SCMC Gadgets - MineCam

The development of the MineCam has allowed the Club to take 'armchair' caving out into the field!

This remote sensing device allows most of the team to shelter in the back of a Land-Rover (or other 4x4) watching the TV pictures, while 1 poor individual stands (usually in the rain) by the shaft or hole in the ground lowering and raising the Minecam.

Main Gadgets

• The 'Bipod'
• The Club Winch
• Underground Radios
• Underground Electronic location device
• MineCam - Remote controlled video camera for shaft exploration
• Borg - helmet mounted video camera

Techno-Facts

The MineCam consists of a high quality micro-miniature colour video camera, together with a 50 Watt wide beam light source on a remote controlled pan and tilt frame/head.

The light-weight assembly can be lowered up to 200m down shafts, while the TV pictures are viewed on the surface. The pictures include camera heading information (obtained from a canabilised 'Tandy' Radio Shack electronic car compass).

Underground sounds are picked up via a small in-built microphone. While other items like the prescence of gas and bats can also be detected.

To help interpret the scale of objects being viewed, a laser range finder gismo has also been incorporated into the camera head.

Reasons behind the MineCam

1. Shropshire (England) has a lot of deep mine shafts and collapsed workings with unstable sides. The MineCam can be used to check them for possible tunnels or interesting levels without having to risk a person.
2. In a search and rescue operation the camera can be quickly and easily lowered down holes to check for the 'missing' persons, without the need for rigging the pitches and putting rescuers at risk.
3. When dangerous holes, or holes too small for a person to get down, open-up in the ground then the MineCam can be lowered down to see whats below, and if it is worth further exploration.

Credits

• The development of the MineCam and the Location device is almost entirely the work of 1 Club Member (Peter Eggleston), who has built the devices (over a number of years) in his spare time from an amazing variety of bits and pieces. The professional look to the finished items, totally belies their actual origins!

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