You said you run it off a power bank, can you explain that? I would be willing to do something like that no problem. I am looking at similar ones on aliexpress that are about $100 but i will keep the one that you are using in mind because 3 years is a very long time.
Dash cams for bikes
- Thread starter SMeBikers
- Start date
AguassissiM
Well-Known Member
You can install a 48v to 5v inverter to run the system however since I already had a bunch of power bank's sitting around so I decided to give them a try and to my surprise it worked like a charm.
No need for any extra wires, got planty of those on the bike as is.
Here is the power bank's state of charge after a 71km ride,as you can see it still holds enough charge for at least another ride with some power to spare.
No need for any extra wires, got planty of those on the bike as is.
Here is the power bank's state of charge after a 71km ride,as you can see it still holds enough charge for at least another ride with some power to spare.
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AguassissiM
Well-Known Member
AguassissiM
Well-Known Member
You can also have a look here for another idea:
fooferdoggie
Well-Known Member
I think it is way too much info. I think it will distract you from watching the road. a mirror works we and if you want good a garmin radar. plus these systems are pretty low end so who knows how well how long and it the rain will effect them and it they work well in the sun.
i actually saw that and it inspired me to get something like that, so that is why we are here haha! I am now just seeing what is out there, and what i think will last the longest because i want to use it for about 1 to 2 hours everyday. I would LOVE to be able to see license plates in the recordings, if it doesn't than i don't really think it is worth buying for mainly the recording function. I mainly want to be aware of someone coming up behind me. I am also aware of the garmin product, that is $150 i believe, which is around the same cost as these cameras and screens. So i am just weighing the options.
ActionJackson
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Asia
- City
- Tokyo
If you need something to watch your backside you also need to be watching your front side. The conundrum with a camera is that it can give a confusing view point, and you would have to watch it constantly for it to be effective, meaning you’re losing focus on the frontside. The Garmin Varia on the other hand gives you aural cues to make you aware of the backside situation, a simple interface on your iPhone if you want, and the ability to look in the mirror for a real-time easily understood visual update.
fooferdoggie
Well-Known Member
yep I love it most when I need to get in the left turn lane when it is clear then I look in the mirror and go. otherwise I have to check the mirror often. plus its easy to see the car status on my garmin computer at a glance. I can somewhat tell speed but how many cars and how far away. plus it works in the rain too.
ActionJackson
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Asia
- City
- Tokyo
We drive on the left side over here in Tokyo. The bike lane is the outer most edge alongside the curb. Along that curb cars and trucks park for deliveries etc, taxis let off their passengers, etc etc. So you have to give wide berth to these stopped vehicles to avoid a door crash, yet maintain enough distance from moving vehicles alongside and approaching from the rear. It’s a pretty hectic and dangerous dance. I’m surprised my wife still allows me to ride on the road paths. I have the Varia alerts coming through my helmet speaker, which directs my attention to a proper motorcycle mirror. I also have the Varia display on the phone. I would say the safety that the Varia gives me is 1000% better then without. I bought the one without a light. It’s fantastic value!!
Lately because of the pandemic I only ride at early AM at dawn hours. I even have a laser beam light for that hahahaha.
fooferdoggie
Well-Known Member
ya thats usual here but are in portland we have street that turn one way wit hbieks only going through a few really nice bike lanes on the opposite side of the street on one way streets. those are great because most people don't park on that side. I got it with the light at the time I thought thats all there was but it works well as a second light anyway.
i am leaning towards getting the garmin now, but the one thing i WOULD like is protection to record incase of an accident with the chance to get a license plate or to identify the car. It seems like most of these "1080" cameras can not get high enough quality to do that.
Also i am a professional video editor and do video shooting from time to time and i can tell "quality" of a camera pretty well. I haven't seen any recording camera setup that will let me see license plate most likely unless it's 4k like my dji osmo action camera.
Also i am a professional video editor and do video shooting from time to time and i can tell "quality" of a camera pretty well. I haven't seen any recording camera setup that will let me see license plate most likely unless it's 4k like my dji osmo action camera.
ActionJackson
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Asia
- City
- Tokyo
Varia Radar is really a supplemental tool for collision avoidance and that’s all. But it’s a great tool!
