First video rocket

Flew this last weekend at the oct monthly Tripoli North Branch MN launch. However the shock cord got stuck on the chute harness causing a
small(but repairable) zipper. All in all I'm happy with the results. Vidcam was a hacked CVS disposable unit.

http://www.youtube.com/user/tdstr666#p/a/u/0/ikACcjo3pd0

Ted Novak TRA#5512
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Looks good, but your URL is goobered up somewhat, it leads to a Youtube signin. Tell me about the camcorder. Is it a recent purchase from CVS? What model, and how did you hack it? I've been wanting to do this for a long time, but never found a camcorder I could hack. I bought one from CVS but it seems it is "unhackable" (at least so far). I also found one at Radio Shack that was cheap enough to crash without causing too much tears.
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snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote:

Here is the corrected link;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikACcjo3pd0

You might want to check out the forums on Rocketry Planet. I know Darrel was successful in hacking a modern day CVS vidcam. I got my vidcams four years ago when they were quite easy to hack.
Ted Novak TRA#5512
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Hi Ted,
Would it be possible to see some pics of the unit and a write up on how you "hacked" this unit? Amazing results.
Dan

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djcordes wrote:

It's not that difficult at all to hack them. If you google 'CVS video hack' you'll find plenty of detailed links on the process.
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2005/08/how_to_cvs_video_camera_h.html
I'll post some pics this week on ABMR.
Ted Novak TRA#5512
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The makezine blog you point to was posted in 2005 and will not work with contemporary cameras. I've got one I have tried every way possible to hack. I've built USB cables and downloaded and patche all of the software. The current cameras are not usable (hackable).
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snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote:

In a previous post I mentioned checking the RP forums IIRC Darrel was able to crack the newer version of the recorder.
The CVS camera isn't the only option. This has promise at half the cost;
http://cgi.ebay.com/8GB-Spy-Cam-Key-Chain-Video-Recorder-640x480-Camera-USB_W0QQitemZ200396093946QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2ea889b9fa
Ted Novak TRA#5512
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I gave up trying to hack the CVS camcorder and went back to my original idea of using a transmitter/receiver pair, and a laptop to record with. Then by chance I found a digital camcorder at Radio Shach for less that $50. I don't remember the brand or part number. OK, that was me being lazy; I remembered I had put the manual in a drawer in the desk. It's a Digital Concepts (Sakar) model. Can't find model number. It uses up to 4F SD cards (I used microSD) for up to 6 hours recording (the batteries will die before that). It records in .asf file mode. I haven't launched it yet, but has done OK on recording stuff on the ground (the digital-only zoom *sucks*). You might still be able to find these on closeout at Radio Shack.
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snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote:

I haven't checked out the RS stuff but I just score one of these for 16 bones;
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item '0474009469&ssPageName­ME:B:EOIBSA:US:1123
It needs a micro sd card but it records at 720*480. Be fun to play with but I can already tell it needs a external power source for rocketry video.
Ted Novak TRA#5512
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Sweet! I don't have a paypal account (required), but a friend does. Hard to go wrong at that price. I'll have to see about getting one this weekend. Thanks for the tip!
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Have you gotten yours yet? Have you tried it out? In a rocket? I just got one and started playing with it. I've got several micro SD cards so I grabbed one and stuck it in. The instructions are confusing to say the least. There are 4 buttons on the unit, 2 of which are dummies, and this is not explained. Looks like it records OK. I think I'll make several "spacer" sections to hold the camera in the nose for various rockets. I'd hate to lose this little toy, but at the price, I won't cry too much.
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snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote:

Actually I just finished testing it out not more than 5 minutes ago on a toy rc car. Yes, the instructions are deplorable but rather humorous. However the video quality is excellent!
I mainly got this vidcam just to test it out but I already know that it'll be perfect for modrocs. I'll still be using the cvs vidcam for my mid-powered rockets and hope to get a hidef vidcam for hpr use.
Ted Novak TRA#5512
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snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote:

I got one of those 4gb spy pen cameras from amazon.com for $30. it fits in a bt-20 tube and I modified a shuttle express nosecone for it, it fits like it was made to go in there. on ascent the video is upside down but that's easy to fix. I've shot three different launches with good results every time. Very convenient, plugs right into your USB port. Only thing that sux is the software for changing the time stamp is all in question marks or Chinese.
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