GoPro Mods & Mount

[DK540]

I have an older GoPro and have always been unhappy with the sound - too much wind, not enough engine. Not being able to go for the newest with the external mic, I made some mods to the case for the current one that seem to allow better sound.

A few folks share stories and pics of how theirs are mounted so I'll add those as well.

I used the standard, adhesive backed mount on the side of my roll bar (1980 Lola T-540). Then I secured that with crossed zip ties to be sure. On the corner of the camera that would touch the roll bar I added some soft but dense cushioning - kinda like the rubbery foam you would find covering the copper pipe on your home heat pump. I used a small bungee loop to hold the camera tight to the bar, with the cushion to keep the vibration down. The position and angle give me the road ahead, my steering wheel with the tach visible (sometimes) through the wheel, and the gearshift hand.

I modified the housing to get better sound by drilling a hole where the microphone is, then putting a bit of cotton ball (just a piece) in that hole, sort of like the wind mic covers you see the news people using on TV. I also ground the plastic clip just a little to allow more sound in through the side. Allowing more sound waves in through an opening, even with some cotton to block the wind, seems to work pretty well for me.

Photos below (hopefully) and a link below with a couple of laps to illustrate the sound.

http://youtu.be/h6TQWXk_se0




Hope this helps a few folks.

David

[BURKY]

What is mounted above the gopro?

[Dick R.]

Nice but no link.

Thanks,

Dick

[DK540]

I have another camera that mounts there, that has a remote mic, but the temps at the Turkey Bowl apparently prevented it from coming on at all. Tried four times, even with battery in and out to reset, video simply did not work. Back at home, turns on fine. :-/ Now that I have the GoPro working well I will probably remove that other mount.

In case you don't read the notes on the YouTube link page, I know I'm slow but it was only my second race weekend and it was 18 degrees at the time at Summit Point. Still had fun!

[rydawg011291]

There is a port on the side of the gopro that is for external mics.... Buy a lavalier mic on Amazon or Best Buy for about 15 dollars. Make sure the mic is long enough to feed from the back where the exhaust is to the gopro itself. My brother and I have done this and have been able to get amazing sound since the case tends to make the sound crappy.

https://vimeo.com/73659854

Ryan

[Dick R.]

Thanks!

Were you running all season tires in the cold? I'm kidding. Treaded "vintage" eligible tires I guess.

Dick

[DK540]

Oh yeah, stopped by the Western Auto in Winchester and picked up a set of all-season, guaranteed used tires. Great bargain.

It was a VRG race, so yes, treaded for vintage, and have some age on 'em, but the Dunlops are what I have and will run 99% of the time. I have some Hoosiers but don't see running those in SVRA, VRG & VDCA events so they will probably not last long if I don't run 'em. Maybe a school in the Spring just to see what they're like. They are also old, not sure how old.

[DK540]

Ryan, this is the first generation GoPro. AFIK, the charging port can only be used for charging. No other port and I have yet to find a pigtail that anyone says will work for an external mic for this model. (I have asked and provided model and S/N and it seems to be a no-go)

[phantomjock]

I "played" around a bit at my Skip Barber 2-day course with my hand held voice recorder and external mic. Took a bit of fiddling but with some freeware made a short demo - and was reasonably satisfied. Most of the fiddling was to make it sync. If you call out a position on the audio, gets easier. Like, "Crossing start/finish - NOW."

Clipped it inside my suit. Needed better wind guard or placement of the mic. Added an interesting dimension to reviewing the video, but also the extra step. A possibility if you have one around. It can also be used to "debrief" yourself after the session.
Just another option - you may have already considered.

Cheers - Jim

[I'm on the road now, and don't have access to the mini-demo - will try and locate it when I get settled in a week or so.]