# Onboard cameras



## Shdwdrgn (Dec 23, 2014)

I've been waiting about a month for this particular package, and it finally arrived today. It's an OV2640 camera, essentially like something that would go in a cell phone. There is another model, OV3640, which goes a step further and adds autofocus, however I haven't seen them available lately and believe there is a problem with stocking.

Regardless... One of the things everyone seems to love seeing is a live view from the cab of the locomotive, and these cameras appear perfect for the task, at least for everything down to HO. The module itself is 5/16" square, with a fine ribbon cable coming out of one side. The lens is maybe 1/16", but supports video up to 1200x1600 @ 15fps, or 30fps at lower resolutions. And this series of cameras has libraries available for use on arduinos, so hookup should be a snap (he says as he looks in fear at the microscopic surface-mount pins on the connector...). So I'm excited to get this hooked up and start sending images to my server, to see how much of the wifi bandwidth this will take up, and what kind of quality of image can be displayed from a web page. I can get a decent enough view from a simple 400x200 image, and I believe I read that this camera will send image streams in jpeg format, so there would be some compression there.

Something that has occurred to me though, and perhaps someone can answer... In a steam engine, the boiler pretty much prevents the engineer from seeing a clear view directly in front, and in the pictures I've seen the engineer would be hanging out one side window or the other. So was there a preferred side to look out? Would there be any reason someone might normally sit on one side of the cab?


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Shdwdrgn said:


> Something that has occurred to me though, and perhaps someone can answer... In a steam engine, the boiler pretty much prevents the engineer from seeing a clear view directly in front, and in the pictures I've seen the engineer would be hanging out one side window or the other. So was there a preferred side to look out? Would there be any reason someone might normally sit on one side of the cab?


They sit on the right side, that is where all the controls are. 
There is a little window to look out to the front, down the side of the boiler, but I guess they can see better hanging out the window.
Plus it does get hot in the cab, so I guess the fresh air cools them off too.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Shdwdrgn said:


> My brother just got a similar camera that is small enough to make an
> 'engineers' view video. He has been exsperimenting with an old 'cab'
> in the hope of an actual camera view thru the windshield.
> 
> Something that has occurred to me though, and perhaps someone can answer... In a steam engine, the boiler pretty much prevents the engineer from seeing a clear view directly in front, and in the pictures I've seen the engineer would be hanging out one side window or the other. So was there a preferred side to look out? Would there be any reason someone might normally sit on one side of the cab?


I had the good fortune to get the opportunity to 'engineer' a prewar SW 1 at
the Portola Railroad Museum in California. Sitting in the engineers seat and
looking down that long nose is ok on a straightaway, but when the track
makes a left turn, you just hope the tracks are there, you can't see them.
That's when the fireman on the left seat watches.

Don


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## Shdwdrgn (Dec 23, 2014)

Thanks for the info. Now if I can just catch up on everything else and find time to write the next arduino article, then maybe I can find a little time to actually play with the camera...


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