Is there such thing as a side view dashcam? (For your car doors)

[TonyM]

In particular, tilting the side cameras down significantly helps to see what is happening right alongside your car when it is parked

 

[joe384]

The best thing is to actually try the set-up in real world conditions to know what you'll be able to achieve.

Yes totally true

I've bought a square of 3m vhb as I expect I'll still be experimenting quite a lot

 

[TonyM]

I was curious to find out what my super-wide-angle modified A129 Duo side camera would capture if someone were to key the side of my car. The answer is that it can see the key whilst it is in contact with the car, and also the face of the perpetrator!!

 

[kamkar]

Yes side cameras need to be very wide if placed like that, otherwise you have to go to outside mounted "looking down the side of the car" kind of cameras.

 

[joe384]

That looks great TonyM.

I am trying to get some mounting wedges 3d printed so I can get a slight forward facing tilt for my blackvue rear cams (that go on the rear side windows). Mega busy with work though (more than pre-lockdown!)

 

[Dashmellow]

That looks great TonyM.

I am trying to get some mounting wedges 3d printed so I can get a slight forward facing tilt for my blackvue rear cams (that go on the rear side windows). Mega busy with work though (more than pre-lockdown!)

You shouldn't need to spend money having wedges custom 3D printed. Go to your local hardware store or look online for "furniture leveling wedges". There are various types and sizes available. I've been using these types of wedges for years now for exactly this purpose (as well as aiming cameras left or right when mounting off-center on a windshield).

These wedges below are nylon and they work well. There are other types available made from other materials.
If you are handy you can even modify them, such as sanding them down a bit to make them thinner if required.
In one installation I did, I cut two nylon wedges down to make them shorter and mounted them side by side to create a wider mounting surface.
Then I applied two inch wide 3M VHB tape for mounting.

 

[TonyM]

These look like they could be useful
25 x Furniture Levelers/Alignment Shim Wedge

 

[joe384]

Yes I've seen them although I would prefer something 3d printed as gluing several shims together and then cutting them to size ends up with a messy result.

I did get some 3d printed from a place I found, unfortuately I realised the material was tpu so cancelled the order, however there was a bit of a mix up and I got my money back and they had already sent them out. Despite being TPU they are still quite hard because they are so small. I may give them a try, there is a tiny bit of flexing but there will be slight movement with any dashcam because of the sticky pads.

Just realised the wedge should be the other way around!

By quick Trig calculations, the tilt angle should be around 15 degrees which I think should help capture a bit more of the front side of the car (mounted on rear side windows)
Shame I didn't have a full side camera setup at the time my car got dinged as it has taken off paint and will require a respray to get looking as before

 

[TonyM]

I did get some 3d printed from a place I found, unfortuately I realised the material was tpu so cancelled the order, however there was a bit of a mix up and I got my money back and they had already sent them out. Despite being TPU they are still quite hard because they are so small. I may give them a try, there is a tiny bit of flexing but there will be slight movement with any dashcam because of the sticky pads.

If you're still looking for a supplier, I had my ABS wedges 3D printed by https://markembling.info/

 

[Dashmellow]

Yes I've seen them although I would prefer something 3d printed as gluing several shims together and then cutting them to size ends up with a messy result.

@joe384, I'm afraid I have to disagree with your conclusion that cutting down commercially available nylon wedges and mounting them side by side "ends up with a messy result". Like any other DIY project, if done carefully and skillfully the results can look quite professional. In fact, in all of my installations using such wedges you'd have to look very closely to even see that they are there. I would argue that they look quite similar, but less obtrusive than the photo of your 3D printed version which seems a bit shiny.

My most recent use of these wedges for a rather challenging rear facing camera mount where I need an angle I couldn't otherwise achieve for my pick-up truck involved a custom made DIY 5mm aluminum plate mounted to the headliner, two trimmed, side by side nylon wedges and a custom cut two inch square of plate glass. The project involved some PC7 epoxy paste, and some 2 inch wide VHB tape. The whole thing was carefully spray painted satin/matte black (with the exception of the glass surface which was masked off). The result was rather slick and professional in appearance and provided exactly the results, angle and rock solid mount I was looking for. If I can make some time, perhaps I'll post a photo.

Perhaps, it comes down to skill levels, creativity and dedication but ending up with a "messy result" should not be assumed.

 

[TonyM]

@joe384 Do you mind if I ask why the dashcam lens looks like this? Is that just a fingerprint?

 

[Dashmellow]

@joe384 Do you mind if I ask why the dashcam lens looks like this? Is that just a fingerprint?

I was wondering about that myself.

 

[joe384]

I was wondering about that myself.

