Dilemma:
Not much room in garage. Total clearance is about 10 inches. Pole protecting water heater in front and garage door closing in back.

Idea:
When I was ordering a new remote for my car alarm the shop had a rearview mirror with a little TV in it. Would it be possible to set up a little web cam in the garage and have the image appear on the little TV in the rearview mirror so I can see how close I am to the pole? I would need a computer in the garage to hook up the web cam, but how do I get the signal to the car? And then to the little TV?

Type in your thoughts please.......

Bill

 

Park your car where it needs to be, getting out and looking a few times, then anchor a string to the roof, right in the middle of your windshield, put a screw in a tennis ball and tie the string to it at the right length where the ball touches the windshield, when you pull in, stop when the windshield taps the ball.

 

I was looking for more of a hi-tec solution. I have done the tennis ball parking guide before. I just don't like tennis ***** hanging from the ceiling in the garage.

 

they have small camaras that transmit to a uhf channel. One of those and a handheld tv would work perfect. I forgot the name of the one Im talking about but its about 110$ dollars. Ill look for it.

 

Found one http://www.hobby-warehouse.com/planwircolvi.html

 

That is a pretty good idea, I like it. But I would like to intigrate the tv into the car. Like the rearview mirror tv. How could I make that tv pick up the signal?

 

There is the possibility that the signals you transmit to your in-car TV would be detectable by anybody in the near viscinity with a TV. Do you want the contents of your garage broadcast to the street? Mind you, with a Thirdgen in there, I suppose you would

If you want a hi-tech solution, how about an infra red beam across the garage, pointing at a receiver. The beam would be positioned such that the nose of the car would interrupt the beam when you reached your desired parking position, and maybe a light or a buzzer would let you know. It's not an expensive route, some of my baby's toys have infra red interruption systems to play music etc. when she puts her hand in the right place.

 

Well the view I would want on the tv would be only of my front bumper as I approach the pole I park in front of. So the "contents" of the garage would not be displayed.

I am just wondering how to transmit the signal to the car.

 

well you can buy systems that transmit to a certian reciever so it shouldn't be to hard, i'd say go to radio shack and ask them they should have all the info

 

The device that I suggested has a low powered transmitter in it so all you need is a regular tv.

"The color TV broadcast can be viewed from a handheld or portable TV set (such as the handheld Casio EV660) - no need to lug around a special receiver and fuss with connecting it to your TV. The PTVxxC Is easy."
the only downside is anyone within about 100 feet can view the transmision

 

That's pretty feasible.

 

Why not save some time & $$ and just use a parking stop like this ? http://www.calcarcover.com/product.aspx?id=13&cid=30 or pic'd below... (and it not the one's in parking lots either)

 

Don't care about time or money. I like something different.

 

You can buy a sensor that you mount in your garage, it has a light on it that turns red or starts blinking or does somthing I forget what to tell you how close you are. I don't know much about it. You could also just get good at parking, I manage to get about 2in behind my jeep thats been sitting in the driveway for the past 6 months almost every time because ive done it so many times.

 

Easy fellas, don't hurt yourself. I think I have the ideal solution.


Instead of messing around with signals and expensive equipment, you can just get a simple security system with 1 or 2 cameras, which is actually sold at some Home Depots now pretty cheap. Now, what you do is mout the TV IN THE GARAGE. Have it hooked up so that when the garage door is open, a light comes on. That light also has an outlet coming off of it (also sold at Home Depot) where the system is plugged in. So when you open the door, the TV comes on, and while pulling in or backing up into the garage, you need only watch the TV (mounted in most convenient place in your garage) so you don't hit anything.

 

That will require A ghetto rigging of the TV to always be on so you don't need to turn it on every time you go into the garage, or B, a ghetto TV like mine that has a leveler you pull and push to turn it on or off so you can just leave it on

 

Instead of ghetto rigging it, wouldn't it be easier just to use the TV's remote control (or a very small universal remote control) to turn on the TV? just keep the remote control in your console and when you are entering the garage, pull it out and turn the TV on. Everything doesn't have to be insanely complicated.

 

or why dont you do this. get a small little pinhole camera from ebay(search under spy camera) and mount the camera in the rear or front and then get a lcd screen or the mirror and hook it up to the pinhole camera! or if you dont want the camera in your car you could always get a wireless pinhole camera. the transmitter would be in your car hooked up to the screen and the camera where ever you want it in the garage. the cameras and wireless cameras are pretty cheep on ebay. i was thinking about doing this to my T/A for when i back up or w/e.

 

I think it might be hard to judge just looking through the camera. when you get about 3 feet away, ll you will see is the color of the wall, which would make it very difficult to judge distance. Plus it would be unnecessary modifications to the car. I think a garage mounted camera looking at the closing space would be the optimal solution. I might even make one this summer.

 

I thought about the spy camera stuff in the bumper, but I think Bandit is right. Field of view would get pretty small as I approach the wall.

 

with all of the money you are going to spend on this equipment I have an idea. How about you pay me to stand in your garage and I will just tell you when to stop.

 

ADT
14 In. B&W 4 Channel Switcher Observation System with 2 PIR Motion Sensor Cameras
Model HD14S1042-A
This 14 in. B&W Switcher Observation System features sequential viewing upto 4 cameras, 2 way audio, remote control or main panel operation, 2 weather resistant motion sensor cameras.

Internet/Catalog # 155635

Price: $229.99/ea

www.homedepot.com


BAM! The whole kit with everything included and ready to go for $230.

 

had an odd mechanical idea while thinking about the tennis ball. I know you said you don't like the tennis ***** hanging from the garage roof...

What if you mounted a pulley right above where you wanted the tennis ball to hang, and hooked the string of the tennis ball to your garage door. Think about it...garage door goes up, tennis ball goes down. Park your car and close the door, tennis ball goes up. Perfect solution if you ask me - not to mention if you're working inside the garage with the door closed, there's no tennis ball in your way.

 

Now that's a pretty good idea!!!!

 

But it needs to be done in the most complex over glorified manner possible

Actually, thats one of the best ideas yet. However what if he wants to work with the garage door open and not have a tennis ball in the way? Somthing needs to be rigged up to raise the tennis ball with the door open

 

You can just grab the tennis ball and pull it towards the door (away from the pulley) and hang it up on a hook somewhere else in the shop.

 

this conversation is really weirdat 4:44 in the morning but then again it is probably weird anyway

 

How about an optical sensor like used on alarm systems and garage doors that turns on a red light on the wall facing the car as you pull in when you reach the stopping point? Sort of like the automatic car wash, green to go, red to stop!

Speaking of string and pulleys, about four years ago I ran weedeater line from the pull chains of my cieling fan through some inexpensive clothes line pulleys on the window sill down to where I could reach them while in bed. Made fan and light adjustments so much easier than a remote control that will have batteries go dead and more importantly, get lost.

Eric

 

I dig the tennis ball + pulley idea... it's either that or lasers. Lots of lasers.

 

BWAAAHAAHAAAAA

 

Why not get one of those trips for your garage door? You know, the ones that if the laser line is broken by something in the way, the door doesnt go down?

 

http://www.x10.com/products/x10_vk45ac.htmhttp://www.x10.com/products/x10_vk45ac.htm

This site is all about small cameras. For the review tv i am sure the thing has composit inputs instead of an uhf/vhf receiver. The receiver wouldn't be part of the display it self. Anyhow the receiver for this would plug up to the display.