video home monitoring kit questions

[[email protected]]

I got a video surveillance kit from Wal-Mart for about $45. It has a
simple camera, a black-and-white screen (about 5 or 6 inches) and the
RCA video outs.

I would like to connect the video to a VCR, to record interesting
events outside the home.

However, in order to save tape, I would like it to have the VCR record
*only* if motion is detected outside.

What are the usual ways to "wake-up" the VCR and send it a "signal to
start recording" once motion is detected? Would I need a special VCR
dedicated to video monitoring, or could any off-the-shelf VCR do this
job?

 

[Don Bruder]

I got a video surveillance kit from Wal-Mart for about $45. It has a
simple camera, a black-and-white screen (about 5 or 6 inches) and the
RCA video outs.

I would like to connect the video to a VCR, to record interesting
events outside the home.

However, in order to save tape, I would like it to have the VCR record
*only* if motion is detected outside.

What are the usual ways to "wake-up" the VCR and send it a "signal to
start recording" once motion is detected? Would I need a special VCR
dedicated to video monitoring, or could any off-the-shelf VCR do this
job?

You need a "VCR commander" type widget, which I'm sure the fine folks
who sold you the setup in the first place will be more than happy to
sell you. (probably at an outrageous markup)

It won't be easy to "homebrew" one, unfortunately.

 

[[email protected]]

You need a "VCR commander" type widget, which I'm sure the fine folks
who sold you the setup in the first place will be more than happy to
sell you. (probably at an outrageous markup)

It won't be easy to "homebrew" one, unfortunately.

Thanks... I'm guessing the "VCR commander" devices will work with
off-the-shelf VCRs?

 

[Don Bruder]

Thanks... I'm guessing the "VCR commander" devices will work with
off-the-shelf VCRs?

After you "teach" them your specific VCR, yeah. Basically, they're a
variation on the remote control - "Get signal X from some outside
source, send the remote-control signal for function Y to the VCR"

BSR/X10 makes something like it, but I don't have module numbers handy.
Basically, it's a box that sits somewhere line-of-sight to the VCR's
infrared sensor, catches incoming signals (maybe from their "eagle eye"
motion detector unit) and activates the VCR.

 

[[email protected]]

After you "teach" them your specific VCR, yeah. Basically, they're a
variation on the remote control - "Get signal X from some outside
source, send the remote-control signal for function Y to the VCR"

BSR/X10 makes something like it, but I don't have module numbers handy.
Basically, it's a box that sits somewhere line-of-sight to the VCR's
infrared sensor, catches incoming signals (maybe from their "eagle eye"
motion detector unit) and activates the VCR.

--
Don Bruder - [email protected] - If your "From:" address isn't on my whitelist,
or the subject of the message doesn't contain the exact text "PopperAndShadow"
somewhere, any message sent to this address will go in the garbage without my
ever knowing it arrived. Sorry... <http://www.sonic.net/~dakidd> for more info

For a variation on this idea... I've got an old-ish laptop with a USB
1.1 interface. I could maybe attach a USB camera to this... is there
any freeware software which would allow me to capture images from the
camera, and cycle through the jpegs once hard disk space has been
exhausted? (For example, if \directory\img5999.jpg causes an
out-of-space error, then start new images with \directory\img0001.jpg,
overwriting it if it already exists...?)

 

[Jasen Betts]

For a variation on this idea... I've got an old-ish laptop with a USB
1.1 interface. I could maybe attach a USB camera to this... is there
any freeware software which would allow me to capture images from the
camera, and cycle through the jpegs once hard disk space has been
exhausted? (For example, if \directory\img5999.jpg causes an
out-of-space error, then start new images with \directory\img0001.jpg,
overwriting it if it already exists...?)

better to stop before running out of space as writing \directory\img0001.jpg
may cause an out of space too if the disk is full and the new version needs
more bytes.