The supply of
modules for the N gauge versions has stopped and every effort is being made to
find an alternative supply. Watch this space. I will not bore you with the
problems of communicating with Chinese suppliers.
The situation on 00 Gauge Cam Trucks is much better. We have found a new source of
modules for the 00 gauge versions which have many advantages over the original
modules. Firstly, these new modules produce a full HD (720P) widescreen video
which is remarkably better than the original. Also, feedback from existing
buyers requesting the removal of the time and date display that was indelibly
recorded in the lower right part of the screen has been removed at our request
from the manufactures. The first batch of High Definition Cam Trucks has been
produced and sales are going very well.
Pre-Order: If you wish to pre-order a Hi Definition
Cam Truck then send your details and a cheque for £98 (UK and EU price. Email us
for cost to the rest of the world) to Branor Systems. 135
Daniells, Welwyn Garden City, Herts. AL7 1QT. We will service these pre-orders
in strict date order. Phone or email if you have any questions. Always pleased
to talk to fellow model railway enthusiasts.
Take a look at the video quality of the latest High Definition
Cam Truck below. (Top You Tube Link) Once again the De-Havilland club has
allowed me to take a ride on their amazing layout. Watch as the shunter uses the
turntable to reverse into the engine shed.
Take a ride on your
model train layout from the viewpoint of the engine driver
Imagine riding around the layout you have built. Slowly out of
the station, past signals, trees, farmyards, buildings, plunging into a tunnel,
rushing towards the light at the end of the tunnel, out into the daylight and
on. Well you can't can you? You can't fit into the engine. But what if you had a
tiny video recorder in a truck that you could push around your layout with a
loco capturing
the experience for you! Well, it's here. Branor Systems has developed the 1st
batch of camera trucks. The
captured video is downloaded via a USB cable from the 'CamTruck' to a PC or
Apple computer and is viewed as a standard AVI file. Two versions have been
developed. N
gauge and 00 gauge.
Gauge
Videos of results from
satisfied buyers can be viewed on
You Tube below:
00 HD
Around the De Havilland layout in High Definition (HD)
Please note, these N gauge Cam Trucks will not be
available until a new supplier of electronic modules is located. Sorry!
As reviewed in the N Gauge Journal May 2011.
www.ngaugesociety.com
Above is a typical CamTruck showing the arrangement for videoing. These
CamTrucks are hand crafted using modified miniature electronic modules mounted
into standard trucks. Because they are hand made they do not have machine
precision but are made to a high functional quality. The video quality is NOT HD
but is clear and gives a good rendition in both colour and sound. Take a look at
the example videos on You Tube above. A range of these CamTrucks
have been produced in both N and 00 gauge. As they are produced they will be offered
here for sale and listed below.
Would you like to hire a
CamTruck for 30 days for £25 to make videos of your layout and then return it?
This could be your cheap option if you are not planning to modify your layout
any time soon and just want a record of the way it is now. Just pay the full
price and then return it within 30 days, and if still in
pristine
condition we will refund your money minus £25. You can of course keep the videos
that you have made of your layout. If you decide to keep the CamTruck, just do
so and after 30 days we will consider it sold.
Watch this Space for currently available
CamTrucks
Please note, these N gauge Cam Trucks will not be
available until a new supplier of electronic modules is located. Sorry!
CTN003 N Gauge CamTruck for sale. Built into a Graham Farish
'Speedlink' BR VBA Van
CamTruck type: Graham Farish CTN003A
Gauge
N
Truck model
Graham Farish VBAVan 3905 (new)
Video resolution/type
720 by 480 pixels AVI file
Video frame rate
30 frames per second
Sound
Mono at 22 KHZ
Recording duration MAX.
40 minutes approx.
Internal battery charging time
1 hour via supplied USB cable
Full instructions supplied:
Recoded videos are downloaded via a supplied USB cable which also
charges the internal battery. The videos are in a standard AVI file
format which can be viewed directly on a PC or Apple computer.
Internal microphone records the track sounds.
After working continuously as an Electronic Engineer for 46
years I became retired (or so I thought) in 2007. I became a sole trader for the
last year of full time employment as a contract engineer and I kept the contract
option open for past employers who requested some part time help occasionally.
With time on my hands I revisited an old hobby of Model
Railways. After about 2 years I had built a very detailed N gauge layout and
then I decided to add illumination. Using techniques learnt during my
development years I used plastic fibre optic cables to pipe light from white
LEDs into small areas. This allowed the illusion of tiny lights like head lamps
in cars to be made when the actual much larger light source was remote and
hidden. I was pleased with the results and decided to share the idea by writing
an article for a railway model magazine. I then found a problem that I could
find no source of cheap fibre optic cable to help fellow modellers to buy the
required parts. I spoke to a manufacturer of the fibre cable but they were not
interested in selling small lengths to model enthusiasts. So then I thought,
well, I'm a sole trader, why don't I buy relatively large quantities of the
cable and White LEDs and sell them as kits. So, dipping into my life savings I
bought an entire reel of fibre (over one and a half miles!) and many hundreds of
White LEDs from China.
