ok so I have made a dash camera mount. its in prototype 2 stage as I call it. (finished but rough would do it nicer if I sold it.) Its a 1st gen only thing and rock solid with pan/tilt/swivel and on off in seconds. It sits dead center on the hump at the back edge of the dash. I have a vendor (probably 2) that would sell it for me. The question I have is do I make some? I don't want to go and whip up a dozen and stick a vendor/friend with crap nobody wants. picture with mini dv camcorder (the rear support might not be on the production piece) The mount I use is a pencil camera mount but will hold pretty much any camera. So is there interest, and do I leave the support arm (with my ass heavy camera it actually acts as a shock absorber/stabilizer) and let people who don't want it dremel it off?
maybe you could include the support with instructions on how to attach it if desired. Looks cool... unfortunately I have a 2nd gen. But, your design is food for thought on making my own.
Looks cool, I don't think I'd have any need for it but I know a lot of people that might so a small production run at a reasonable price should sell.
I might include it with instruction for raising/lowering it it can always be removed. the mount is made from a single sheet cut and thermo formed absolutely Dustin from autoxcooper borrowed mine for a track day at Road America and reported back no problems. He has a pencil type camera. I have tossed my car and camera above around with no issues except that one time I didn't tighten the swivel enough and the camera canted a few degrees right for a bit. :blush2:
So it is a snap-on for the R50/R53. What would you need to modify for the R56/R55/R57 crowd? Looks sturdy, I would think with a smaller camera it would do for lapping at the track or TA/TT. Position could be a problem seeing apexes on the right, but most of us do that by feel anyway. :devil: What is your ballpark pricing for a small run to break-even or small profit? Determine that and time committed before you invest in materials. Don
track camera durability this set up is not going to withstand the rigors for a multitude of reasons...gnat...you want the list?...but i have an alternative....ccd cameras are really cheap and very small...the kenwood unit i use as a reverse cam has awesome , wide , and color...picture...these are small with low mass so they can be mounted on more areas....visors for instance...these by design are less stable platforms but they inherently do absorb some shock...additionally a camera with a stabilization feature (which will yield a better image) that is very small with low mass then can be hard wired to a remote recorder that is shock mounted in the equivalent of the pelican case used in my boat..these are like black boxes, and you can drive over them...( u know i tried it in the explorer)..and this will not add a ton of weight....securing the case , and the hard wiring should be easier then an amp, remembering to fuse everything at the power source...i have seen several cams flushed into the dash here with fiberglass work and a textured flocking to the outer surface...they are unobtrusive, and most custom audio shops should be able to handle this. J
For the second gen cars I'd just need a second gen car for a few hours to see how to do one for them. Its rock solid the mount is designed for a pencil type camera system (which my work sells at 11% off the Drag price) with a small camera not my massive one it will absolutely stand up to a track day. I can make it much lower profile but only for cameras with the mount threads off the bottom (which most pencils aren't) Oldskool, I do like the idea of super low profile integrated stuff but I'm cheap and like the removability. That does give me an idea though I have to find a place to integrate a radar detector with 360 degree detection and a small display on the dash.
I've found that my Kuda GPS mount for the R52/53 is working very well to hold my Flip Ultra HD camera in place, using the stock Garmin mounting plate and two small velcro straps. I'll have to snap a few pics, but it's been very stable and holds the camera right above the speedo with a great through the windshield view.