Poor mans Dashcam and setup

Originally I was setting out to find a GoPro style camera to record my adventures driving around the country, but I instead stumbled upon a great little camera with great dash cam capabilities. I found the EX5000 made by DBPower on Amazon. Originally it was supposed to $150 but was on sale for $60 followed up by a lightning deal for $35. Through a series of errors on Amazon's behalf, I ended up with 4 of the cameras and 8 32gig memory cards for less than $50... (Don't ask, looooooooonnng story). So with the extra cameras, I thought, what else could I do with them? Let us take a look at their capabilities.

The cameras have a car mode which will auto turn on, record, and turn off respectively when it senses power from the USB port. Score! Next, it has a cyclic record mode to overwrite old files. Fantastic! Lastly, it has a g sensor function to detect knocks. This mode would be great for when your truck is unattended. Perfect! Now how to mount.



Looking at the cameras, they use a generic GoPro style mount. I could mount 1 to my rear view mirror, but not really the angle I want for a Dash cam. I want to see more inside the cab and out of the windshield. Secondly, I want to have another cam looking out the rear. This gave me an idea. Since no one sits in the middle of the bench, I can attach to the headrest there as it'll give perfect mounting height and flexibility. To accomplish mounting here, I went to home depot, bought a steel tie, attached the GoPro mounts to it, added velcro, and voila! This setup allows me to use velcro straps to hold it in place (piece of velcro fixed to the tie in 3 spots plus the straps that go around the headrest also made of Velcro), keep it stable, and above all nothing permanent is done to the truck.



Running power is a cinch! I ran a USB line from the plug in the dash, under the seat, up to where the cameras are and used a micro USB Y cable to plug in both to 1 line. Now when I turn the truck on, the cameras turn on and start recording. When I turn the truck off, they turn off. For those who may want to use this in a "parking mode", doing the constant on mod or hard wiring it to the battery would be your best bet.



After living with this setup for a week, I can tell you I really like it. The image is stable, I get full HD video, the cyclic recording is great! I may need to make minor camera adjustments, but for now, I'm very happy where everything is at. I just hope this gives some ideas to those seeking a cheap dash cam alternative.



-PyroTaco

Parts list:

EX5000 Cameras:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072J4CBK6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Memory Cards:

$8 SanDisk 32GB 32G Ultra Micro SD HC Class 10 TF Flash SDHC Memory Card - SDSQUNB-032G-GN3MN

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010NE3QHQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

USB Extension Cable:

$8 Amazon Basics USB-A 2.0 Extension Cable, for Printer, Mouse or Keyboard, Male to Female, 480Mbps Transfer Speed, 6.5 Foot, Black

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics...504752540&sr=1-4&keywords=usb+extension+cable

USB Y Cable:

$8 UCEC Dual Micro USB Splitter Charge Cable Power up to Two Micro USB Devices at Once from a Single USB Port (1pack)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01713KLSY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

USB adapter 2A:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018DHQJQU/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Steel strap for mounting:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Strong-Tie-20-Gauge-1-1-4-in-x-9-in-Strap-Tie-LSTA9/202255804

Velcro for the metal strap and around the headrest:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004AF9II6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


(Mods, if this is in the wrong place, please move it as need be.)

 

i like this.. why not mount it on the windshield using a different gopro mount?

 

Believe or not I originally did. However, I use a windshield shade and kept interfering with its use. Also, it makes it more visible to the outside world for theft reasons. where it's at currently it doesn't interfere with anything and blends into my tinted rear window.

 

very useful write up ! Bump

 

Thanks! I have a few more ideas I want to try, but think this should be a pretty good solution till I get a shell. Then, I'll do a multicam rack mount creating my own "birds eye view" style camera system with black box.