I do not expect to get rich from this venture and I do it mostly
for fun. I have only just broke even but now I have more fibre
optic cable and white LEDs than I will ever need so the business is still
running. My greatest joy is seeing the results that modellers get from using
these kits. I hope to be able to publish some pictures of users results on this
website. If you would like to send me a picture for publication utilising any of
my kits please send to:
brucepiggott@ntlworld.com
Cheers, and good luck with your modelling. Bruce (Retired?
Electronic Development Engineer)
I am very pleased to see pictures of the results of model
illumination using my Kits and videos of layouts captured with Cam Trucks. If you would like to see your
modelling results with Branor products shown here, send me some pictures and/or
links. Some
examples are below:
Hi bought n gauge cam truck from
you about a month ago. All modelling seems to have come to a full stop as I am
now addicted to your camera. Thanks very much for a great product which is
simple to use and gives great results.
Hope you enjoy my latest effort
and please feel free to add it to your web site. Kind regards Steve Grist,
Lincolnshire. (see You Tube link above)
Lighting Module LM1: Dear
Bruce, Your packet beat my previous speed record for things posted from the UK
since it arrived this morning!! What a brilliantly simple idea once you've
worked out where to put the light source and attach the fibre optic bundle - but
of course all good ideas are simple.
I just received a Cam Truck from Bruce Piggott at Branor Systems (http://www.branor.co.uk/).
This is the same wagon mounted video camera reviewed in a recent issue of
the NGS Journal.
The cameras cost about £70 and I chose to supply my own VBA van for the
conversion because Farish isn't currently producing VBA van's in BR bauxite
livery, which I wanted mine to have. The Cam Trucks are hand built by Bruce
to a very high standard and they are very easy to operate. Video quality is
surprisingly good for such a small camera.
I was impressed with Bruce's good communications as I live in California and
had to make all arrangements with him via email.
I hope if any of you have been "on the fence" about purchasing one of these
cameras that this little review convinces you to buy one. It is really a
nifty little piece of equipment.
Finally, the usual disclaimer - I have no relationship with Bruce or Branor
Systems other than as a very satisfied customer.
Just writing to thank you for the superfast delivery of
the N gauge CamTruck that I ordered on the 28th. It arrived this morning and has exceeded my
expectations in its neat design and the quality of the video.
I received
the CamTruck yesterday, great service and a really well engineered and novel
piece of equipment, I tried it yesterday and the results were fantastic, hope to
get a decent video of the whole layout when I've tidied up some tatty scenery.
Peter Salmon (Wakefield) 21-6-11: The Cam Truck arrived
this morning safe and sound and I am delighted with it. The finish and build
quality is first rate and I congratulate you on your skills. Needless to say
after charging the battery I have been playing and that has been an eye opener.
Firstly I didn't know I talked to myself when I was doing something and when I
am not talking, I am sighing, why I don't know because nothing went wrong.
The above two pictures show what can be done with white LEDs
in buildings and and fibre optics in car headlights. This excellent modelling is by David Abbs in
Cambridgeshire. Note how the optical fibres have been placed through the N gauge
Mini to illuminate the headlights.
16/4/2011: Hi Bruce. I have just connected up my lights
and am thrilled with them. You have been so helpful answering my questions about your
products that I am now going to be very cheeky and ask if you can help with the
other led's I have. No Worries Liz. Bruce
22/5/2011: I have now finished building the 1/48 scale house using your micro
lights for some of the lighting. I have attached photos showing the exterior
unlit and also with the lights on, the lounge room where I have used the micro
lights in the ceiling. I drilled holes in the ceiling and put the lights
shining down through as you had suggested and the wires are so fine that I just
made a false floor and put on top of the wires, it did not need grooves making
in the floor first. In the kitchen I did the same with the ceiling lights and
also used 2 lights under the wall cupboards. I think it has all worked very
well.
Interesting use of Microlights
to make sunken ceiling lights
I would like to thank you for the very speedy delivery ( the next
day ) of my order of a Fibre Optic kit and Microlights. After a very brief test of both these kits, they look most interesting.
I was surprised at the light output of the microlight and the ease of use of the
fibre optic. I am pleased I saw your advert in Model Rail and expect I and my wife
who is into dolls house modelling will find these lights useful.
Full instructions supplied:
![[Company Logo Image]](images/branor%20title%20PCB5.jpg)
