Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 36

Thread: Starting a GoPro camera

  1. #1
    Tuner in Training
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    Huntersville, NC
    Posts
    25

    Starting a GoPro camera

    New to the site, but have Trackaddict and RaceRender and have been using for a year now.

    I am trying to set up the external camera control feature to start a GoPro camera. I think i have the GoPro and the Trackaddict app talking to each other. I can see a green ExtCam box at the Trackaddict start screen and what appears to be a symbol of a full-charged battery, also in green. The app does power up the camera, but I guess I will have to put it in the car and get above 10mph to start recording. (next step and will post results as a reply).

    I am at home, so I thought I would test the feature before going to the track, so I have it in segment mode. when I tap the record icon at the bottom of the screen, I get an error message that reads: "Failed to start video recording! Please check your device's settings and ensure that this app has access to use the microphone.

    Is there as setup that I am missing? I think I also got this message the other day at VIR, but then, I was not using the external camera control, so i don't think it was this. The reason i say I THINK I got the message is that well, I'm 67 and need reading glasses for fonts less that 24 and two arm's length away. i saw a message pop up and it was about the same size as this one. TrackAddict did perform correctly and collected my OBD2 and lap data.

  2. #2
    Tuner in Training
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    Huntersville, NC
    Posts
    25

    update

    Quote Originally Posted by k24556 View Post
    New to the site, but have Trackaddict and RaceRender and have been using for a year now.

    I am trying to set up the external camera control feature to start a GoPro camera. I think i have the GoPro and the Trackaddict app talking to each other. I can see a green ExtCam box at the Trackaddict start screen and what appears to be a symbol of a full-charged battery, also in green. The app does power up the camera, but I guess I will have to put it in the car and get above 10mph to start recording. (next step and will post results as a reply).

    I am at home, so I thought I would test the feature before going to the track, so I have it in segment mode. when I tap the record icon at the bottom of the screen, I get an error message that reads: "Failed to start video recording! Please check your device's settings and ensure that this app has access to use the microphone.

    Is there as setup that I am missing? I think I also got this message the other day at VIR, but then, I was not using the external camera control, so i don't think it was this. The reason i say I THINK I got the message is that well, I'm 67 and need reading glasses for fonts less that 24 and two arm's length away. i saw a message pop up and it was about the same size as this one. TrackAddict did perform correctly and collected my OBD2 and lap data.
    OK I got it to turn on Record on the GoPro camera in segment mode doing short drives around the block. However, sometimes it turns on Record then a second or two later it turns Record off. The ExTcam icon will flash blue then go back to green. I think it has something to do with the GoPro WIFI delay which is about two seconds, and when I start the segment. Here are my setting and use details:

    Setup:
    GoPro Hero 3+ Windshield mounted, remote microphone Wifi connected to Trackaddict
    GoPoint BT1A Bluetooth connected to TrackAddict.
    iPhone 4 version 7.1.2 (11D257)
    Track Addict Pro Update: 09Jun15
    Sequence:
    1. Mount camera on windshield
    2. Turn on Wifi on GoPro: Blue light flashes
    3. Go to iPhone settings menu, choose Gopro camera wifi network: checkmark on screen.
    4. Open TrackAddict app: OBD=GREEN, GPS=GREEN, Extcam=GREEN, battery symbol=GREEN (See Settings Section below, these were pre-set)
    5. Choose Segment Mode
    6. Choose video off (turns off phone-internal video, I think)
    7. Touch Record icon at bottom of TrackAddict app screen: READY Record now, waiting for movement. Movement happens;Extcam=Blue.
    8. Drive car. Sometimes the cam will turn off as you start. I know there is a couple second wifi delay between the iphone and the GoPro
    9. End segment by touching the settings icon at the bottom of the TrackAddict app on the phone.

    Now if you don?t wait too long before driving and giving the car speed, you can keep the Extcam icon blue, and recording continues. I haven?t figured out what I am doing to keep the recording going and not turning off at the beginning.


    Settings Section:
    -Segment Mode
    -Video Off
    -More Options:
    o GPS Enhanced
    o Output: Online Live Streaming off
    o Video:
    +Camera Control: GoPro
    +Stabilize: OFF

    So, my basic questions are:
    1. What am I doing wrong to get an inconsistent start of record?
    2. What do I do about the error message I mentioned in my first post.

    Thanks in advance.
    Last edited by k24556; 06-14-2015 at 09:45 AM.

  3. #3
    HPT Employee Weston@HPTuners's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    39.735034, -103.894459
    Posts
    868
    Thank you for the detailed information. I was able to reproduce the problem here and have confirmed that it appears to be a bug in the app, which affects different devices differently (or not at all), and may be specific to the iOS version of our app. I'm working on finding the root cause and developing a solution right now, and will release an update as soon as possible. Unfortunately, it does tend to take several days to get through Apple's review and out to users, so we'll mainly just be waiting on that...

