Mounts for mounting cameras in cars.

[Khundon1975]

I was watching some videos on here a few days ago and was wondering where the camera was mounted.
The Videos were Khao Takiab parts 1/2 I think, from BigBoys video postings.

Anyway, I had a ride in a friends car yesterday and he had his (a go pro black + I think) mounted on the drivers headrest. He told me that it gave better results compared to dash mounted cameras, as the seat acted as a better shock absorber, than a rattly dash board.

It was difficult to see where the camera was mounted in the videos but I suspect it was mounted on the seat. Was it BigBoy? and is this mount, the same as yours?

The mount my friend ,is from this company and I'm thinking of sending one to Thailand for my Father in law, as he is into that sort of thing.

Anyone got any thoughts/experience on where is best place to mount a camera inside the car?

http://www.headrestmount.co.uk/#!reviews/cxfz

Mods, please move to photographic thread if you think it would be better there.

[Big Boy]

I'm sorry Don, I was away in Isaan and missed this post. Thank you for your PM, but I think it's better that I post my reply here.

Firstly, yes, the camera is a Go Pro black.

The mounting is one of the basic self adhesive mounts that came with the camera mounted in the centre of the dashboard.

The mounting in your link looks like a good bit of kit, but is set a bit far back for my personal liking i.e. the video is 50% the vehicle you're driving. However, I can relate to the rattly dashboard. My videos are giving me a horrible rattling noise, even when I thought I'd turned the sound off (the rattle doesn't happen in any other video).

Here's a video, which demonstrates the rattle on the drive from the hotel to the outlaw's home in Isaan:

[Khundon1975]

Good video BB

Yes I had thought about the camera position and the problem of the amount of the inside of the car filling the screen.

But a friend of mine I was talking to last night and who owns an aluminum fabrication company, said he will fabricate an attachment rather like the vertical and horizontal sections of the gallows in the game of hangman, including the 45% angled bit, which I will able to connect to the mount.

The plan is, to place the camera directly under the rear view mirror and only an inch or so from the windscreen, which will do away with that problem.

This adaption would be adjustable in the vertical and horizontal, to allow for the need to adjust the system for different cars.
He has a small, mobile, vibration frequency tester, which he fitted fit to my headrest this morning and told me to drive around for a few minutes to record what sort of vibration problems he may have to engineer out when he makes the adapter.

I will have to wait and see what, if anything, he comes up with.


I don't think that rattle on your video is the camera, I think it is you, shaking in your seat at the thought of a visit to the outlaws and causing your teeth to rattle.

[Big Boy]

I've been thinking about you mount Don, and while the headrest mount sounds a good idea, having it extended to just under the mirror could cause a lot of shakiness. I'm no engineer (about as far from an engineer as you could get), but I would guess any small movement you might get at the headrest could be multiplied quite considerably at the point where the camera is mounted.

I'd be very interested to see the results of your camera mounting, especially on a bumpy (Thai style) road.

[Khundon1975]

BigBoy

My thoughts exactly, the further away from the fixed point (headrest) then there is more chance of vibration.

I will know tomorrow, when he comes back to me with the vibration meter results.

We had discussed having a secondary fixing on the rear view mirror mount but that would defeat the object of the headrest mount.

Also my car and more importantly my FIL car, has the style of mirror mount that contains a lot of electronic sensor gismos and getting a secure fixing into it could involve damaging the electronics.

Adding a suction type fitting to the end of the support, so that it could attach to the windscreen may defeat the object, I may as well go for a screen/dash suction mount.

We also discussed a magnetic option, fitting a small but strong magnet to the end of the mount and another to the windscreen, next to or under the mirror but ruled that out as we would, in essence, be defeating the whole object of having the headrest mount and that is reduced vibration when using this product, because the seat acts as a damper for some frequency vibrations.

He is a bit of a boffin and loves a challenge, so, depending on the results he gets from the tests we did, I may give him the car for a week or so and see what he comes up with.

