linking a motion detector to a surv. cam

[paudge]

I have an outdoor radio surveillance camera thats linked up to my TV and video and PC. However thats no good if I go away, the video will only record for 3 hours or so. I have a motion detector that will switch on a light or set off an alarm if it detects motion. I want to put this beside the camera. What can I do so that the detector would start the video/camera only when it detected motion and stop after the motion had stopped?
Is their any sites that deals with this?
Regards,
Paudge

[MOVIEGEEK]

If you have a ATI capturecard you can use their capturing app. MMC 7.6 or higher,there is an option for motion detection.
www.ati.com

[gmatov]

Is this a real video camera, or an X10, RCA or Radio Shack type wireless?

If it is one of those, buy the VCR Commander from X10. It turns on the VCR when motion is detected, allowing you to, feasibly, record weeks of intermittent motion captures.

Be prepared to delete their daily e-mails, unless you want to see what the deal-of-the-day is.

[Solarjetman]

Well, if you have some electronics wiring experience, and some experience with Microcontrollers, it would be a simple task to wire the microcontroller to the record and stop buttons on the VCR, and the motion senor as well. Then write code as the following...

Loop
If (motion==1) {
timer=0;
record=true;
}
else {
timer++;
if (time>=60) {
record=false;
timer=60;
}
}
pause 500;
repeat

That would record from the time it sees movement, until 30 seconds after it stops.

The total cost of hardware would be around 20 dollars, and would take about 3 hours to wire.

However, if you don't have experience in that, then a software program running on your computer would probably be better.

[gmatov]

Solar,

What the heck you trying to make the original into, an ET?

If he could do that, he wouldn't be asking this.

I don't know if your devices are as I asked, but if they are, that same motion detector will multitask. If you set every device in the house to the same code, they will all go off.

As far as the VCR Commander goes, it does not require microcontrollers, or mini-solenoids, nor a batch file.

It recieves the 2.4 ghz signal from the motion detector, activates some IR devices, and tells the VCR to start recording.

[Tommyknocker]

Dude, I typed in "radio surveillance camera" and became intrigued bt this
site:
http://www.hiddencamerapros.com/st121.htm

I did not realize the state of the art had progressed so far and the items were so reasonable!

[Solarjetman]

What the heck you trying to make the original into, an ET?

Plus it has the added feature of cooking potatoes a nice golden brown!

Nah, I don't know why I thought of that, I just did. The topic just spurred my creative side I guess. It would be a pretty enjoyable project to build though. But, I guess it sounds silly if you don't like wiring electronics.