    As for the "Failed to start video recording!" message, that one is related to using the iPhone's internal camera for video, and it tends to happen when either it had not been granted the necessary permission (microphone and camera), or possibly in some cases when it is out of storage space.

  4. #4
    Tuner in Training
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    Huntersville, NC
    Posts
    25

    Thanks!

    Quote Originally Posted by Weston@HPTuners View Post
    Thank you for the detailed information. I was able to reproduce the problem here and have confirmed that it appears to be a bug in the app, which affects different devices differently (or not at all), and may be specific to the iOS version of our app. I'm working on finding the root cause and developing a solution right now, and will release an update as soon as possible. Unfortunately, it does tend to take several days to get through Apple's review and out to users, so we'll mainly just be waiting on that...

    As for the "Failed to start video recording!" message, that one is related to using the iPhone's internal camera for video, and it tends to happen when either it had not been granted the necessary permission (microphone and camera), or possibly in some cases when it is out of storage space.
    Thanks for looking into this. Really great app, and great support as well. Looking forward to the fix. My setup and settings are OK, then.

  5. #5
    Tuner in Training
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    Huntersville, NC
    Posts
    25
    I found how to change a setting to avoid the error message. On my iPhone 4 I went to Settings>Privacy>Microphone. There is a switch to give TrackAddict permission for the microphone. Whooda thought????

  6. #6
    Potential Tuner
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Posts
    9
    I can't even get mine to connect! I just got a Hero4 silver, and have tried everything (I think) to get it to connect. The camera just beeps a bunch of times at verying frequency while attempting to connect. It never connects, but it will shut off if I switch screens or close the app...

    any ideas?

  7. #7
    Tuner in Training
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    Huntersville, NC
    Posts
    25
    Well, my camera is a Hero3+ black edition. and i think the features are about the same as a hero 4 silver. So here's my suggestion. First if you haven't already, download the GOPro app to your phone (assuming you are trying to connect to a phone). This app is free, just search go pro in the app store of choice. Then when you go through the GoPro connection process, you have to name the camera (name it happens one time, you are actually naming the wifi connection from the camera) and establish a connection password, just like connecting to any secure wifi. If you can control your camera with the GoPro app, try the Trackaddict app for connectivity. If you follow the steps I outlined in the beginning thread of this post, you should get connected. Note that the developer posted that there is a bug in the iPhone app (what I am using), so if you get to a green Extcam icon in trackaddict you are as far as I got. I did get connected and got the camera to record, but not consistently. Sometimes it would come on for one frame, then quit.

    Now each time you want to connect to the camera via wifi, you have to go to your phone settings menu and select the wifi the camera is transmitting. The Go Pro has to have wifi turned on before you go to the phone settings menu. Once you have a wifi connection with the phone go to the app of choice.

    One more thing, I bought the Trackaddict app. The free trial version may not have the wifi connectivity feature. Don't know about that.

    I will warn you that having wifi on sucks down the camera battery like a thirsty camel at Omar's oasis. I ended up buying a battery bacpack for the GoPro and charging it after three 30 minute track sessions.

  8. #8
    HPT Employee Weston@HPTuners's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    39.735034, -103.894459
    Posts
    868
    Quote Originally Posted by island boyeee View Post
    I can't even get mine to connect! I just got a Hero4 silver, and have tried everything (I think) to get it to connect. The camera just beeps a bunch of times at verying frequency while attempting to connect. It never connects, but it will shut off if I switch screens or close the app...

    any ideas?
    This might be related to it being the new GoPro 4 instead of a 3 or 3+, but several adjustments have been made to the pending version 2.9.7 update, so I would suggest trying it with that version first, and then we can go from there. That update is just pending Apple's review right now, and I have requested that they expedite this, so hopefully users should see the update in the next few days...

  9. #9
    Potential Tuner
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Posts
    9
    thank you both for the reply! Yeah I tried all of that to get it to connect, and it just wouldn't work. I'm assuming it has to do with the software. So I will await the updated version. Unfortunately I didn't get to use it at the track this past Sunday. I did record some data though, so now I have to figure out how I go about syncing it to the videos from my GoPro.

  10. #10
    Tuner in Training
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    Huntersville, NC
    Posts
    25
    Well, did your camera connect to the GoPro app? I think you have to start there and make sure your phone and the camera are communicating first.

    If you get the connection with the GoPro app, you can change camera settings, preview and start recordings, etc. That is how I was doing it before I found out that Trackaddict can be used to start the camera.

  11. #11
    Potential Tuner
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Posts
    9
    Yes I did get it connected with the GoPro app. But I liked the feature of the TrackAddict app to start recording after you start moving.

    However, one issue I had with this, was that I pit out after the starting point, so it won't start recording until I complete the first lap. I thought it only required you to exceed 10mph, but I guess in circuit mode it also requires you to cross the starting point.

