Countour HD with external mic mod

[dougdoberman]

I've got one of the just recently discontinued Contour HD 1080P cameras.  This is, in my opinion, a better option than their current base model the Contour Roam as mine's got a removable battery.  I picked up a handful of batteries for mine (they're just Nokia cell phone batteries.  $5 each on Amazon.  No need to pay $30 each from Contour.) so I'm not limited by the internal in the new one. 

The downside (which is also shared by Contour's base & midrange model still) is that it doesn't have a provision for an external mic.  (My Drift HD1080 170 Stealth does have an external mic plug, but it's really a bit larger than I'd like to mount on my helmet.  It's gonna remain mounted to the windscreen or something.)

Problem solved for 99 cents.  Plus tax.  (And plus the cost of tools and such if you don't already have a soldering iron, wires, solder, etc.  I've already got all that stuff.  And $4.99 for a mono lapel mic.)

Unfortunately, I'm really really bad about taking pics to document my work, so all you get to see is the final(ish) product.

I picked up a 3.5mm mono plug that will run a circuit through one prong when there's no plug inserted, and another when it is.  So, when I'm not using an external mic, the internal will work.  This was important as I'd still like to use the device for stuff such as playing paintball where I want to record sound but don't want to have an external mic trailing wires all over the place.

Plug cost me .99 at my local electronics store.  (NOT a Radio Shack.  What Radio Shack used to be.    )

To disassemble the Contour, I followed a set of step by step instructions with pictures that I found on the web.  (Luckily there are people who are better about recording their work than I am.   )

I cut the wires leading from the back of the main board to the internal mic, roughly halfway along their length.  I soldered a wire from the red wire on the board to the middle lead on the plug.  The rear lead on the plug connects to the red wire on the internal mic.  The front lead on the plug and the black wire on the internal mic both connect to the black wire from the main board.  Simple enough.  (Well, simple in theory.  Soldering tiny wires is not my forte.  But if you've got any soldering skills at all, it's doable.)

I've seen people use a 2.5mm plug and mount it in the case facing downwards, but that wasn't an option for me.  Most of the standard mounts hold the Contour by the side, but the suction cup mount grips on both sides and covers the bottom.  While I'm doing this specifically so I can helmet mount it and run a mic into my helmet for commentary, I didn't want to lose the ability to use the suction cup AND the external mic at the same time.   So I drilled a hole in the front and ran my wires out.  I'm gonna use epoxy or double stick tape or something to attach the plug onto the side of the device.  Gotta coat the soldered leads with a bit of Plasti-Dip and then maybe put a blob of epoxy around them for some better protection.







Little blob of epoxy here as well.  I was originally gonna use larger wires than I did, so I'd drilled the hole bigger than I ended up needing.




Tested it and it works perfectly.  I'll get some video tomorrow (from the CBR though, not the GS.) and post it up comparing both internal & external mics.

[pave_spectre]

One thing to watch out for using an external mic, any movement of the mic plug in the socket (ie spinning, of tensing/relaxing of the cable) , can petentially produce noise on the line.
I have that problem on mine when the wind tugs at the cable, so I either tape the cable down, or more frequently put a couple of tight wraps of electrical tape round the connectors to keep them tightly bound.

[VerdonD952]

Nice job,  I have the GPS and just put a piece of tape over the mic to reduce wind noise.  There is still some but it is reduced by a bunch.  Dont think ill mod it or anything.  on a side note,  I also have a 2nd gen GoPro....in the waterproof case it performs much better then the GPS.  Still get sound without the wind.  but its bigger and needs more mounting hardware.  IMO the GoPro takes better video.  The color is better and at high frame rates its smoother.  But it still dosent have a GPS feature and cant tell you your speed.  (I like these features) 

Here is a link of my latest video, Nothing special just riding on Skyline Dr in VA
http://contour.com/stories/gs500f-skyline

[yamahonkawazuki]

Nice job,  I have the GPS and just put a piece of tape over the mic to reduce wind noise.  There is still some but it is reduced by a bunch.  Dont think ill mod it or anything.  on a side note,  I also have a 2nd gen GoPro....in the waterproof case it performs much better then the GPS.  Still get sound without the wind.  but its bigger and needs more mounting hardware.  IMO the GoPro takes better video.  The color is better and at high frame rates its smoother.  But it still dosent have a GPS feature and cant tell you your speed.  (I like these features) 

Here is a link of my latest video, Nothing special just riding on Skyline Dr in VA
http://contour.com/stories/gs500f-skyline

cloth bandage works great for an improvised wind muffle

[dougdoberman]

Shot some vid yesterday.  These are all with the camera mounted on my helmet and the mic inside clipped to the chin curtain.  The mic has no foam on it yet.

Unfortunately for this higher speed one, the mic cord wasn't secured properly and ends up in front of the lens.  The louder blasts of wind noise are, I believe, crosswinds as opposed to just the general noise from forward movement.  I'm certain that all of it will be toned down considerably when I get a foam cover for the mic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytF3LqRhuj8


Various other shorter vids taken throughout the day at a variety of speeds.  Mostly following my friend Jen on her Ninja 250 so she can see what she's doing on the bike.  She's only been riding about a month & a half and is working hard on improving her skills.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvFF7k9xV6Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hhXVLgAK9U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Z2JO2J2DWk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci2oyimmyk4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2vfgl2NDxY


As you can hear, the external mic does a great job of cutting down the wind noise.  I didn't do any play by play commentary on these tracks, which was the other main reason for modding the camera.  I kept forgetting that I could talk and be recorded.    I'll grab some vid with commentary today.