{"id":2918,"date":"2017-06-05T00:00:38","date_gmt":"2017-06-05T07:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/192.168.3.4\/?p=2918"},"modified":"2018-01-09T06:51:51","modified_gmt":"2018-01-09T14:51:51","slug":"bicycle-helmet-embedded-electronics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cloudacm.com\/?p=2918","title":{"rendered":"Bicycle Helmet Embedded Electronics"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Several years ago I purchased a small video camera that was shaped like a flashlight for $50.\u00a0 It had VGA 640 x 480 30 fps video quality and would record up to 2 hours on a single charge.\u00a0 I used it to record several bike rides around the county on numerous bike trails.\u00a0 The videos provided a way to recall the conditions and experiences which I used to plan future trips.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Po Go Action Camera\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kVrPAUDSi7o?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>A couple of years later I purchased some 808 key chain cameras.\u00a0 I liked the small form factor.\u00a0 They fit nicely on my helmet and on the handlebars of my bike.\u00a0 The video quality was still the same.\u00a0 Around this same time was the release of the 808-16 camera.\u00a0 This had much better video quality with 720p at 30 fps.\u00a0 This quality and size difference made my earlier flashlight camera obsolete.\u00a0 However, it suffered a setback due to its limited battery run time of 30 minutes.\u00a0 I was able to offset this with the use of an external 2ah battery pack.\u00a0 This became my first generation rig and it set the standard for rigs to follow.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Bicycle Helmet 123D Model\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Q9pznHytx3o?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Gathering as much of my surroundings was a goal early on with the 808-16.\u00a0 I used a fish eye lens that was originally targeted for smart phones.\u00a0 With some hot glue, I managed to attach these lenses to the 808-16 housing.\u00a0 The resulting video had noticeable distortions and dead space that I attempted to minimize with some adjusting.\u00a0 Not long afterward, replacement 808-16 sensors with fish eye lenses became available.\u00a0 This reduced the bulk and improved the quality of the video.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to new sensors available on the market, there were sensor extension cables.\u00a0 These would connect between the camera housing and the lens sensor unit.\u00a0 This meant that the camera could be placed more discreetly on the helmet.\u00a0 The audio of the top mount rigs was always horrible while traveling because the wind would wash out any background sounds.\u00a0 Now it was possible to capture the audio by placing the camera housing under the visor and keeping the lens sensor mounted above.<\/p>\n<p>One of the biggest challenges with all of these rigs was weather.\u00a0 Rain and moisture are a big concern that I was able to mitigate using a number of methods.\u00a0 The first and second generation rigs only had issues with rain water obscuring the lenses.\u00a0 I attempted to fix this by 3d printing a housing, but the added bulk wasn&#8217;t a good trade off, so that was scrapped.\u00a0 As a result I didn&#8217;t pursue extending the lens sensor at this time.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/192.168.3.4\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/image1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2928\" src=\"http:\/\/192.168.3.4\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/image1-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cloudacm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/image1-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cloudacm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/image1-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.cloudacm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/image1-270x270.jpg 270w, https:\/\/www.cloudacm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/image1.jpg 700w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>After a season of operating these rigs, the next generation of cameras became available.\u00a0 These were another leap in quality with 1080p 30fps video.\u00a0 The Mobius cameras had astonishing video quality compared to the 480p camera I had first started out with.\u00a0 As with the 720p rigs, these also offered fish eye lens built with the sensor as well as extension cabling for out of body mounting.\u00a0 It was at this point that I decided to integrate the camera inside the bicycle helmet.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/192.168.3.4\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_3381.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2922 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/192.168.3.4\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_3381-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cloudacm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_3381-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cloudacm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_3381-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.cloudacm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_3381-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.cloudacm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_3381-360x270.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/192.168.3.4\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_3382.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2923 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/192.168.3.4\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_3382-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cloudacm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_3382-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cloudacm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_3382-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.cloudacm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_3382-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.cloudacm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_3382-360x270.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/192.168.3.4\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_3378.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2924 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/192.168.3.4\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_3378-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cloudacm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_3378-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cloudacm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_3378-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.cloudacm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_3378-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.cloudacm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_3378-360x270.