[Ashley Brothwood]

Has anyone ever tried to make a simple drain camera.
There's a few waterproof bullet cameras on eBay with 15m leads for about £45, I was thinking of running the wire through some strong hose pipe and just connecting it up to either a laptop or tablet and record it.
The Purpose would be just to check after drain jetting or have a better look and wouldn't be used for a drain survey or charge the customer for a drain cam.
It looks possible and it will be a temporary cam until I can afford a larger one or the need arises for one as we'll most likely use it once or twice a month
Thanks
Ashley

[BDCS]

http://www.uksl.co.uk/epages/Store2_Shop1979.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/Store2.Shop1979/Products/CS200

[Rob_Mac]

Carl

I'm going to add brain surgery to my list of services - do you know anywhere I can get this butter knife sharpened to scalpel cutting potential

Rob

[BDCS]

Do you not have a gypsy come round ? I've just got back from a liquid gas distribution depot about doing a drain survey - I asked the bloke about special conditions on the rams and he said " keep your van outside the yellow lines by the bulk tank", they were only 3 metres from the tanks and other than that smoke outside the gates ! Life does not have to be as complicated as some make it 

[Ashley Brothwood]

Thanks,
Don't get me wrong I'm not a pikey with a argos jet wash 

I thought the look of some of the £500 drain cams out there you'd need a basic knowledge of electrics and some basic wiring and a TFT monitor / laptop and you could make one just as good for about half that price.

[BDCS]

Gypsy's drive round sharpening scissors and shears - in the old days anyway 

My drain camera is a camscan and believe my it takes some grief. The camera is the easy bit its the enclosure that makes it reliable, you will also need a saphire lens and skids etc

[Ashley Brothwood]

Ye I had a quick look, I've found a few cameras about the £100 mark waterproof and 50m cable, a TFT monitor or similar, a hard case, push it through with drain rods and it'd just be building / buying a skid and a replaceable lense. It should all be able to run off a 12v supply which should be easily wired up to a rechargeable 12v battery similar to the power packs you get for cars, to record should be able to wire either a dvd burner or cables to a pc via video out. I recon it could be done for around £200

[Rob_Mac]

Ashley

I was joking. I admire innovation.

The drain camera set ups can be very expensive, when you get it working put a post up to show the set up.

Good luck

Rob

[Ashley Brothwood]

I no

Ill have a look round for the best camera and take photos of it and post up
Thanks

[Rob_Mac]

As Carl has said it needs to be able to take the knocks and I fear that the glass in the cheaper ones wont cut the mustard.

Saphire glass will definitely take all of the knocks and scrapes.

I would look for a secondhand set up or you may end up paying as much as a new set up trying to get it to where you want it.

Rob

[Ashley Brothwood]

I was thinking of getting something like clear purspects disks as a lens that could be easily changeable if it got scratched and a strong rubber housing for it to sit in but I may end up buying that and putting the camera in a ready made rubber housing and lens. I'm gonna keep an eye out too for a second hand unit, if worst come to worst I'd use the camera as a CCTV make sure the pikeys don't nick my trailer off the drive

[BDCS]

I would also consider most cameras are self levelling