Cool My keychain 8gb camera came today...........

[Crash One]

Great suggestion about VLC. Here's the email reply from myzone50:

Hi.

We have tested it many times.
We are not able to remove the time and date from the video.
We are very glad that you have found a driver to use for web cam.

thanks



- myzone50

[Dennis H.]

Originally Posted by Crash One

Let me throw this question out there for those more tech savvy than I...Why does the date and time disappear when the #3 camera is used as a web cam? Is there any code in that driver or Amcap that we could use to suppress that stamp while in camera or video mode?

Ok I must have miss something some where, How did you turn your spy cam into a web cam?

EDIT: Ok I found the info.

[SmoothCruizer2]

Check out my footage with the key fob cam

http://vimeo.com/7654256

[rich smith]

[quote=soft2 The solution for you might be to put the card with the lost file into a card reader and use a utility such as scandisk or check disk that will save any recovered files or lost chains. Rename the recovered files with .avi and see if they play.[/QUOTE]

AVI files have a rather complex TAG header and trying to play truncated data will not work.

[qsgsg]

Originally Posted by Jaguar_5

Try playing the video in Video Lan media player (VLC)

It can often play back files that other programs can't

I have Klite codec pack with windows media classic installed, the best in the business, but it still wouldn't play.

[rich smith]

Originally Posted by qsgsg

I have Klite codec pack with windows media classic installed, the best in the business, but it still wouldn't play.

I've been using K-lite for years and assuming you have at least the medium pack it will play just about anything.

It is probably a damaged file and will not work with any player. If the video is very important you can usually import as "raw" and convert into a playable file using video editor software like Vdub. This is not a "plug and play" process.

[qsgsg]

I installed the most complete pack. Ran Vdub and tried opening the file but I get an error. No way to be saved I guess.

[rich smith]

Originally Posted by qsgsg

I installed the most complete pack. Ran Vdub and tried opening the file but I get an error. No way to be saved I guess.

While I've had trouble converting some damaged MP2 files with Virtualdub due to reference frame issues I've not had problems with MJPG which is what these cameras produce.

You might also try another program called FFMPEG. Here's a line from one of my batch files:

ffmpeg -i infile.mjpg -vcodec copy outfile.avi

If this don't work then it's possible your file is so badly screwed up there is no video information in which case giving up is the best option.

[Crist Rigotti]

Anybody know what the little circuit board does on the battery of these cameras? When I wired in a remote plug so I can charge the battery on my Li-po charger, I noticed the little circuit board. It has some IC's and some smt resistors on it. I ended up removing it all together and just wired the charge wires and wires going to the camera to the battery it self.

[Tom Frank]

Originally Posted by rich smith

While I've had trouble converting some damaged MP2 files with Virtualdub due to reference frame issues I've not had problems with MJPG which is what these cameras produce.

You might also try another program called FFMPEG. Here's a line from one of my batch files:

ffmpeg -i infile.mjpg -vcodec copy outfile.avi

If this don't work then it's possible your file is so badly screwed up there is no video information in which case giving up is the best option.

Similar things have happened with MJPEG video files in .AVI package with my STLABS eDVR camera. In SOME cases, it's possible to retrieve the damaged file by replacing (using a hex editor) a portion of the damaged file header with an identical length portion from a good video file. It only took about 35-40 replacement bytes in my case from a good video header overlayed (replaced) on the bad file to make it playable. I now keep that replacment header for use in situation like this, but it's specific to my camera.


<EDIT> One slight correction. The header replacement is done on the video file just as it comes off the camera, which is in a proprietary (.STJ) format, before a small conversion utiltiy re-writes it into an .AVI file container. I don't know if a similar technique with the .AVI file conmtainer, but it's something else to try for files with mangled headers.

[Tom Frank]

Originally Posted by Crist Rigotti

Anybody know what the little circuit board does on the battery of these cameras? When I wired in a remote plug so I can charge the battery on my Li-po charger, I noticed the little circuit board. It has some IC's and some smt resistors on it. I ended up removing it all together and just wired the charge wires and wires going to the camera to the battery it self.

I think you just removed the safe charging circuitry for the battery when charging it from a USB port or wall wart charger! Don't do that unless you will ONLY be charging with a proper lipo charger!

[rich smith]

Originally Posted by Tom Frank

I think you just removed the safe charging circuitry for the battery when charging it from a USB port or wall wart charger! Don't do that unless you will ONLY be charging with a proper lipo charger!

That might not be a charger Frank but more like a low voltage cutoff and limiter. I haven't reverse engineered the ones from my spy cams yet but looks similar to the newer Aero Ace lipos which I did dissect. IMO no matter what you want to use a proper lipo charger.

I'm currently using those $2 LT4054 chargers but have a couple of the new "clamp on" cell phone units arriving soon. They were also $2 but I noticed prices on Ebay have just bumped up a buck or two. Still a great deal.

[Tom Frank]

Originally Posted by rich smith

That might not be a charger Frank but more like a low voltage cutoff and limiter. I haven't reverse engineered the ones from my spy cams yet but looks similar to the newer Aero Ace lipos which I did dissect. IMO no matter what you want to use a proper lipo charger.

Yes... I didn't say it was a charger, but rather safe charging circuitry.... i.e. to prevent over-charging when using with a fixed 5V voltage source like a USB port. It might also have an LVC on it.

[Piper J3]

I ordered a keychain camera from huaqiangbei-shop on eBay and when it arrived it won't hold a charge. Camera took jpegs but won't take AVI. I sent e-mail to seller and they sent me a replacement same day. Received new unit yesterday and functions perfectly. This thing is going to be awesome on my fixed wing machines. Editing can be done with Windows Movie Maker. Just want to thank Jenny at huaqiangbei-shop. Very nice people to deal with. Future orders forthcoming...

Thanks Jenny

[Crist Rigotti]

Originally Posted by Tom Frank

Yes... I didn't say it was a charger, but rather safe charging circuitry.... i.e. to prevent over-charging when using with a fixed 5V voltage source like a USB port. It might also have an LVC on it.

Guys,
Here is a picture of the circuit board. I am using my lipo charger only. I only use the USB to download the videos which only takes a couple of minutes at the most. Anyway you can read the numbers on the chips if that might be of any help.