This is a guide on how to build a dashcam using the Raspberry Pi computer. A quick how-to configure a 4G connection with VPN here . A brief configuration guide for the Pi 4 is now here . Some more detailed but probably out of date information for the older versions below... How to install the OS and configure the dashcam Installing Arch Linux or Raspbian , OS setup, camera configurations etc. How…
Installed: 2020-08-20-raspios-buster-armhf-lite.img After installation if you can mount /boot before inserting it in the Pi then touch ssh so you can start the Pi without having to connect a monitor and keyboard. $ sudo touch {sdmountpoint}/boot/ssh - Insert the card into your Pi then login as the user 'pi' with the default password 'raspberry' $ sudo raspi-config 1. Change User Password 4.…
An abbreviated guide to configuring the Pi4 as a two camera dashcam Download the latest version of Raspbian and unzip https://downloads.raspberrypi.org/raspbian_lite_latest Install the image to a MicroSD card. For examples see: https://elinux.org/RPi_Easy_SD_Card_Setup When the image is installed and if you can mount the boot partition, create an empty file called ssh in it, then place the SD card…
Cheap solution for automatic shutdown PiDashCam For the automatic shutdown I have used a 12V programmable timer in combination with an optocoupler. I have used a CNY17-3 type because I had it lying around but I think other types will also work. The timers you can buy very cheap on eBay or Banggood, 2 examples are given:-…
Pricing - A very rough guide on hardware pricing as of February 2016 The price of building the unit can vary enormously depending on many factors. For example, what you already have available, where or how you are going to use it, how much you wish to record, where you buy the parts. Raspberry Pi 2 Model B - £30 / €38 / $43 Raspberry Pi Model A+ - £18 / €23 / $26 32Gb Micro SD card (class 10) - £9…
The home.sh program provides a method for copying files from the Pi (/home/camera by default) to a remote location, usually via a WiFi connection. It is initiated by the pwr_butt script when a shutdown has been requested but can be run independently. The program is still being written and may have issues. This is a very basic setup guide to provide a quick and simple way to transfer files from the…
Please note, the UPS PIco uses GPIO22 & GPIO27 to communicate with the Pi. These need to be free for it to function. I2C setup First enable I2C communication via raspi-config. I am using the root account here but you can use sudo with the pi account to make these changes instead. E.G. pi@picoberry ~ $ sudo i2cdetect -y 1 root@picoberry:~# raspi-config -> 8. Advanced Options -> A7. I2C -> <Yes> ->…
So I treated myself to a new Raspberry Pi 2B and a UPS PIco. The Pi 2 is nice and quick and allows me to use a slightly higher resolution on the USB camera. Also, my old Pi which was built into my car would get fairly hot during the summer. Being somewhat reluctant to relocate it and well, you know, gadgets, I bought a UPS PIco with the separate fan kit. This means I can cool the Pi and hopefully…
Initial configuration For instructions on installing an OS image to your SD card please see here or here . After Raspbian has been installed l ogin to the Pi from your computer using ssh... (If you do not have ssh installed then for Windows check here , PuTTY is a popular choice, else see the main openssh website.) ssh -l pi {your Pi's IP address} The default password for the user 'pi' is:…
August 2017 Fixed a bug in dashcam.sh which only allowed the default GPIO notification LED from lighting. Modified audio.sh so the default recording option was a more reliable choice. Changed the 'is the Pi camera running check' to use mmal_vc_diag instead. Flash now returns the LED status to what they were before the flash unless told to switch off. September 2016 gps_logger has been completely…
Update 12th Oct. 2015: I purchased a UPS PIco which should provide a better automated solution. Please see here for the install guide. Or, an alternative to a UPS is this excellent (and cheap) fully automated timer based car ignition solution made by Ronald M. Initially I made a nice built-in version which had a reset / halt button and an On / Off button to supply and remove power to the Pi via…
I am still updating the scripts when time permits but for the most part I think the dash cam is done. One last thing to do is have NTP sync with the GPS time. The difference between the two can become quite considerable even only after an hour. The Pi camera still interferes with the GPS unit a lot. The only thing that works well is having the GPS away from the Pi but I do not want more wires…
Below are details on how my dashcam is connected up. I am no electrician but from reading many web pages and after a fair bit of testing I think this is a perfectly decent setup. Please use as a guide, don't blame me if your Pi tries to go all Skynet on you. Pin layout GPIO pin connections looking from above your Pi with the micro power connection at the top left and the GPIO in the top-right…
I have tried to make this guide as easy as possible but it is recommended that you understand the reasons behind the commands you are using. If things go wrong or a mistake is made then it is most likely a simple fix. Restarting from scratch is easy enough but time consuming. I make no bones about it, at first glance this seems like a fair bit of work but it really is not too bad. And, all being…
I had a spare Raspberry Pi and was wondering if I could turn it into a dashcam. Originally I was using an old USB camera and although it kind of worked it wasn't great. Some time later the Pi camera was announced and so I waited.... When it arrived I was very impressed and as the CPU usage was so very low I wondered if I could combine it with my old USB version and maybe add a GPS. Hardware -…