I think there’s a lot of merit in having HD video for documenting liability- that’s my interest as well but in the forwards direction so I can hopefully demonstrate it was the pedestrian’s or other bicycle/ vehicle’s fault. If I’m rear ended or hit sideways by a motor vehicle/motorcycle in Tokyo it’s automatically the other guy’s fault anyways unless I’ve obviously ran a red light or done something clearly stupid.
I’m tempted to get a cheap camera but I’ll probably wind up with a GoPro or DJI.
I just used the DJI today on the ride into work for the first time. I will give a more detailed review later, but initial impressions are i love it. You can set it up to loop record at 1 press of a button WHILE the camera is OFF, that is a pretty nice feature. I ride to work and keep the bike inside and when i get home it comes inside, so i dont have to worry about removing it.
Still, like for what you said, i want to get a front and rear recorder and monitor. I have really bad shoulder and neck problems right now, chronic and long lasting and it's very hard to turn my neck. I feel like, with my forward and down facing head posture (i naturally want to be looking at my feet, looking straight is very uncomfortable) having a screen could be more beneficial for me than turning my head around.
Still, like for what you said, i want to get a front and rear recorder and monitor. I have really bad shoulder and neck problems right now, chronic and long lasting and it's very hard to turn my neck. I feel like, with my forward and down facing head posture (i naturally want to be looking at my feet, looking straight is very uncomfortable) having a screen could be more beneficial for me than turning my head around.
ActionJackson
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Asia
- City
- Tokyo
I ride upright but regardless I don’t turn my head around as that’s dangerous in my road conditions. I’d suggest installing a decent motorcycle mirror that you can adjust such that you only have to turn your eyes. Bicycle mirrors are mostly crap tiny toys. Here’s my setup, upright, however it can be adjusted for most any riding position:
To be honest I have issues with my mirror that I need to overcome. I love it a lot, but within the first weeks of using one I had it very tight and secure but it over hangs past the bars, and I was on a walking path with a retaining wall to my left and I avoided a frog at night and lightly bumped into the wall with the mirror and it broke. Since that moment I have kept it a bit looser but after time it slides out of position somewhere along the 3 pivot points and that is my problem, specific to night driving and wanting a secure camera and monitor so I don't have to twist my head. But maybe you are right, a motorcycle mirror could be better.
ActionJackson
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Asia
- City
- Tokyo
I’d also thought about a 2 camera motorcycle camera system but just too much trouble. If you look at my handlebars I have a lot of space on the cross brace for a monitor. But I get along great with the motorcycle mirror, and now I plan to use the cross brace for an iPad mini with Ride With GPS app - GPS navigation here in Tokyo needs a huge screen because of the layout and density.
Also I’ve found accessories for motorcycles relatively cheap and better than bicycle accessories.
Yeah you have lots of room! Mine is very crowded and i even installed a handlebar extender lol. It does seem like looking at motorcycle gear could be a better way to go. The motorcycle cameras/monitors are better weather sealed it seems than the ones geared towards bikes that have it's own battery in the monitor.
I decided on ordering the blueskysea dv988, the newish one with 4 inch screen. It was $200 with a $30 off coupon on Amazon, so I decided to look at AliExpress and it was $145 there with gps. I looked even further at Alibaba and they had a sale with discounted shipping, so it was $95 and $2 for shipping instead of $22. Supposedly it's official store of the blueskysea company but I have no way of knowing, I think it is though. So for $100, in about 1 month it should arrive. Includes the USB adapter.
Now I will spend time looking at the best setup to keep the USB battery bank protected from weather. I have a bike bag that holds cell phones with a clear top, it's largish and has a rubber outlet for a charging cable. I'm thinking of using that to store the battery and I think I can have it sitting above the bikes battery in-between the top of it and the frame. Now I will look for a 30,000+ mAh battery pack , I think that's enough. I have an old 10k mAh but I think it's a bit too small.
Also I bought a 256gb micro SD card for $35 on Amazon, unreal how large it is and how cheap. High quality SanDisk too.
Now I will spend time looking at the best setup to keep the USB battery bank protected from weather. I have a bike bag that holds cell phones with a clear top, it's largish and has a rubber outlet for a charging cable. I'm thinking of using that to store the battery and I think I can have it sitting above the bikes battery in-between the top of it and the frame. Now I will look for a 30,000+ mAh battery pack , I think that's enough. I have an old 10k mAh but I think it's a bit too small.
Also I bought a 256gb micro SD card for $35 on Amazon, unreal how large it is and how cheap. High quality SanDisk too.
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