ok guys (hugh, tim hancock). i want to make a bombproof box for video camera.

[vash]

CHEAPLY! we are blasting through a mountain. well, now we switched to mechanical diggers, but the ground is hard. i am positive the lame-arse contractor will need to blow stuff up again. i have a small handheld video camera. it doesnt suck, so i dont want it destroyed. it is one of those palm held units with the flip out screen. i need to set it about 75 feet from the blast, and survive. i am doing this on my own dime, purely for curiosity sake...so i need it done CHEAP! one of my office mates got wind of this, and is trying to steal my thunder. he got two 1 foot sq, samples of bulletproof glass being sent to my office. smart, but no glass allowed in tunnel (i think). besides a strong box shape isnt gonna be easy, with regular tools, no welder. the no glass in tunnel is calosha stuff.
here is my criteria;
needs to be cheap, (needs repeating)
needs to be light, because i have to carry it about 900 meter in, and out.
needs to be water resistant in case it gets punted into a mountain spring.
i think the video camera has a remote control, but if not, i need to be able to get in, hit record, button it back up..and run.

we have some 8" diameter drain pipe. very thick PVC material. i am thinking of capping one end with a...well the official cap end thingy, and taking another cap, and cutting a big hole in the middle. then cutting a perfect circle of half inch thick plexiglas, setting it on the end, and putting the cut out cap back on. i dont know how strong the cut cap will be. the other end can be glued. i think plexi isnt cheap. but the pipe shape is strong. and i bet i can find pipe, and two caps free on the jobsite. i could line the tube with bubble wrap and old towels.

let the brain storming begin! big bonus if hugh lends me a hollywood version, or tim simply cranks one out in the hanger...or pulls one out of the cupboard. anyone friends with the mythbuster guys?

oh, the blast cuts a 20 meter diameter circle, 3 meters into the earth. it is pretty huge, by my limited standards.

[futuresoptions]

Only on Pelican LOL!!! I'll think of some ideas, but Lexan comes to mind...

[Tobra]

I would imagine materials and shape would be important for such a device.

[Westy]

Why don't you get a really, really, REALLY good zoom lens? Hmmmmmmm??

[Westy]

Or maybe you could stuff the camera inside some of those Big Truck Nuts. They should protect ur little 8mm.

[vash]

come on westy, you know you want to help. what do you have laying around that barn of yours?

[Hugh R]

"Bomb Proof" is a little tough. We do almost all low pressue (subsonic), "real bombs" the pressure wave is supersonic. First thought is one of those Walmart cheap wireless video cameras that broadcast to a computer up to 200 feet away. That way you capture the image safely.

$20 Box, make out of Lexan, epoxy or chemical weld (with plexiglass, I think you can use Acetone to chemically weld (melt) two pieces together) the sides and create a hollow space for the camera and lens looking out and fill with two-part expansive foam. Use the soft foam, not the hard foam. That way you get less transmission of pressure wave. Put in latches to secure the top on all four sides. Don't fix it to the ground, more impact when the pressure wave hits it. Hook to a very short 1 foot teather so you can find it. Bungee would be good unless you expect fire, that way again you are reducing the shock.

Edit:

Another thought! Make the box sort of wedge shaped (arrowhead pointing towards the blast) with as small a front profile as possible.

[vash]

yea, i dont mind the box getting punted. LEXAN is expensive right? i will check out TAP plastic tomorrow.

are those chemical welds super strong? this is a brand new office camera. i wont get fired if i destroy it, but i would rather avoid the explanation part. one boss offered up his office pro camera. i looked it up, and found it cost $2k, and politely declined. sheesh! now if i had porn to film....

[Westy]

OK, explosions rise as they move away. The further your 'box' is from the explosion, the less strength is required. Low profile, even 100 feet away, should survive the blast. Liquid welded lexan scrap would do fine. The smaller the front surface area, the less resistance. OK, OK, you know all the physics stuff. I like the web cam idea. Make the bottom of the box about 4-5 inches longer than the top, and you could stake it into the ground. It's gonna meet wind resistance, but I don't think it will be that much. My only problem with the web cam is the electrical interferance it might encounter as aresult of the ignition, or even the explosion. I have no idea what explosives they are using. My good friend is a bomb expert for a local agency,,,,you want me to ask him what they do?

[porsche4life]

If you can find some place that uses Lexan that would sell you drop pieces it would be cheaper... No need to worry about those chemical welds... If they won't hold the lexan itself will break.

[Hugh R]

I can ask one of my shows if they have some scrap lexan. We buy it all the time to protect our $250,000 Panavision cameras.

[ODDJOB UNO]

well i would start first by looking at HOUSINGS for unta-wata cameras.


1st) they must not leak. DUH!

2nd) must have access to buttons

3rd) on land(1st atmosphere) you have "x" amount of pressure

4th) 2nd atmosphere 0-33 feet you have double the pressure und so veiter

5th) max dive depth before imploding would be something to ask for reference to your application.

6th) what kind of lexan to sustain high pressure?

7) maybe they make "explosion" proof models

IKELITE would be a good mfg. to call.


i wanna see the pics of this.

"flooding" unta-wata cameras is my middle name.

[Gogar]

+1 for "expansive foam" inside the box as Hugh mentioned. Wrap the camera in Saran wrap or something similar, to make disassembly easier.

[Rob Channell]

Is there a barrier of some sort that you could put the camera behind? I'm thinking of putting it behind a convenient thick wall looking at an angled mirror that can reflect the desired site of interest. The mirror will be destroyed, but not before the video gets there.

[vash]

Originally Posted by Rob Channell

Is there a barrier of some sort that you could put the camera behind? I'm thinking of putting it behind a convenient thick wall looking at an angled mirror that can reflect the desired site of interest. The mirror will be destroyed, but not before the video gets there.

i thought about this too. they used to leave an excavator or loader nearby. i figured i could set a tripod up in the driver's compartment...then they cracked a windshield, and now they back them WAAAAY back.

that mirror idea, isnt bad.. not bad at all. they have huge cement blocks covering electrical stuff. i was going to tether my "box" to one of these deadmen.

i just got a text. we may be too late. contractor is adamant about not blasting for awhile. nevertheless, i would like to be ready.

[island911]

A steel box with a periscope.

[dad911]

How about an expendable wireless camera?

Or a wired cam and long cable?

[Tim Hancock]

Got a pic of camera or link to camera ad showing pic and description? Whatever you do, you will obviously need a thick chunk of Lexan (polycarbonate) for the window. Do you have concrete blocks available at the blast site?

[vash]

sony handycam. it would fit in a 6x3x4 box.

i am going to tap plastic tonight. it would piss me off, if the contractor never blast again..but the other tunnel; the rock is getting harder and harder. we got a shot.

[vash]