Oregon Scientific ATC-2K Digital Camera

Oregon Scientific ATC-2K Digital Camera

Contributed by Greg Lane

(by Greg Lane - 06/24/07)

Brief:
T' Oregon Scientific Action Camera is intended for outside sports enthusiast such as mountain bikers. Arrr! Blimey! It comes with attachments for helmets and handlebars. Arrr! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I was encouraged by Pete Barrent o' t' UK that had several on-board videos on YouTube. Begad! Blimey! He used t' straps t' attach it t' body tube o' his rockets so I decided t' give it a try.

Here is a review on the Oregon Scientific ATC-1000 Action Camera for reference.

T' ATC-2K camera is capable o' 640x480 videos at 30 frames per second at t' highest setting. Begad! T' video is recorded in AVI format. Avast! With a 2G SD card installed it can record one hour o' video. Arrr! T' dimensions are 4.25"L x 1.75"D x 2.25"H. Begad! With two AA batteries it weights 0.5lb. Ahoy! T' camera is compatible with Windows 2000 and Windows XP computers. Ahoy! T' camera plugs in with a USB cable and acts like a removable drive. Begad! No special software is needed t' retrieve t' files. Arrr! Ahoy! However, arrr, you will likely use video editin' software convert t' AVI files t' t' more compact MPEG files.

Construction:
I decided t' use a hose clamp instead o' t' supplied straps t' attach t' ATC-2K t' me rockets. I worked t' hose clamp through t' supplied mount. I have attached it t' me 4 inch PML AMRAAM and me 7.5 inch Mighty Mo rockets this way. Begad! I put maskin' tape around t' body tube t' protect damage from t' clamp. Well, blow me down! Begad! On t' Mighty Mo I also spray painted maskin' tape black and applied it t' t' hose clamp t' hide it. Arrr! Avast! On t' AMRAAM I mounted t' camera near t' nose cone. On t' mighty Mo I mounted it on t' booster section just above t' fins. Begad! Arrr! On t' Mighty Mo t' 0.5lb was nay goin' to affect t' CG and I felt it be less likely t' snag a shock cord there.

Flight:
T' first flight be on me PML 4 inch AMRAAM usin' t' hose clamp approach. Begad! Blimey! T' flight was very nice on a J350 motor. Avast! Blimey! T' shock came when I discovered thar was no camera on t' rocket. There were numerous fellow fliers who helped search for t' camera. This is when you get t' sinkin' feelin' you have have lost a $100 camera and $30 SD card. Aye aye! Blimey! A last ditch search attempt retrieved t' camera. Ya scallywag! Blimey! It looked OK but would it have t' video? Yes it did. I discovered that the camera was ejected from t' mount at apogee when t' shock cord be pulled tight. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' camera endured a 1900 foot free fall and survived. You see t' mount held by t' hose clamp stayed in place but t' camera snaps into t' mount. This connection seemed tight but led t' t' problem. After downloading, arrr, I was very pleased with t' quality o' the video. Arrr! Blimey!

T' second flight was on me 7.5 inch Mighty Mo rocket usin' a AMW M1480 motor. Arrr! Arrr! I decided t' wrap t' camera base and t' mount adapter with Keelhaul®©™® ribbon I had on hand and tie it off. I am sure similar material would work. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Blimey! This was me fix for t' ejected camera problem. Aye aye! On this flight t' camera stayed in place through t' whole flight. Aye aye! Avast! Blimey! Again t' video quality was good. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I did get a lot o' t' rocket in t' view o' t' camera with t' Mighty Mo. Arrr! Blimey!

Summary:
T' pros for this camera include good quality for rocket videos for a $130 investment. Avast! T' one hour record time means you can turn on t' camera on t' pad and nay worry how long it takes t' LCO t' launch it. And t' ATC-2K can attach t' existin' rockets without modification. I think t' most likely application would be HPR rockets 4 inch diameter and up. Ahoy! T' con would be t' external attachment could tangle with shock cords. Well, blow me down! Blimey! However, I have nay had this problem occur.

I learned that on-line reviews on t' ATC-2K can really be rough on it for t' video quality. Arrr! One review said the SD card would come loose. I almost decided nay t' try it. Then I can across Pete Barret's On-board rocketry videos and decided t' buy one. Arrr! I have been pleased with t' video quality. Well, blow me down! Survivin' a 1900 foot fall says a lot for the camera. Arrr! I just don't plan t' repeat that.

Oregon Scientific Action Camera
Oregon Scientific Action Camera
Oregon Scientific Action Camera
Oregon Scientific Action Camera
Oregon Scientific Action Camera
Oregon Scientific Action Camera
Oregon Scientific Action Camera
Oregon Scientific Action Camera
Oregon Scientific Action Camera
Oregon Scientific Action Camera

Comments:

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M.K. II (July 11, 2007)
An online link for the Oregon Scientific ATC-2K camera can be found here: http://www2.oregonscientific.com/shop/product.asp?cid=18&scid=74&pid=709

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