“Dash cams” for mobility scooters

Yorkshireman22

After having a look round the only ‘made for scooters’ cam I found was a rear one on a mobility shop site for around £300. A ridiculous price considering decent car cams are available at half the price. And action cameras are ok, but if it rains you need to use the waterproof case that almost completely loses the audio. So here is my list of questions:

Does anyone have front and rear “Dash Cams” for their mobility scooter. If so where did you get them from and how do they connect?

Has anyone made a DIY front and rear camera set themselves? Could you give specs and instructions on how to put it all together?

If it was possible to power them from the scooter battery, does it use much power? Will it reduce scooter range a lot? 

If I bought a car dash cam would I be able to fit it to my mobility scooter? Also see above question.

How could I secure it to my mobility scooter in such a way I wouldn’t have to remove it when the scooter is left unattended (eg. Outside a shop that won’t fit a class 3)

If anyone could help I would appreciate it. For other users’ benefit something universal would be fantastic, but my scooter model is the Kymco Maxi XLS if it is needed. 

L_Volunteer

Wow, that is quite expensive @Yorkshireman22. What great questions you have asked too. 

Unfortunately, I don't have the answers to your questions but I hope someone does. In the meantime, I just wanted to respond to let you know I hear you and I have seen your thread 

Yorkshireman22

@L_Volunteer thank you. And please, call me Richard

OverlyAnxious

Hi,

I don't have any experience with mobility scooters, but I have quite a bit with cars.

A car dashcam is only for internal use, so I don't think that would be suitable for a scooter.  They aren't waterproof and the audio would be hindered by even a light wind rushing past.  They also use quite a lot of battery power.  They need to be wired as 'ignition only' in a car, otherwise they can flatten the battery overnight.

I think you'd be better off with an action style cam as used on bicycles.  I appreciate concern with the audio through a waterproof cover, though I wonder if you could improvise and cut the cover just around the microphone?  As it's not being fully submerged, that may work ok.  I've had a quick look at images of that scooter and can't really see an ideal fitting location.  The metal tubes would be best (as with a handlebar mount on a bike).  I see there are some exposed tubes just under the arm rests, would they be potentially useful or would that hinder access?

Sadly, anything can be nicked by opportunists fairly easily.  I think it would be safer to have a simple 'clip on' camera that you could remove and store in a shopping bag when you're inside a shop. 

Yorkshireman22

Thank you so much for your advice. And yes, I think a small puncture in the plastic with a tool (maybe a thin drill bit and some tape to stop the plastic cracking) over the microphone might just do the trick. 

I want to say maybe, about hindering access to my scooter, as it’s not always feasible to turn the captains chair on its swivel and there is the vibration to consider. I do have a bull bar at the front that would hold a mount as I’ve used a cheap action cam before. That might have been one of the problems with the audio. 

I’ll keep on looking around but I think you are probably right. Mobility scooters do have an “ignition” of sorts but I wouldn’t have the first clue of whether or not you can access the wiring to make something activate as “ignition only” and if you could, I wouldn’t know how to do it or even be able to.

I’ll see if I can pick up a good deal with someone for Black Friday week on a decent set of 2 cams. 

Thank you again @OverlyAnxious for your helpful advice 😊

johnfindlay46

I ve been using an Ignite mobility scooter on country lanes for about a year and, like you I have been looking for a camera to record possible accidents/incidents. Have not yet bought one but after talking to cyclist friends I can share what I have learnt so far. Vibration is my main concern and the famous Go Pro cameras have image stabalisation but are expensive. Check the Akaso V50 X . I have found many good reviews of this camera and have received positive answers to my questions about vibrations and there are many U tubers who have done very comprehensive comparisons to Go Pro. It comes with waterproof case for use under water and many fittings. I ve already used a universal twist stye bracket to hold a flashing cycle lamp which I remove when leaving scooter unattended and it looks as though the Akaso would work in the same way. The battery life is good , the longest trip I do  is 2 hours so I would not try to wire it into the scooter electrics. As a final thought, If vibration is a problem with a bracket fitting, perhaps a simple lanyard around the neck would allow it to operate as a Police style bodycam. I know nothing about photography/filming so any comment/advice would be most welcome. Again, I have not yet actually bought one

johnfindlay46

Further to my previous post the Akasos V50 X camera has a different panel in the waterproof case to allow the microphone to be used. Just don t do any diving on your scooter. I believe you can add an external mic.

Yorkshireman22

johnfindlay46 said:

Further to my previous post the Akasos V50 X camera has a different panel in the waterproof case to allow the microphone to be used. Just don t do any diving on your scooter. I believe you can add an external mic.

Thank John. I’ll have a look into that camera and see what I can finagle!