Yup, same problem here. Slow video card or slow machine. Once I converted to 1280x720 h264 format, my machine can do a smooth playback.

 

Webbie,
how do you convert to 1280 x 720 is that on the camera or using software?

 

I use QuickTime Pro to do the conversion.

 

what about switching the picture resolution to 720 on the camera? I just did that and haven't tried it yet.

 

According to the spec, it can do
1440 x 1080 H.264 Video @30fps or
1280 x 720 H.264 Video @60fps

I think 60fps is better for FASSST moving object anyway.

 

What kind of wide angle lens works with these cameras?

-Scott

 

This is the one I bought and use, you can use it's dimensions to find something as it has been discontinued - http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc..._45x_Wide.html

I searched the BH Photo site on ".45" and got here - http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...y=11&Go=submit

or this one - http://cgi.ebay.com/0-45x-Magnetic-W...d=p3286.c0.m14


Google is your friend...

 

I got all the parts. Now which one of the two wires from the house charger/AC power converter is positive? One wire has very fine printing on it (old eyes) and the other has gray horizontal rectangles. It must matter?

 

Alan,
It does matter, but there is scope for non-destructive testing.
- Join the two wires temporarily
- Plug the temp cable to the car and the camera, adn turn the camera on
- If you see the lightning icon over the battery icon, you got lucky and its charging.
- If not, reverse the wires.
The camera has diode protection against reverse polarity, so no harm no foul. Ask me how I know :-)

 

Thanks MGlobe/Tony -- Excellent Hack!! Self-Protect Diode - Ops Ck Good. Naturally connected wrong first time (or deliberately tested self-protect circuit) -- glad I did not solder first.

May ops check tomorrow, particularly since I have skid pad duty.

 

Mike, where did you pick up the charger?

Thx...

 

Mike got the charger at Microcenter. But these are for sale anywhere from staples to walmart. Virtually all of them are 5V, running different amperages from 500mA to 2A.

Here is some more Aiptek info, since this is turning into a mega-thread anyway:

Aiptek has a number of HD cameras now. Anything that runs 720P at 60FPS should be perfect for the track. I got the Action-HD at walmart for $175 (this is the pack that includes the remote). I checked the Aiptek website, and there appears to be a remote for all of the HD models - and it only costs $10.

To me, the 2 biggest downsides to Aiptek cameras are (1) cannot record with the LCD closed [to save battery]; (2) mic sucks. As to (1), the info that came with my camera actually says you can close the LCD and it will still record, but I have not figured out how to make it work... A big plus is that the camera boots up virtually instantly. Open the cover and you can start recording in about 2 seconds. Awesome.

As for (2), the GlobeMod fixes the power issue, as it allows you to plug your camera into the cigarette lighter and record via hardwire. I noted that the Aiptek charger has 5v/2A. I figured this might be a reason that most car chargers would not allow the Aiptek to charge AND operate at the same time - as most of them are rated at 5V but less than 1A. So I went out and got a 5V/2A car charger. It didn't work.

I did some poking around, and uncovered that Aiptek may actually send power through pins 4 and 5 for operating and charging, but will also accept power through pins 1 and 5 for charging only. (power on pins 1 and 5 are USB spec). So, it appears that when you do the Aiptek GlobeMod, you are supplying power to pins 4 and 5 via the Aiptek mini-usb plug, allowing operation on 500mA. I am going to try to mod a standard USB cable to see if I can get this working without cutting up my power cord.

Also, class 6 SD cards are working in my device. I have some 8GB SDHC cards that I got for $14 each. I can record for 2.5hours at 720P @ 60FPS and 4+ hours at 720P @ 30FPS (or 640 @ 60FPS). If you record at 640 @ 30FPS you can record for 24 hours.

My camera came with a 1200 mAh battery. This appears to be an upgrade to the 1000 mAh batteries supplied last year. I have a few eBay NP60 batteries on order for cheap (~$10 shipped), but you can get them anywhere (BestBuy, CC, Frys, etc). The NP60 format is an industry standard, so any NP60 battery should fit. I'll report back on the life span of the eBay batteries.


Lastly, my computer is too slow to process HD at 60 FPS, but works with the 30 FPS output. If some people are finding HD at 60 FPS choppy, it might simply be a function of a single core processor in your computer.

-td

 

I confirmed that power goes through pins 4 and 5. Well, in the USB spec, it is pin X and pin 4.
1 Red = 5V
2 White = Data-
3 Green = Data+
X Not connected
4 Black = Ground


If you have a USB cable that you can discombulate, you can switch the pins around like this to get a working charger.



But, it turns out that the USB specifies that pin X is not connected, so if you open up a normal USB cable, you find 4 wires - and you need 5. I haven't found a USB cable that has all 5 wires, or another company that charges off of pins 4 and 5 (technically x and 4).

I did hack up a few USB cables to finally get a working GlobeMod, but it wasn't as easy as switching a few wires in a cable...

-td

 

I've scoured the catalogs looking for one, and no luck. The fifth pin is always a screen, never a conductor. Dammit!

 

Thanks for the pinout info, TD. I bought the Aiptek car charger, allegedly good for 2A. If it doesn't charge while recording I'll chop up the connector and set it right.