SJCAM 5000 Wifi Camera

Quest for the ideal camera continues..

The old Mini0801 was almost perfect:

• Switched on & off with the ignition so I didn't forget to start it
• 10 minute files with no overlaps or gaps so easy editing
• Looked discrete & nothing like a GoPro so less likely to be pinched

Its issue, for my use case, was sitting outside in the elements on the roll bar rather than inside a car as it was designed for. It lasted 18months or so, then finally gave up the ghost - will not power on. I think it got upset at too much cold, wet and overnight condensation.

Next up:

SJCAM 5000 Wifi

Tried to hit the sweet spot with functionality vs price by getting the 5000 rather than 4000 or 5000 plus. Online footage was easily demonstrating the improvement in the 5000 over 4000 but not convincingly better on the plus. The M10 looked interesting - but positioning of its power cables would have made external power difficult with the waterproof case.

Ticks the boxes above on functionality including being genuinely waterproof, including no overlaps on files for easy editing later. It also seems robust with ignition off/on auto start stop - i.e. does the right thing even if there are small glitches in the power (starting the engine for example).

Ran the gauntlet of the fake traders: made sure it was explicitly SJCAM as the model and picked a colour - partly to match the car ( :) ) partly because I suspect the fakes which might look similar are only going to be in black/silver... 

(For reference mine came from Amazon fulfilment via a trader called 3C4U arrived quickly and is the genuine article - currently you are on a pretty sure bet if it says SJCAM on the camera on the 5000 models)

Power

One more niggle - there is a case with waterproof power cable available separately - but probably overkill for my needs, I'm never going to submerge it - instead a little careful drilling, Dremaling and filing on the case means I can leave it plugged in and hopefully still good in rain.

Afterthought - need to monitor this, since if it did get very wet potentially the case will fill up with rainwater with no where to get out. A smear of grease around the connector should do the trick.

Issue to resolve - I'm getting some microphone noise when recording while USB powered - might need some suppression on the car's power cable if its audible when the engine is running. Turns out its a new lighter to 5v adaptor I was trying which had integral on off switches, if I revert to my older/simpler one the noise is gone.

Mounts

Compatible with GoPro mounts so plenty of options for viewpoint: re-using the basic clamp around the roll-bar, then above for the traditional view across bonnet/front wheels (but in the way of the roof) or below  at drivers eye line for a more immersive feeling.  Easy to unclip the base to shift it around...

...and today - rain -  so while the camera would should be happy, I'm not going for a wet drive for the sake of it - testing will have to wait.

Why not a GoPro?

While their mounting options are great and can be re-used for this camera, as far as I can tell GroPro models don't have an automatic 'record on power feed' mode which makes control more complex requiring remote control via a phone etc & importantly me to remember to turn it on/off. That combined with the price (3x the SJCAM) is a deal breaker for me.

Amplirider - radio headphone amplifier

Upgrading the headphone circuit. My previous attempt had a lot of noise, interference buzz/noise, at speed, probably because it needed to use the car chassis as the common ground.

The new approach is using a little headphone amplifier from a Canadian firm - the Amplirider. It's designed for motorcycles; takes a 12v feed, draws less than 0.2Amps with up to 3 line level inputs and one output.

All the reviews I have seen on various motoring and other forums on this, and its brother PA2V2, are positive with great support from the guy that builds them; so thought I'd give it a try.

Wiring

My Blaupunkt Melbourne head unit drives its line out pins as a pre-amp still controlled by its own volume knob. All accessible from the Mini-ISO C connector: it has a 12v feed, common ground alongside the stereo line levels. So relatively simple wiring on the input side - the Amp will simply piggy back on this port.

Doing a little reading on ground loops - This amplifier seems to have built in isolation on the power lines, so no issues.

The Amplirider will act as power-amp to drive headphones/helmet speaker levels. It's volume will be left somewhere around 3/4 to max.

Installation

The plan is to glue the amp in place on top of the head unit with a double sided sticky pad, no need for access to its volume knob in normal use which will be hidden somewhere around the side out of sight.

Headphone jacks

The amp output is wired to the existing jack panel between the seats.
The rear speakers retain their switch to isolate them when using only using headphones.

Much nicer sound and higher distortion free volume in static tests with and without the engine running; actually got carried away testing  & listening to various tracks/radio...

Upgrade fuel lines

I noticed some surface cracking on the fuel line from the HP pump to fuel rail; no leaks, however on one of the hot days on the Scotland run I also had under bonnet fuel smells & the same fuel smell on my hands after touching the outside of the pipe.

Time for a change.

The original flexible fuel pipes came with the kit and spec'd at SAE 100R6 - this appears fine for unpressurised/fuel type parameters - but possibly not ideal in terms of fuel permeation and from my reading not really the right spec for any fuel injection system. All the pipes coming off showed signs of the outer cracking, inside looked fine to the eye - so possibly it was the only HP line which was suffering from permeability?

Researched fuel hose specs. seems like SAE J30R9 is a better bet for an injection system - so decided to replace the lot.  

Reasonably straightforward job using the old ones for patterns; the biggest challenge being working space around the built up engine & rear suspension area, and getting the old ones out without spilling fuel everywhere.

Re routed the HP Pump to fuel rail line to give it a larger radius bend while I was at it.

Clearly marked to the J30R9 standard

I changed the rear end flexible lines in a similar way & took the opportunity to replace the fuel filter while I was at it. 9k miles left the inside of the old one black in the bottom half/third. I guess thats either gravity dropping the muck to the bottom, or an airlock in the filter.

At the very least peace of mind.

Useful reference: http://www.volksbolts.com/faq/fuelhose.htm

Wheel alignment

I found a relatively local firm in Canterbury  Treadmark Tyres, various forum reviews seemed positive & they had a great 'turn up and we can help' attitude over the phone.

They use  an automated laser alignment/measuring system from John Bean - large 'T' style 'eye' which locates and measures targets on each wheel. A fay cry from the manual process I was using previously & a lot less hassle, the whole exercise came to under £40 even with camber adjustment.

Before and after settings pictured.

Only the front is adjustable, rear end fixed by the suspension arm geometry.

Not a million miles out beforehand but she did run a little lighter on the steering home.

Do need to check the diagram for rear right, i.e. the wheel image shows +ve camber, while the measured number is showing -ve camber. The back isn't adjustable anyway so not too much of a concern - I suspect they didn't even bother measuring it due to lack of adjustment.

Minor maintenance - suspension & brake adjustment

A little tinkering @ 8.8k miles:

• Spare wheel swapped to nearside rear to even tread wear;

• Rear springs adjusted 3/4 of a turn higher since the back has settled a little since build;

• Front calliper slider bolts removed, copper greased and replaced. I should have paid this more attention on the original build - I had assumed I could just bolt on the recon callipers, but while clean/new etc the sliders did not appear to be greased.

... and, of course, a 'test' run !