Yes, just a fingerprint

 

[joe384]

@joe384, I'm afraid I have to disagree with your conclusion that cutting down commercially available nylon wedges and mounting them side by side "ends up with a messy result". Like any other DIY project, if done carefully and skillfully the results can look quite professional. In fact, in all of my installations using such wedges you'd have to look very closely to even see that they are there. I would argue that they look quite similar, but less obtrusive than the photo of your 3D printed version which seems a bit shiny.

My most recent use of these wedges for a rather challenging rear facing camera mount where I need an angle I couldn't otherwise achieve for my pick-up truck involved a custom made DIY 5mm aluminum plate mounted to the headliner, two trimmed, side by side nylon wedges and a custom cut two inch square of plate glass. The project involved some PC7 epoxy paste, and some 2 inch wide VHB tape. The whole thing was carefully spray painted satin/matte black (with the exception of the glass surface which was masked off). The result was rather slick and professional in appearance and provided exactly the results, angle and rock solid mount I was looking for. If I can make some time, perhaps I'll post a photo.

Perhaps, it comes down to skill levels, creativity and dedication but ending up with a "messy result" should not be assumed.

Yeah, you are right, I guess what I meant is if I did it, it would probably be a mess!

On one of my last little electronic projects I needed a housing for the electronics and had to make some switch cutouts, they weren't very neat. I think I probably don't do as much preparation as I should, tend to rush things and don't really have the right tools

 

[Dashmellow]

Yes, just a fingerprint

Fingerprints are quite acidic and shouldn't be left on lenses for long periods of time, otherwise they can leave some subtle marks in the lens coatings that can't be removed.

 

[joe384]

Fingerprints are quite acidic and shouldn't be left on lenses for long periods of time, otherwise they can leave some subtle marks in the lens coatings that can't be removed.

Thanks I didn't know that

 

[kamkar]

O yes, some nasty ones we are us humans.
When B&O make their remotes ASO for their own stuff and for others like Audi, if one of those parts are even touched by a human it is scrapped.
And one of those remotes for instance, they go thru several polishing robots ASO before plating.

When you go beyond NASA specs and just make audio stuff, no wonder it get so expensive.

 

[joe384]

Quite some time ago, another member created some very similar graphics which led to a debate about what is and what is not possible regarding 360º four camera dash cam coverage. I've learned from my personal experience that the FOV coverage one can actually achieve will in all likelihood be different than hypothetical graphics like this may suggest. There are many optical variables involved that really can't be verified with an on screen hypothetical graphic. For example, one thing I learned is that tilting a wide angle camera lens downwards, which will always be required with dash cams, will provide a view that will be rather different from the perfectly horizontal orientation implied by the graphics. The wider the lens, the more this is so. Of course, there is the size and height of your vehicle, the available options for placement, window frame design and the fact that FOV specs reported by manufacturers may in fact be inaccurate or estimated (often).

The best thing is to actually try the set-up in real world conditions to know what you'll be able to achieve.

Yeah, I just realised that the rear side window is quite curved, and the curve changes quite a lot down the length of the window.

So I've basically had to go back to experimenting with the live view anyway.

I need to find a carpark that is level to experiment though as the car is normally parked on a slope and if you try to align the image horizontally it doesn't quite work

 

[peterharvey]

Here is my side dashcam job with a pair of StreetGuardian SG9663DR's attached to the rear vent fixed panes.
The DR is asymmetrical, hence the left and right mounting is asymmetrical too, but no big deal - as long as it's not a huge ThinkWare U1000 body attached to the rear side vent panes.

I wish I had done this sooner with my old [now discontinued] StreetGuardian SGZC12RC remote dashcams.
For some strange reason [I think Kamcar's idea of hanging his SGZC12RC off the ceiling rails], I kept trying to mount the dashcam to the "opening/closing" rear window mobile panes of glass.
Because the side window panes open/close, this necessitated me thinking about removable suction cups and magnets available with discontinued Vicovations and Dods etc.

However, ultimately it is best for the side dashcams to 3M adhere to the rear side window fixed vent panes.
Cabling is easy...

 

[joe384]

Yeah, I just realised that the rear side window is quite curved, and the curve changes quite a lot down the length of the window.

So I've basically had to go back to experimenting with the live view anyway.

I need to find a carpark that is level to experiment though as the car is normally parked on a slope and if you try to align the image horizontally it doesn't quite work

Wow, so my car was parked on the road today (very rare) and it suffered some scuffing and scratching on the wheel arch. The view of the wheel arch from the CCTV was blocked by a tree and I only had my front/rear cameras running (been busy so side view cameras have taken a back seat) I think even with side view cameras I would have trouble proving what happened. I suspect it was the handle bars of a kids bike or a mobility scooter.

I am starting to look at preventative options now, i bought these https://www.gilksukltd.com/ which should help, they are not a 100% fix though, doors are typically a bit curved on most cars and all sorts of different heights so it might not prevent all door dings.