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Digging trenches through the helmet was done using exacto blades and a small steel pick.\u00a0 I was able to etch out a cavity to hold the camera circuit board using this same method.\u00a0 The lens and sensor were placed in the front of the helmet.\u00a0 I used a drill to make the opening for lens to fit through.\u00a0 Once the sensor, wiring, and circuit board were in place, I used hot glue and Sugru to hold and protect the items from moisture.\u00a0 The power for the camera was supplied solely by an external rechargeable unit that mounted on the back of the helmet, similar to my earlier rigs.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to installing the 1080p inside the helmet, I decided to install a modified 720p unit.\u00a0 This unit had the sensor near IR filter removed and in its place a visible light filter.\u00a0 The light filter was nothing more than a cut piece of floppy disk media.\u00a0 Having both a visible and near IR camera on the same rig allowed me to make comparison observations of rides.\u00a0 The last challenge to this setup proved to be too much.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Visible and NearIR Helmet Cameras\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/g3tgpx8fVec?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>I knew heat was an issue for the Mobius.\u00a0 The problems of overheating were well documented on the RC forums and other various blogs.\u00a0 My attempt to keep things cool involved tacking a copper pad on the chips using thermal adhesive.\u00a0 My bench tests worked fine and everything seemed to be fine.\u00a0 It wasn&#8217;t until I actually wore the helmet that problems began.<\/p>\n<p>The one thing I noticed early on was that the camera kept shutting off.\u00a0 At first I thought that my power supply was the issue.\u00a0 It wasn&#8217;t until I could not restore power to the camera that I began to realize it had been a heat issue.\u00a0 This was confirmed when I viewed some of my video.\u00a0 Moments before the camera would shut off, the color in the video began to distort.\u00a0 It would suddenly loose all color or just become a magenta tinted image.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Dual Camera Helmet\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/y1bY0ebaBvQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>How could the bench test and field test have such different results.\u00a0 The answer was the heat from my skull was countering the cooling effects of the copper heat sink on the chip.\u00a0 Worse yet, it was a thermal conductor that allowed my heat to pass into the chip.\u00a0 This nailed the coffin shut on this rig.\u00a0 This video gives you an idea of how much heat dissipates off of human skulls.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Long Range PTZ flir thermal camera\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8Rrj3MiGkqE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The Icarus effect had been reached.\u00a0 This was the end of any further development.\u00a0 I had ideas of placing a plethora of sensors and controllers in and on the helmet.\u00a0 There would be dust, smoke, gas, and wind speed sensors.\u00a0 I had intended to integrate a GPS module and a microSD card logger.\u00a0 I had also considered placing a ESP8266 module to do war driving.\u00a0 Of course these were just ideas, but when the camera failed due to heat, these ideas went to the funeral instead.<\/p>\n<p>Those ideas were in part responsible for the camera failure.\u00a0 The project snowballed with one idea after the next until it became the impossible dream.\u00a0 That became the eulogy.<\/p>\n<p>This is a cautionary tale for any project development.\u00a0 Keep it simple, make it easy, start out humble, refine over time, don&#8217;t rush it, these are all terms we have heard before but they apply still.<\/p>\n<p>What does this mean for the bicycle helmet and embedded electronics?\u00a0 It really isn&#8217;t the end, just a new beginning.\u00a0 Most likely the helmet and electronics will not be merged to the same degree they had been.\u00a0 Instead the helmet will remain unchanged.\u00a0 Any attempt to quantify will be designed and built so it can be added or removed from the helmet.\u00a0 The electronics should operate independently from the helmet.\u00a0 They should be designed in a way that they can be operated without the constraint of placement.\u00a0 It should be possible to place them in a back pack, in a bike bag, or on the handlebars.\u00a0 But the most important part is they should be able to return to the bench for further testing and refining.<\/p>\n<p>More on the Mobius 2<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Mobius 2 multi-purpose Mini Camera is finally worth a shot\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pfFBCuzoG-U?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"MOBIUS 2 Action Camera - Disassembly &amp; Lens Change - Airsoft ScopeCam AimCam M2\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GcsBd1L1qiw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Several years ago I purchased a small video camera that was shaped like a flashlight for $50.\u00a0 It had VGA 640 x 480 30 fps video quality and would record up to 2 hours on a single charge.\u00a0 I used it to record several bike rides around the county on numerous bike trails.\u00a0 The videos provided a way to recall the conditions and experiences which I used to plan future trips. A couple of years later I purchased some 808&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cloudacm.com\/?p=2918\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,2,9,10,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2918","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-arduino","category-bike-rides","category-computer-vision","category-data-mining","category-raspberry-pi","category-rd"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cloudacm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2918","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cloudacm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cloudacm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cloudacm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cloudacm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2918"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.cloudacm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2918\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2929,"href":"https:\/\/www.cloudacm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2918\/revisions\/2929"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cloudacm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2918"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cloudacm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2918"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cloudacm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2918"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}