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https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl DIY Forum >> Alarms, Phones, Aerials, CCTV & Datacomms >> setting up a little TV system https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1104785914 Message started by mr_spanton on Jan 3^rd, 2005, 8:28pm

Title: setting up a little TV system
Post by mr_spanton on Jan 3^rd, 2005, 8:28pm

Can anyone offer a bit of advice please?
I have hit on the idea of using a small camera and monitor to look closely at my saw blades when I sharpen them (my eyesight is deteriating fast)
Can you get a small camera (perhaps fitted onto an anglepoise arm so you can follow along the blade as you file??) Could you use a cheap little telly or would you need a monitor. 8-10x magnification would be good (or even adjustable) What could anyone advise please, any good suppliers or specialist video forums or anything??
Thanks, Mr Spanton ;)

Title: Re: setting up a little TV system
Post by Stoday on Jan 3^rd, 2005, 8:51pm

Buy a webcam. Plenty of brands available for less than £15. Includes software so that you can hook up to your computer via USB port

Title: Re: setting up a little TV system
Post by billythekid on Jan 3^rd, 2005, 11:58pm

webcam is a great idea, astronomers use them on their telescopes for the best pictures. get a half decent one and you'll have no trouble with magnification and a clear picture mr s

ßilly

Title: Re: setting up a little TV system
Post by Roland_Butter on Jan 4^th, 2005, 12:03am

Hi,

An option is to use a cheap cctv camera. They start at around £20. Problem is, they use "video output" and not RF which is what your TV needs.

You can however use an ordinary TV and not a monitor by modulating the video signal. This is done in one of two ways:

1. Buy a cheap modulator from RS components, Maplins or Gardiner Security.

2. Use a TV with a scart input and solder the video signal conductors on to your own 21 pin scart plug. This is a 4 or 3 wire connection, the pins of which I can't remember off the top of my head, but if you choose to go down this road, I'll look it up for you.

If you struggle, particularly with your eyesight, let me know roughly which part of the country you're in and we'll fix you up with a CCTV engineering company's details close to you.

Roland Butter

City centre CCTV

Title: Re: setting up a little TV system
Post by plugwash on Jan 4^th, 2005, 12:12am

or just plug an adaptor into the scart which gives you composite video and audio phono sockets.

Title: Re: setting up a little TV system
Post by plugwash on Jan 4^th, 2005, 12:18am

i have soldered scart plugs and they aren't hugely difficult but the sure as hell aren't soldering for begginers either,

hardest connectors i've ever done are 6 pin mini dins

8 pin standard dins are pretty hard too.....

I haven't tried high density D connectors (as used for computer monitors) but they also look pretty nasty ;)

Title: Re: setting up a little TV system
Post by plugwash on Jan 4^th, 2005, 12:19am

also the cord grips on scart plugs don't work on thinner cables so you sometimes need to pad the cable with something (gaffer tape works pretty well)

Title: Re: setting up a little TV system
Post by sparkster on Jan 4^th, 2005, 9:42am

I'd have thought a webcam would not get the close focus needed so a small CCTV cam may be better. Never tried though! I guess it depends on the lens it has in any case.

You'll also need to practice as you'll be looking at a screen rather than where your hands are. But surgeons manage...

But is a simple illuminated magnifying glass on an arm out of the question?

Title: Re: setting up a little TV system
Post by sparkster on Jan 4^th, 2005, 9:44am

wrote on Jan 4^th, 2005, 12:18am:

hardest connectors i've ever done are 6 pin mini dins

Also, with any of these things too much heat will melt the plastic (very plastic on cheaper ones!) and the pins might move about and get out of line.

Title: Re: setting up a little TV system
Post by plugwash on Jan 4^th, 2005, 3:03pm

keep a line socket handy

helps keep the pins in place if the plastic softens a bit

the thing i dislike on scarts is the pins can move quite a bit even with the plastic solid.

Title: Re: setting up a little TV system
Post by L.Spark on Jan 4^th, 2005, 3:49pm

wrote on Jan 4^th, 2005, 3:03pm:

keep a line socket handy

helps keep the pins in place if the plastic softens a bit

the thing i dislike on scarts is the pins can move quite a bit even with the plastic solid.

Yea, the lid is required to hold them in place ::)

Title: Re: setting up a little TV system
Post by ban-all-sheds on Jan 4^th, 2005, 11:39pm

From a mechanical POV, SCART has to be about the worst plug ever invented.

What were they thinking of?

Title: Re: setting up a little TV system
Post by plugwash on Jan 4^th, 2005, 11:50pm

can't say i've ever had any real trouble with them apart from keepign the pins still while soldering. and its sometimes a little tricky to get the cover on corrrect especially fi you have melted something slightly

a lot of earlier scart plugs came with seperate pins and i think this may be why the pins are so loose (i think its designed so machines can crimp/solder the ppins first before they are inserted into the connector.

just what is it about them that ames you think they are the worst connectors ever created?

Title: Re: setting up a little TV system
Post by ban-all-sheds on Jan 5^th, 2005, 12:11am

Cheap, flimsy, poor grade plastics.

Compare them to proper RF connectors, XLRs, 10base2 Ethernet etc....

Title: Re: setting up a little TV system
Post by L.Spark on Jan 5^th, 2005, 1:19am

Yea you say that BAS but you can get cheap plug's like XLR's too, any plug can be cheap and nasty, or you can get more expensive types like Neutrik and so on.

Title: Re: setting up a little TV system
Post by mr_spanton on Jan 5^th, 2005, 10:12pm

wrote on Jan 4^th, 2005, 9:42am:

You'll also need to practice as you'll be looking at a screen rather than where your hands are. But surgeons manage...

That was actually where I got the idea from, as I had to have a sony camera up the nose and down the throat (cancer test) at hospital (doc wuddent let me keep the tape though) ::)
If you think about it, you move your mouse and look at the screen and that is second nature after a while. I use a wacom tablet frequently-after a while you "draw" while looking at the monitor, filing shudd be a dodle. But when I think about it one of those jewellers welding mask type eyepieces is probably simpler and more versatile (a camera wud be good for teaching filing though). Thanks for all the advice anyways,
Mr S ;)

Title: Re: setting up a little TV system
Post by ban-all-sheds on Jan 6^th, 2005, 11:20am

If you're using woodworking machinery with failing eyesight, perhaps you should invest in one of these.

http://www.sawstop.com/home.htm

Do watch the awesome videos of the system in action.

Title: Re: setting up a little TV system
Post by billythekid on Jan 6^th, 2005, 1:19pm

WOW, that was amazing. I dont have hotdogs for fingers tho!

Title: Re: setting up a little TV system
Post by Beanzy on Jan 7^th, 2005, 9:53am

You can buy workbench magnifiers which even have a 'halo' light around them Mr.S.

I'll have a shufti on some sites tomorrow to see if I can dig out a link for you.

Title: Re: setting up a little TV system
Post by Beanzy on Jan 10^th, 2005, 2:57am

CPC do 3x lenses witha 22w fluorescent ring tube which comes on an angle-poise arm to clamp to the desk/bench.

order code LA0133183 at £29.78+VAT

Could be an easy option?