  12. #12
    Tuner in Training
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    Huntersville, NC
    Posts
    25
    Good, so you know you can start record using a wifi connection.

    I haven't tried starting the GoPro at the track with TrackAddict. I was in the mode of trying at the house so I knew how it worked. So I was using the segment mode, which also relies on movement to start data and start record. So I am taking data via the bluetooth of the phone thru a GoPoint BT1A, and wifi starting the GoPro Camera. As Weston noted in an earlier post, there is an upgrade to the app that should fix all this.

    My next track Day is June 29, and I hope the app revision is out soon enough so I can street test. I will report all results and if I can help, be glad to.

  13. #13
    Potential Tuner
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Posts
    9
    Thanks for all the help. Is the BT1A just a more capable GPS than the iphone?

    I was trying to use this for motorcycle track days, but will also be trying it out for auto-cross.

  14. #14
    HPT Employee Weston@HPTuners's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    39.735034, -103.894459
    Posts
    868
    Quote Originally Posted by island boyeee View Post
    Yes I did get it connected with the GoPro app. But I liked the feature of the TrackAddict app to start recording after you start moving.

    However, one issue I had with this, was that I pit out after the starting point, so it won't start recording until I complete the first lap. I thought it only required you to exceed 10mph, but I guess in circuit mode it also requires you to cross the starting point.
    In Circuit mode, it will start recording once you exceed 10 mph, but it's just the timer that wont start displaying until you cross that start line... It will say something like "waiting for lap start" until that point, but it's still recording it as Lap 0. You should see a white or light blue spinning indicator at the top left of the Record screen whenever it is recording.

    The version 2.9.7 update, with the GoPro and other fixes, has just been approved by Apple for the full "Pro" version of the app and is making its way to users right now. The plain or "Free" version (which may be upgraded to Pro) is still pending Apple's review, but I'd expect it within a few days...

  15. #15
    HPT Employee Weston@HPTuners's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    39.735034, -103.894459
    Posts
    868
    Quote Originally Posted by island boyeee View Post
    Thanks for all the help. Is the BT1A just a more capable GPS than the iphone?

    I was trying to use this for motorcycle track days, but will also be trying it out for auto-cross.
    The GoPoint BT1A is an OBD-II interface for the iOS version of TrackAddict, that can capture additional vehicle data like RPM, throttle, and certain sensors. That works for most 1996 and newer cars and trucks that were sold in the US market, and many international vehicles since the early 2000's or so, but motorcycles are still a bit rare because they haven't been required to have it. You'd have to make sure that yours has an OBD-II compliant data connector... I've heard that some newer bikes have this, or will have this, but I haven't yet seen it myself.

  16. #16
    Potential Tuner
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Posts
    9
    oh great, I'll be looking out for it! good to know aboute the recording. The data is what I was concerned about, not lap times. And I have the Pro version.

    Both my car and my motorcycle are OBD-II, and use the same vag-com cord for tuning. Depending on the size and price of the GoPoint, I may have to look into that.

    Now I need to find time to play with race render and see how I can overlay this information.

    Do you have any recommendations for placing videos side by side or PIP when editing on a PC (no iMovie)?

  17. #17
    HPT Employee Weston@HPTuners's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    39.735034, -103.894459
    Posts
    868
    The RaceRender software supports having multiple video inputs as picture-in-picture or split screen... Just add the second video to the project and it should automatically appear as a PIP window. You can click & drag to move it, or double-click on it to open it's properties box and change the size. For two video split-screen, just go into that properties box and set the "Style" to "Half - Bottom", and then do the same for your other video but set it to "Half - Top". The synchronization tools can be used to match the timing between the two, and the data.

    By the way, I've been looking more into the GoPro HERO 4 control. There appears to be a new command set for it, so if it's not able to accept the HERO 3 / 3+ commands that TrackAddict is sending it, then I can add that to the the to-do list...

  18. #18
    Potential Tuner
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Posts
    9
    Great, thank you for the help!

    I just got the update last night, but haven't had a chance to see if it will work with the 4 now. But it definitely wasn't working before, so if nothing in the update would change that, then I'm sure it still won't work.

    The gopro would just keep beeping like crazy while trackaddict was trying to connect (flashing yellow and "x"). The only thing it would do that was controlled by the app was turn off if I closed the app or switched screens.

  19. #19
    Tuner in Training
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    Huntersville, NC
    Posts
    25
    OK the TrackAddict update showed up this morning, so I updated my phone, and tried a segment run. Camera turned on perfectly for every segment. So Weston, Job well done and THANKS!!!! everything works as it should

    6 day turnaround from problem identification to final resolution. Impressed!

  20. #20
    Potential Tuner
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Posts
    9
    I'm heading to the dragstrip tonight, I'll try it out with the 4 if I have time. I don't have a phone mount for the car yet though..


    just realized some zip ties on the rear view mirror may work lol