Go Pro build

[saltlick]

So, I am finally going to build a GO Pro day only. All I have so far is the Hero 2. What is everyone recommending for size of case, external power, amped mic or not, board and any other suggestions? Thanks for any feedback.

[ghosthunters]

I would use a 1060 pelican case. Lots of room but not over kill. I have used three 18650 batteries in parallel for externals before for some of my builds. Plus I have also used two AA 3 bay holders (4.5v) (I use rechargeable batteries) for some of my builds. I am now working on a GoPro build that uses three AA 3 bay battery holders. What is the best external source? I like both setups. A wise man told me that put in 3 holders for externals as if u don’t need all 3 for externals power u can use what u want or need. Battery holders are cheap. I am thinking a 3 cell 18650 in parallel will last the same as three 3 bay AA holders but take less room. I used AA holders in this last build in case I sell it. AA’s seem most popular. It’s almost complete. As far as mics i use the little mics that Ralph sells. I have not tried the amped sound but others on here have. Ralph just made a GoPro build for a customer so perhaps he may chime in here as well with his thoughts.

GoPro builds are easy to make. The hack is simple. I have two setups with lights. And 3 setups without lights and are set to daytime only. I like pairing the daytime only with still cameras. If not within a few inches or feet within the same area.

I would for sure put the mic on the bottom as shown in the pic. (It’s inside the little grey pipe) Works great and little or no water issues.

I will post some pics here but if u have particular questions I can post more.














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[ghosthunters]

All the control boards I have used are from Ralph .. he has various programs and those questions could be answered by him. I prefer a 30 second video over a 60 second video. That’s my preference. I have a 30 second delay between. BUT I am gonna try a 45 second video setting and a 30 second video setting both with a 5 second delay. It will give u more videos but should not miss nothing .. I will be using this his in my newest build. I have 5 GoPro’s now ... I like them .. I have posted many videos on this forum ..


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[saltlick]

Thanks. That helped a lot.

[bigbassmann]

I agree with the 1060 size case, it gives you plenty of room for all the external power you could want, the control board and its power supply as well as a pipe through if you want it and the camera, all without being too crowded. Daryl didn't mention it but if you look at the build pics he posted you will notice he used the clear waterproof housing that the GoPro fits in to hold his camera inside the build case. I did that on my last GoPro build for a new customer and it worked out really slick. You will need to remove the black ring and glass lens from the clear case, those will be used on the outside of your build case for the GoPro lens as seen on Daryl's builds. Remove the rubber gasket that seals the glass inside the black ring then fit the glass inside the ring and seal around the edge of the glass with a small bead of Goop. Cut off the area on the front of the clear case where the button is that would press the GoPro power button then sand or dremel the entire front of the clear case flat. You can also cut off the button at the top of the clear case that is for pressing the shutter button. Position the clear case inside your build where your camera will be located and mark where the 1" lens hole will be drilled. With the front of the clear case sanded flat it will allow you to sit it flush inside your build case and glue it in place. I used double sided carpet tape of the front of the clear case so I could stick it in place and then Goop it around the edges to secure it. The black ring/lens glass assembly can be Gooped over the 1" hole you drilled, no need to put the small screws back in, just Goop over those holes also. The back lid of the clear case needs to have a section cut out that will allow the buss connector to extend through as seen in Daryl's pictures as well as a small area at the top left corner to allow the external wires and microphone wires to come through. To make opening and closing the clear case easier, remove the latch at the top and use a piece of bungee cord to hold it shut. Run the bungee cord through the 2 holes at the bottom of the clear case and tie it off to make a loop that can be stretched over the top and hook over one or both of the pins where the latch used to connect. You could leave the latch on if you want to but that might make it a little harder to open and close. Almost forgot, you should remove the rubber gasket on the lid of the clear case, that isn't needed and will make the lid easier to close. You will also want to mount a small glass bottle on the bottom of the case for running the Day/Night sensor into. That will help with detecting the light level better, especially for a Day Only video build. Not so crucial for a Day and Night unit. The little electret mics I have work pretty darn good as Daryl mentioned. For a Day Only build you can use the Game Watcher control board and I can set up pretty much whatever video lengths and delays between videos that you want. The last customer requested 10 second, 20 second and 30 second video options all with a 5 second delay. Personally I think 10 second is too short and for me so is the 20 second but that's up to you, all depends on what your setup will be and if you expect animals to hang around awhile or move through pretty quickly.

[ghosthunters]

More pics that u can view .. may answer more questions or bring more questions as well




















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[saltlick]

Thanks for all of the tips. The GoPro I got did come with the clear case so I will be using that like you suggested. I'll start getting my parts list together and placing an order. Thanks and I will be having more questions.

[ghosthunters]

Thanks for all of the tips. The GoPro I got did come with the clear case so I will be using that like you suggested. I'll start getting my parts list together and placing an order. Thanks and I will be having more questions.

Sounds good ...


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[ghosthunters]

Thanks for all of the tips. The GoPro I got did come with the clear case so I will be using that like you suggested. I'll start getting my parts list together and placing an order. Thanks and I will be having more questions.

I just use my dremel with the cutter wheel to cut the clear case as shown in the pics. Then I smooth it off with the Sander wheel. Once the black ring is removed by taking out the little screws in the clear waterproof case i also cut on the front part of the clear case so it rests flat in the 1060 case. I also grind down a spot in the case so that the GoPro button does not get depressed accidently when the lid of the clear case is shut. You can see that in some of the pics as well.

Double check the lens that in the clear plastic waterproof case that you also got with your GoPro. Sometimes they are scratched as I have had a few that were scratched and no good. You can buy replacement parts, rings, glass or housings real cheap on ebay from hong kong.

[saltlick]

Thanks for all of the tips. The GoPro I got did come with the clear case so I will be using that like you suggested. I'll start getting my parts list together and placing an order. Thanks and I will be having more questions.

I just use my dremel with the cutter wheel to cut the clear case as shown in the pics. Then I smooth it off with the Sander wheel. Once the black ring is removed by taking out the little screws in the clear waterproof case i also cut on the front part of the clear case so it rests flat in the 1060 case. I also grind down a spot in the case so that the GoPro button does not get depressed accidently when the lid of the clear case is shut. You can see that in some of the pics as well.

Double check the lens that in the clear plastic waterproof case that you also got with your GoPro. Sometimes they are scratched as I have had a few that were scratched and no good. You can buy replacement parts, rings, glass or housings real cheap on ebay from hong kong.

Thanks, I checked the lens and it is scratched. I ordered a couple. I probably will be building more than one.