Another Value from On-Board Camera Recordings

At the F1 GP of Hungary, there was a controvery between German Michael Schumacher and former team-mate Brazilian Ruebens Barrichello.  Schumaker denied any wrong doing, simply stating that "to pass me you have to earn it", but the race stewards thought otherwise, penalizing Schumaker 10 grid places.  Former F1 driver Alex Wurz, witnessed the incident and stated Schumaker had "crossed the line of any sporting code".  Barrichello called the move by Schumacher toward Barrichello, "the most dangerous" he had witnessed in his entire career. The video tells the story--Schumacher clearly tried to intimidate, at the least, and perhaps block, Barrichello and with the video evidence, he was caught at it.  Watch the last part of the video.

Wiring the HE Box and Mounting Camera's

Lots of wiring! Tach signal on FV is old fashioned using connection to distributor side of coil. Race-Keeper connection shares connection with Longacre Digital Tach--soldered connection.  Special Tach Signal cable has special resistor also has ground connection and plugs into Sensor location in HE box. Be sure to leave room for access for removal/insertion of SD Card.

 

Location of GPS Antenna here is on front "wing" so to be plainly visable--could have mounted under fiberglass as fiberglass does not shield the 1000-1200 MHz GPS signal.  No interference with lower frequency 35-50 MHz SCCA Transponder mounted nearby.  (Attached GPS antenna with double loop 3M fastener to allow removal--the base is magnetic but I had no flat, horizontal ferrous metal surface.)

 

 

Follow procedures from the Race-Keeper website and Installation Manual (online).  Download the Comparo software.  Configure the HE box using the software and SD Card. Also Zero the Accelerator using the software and the SD card.  (Put in the address directly to get the file needed.)  Don't forget to remove the setup files from the SD card if you plan on using it to record.  Ready to record! (SDHC high capacity cards are acceptable in the Race-Keeper System--the higher the "Frequency Rating" the better. Go to the Sandisk website for more technical info on SD cards.)

 

You can set up to record whenever power is applied or whenever you reach a certain speed. The Power/Record controls on the box override the software configuration. Factory recommends using the set up with recording starting with speed (10-20 mph) and stopping with speed ( <5 mph for 120 seconds).  Experiment with set up to find you like best. (Keep in mind that if you set up to record whenever power is applied, you will have to turn off recording manually with the red button on the box as if you turn off car's master switch before recording is ended you will lose some of the recording at the end and there could be other odd issues with the system's memory cache. If you set up for recording to stop when below a certain speed for a certain time--again--be sure to avoid turning off power before recording is stopped.)

A bit of excess wire as "standard" cable length is longer than required for "Formula Car Install" where box is right next to dash.  Plan layout carefully--do not bend wires sharply--leave room for access to SD Card door and Power/Record Controls--be sure LED's are visable. Then tie wires down carefully.  Removal of SD card is tough with just fingers--so here we provided a small set of tweezers.

Car is equipped with four (4) Race-Keeper "Bullet" cameras.  Two side cams look forward at wheel/axle height to check exact track position at critical turn apex and exit locations. (Sometimes you just think you are using the whole track!) Side cams also provide good "peripheral" vision as they are aimed slightly outward.  Forward cam mounted over driver's right shoulder, pointed slightly down to view hand position/movement.

Microphone is mounted over driver's left shoulder, tucked away from wind noise (hopefully) and very close to carburetor and exhaust.  Main purpose of microphone on this install is to hear change in pitch of engine tone--a good determinant of throttle position. Can also be used for Driver's audio notes before/after sessions--although driver's voice can only be heard when engine is not running.

This car is equipped with a rear facing camera (left side roll hoop) hooked up to a special "reversing" LCD monitor for real time viewing. Helpful in traffic and determining if competitor threatens a pass at turn entry. 

Camera wires are a bit fragile so route, pad and and tie down carefully. When mounting on the roll bar hoop, keep in mind that the mounting clamps is machined as a circle while many times the roll hoop is a bit oval from the bending process--some "machining" of the clamp and "fill" using tape may be in order for ideal fit.  When clamping down on the bullet cam, remember that the camera is 0.74" diamerter (19mm) and the hole was machined for 0.75", however, the clamp was cut in half after machining so when both sides are in contact the opening is only 0.72" (0.030" less) so be careful not to overtorque/overtighten and squash the camera case --some gap between the halves of the mount is the proper setting.  Be sure to leave a little extra wire for the side cams so side panels can be removed without having to dismount camera. On this setup, we used the "roof mount" molded fiberglass mount and mounted the camera using (2) 5" x 1/8" wire tires. The molded fiberglass mounts were attached to body panel using special two sided 3M tape VHB 5952 purchased from Amazon.com. (VHB ==Very High Bond. 5952 is conservatively rated for 2 pounds per sq. in. up. Be sure to place it carefully because once it's in contact, if is very difficult to move.)  I used aluminum ferrule screws as a mechanical backup since I mounted on the side rather than on the roof.

Initial Install-Phase 1

View from front

View from top

View from left rear

 

(3) Photos of install on FV (with Motorola Atrix Phone)

 

Formula cars don't have much room for the HE unit. One possible location is above driver's legs as shown. This requires careful "mockup" to insure sufficient space for leg movement and entry/egress as well as "sufficient" clearance to body panels.  (I used a cardboard box made the size of the unit.)  Here unit is as high as possible with box almost touching fiberglass body panel above.  Tilt to left is to allow for slightly more leg/knee room for right leg to allow for movement between throttle and brake. ( Slight tilt (< 7 degrees or rise/run of  < 1:7) can be "calibrated out" with the "zero accelerometer" procedure in software.)  To minimize weight, the support structure is made in the shape of an arch--made from conduit--ends flattened for mounting to frame with hose clamps. Plastic pan is mounted using aluminum angle and rubber coated cable clamps allowing for shock resistance. (Fasteners are aluminum ferrule screws.)  Notice pan and structure allows clearance for wiring connectors into rear of box pointing toward front of car. Bottom of pan (especially at corners) will be later "padded" with closed cell foam pad.  (Other alternatives available to those with more sophisticated fabrication capabilities--this install done with "home garage" type tools  and "hardware store materials" only.) Bottom of box will be attached to pan with HD Velcro. Just for safety sake, nylon wire tie will be inserted thru slot in box and hole in pan nearest instrument panel in photo.  (This stage took about 6 hours design and materials "shopping" time followed by about one full day of fabrication--pretty much one full weekend for amateur racer. ) Next comes the wiring and mounting of cameras.

The Beginning

After months of research and "shopping" I just received a new Race-Keeper HE system (center-above) designed to operate with three cameras. A lot of effort to locate a satisfactory location for the box in a compact formula car.

I had considered systems from AIM but one major factor considered was the fact that Race-Keeper is based in the USA and it's affiliation with the SCCA Pro World Challenge Series and European F2 has given the factory staff a lot of credible real world experience--plus it has proven the reliability and usefulness of the system/s.