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Body choice for compromised aerodynamics (mounted camera)

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Body choice for compromised aerodynamics (mounted camera)

Old 06-05-2020, 11:03 AM
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Default Body choice for compromised aerodynamics (mounted camera)

I'm mounting a camera or cameras to a touring car to make it a self-driving car. While I hope to minimize the drag this adds, I can't fight the fact that there will be a wide angle raspberry pi camera mounted above the hood, or perhaps above the roof. I need an elevated view of the track ahead.

My thinking is that the airflow disruption, in concert with added weight up top, will have an adverse effect on handling. My assumption is that I should find the stablest body to minimize the ill effects.

Am I right? Does it even matter? I hear that the Zooracing Baybee is a stable-yet-maneuverable shell, and I'm leaning that way.

I should note that there are no body restrictions. If a hatchback or GT or whatever body would work better, I'm all for it. This is for a hilariously tiny track on literal office carpet, if it matters. Image search "circuit launch diy robocar" to see it.

I appreciate all input/thoughts/musings/etc.
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Old 06-05-2020, 12:56 PM
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it really wont matter as your cg will be affected my cameras and the weight they add.. heck you could drive a rectangle box and have the same handling.. I have seen track cameras mounted on sct and stadium trucks then the owner added aluminum plates on bottom Id just add some lead with screws
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Old 06-05-2020, 02:04 PM
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Do some searching online for what other people have done to their 1/10 touring cars to see how they mounted their cameras.

A quick youtube search of FPV TT01 or FPV TT02 should give you some ideas of how high or low you want to mount your camera. However you will see that the most stable videos are from vehicles with the camera mounted to the chassis.

If you have to use a 1/10 scale sized vehicle, you don't have to limit yourself to touring cars (unless you need it to be 4wd). You could also look into F1 cars or WGT cars. Both of these types of cars are normally 2wd/rwd "pan cars". They have a very low CG by design.
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Old 06-05-2020, 05:22 PM
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I wanted a Hyper or Baybee or Turismo for hype/performance reasons, but I worried that disrupting airflow over the wing would make them undriveable. I also had it in my head that a super-performing body could counteract the robot's increased weight and heightened CG. I haven't done RC in 25 years, though, and then only casually, so I'm not surprised if that's all nonsense. A rectangle box would leave more space for components, and it would make balancing them easier. I'm thinking Volvo.

The camera will be mounted on a 3D-printed frame that's bolted to the chassis and hidden under the body. I've mostly ignored FPV but will take a deeper look.

I can use anything 1/8 or smaller, but the fast guys all run 1/10 touring cars, and I wanted a TB-05.
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Old 06-08-2020, 10:48 PM
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I've been wondering if it were possible to make a periscope mount for a fpv camera to have it sit low on the chassis, but give a view through the windscreen. Would just need a mirror mounted at 45* facing out the windscreen, and either point the camera vertically, or use two mirrors if you need to mount the camera on a horizontal plane. You would need to check that either your camera or headset can invert/flip the video as needed.
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Old 06-09-2020, 09:44 AM
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I've also been thinking about periscopes, but for a 360 degree omnidirectional setup. The cellphone adapters don't quite do it, and the ~pro~ kits are large and expensive. I'm looking for other ways to get a hyperbolic/parabolic/elliptical/comic mirror of the right size. RC propeller spinner, maybe?
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Old 06-15-2020, 08:05 AM
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What kind of camera are you planning on mounting? FPV cameras are usually very small and light. I doubt it will make much difference to your cog and unless you're going to be doing over 50 mph I doubt that wind drag will be an issue either.
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Old 06-15-2020, 11:49 AM
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I'm going even lighter than that:

Raspberry Pi Camera Module V2

Weighs 4g without the cable.

The setup I'm thinking looks something like this (wildly preliminary until I get the parts on hand to test focus/spacing/etc):



The polished spinner I'm using as the mirror weighs about 7g. The clear plastic tube and fasteners and adhesive and hardware will all add weight. I don't know how high the mirror will be yet, nor how close the camera has to be to it to get a good focus. Lots of empirical fiddling to be done.
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