the "sled" that fits over the articulation points on the camera car. The previous 2.4GHz camera and sled is behind the new unit.


The camera car, assembled and ready for action. (Well, it would be if it had a battery in it, and I had somewhere to test-run it.)


For the curious:
Length, 98 scale feet (not including coupler)
Height, 17 scale feet
Width, 10.5 scale feet (general), 12 scale feet (at camera)

So it fits the AAR Plate F loading gauge, except for being 14 inches over width at the camera.

[Arob]

Cool.... Do you have any test footage from the previous car.  Why did you change the camera out in the first place?

-Arob

[up1950s]

Cool.... Do you have any test footage from the previous car.  Why did you change the camera out in the first place?

-Arob

Here ya go , its in this thread .
http://therailwire.net/smf/index.php/topic,17026.0.html

[Zox]

Cool.... Do you have any test footage from the previous car.  Why did you change the camera out in the first place?

As up1950s says, there's a link to a YouTube video in the other thread.

You'll note that there's a lot of interference in the video, and this seems to become worse with each show. My best guess is that it's because of the proliferation of devices (WiFi networking, headsets, etc.) in the 2.4 GHz band, which is where that camera also operates. (Does anyone know what band(s) the various wireless DCC systems use?)

This new camera operates in the 900 MHz band, which is still used for remote-control cars, but that's about all. (A lot of the things that used to be at 900 MHz have moved to the 2.4 or 5.8 GHz bands.) The maker of the camera (SecurityMan) advertises it as a "WiFi Interference Free" camera.

My hope is that the radio environment at 900 MHz will be a bit friendlier, and interference will be less of an issue.

Fixing the lousy trackwork on some of the modules is another issue entirely...  :

[DKS]

My hope is that the radio environment at 900 MHz will be a bit friendlier, and interference will be less of an issue.

Interference also comes from other sources that are not strictly frequency-dependent. Rick and I found that locos passing through some turnouts or other tricky trackwork cause bursts of interference, suggesting that poor track conduction creates "splattering" of brief broadband RF bursts that will screw up the image every time. We found that putting several idler cars between the loco and the cam car can help a little, but cleaning the track, fixing the turnouts, and using a smooth-running loco helps the most.