Popular Post Jtn260 Posted May 4, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted May 4, 2020 Hope everyone is staying safe in the middle of this pandemic. With the quarantine situation here in New York, I’ve had some time to tinker around my shop and decided to mod by KS16X with a rear camera system. Living in a dense urban environment like New York, taxis, crazy drivers, and cyclists often sneak up from behind quickly. I personally use helmet mirrors most of the time (thanks to @Marty Backe), however this is a good alternative for my helmets that do not have mirrors. The most important points of this mod to me are: 1) ease of use 2) effective 3) cost effective. I think the mod accomplishes all the above at a somewhat reasonable cost of approximately $60. Hopefully the community finds it useful. Feel free to reach out if any questions. Items Needed MicroFPV Camera / Video Transmitter – these cameras and transmitter are used primarily on drones. It essentially delivers a real-time video feed from the camera to your display. I use a bundled unit that cost $25. https://www.getfpv.com/caddx-firefly-micro-fpv-camera-w-vtx.html FPV (First Person View) Watch / Display – this wearable watch allows you to see your video feed in real-time. There are various displays you can get that range in size/cost, but found a 2-inch display is the perfect size for me. It allows me to quickly glance and see everything behind me. I use a watch that is $45. https://www.getfpv.com/topsky-2-fpv-watch-w-48ch-5-8ghz-receiver.html The Modification I’m not going to list out all the disassembly steps for the 16X as there are many videos that already do that. Basically the mod requires you to take the shells off, remove the charger assembly, drill a small hole, mount the camera with a bit of glue, and solder it to the existing LED power. You can likely adapt this mod to any wheel as most wheel LEDs are driven off 5Vs. The amperage drawn from the camera is pretty low at ~140mA, which is equivalent to ~ 2-3 small LEDs. The schematic is show below: The Results The moment I turn the wheel on, the camera is powered on and connects automatically to my watch. It’s a pretty seamless experience and runtime is ~2 hour, which is more than enough for most trips. Installed Camera View Watch View Video 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MetricUSA Posted May 4, 2020 Share Posted May 4, 2020 Sweet!!! Thanks for posting...how is night viewing??? Big enough monitor...how about a helmet mount??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jtn260 Posted May 4, 2020 Author Share Posted May 4, 2020 Night view is not bad - pretty clear when looking at the watch. Plus if cars are behind you, you can see the headlights in the screen. I'll see if I can get a picture up in the future. I am considering modifying one of my helmet mirrors to attach the watch. If I get around to this, I'll post some pictures. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phong Vu Posted May 4, 2020 Share Posted May 4, 2020 wow, look awesome, cheap and practical! Looking for a full speed test on street. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h3X Posted May 4, 2020 Share Posted May 4, 2020 7 hours ago, Jtn260 said: It’s a pretty seamless experience and runtime is ~2 hour, which is more than enough for most trips. What do you mean? Isn't it connected to the main power of the wheel? Or do you need to charge the watch every 2 hours? 🤔 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jtn260 Posted May 4, 2020 Author Share Posted May 4, 2020 Quote 28 minutes ago, h3X said: What do you mean? Isn't it connected to the main power of the wheel? Or do you need to charge the watch every 2 hours? 🤔 When I say seamless experience - meaning the camera is powered on automatically whenever I turn on the wheel which then auto-pairs with my watch. Simply turn ON and go. The watch needs to be charged after running for ~2 hours. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number1stunner Posted May 4, 2020 Share Posted May 4, 2020 On 4/7/2019 at 6:17 AM, gon2fast said: 3 hours ago, h3X said: What do you mean? Isn't it connected to the main power of the wheel? Or do you need to charge the watch every 2 hours? 🤔 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jiserra Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 That's freaking amazing man, great mod!! Are you worried about water getting into the camera hole? What did you use to seal that? The camera is not in stock anymore but I want to do that mod right now. Awesome job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rehab1 Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 Absolutely brilliant! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travsformation Posted May 6, 2020 Share Posted May 6, 2020 Getting this to work somehow with the EyeRide HUD would be awesome!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giffy Posted May 9, 2020 Share Posted May 9, 2020 This is very neat. I also build FPV quads so it's very cool to see the technologies cross over like this. If you end up riding by anyone flying an FPV quadcopter, there is a chance you could wash our their video feed haha. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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