I couldn't find a camera mount that would work for video taping footwork. I tried a bunch of different set-ups, and nothing worked with my cameras. I could have ordered a bullet cam and routed the wiring under the seat, but I already have 2 cameras and don't want to explain to the wife why I need another one.

So I went down to Home Depot today and walked the store for an hour or so to brainstorm ideas for a DIY camera mount. As it turns out, I found a PERFECT mount - for $2.79. It is a 3/8" grounding clamp found in the electical department. It looks like this:





As it turns out the screws/threads used on this clamp are EXACTLY the same size as the standard camera mounting hole. How convenient. [It actually came with screws that had a head for a slotted screwdriver, but I switched over to some hex head ones I had lying around.] Pictures of the assembled mount:




No extra work needed - the camera simply screws onto the exposed bolt. I did add a round disc that I had from an old camera mount - but you could use a hex nut instead. This does 2 things: it adds a little stability to the camera and allows you to get the camera pointed in the right direction and then "lock" it down from underneath the camera.

I have Cobra Imola racing seats with standard pull up bars to adjust the seat. I simply added some racer's tape to the seat adjuster (pull-up) bar, and mounted the clamp directly to it. I positioned it so the camera is directly in the middle of the bar. Set up this way, the camera is unobtrusive and does not interfere with driving.





[EDIT: this video is me driving around my neighborhood pushing pedals for the test video - trying to figure out if the camera is positioned correctly to catch foot movement. The footwork is just illustrative and was not intended to evaluate performance, but to illustrate/verify that the contraption would actually work on the track.]

Link to video

 

Nice work!

 

I assume you've got a second camera catching the action through the windshield. Will you be able to sync them up to show the footwork along with the road view? That should be a cool training tool. Post up something next time you hit the track if it works out.

 

Will do. I'll be at the track next weekend. I do have another camera mounted to the roll bar. The intent was to sync it up, and hopefully my software allows PIP, otherwise I'll have to upgrade...

-td