Mounting your DVR

[Mr.Jingles]

hi Guys,

I've seen a ton of advice about mounting the cameras - all of it brill - but one thing I can't see to get is any good info on DVRs. Mainly:

1) What do scrutineers want to see / fail on sight?
and
2) What works in practice?

My current thoughts are varying between the following:

1) Some kind of 'one off' backplate mounted to a chassis bar, and then velcroing/somehow bracketing the DVR to that.
2) Same as above, but just bracket on the floor.
3) Using a nylon bag and strapping it to/between chassis bars.

I'm talking about a FF1600 here, so even though the DVR isn't big (9cm by 7cm by 3cm roughly) it has a bit of heft so needs to stay where it's put!

Maybe I'm just over engineering it and velcro is good enough?

Plus waterproofing the thing - happy I can sort the connectors, but it's trying to waterproof the DVR. I think a few ziplock bags would do it, unless it got to monsoon weather? Or do I need to be doing something a bit more special with those diver camera bag thingys?

Any ideas / experiences appreciated on this one!

[Mr.Jingles]

Pretty Please?

No takers at all - surely somebody here has a DVR mounted in a single seater and is willing to share their patented mounting method

[andrewc]

pm tristancliffe - we have a chasecam DVR in our Reynard 883 and it will be transferred to the Dallara 398

[R59]

Velcro backing is a no-no. You can't 100% trust it, even if it's super strength industrial.
In the event of a shunt, you're talking lots of G deceleration, and things that you think are secure will become projectiles hell bent on causing damage/injury.

Make some kind of clamp to hold it in place - two pieces of "z-shaped" alloy, or U-shaped bracket with a strap that holds it in place. When it's snug and firmly held in place, the scrutineers will be happy. If it wobbles, they may well say no.

[tristancliffe]

1) What do scrutineers want to see / fail on sight? They want to see that you've put some thought into fitting it - not just rammed it on the first place it landed with some parcel tape. And they want to see (at least in the UK) a form saying you've got permission to record it.

2) What works in practice? The DVR unit itself should be mounted securely too, but not too securely or you'll just get all the high frequency engine vibrations trying to destroy it. Personally I use a couple of bits of folded aluminium, 4 rubber bobbins on each corner, some velcro, some tiewraps and some rivets. This means the unit is free to move around avoiding shocks, and isolated from vibrations too. Perfect results every time (if you remember to turn it on!).

Choose your DVR carefully - solid state is fine (though cheaper ones give cheaper looking results, so balance cost against quality), but hard drive based recorders are a no no in a single seater. We tried one, and it worked like a charm in the garage. Until I started the engine. And it had nothing to do with interference either...



Make a back plate and attach that to your car. Have it in cross section a bit like the following ASCII art:

---|__________|--- (i.e. four folds, to create raised ends), all rivetted onto the car.

Then make something a bit similar for the DVR unit. Fit the DVR with Velcro and tiewraps (but don't do the tiewraps up too tight).

Then use something like these to join up the base and the top plate. Voila, you have an isolated but secure mount for your DVR. If you can't understand my ASCII art then drop me a PM and I'll do a better picture for you.

Water-proofing - I had mine mounted under my knees, and that kept it pretty dry in most conditions. But a ziploc bag wouldn't do any harm, except that it makes getting the video off the DVR harder, and you're going to have to put some holes in it to get the wires out.

[Mr.Jingles]

Spokily enough, was just about to draft the PM when I saw the reply to this

Thanks guys, useful info. I'd pretty much convinced myself Velcro wasn't going to cut it, so it looks like I am going to have to fab something up.

Anyone tried using a standard waterproof GRP box (like you'd use for electrics) with the IP-rated gromets and everything?

[tristancliffe]

I've thought about, but never got round to bothering. Plus it makes an already bulky object even bulkier, and it'll be even harder to get the card out or connect your cables for viewing. Maybe that's the price to pay for not having it full of water though!

[Mr.Jingles]

I've got this:

http://www.dogcamsport.co.uk/hqr2-mi...cket-dvr-2.htm

So it's not actually that bulky.... well, as much as it could be. But no mounting points to work with.....

I think you can get quite small waterproof boxes - I've also seen the Aquacpac Connected bags, which let you thread cables through and seem almost designed for it. Only gaurentee to seal on wires upto 2.5mm tho, and my camera/LANC cables are chunkier than that!

[tristancliffe]

Am now jealous! I've got a Chasecam PDR100, which is ace, but has a few issues with PAL (nothing too bad though). But that's a nifty looking piece of kit, is small, has a screen, and I want one.

[kjw]

I have been looking for a DVR and that dogcamsport kit looks the business. I going to give them a call.

[Mr.Jingles]

Originally Posted by tristancliffe

Am now jealous! I've got a Chasecam PDR100, which is ace, but has a few issues with PAL (nothing too bad though). But that's a nifty looking piece of kit, is small, has a screen, and I want one.

It's a great piece of kit (caveat: So far. I've only run it in a road car!) and the camera is top stuff.

The screen is handy for lining the camera up, but note - it does NOT do playback! Not a big problem for me, but might be for some people.

the next one 'down' (the H.264 one) was the one I was aiming for as it seems to be as good but cheaper and with playback, but it wasn't in stock so I upgraded myself. EDIT: In fact, looking at the site it looks like they pulled it completely - supply problems?

Oh dear! Credit crunch eh?

P.S. I'm now officially jealous of you! Chasecam have made up an official bracket (http://www.dogcamsport.co.uk/pdr100-...ng-bracket.htm) 50 quid mind, but still!