I spoke to another friend this morning, who is an electronic engineer and his take on it was, what if you eliminate the vibration at the source, between the suction device and the camera? well, he lost me right there.

He then explained that noise can be eliminated by recording it, then playing it back and it cancels out the noise. Obviously this is done at high speeds, but modern electronics are more than capable of that.
The two sound waves are in sync and cancel each other out. Result, no noise!
There are systems on the market that do just that.

He said, if we could use electronics to monitor and record the vibrations (the easy part, as there are many products on the market that do that) then why could the recorded vibrations not be used in some way to cancel out each other. After all, sound is only vibration in another form.

The problem, is making the system compact enough, to fit on the dash or window, with a camera attached.
He is going to have a think about it and we will meet up in a few days, share a couple of bottles of wine and discuss it.
I will let you know what, if anything we come up with but don't hold your breath.

[Nereus]

Here's a video, which demonstrates the rattle on the drive from the hotel to the outlaw's home in Isaan:

That sure is a strange noise you have there! If you listen very closely around the first third or so, some voices can also be heard?
I think you can rule out electical interference, as it does not follow the varying speed of the car, as most electrical interfence would be expected to do.

From the Internet it seems that this is a common problem, there being many different reports on various GOPRO forums. The following MAY be the way to go. Although I believe it is on a bike, the problem appears to be the same.
Can you try the camera out of the plastic waterproof housing? Or have someone hand hold it to see if it is better or worse?

http://www.hayabusa.org/forum/general-b ... amera.html

[Khundon1975]

Nereus Interesting. Saw the pics but video would not open in that site, or on YouTube!

I watched BigBoy new video posted today and it still had that noise. Maybe 2 satangs worth of cotton wool may cure it.

[Big Boy]

Yes, I'll try the cotton wool, but don't fancy drilling the holes too much. It would defeat one of the main objects of the GoPro.

My theory was that it was the the case slides into on the holder. There seems to be a lot of play around there, which could be getting transmitted to the camera. As I've said before, it doesn't happen when not in that holder.

I think the cotton wool will do no more than muffle the noise.

[PeteC]

We talked about "gimbles" on the drone thread. I wonder if practical to use as a dash mount as well?

[Nereus]

As I've said before, it doesn't happen when not in that holder.

Erm, no, what you wrote was:

(the rattle doesn't happen in any other video).

I think they are saying that it is a combination of packing and the holes. In another place they talk about a "skeleton" mount that is not enclosed. They also talk about an external microphone.

[Big Boy]

I had to look up gimble to see what it was - thank you Google

For my use, I don't think so. Whether it be car, body or bike mounted, I need it static.

[Big Boy]

As I've said before, it doesn't happen when not in that holder.

Erm, no, what you wrote was:

(the rattle doesn't happen in any other video).

I think they are saying that it is a combination of packing and the holes. In another place they talk about a "skeleton" mount that is not enclosed. They also talk about an external microphone.

OK, I thought I had said that The rattly videos all happened when using that holder,

Yes, I've got a skeleton mount, which is purely changing the waterproof door for the skeleton door (door with 2 big holes in it).

I could put the skeleton door on before using the cotton wool. I'm busy tomorrow, but I'll try Wednesday, and post the results - weather permitting of course.

[Liberty70]

Probably overkill for just general driving around, but I use a ram suction mount on the passenger side window, and a long RAM extension mount, and then ION Air Pro cameras. Bear in mind that the car is very stiffly sprung and there is a little buzz here and there in this example. Camera is waterproof. Let me know if you need any further information - only too happy to help.

[Big Boy]

All info helps. Do you have any photos of the gizmo please?

[Nereus]

"Ram" mounts are good, as they have a rubber ball incorporated into the clamping part, which help stop vibrations. But I think what is happening here could be caused by:

1. You have stated that the mount is "loose", so it could be the source of the noise.
2. The camera housing is sealed and acting like a resonance chamber and amplifing the noise.

You also stated that you thought that you had turned off the microphone, but there are definitely voices on that sound track, so maybe it is not turning off?