Cheap Remote Cameras for Your Layout!

Greetings and salutations members. All I can say right now is, uh, the universe doesn't seem to like me very much right now. So I was getting back in the groove, making more videos. And, uh, so back at my real job and, uh, had a freak accident where this retail display, uh, weighed several hundred pounds and I've been perfectly content being where it was, the way it was for 12 years or so suddenly decided that it didn't want to be in that position any longer and, uh, and collapsed. And, uh, well, um, I was spry enough to get mostly out of the way. Um, but, uh, not quite all the way. And it didn't land on my ankle, tore a big hunk of skin off the back of my left leg and, uh, and bruised my left ankle, a deep tissue bruise, nothing broken, luckily, but, uh, it was enough to, uh, to keep me hobbled up in bed in pain and not being able to come down to the basement. So just literally hours ago was my first trip down into the basement since the accident. So hopefully I can start working on videos again, now that I can get back to my editor. So hopefully this will be the end of my troubles while hopefully the universe is done with me throwing bad things my way. And I do appreciate all of the, uh, the thoughts and prayers, you know, for myself and my family with everything that was going on with that. And again, recently with, you know, with the health. So while my father and I were on our big boy trip, we had lots of time to talk while we were in the bumper to bumper traffic, even worse traffic than I expected it to be. Um, but he brought up a point that, uh, he's having trouble with his layout and that he needs because of a, um, a staging yard that is kind of in another room from his main operating yard, he was looking for an option of a cheap option of having a remote camera in that area. And so as I was brainstorming things, uh, didn't want either a wifi or a Bluetooth, uh, camera, even though those are relatively inexpensive. Didn't want to go with either of those options because of latency issues, uh, especially with the wifi and then with Bluetooth, especially if you're using the Bluetooth, probably you don't want to have to flip it back and forth and look at cameras. And all that. So a hardwired camera option is probably the best way to go. So started looking at some, uh, some different products out there, trying to figure out how to repurpose some things and came across two products. Actually, one is a, um, automotive backup camera. And so with that, you get a small monitor about a big, and you get a camera that just plug and play. We'll need another adapter from a cigarette lighter for some of them. Some of them are actually USB powered, which makes it even easier, but it's self-contained and then you can add extra cameras that are like six bucks a piece for an extra camera. And then you just need a video switching device to go from camera A to camera B, if you need more than one camera, A, B, C, D, all the cameras need. Or the second option, and this is really cool is a baby car seat video monitor and because so many people who have kids have more than one, there are options with a two camera with a split screen on the video monitor that goes, I would normally go up from a car, but of course you're mounting this on your control panel. And so you have live feed from each of the two cameras. And, um, and so that works and both of these options can be had for less than $50. So I foresee in the future, a, uh, a video on this concept because I have a similar issue with my own staging yard, with the ends of the tracks being hidden underneath the second level, well underneath the main level. They go subterranean and, uh, you know, having cameras under there, plus they are low light infrared cameras and they have additional light built in. So it's like a perfect solution, uh, for that particular railfan issue. So staging yards, or if you need a remote camera, maybe there's a part of a layout that, uh, you normally can't see and you want to keep eyes on it. Those are, uh, those are some good ideas with that. So anyways, I get back on track here. My next toy train tips and tricks video will be part one of a multiple part project of, uh, updating vinyl signals. This part one, we'll be converting the old post-war style target signals. Into three color and then using infrared sensors and an Arduino board for the control, the red, yellow, and green. And the reason I'm going with an Arduino board for this is that as I said, it's part one in part two, probably won't be a part three, but probably part two. We'll show how to do this for not only multi directional, bi-directional signals, but also how to include, uh, a turnout and the, uh, turnout position affects the indication of the signals as well to make it somewhat, uh, prototypic. And so each of these would be a self-contained one Arduino running three signals, and these can be daisy chained. So you could actually, um, with the amount of pins that you had, or even with a pin extender, you can get a shield that you can get for these Arduino boards. You could run, um, multiple interlockings off of one Arduino board. So to save expense. So that's a preview of what is coming. Hopefully this weekend, unless a meteor comes through and strikes me, or I get the bubonic plague or some other unforeseen circumstance that seems to be befalling me lately. That is my plan to have that ready to go this weekend. Thank you for your support in this long stretch that I've gone now without posting anything. I hope to be back, um, on a regular basis here very, very, very soon. Unless the universe throws something else out. So until then, keep your trains running and I'll catch you next time.