CVS Recycleable Camcorder
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CVS Recycleable Camcorder
I just got my hands on a camcorder that they sell in CVS Pharmacy for about $20 that you can record an hour of video on and you take it back and they suck the video out with a special computer and give you a DVD of your movie for $7.
It seems like a cruddy business model, when a real camera is only a bit more money.
The cool thing is that a friend of mine hacked this camera with a USB cable and some homemade program that I can use to get the AVI out of this thing. Mark and I are taking it apart tonight to try and make it lighter. It's about the size of a deck of cards and is pretty hefty. But it takes a pretty good looking movie.
Progress reports to follow!
It seems like a cruddy business model, when a real camera is only a bit more money.
The cool thing is that a friend of mine hacked this camera with a USB cable and some homemade program that I can use to get the AVI out of this thing. Mark and I are taking it apart tonight to try and make it lighter. It's about the size of a deck of cards and is pretty hefty. But it takes a pretty good looking movie.
Progress reports to follow!
Tim Chen
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Re: CVS Recycleable Camcorder
Tim Chen wrote:I just got my hands on a camcorder that they sell in CVS Pharmacy for about $20 that you can record an hour of video on and you take it back and they suck the video out with a special computer and give you a DVD of your movie for $7.
It seems like a cruddy business model, when a real camera is only a bit more money.
The cool thing is that a friend of mine hacked this camera with a USB cable and some homemade program that I can use to get the AVI out of this thing. Mark and I are taking it apart tonight to try and make it lighter. It's about the size of a deck of cards and is pretty hefty. But it takes a pretty good looking movie.
Progress reports to follow!
Please post any info on this. I love reading about hacks and hackers!
Spaceman Spiff
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"What goes up, must come down"
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Re: CVS Recycleable Camcorder
We've got two of these things now. The hackers have a way to increase the image quality by lowering the compression. It doesn't get all blocky in the videos. The flipside to this is that the memory runs out in less then 5 minutes. The high quality mode seems to lock up the camera sometimes too. They are working on a fix.Spaceman Spiff wrote:Tim Chen wrote:I just got my hands on a camcorder that they sell in CVS Pharmacy for about $20 that you can record an hour of video on and you take it back and they suck the video out with a special computer and give you a DVD of your movie for $7.
It seems like a cruddy business model, when a real camera is only a bit more money.
The cool thing is that a friend of mine hacked this camera with a USB cable and some homemade program that I can use to get the AVI out of this thing. Mark and I are taking it apart tonight to try and make it lighter. It's about the size of a deck of cards and is pretty hefty. But it takes a pretty good looking movie.
Progress reports to follow!
Please post any info on this. I love reading about hacks and hackers!
Tim Chen
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Update!
Hey Guys,
Mark and I decided to ditch the CVS Camcorder Project. We decided to pursue an FTC design exclusivly, and this thing just can't fit. We found a little tiny camera for $20 in an Odd Lots store. It's about the size of a pack of Bubble Yum gum!
We're going to put the CVS Cams in their shells and use them to document our flights from the ground.
Mark and I decided to ditch the CVS Camcorder Project. We decided to pursue an FTC design exclusivly, and this thing just can't fit. We found a little tiny camera for $20 in an Odd Lots store. It's about the size of a pack of Bubble Yum gum!
We're going to put the CVS Cams in their shells and use them to document our flights from the ground.
Tim Chen
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What happened to Tim?The Mooseheads wrote:I'd be interested in this camera too if it's as small as you say, Tim. Can you give some more info?Spaceman Spiff wrote:Tim, can you tell me who makes the new camera you found? I want to get something as small as possible so it's light. Thanks.
Spaceman Spiff
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Still here, dudes! Mark and me are real busy with finals coming up! Sorry!Spaceman Spiff wrote:What happened to Tim?The Mooseheads wrote:I'd be interested in this camera too if it's as small as you say, Tim. Can you give some more info?Spaceman Spiff wrote:Tim, can you tell me who makes the new camera you found? I want to get something as small as possible so it's light. Thanks.
Tim Chen
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I have no idea who makes the camera. It has no brand name on the package. It just says it's made in China on the camera itself on a little sticker.The Mooseheads wrote:I'd be interested in this camera too if it's as small as you say, Tim. Can you give some more info?Spaceman Spiff wrote:Tim, can you tell me who makes the new camera you found? I want to get something as small as possible so it's light. Thanks.
Here's a photo of the camera. I forgot to put something in for scale so you'll have to take my word it fits in a T-12 tube.
It has an internal battery and charges from the USB port. You can't see the connector because it has a cap like a Pen-Drive.
Pretty cool!
Tim Chen
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Tim,Tim Chen wrote:I have no idea who makes the camera. It has no brand name on the package. It just says it's made in China on the camera itself on a little sticker.The Mooseheads wrote:I'd be interested in this camera too if it's as small as you say, Tim. Can you give some more info?Spaceman Spiff wrote:Tim, can you tell me who makes the new camera you found? I want to get something as small as possible so it's light. Thanks.
Here's a photo of the camera. I forgot to put something in for scale so you'll have to take my word it fits in a T-12 tube.
It has an internal battery and charges from the USB port. You can't see the connector because it has a cap like a Pen-Drive.
Pretty cool!
That camera looks ideal. I'm jealous now. I wish I had the same luck as you guys and stumble across a perfect little camera like that. I'd kill to find a camera so small that did video for cheap! You guys have all the luck!
Spaceman Spiff
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It takes a flash card, so there's no limit on the memory! I have 512Megs in it right now.Drag_Racer408a wrote:looks pretty sweet. How much memory does that little camera have. You better be getting ready Tim cause my rockets gona own. I have been working lots on it the past couple days. The biggest thing to do on my list is make the launcher.
Tim Chen
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You're making me feel bad, man!Spaceman Spiff wrote:Tim,Tim Chen wrote:I have no idea who makes the camera. It has no brand name on the package. It just says it's made in China on the camera itself on a little sticker.The Mooseheads wrote:
I'd be interested in this camera too if it's as small as you say, Tim. Can you give some more info?
Here's a photo of the camera. I forgot to put something in for scale so you'll have to take my word it fits in a T-12 tube.
It has an internal battery and charges from the USB port. You can't see the connector because it has a cap like a Pen-Drive.
Pretty cool!
That camera looks ideal. I'm jealous now. I wish I had the same luck as you guys and stumble across a perfect little camera like that. I'd kill to find a camera so small that did video for cheap! You guys have all the luck!
I tell you what... Mark and I went back and bought all of the ones they had left. We got 3 in total. I don't think we need that many. I think we can get by on just one plus a backup in case that one breaks.
If you have PayPal, PM me and I'll sell you one at cost plus a couple bucks for shipping. How's that sound?
Tim Chen
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