{"id":8704,"date":"2026-09-29T09:09:17","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T09:09:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/?p=8704"},"modified":"2026-09-29T10:38:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T10:38:11","slug":"rc-car-with-camera","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/?p=8704","title":{"rendered":"Strapping a Dashcam to an RC Car"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>This is a DIY project &#8211; a car camera (mini SD card) and a portable USB battery glued to the top of the body shell.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-29-at-10.36.14.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8707\" src=\"http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-29-at-10.36.14.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-29-at-10.36.14.jpeg 1920w, http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-29-at-10.36.14-300x169.jpeg 300w, http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-29-at-10.36.14-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-29-at-10.36.14-768x432.jpeg 768w, http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-29-at-10.36.14-1536x864.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-29-at-10.36.19.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8708\" src=\"http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-29-at-10.36.19.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-29-at-10.36.19.jpeg 1920w, http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-29-at-10.36.19-300x169.jpeg 300w, http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-29-at-10.36.19-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-29-at-10.36.19-768x432.jpeg 768w, http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-29-at-10.36.19-1536x864.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><span class=\"\">Remember when you were a kid, playing with toy cars and making\u00a0<\/span><em><span class=\"\">vroom vroom<\/span><\/em><span class=\"\">\u00a0noises? You\u2019d push them along the carpet, imagining you were Steve McQueen in\u00a0<\/span><em><span class=\"\">Bullitt<\/span><\/em><span class=\"\">, drifting around the coffee table legs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><span class=\"\">Now imagine that, but you have the power to actually see what the car sees. And let me tell you, the world looks a lot different when you\u2019re three inches tall and packing a brushless motor.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><span class=\"\">Welcome to the chaotic, dizzying, and absolutely hilarious world of RC car cinematography\u2014on a budget.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"\">The Setup: Dashcam, Meet Zip-Tie<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><span class=\"\">Here\u2019s the thing: you don\u2019t need an expensive action camera for this. A regular car dashcam\u2014the kind that suction-cups to your windshield and records your commute\u2014works perfectly fine. In fact, it might be even funnier.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><span class=\"\">There is something inherently ridiculous about the process. You spend 20 minutes trying to balance the weight distribution perfectly so the car doesn&#8217;t tip over, only to realize you\u2019ve taped the dashcam on upside down. The suction cup mount that was designed to stick to glass is now clinging desperately to a plastic roof that was never meant to hold anything heavier than a sticker.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><span class=\"\">But once you hit that throttle? Pure magic.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"\">The Perspective Shift: You Are the Ant<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><span class=\"\">The first thing that hits you when you watch the footage back is the\u00a0<\/span><strong><span class=\"\">speed<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"\">. On the ground, driving your RC car in the park feels fast. Through the lens of a dashcam mounted on the roof? It feels like you\u2019ve engaged warp drive.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><span class=\"\">Because the camera is so low to the ground, the parallax effect is magnified. A patch of grass becomes a dense jungle. A curb becomes a vertical cliff face. A puddle? That\u2019s the Atlantic Ocean.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><span class=\"\">Suddenly, you aren&#8217;t just driving a toy; you\u2019re piloting a rover on an alien planet. The texture of the asphalt looks like a moonscape, and the dandelions look like giant, terrifying yellow towers.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"\">The Dashcam Difference<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><span class=\"\">Here\u2019s where using a regular car cam gets interesting. These things weren\u2019t designed for this. They were built to sit quietly behind a windshield and record boring highway footage for insurance purposes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><span class=\"\">Now you\u2019re subjecting it to jumps, flips, dirt, and the kind of vibration that would make a seismologist nervous.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><span class=\"\">The footage has a certain\u00a0<\/span><strong><span class=\"\">gritty charm<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"\">\u00a0to it. Dashcams often have a narrower field of view than action cameras, which means you get a more intimate, claustrophobic perspective. It\u2019s less &#8220;epic cinematic landscape&#8221; and more &#8220;what is happening why is the sky on the left.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><span class=\"\">And the timestamp? Oh yes, the timestamp. Nothing says &#8220;professional cinematography&#8221; like a glowing orange date stamp in the corner reminding you that this epic jump happened on 14\/03\/2024 at 15:47.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"\">The &#8220;Oh No&#8221; Moments<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><span class=\"\">Recording RC car driving is essentially a lesson in physics\u2014specifically, the physics of crashing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><span class=\"\">When you drive an RC car normally, a crash is funny. When you watch it from the onboard camera, a crash is a cinematic masterpiece of disaster. The horizon spins, the sky and dirt swap places three times in a second, and the audio is just the crunch of plastic and the whine of a motor screaming for mercy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><span class=\"\">And let\u2019s not forget the\u00a0<\/span><strong><span class=\"\">audio track<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"\">. The microphone picks up every pebble hitting the chassis, every gear grinding, and the high-pitched whine of the ESC. It sounds like a swarm of angry robotic bees. It\u2019s chaotic, it\u2019s loud, and it\u2019s perfect.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"\">The &#8220;Flimsy Mount&#8221; Jitter<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><span class=\"\">Here\u2019s a pro-tip: If you want your footage to look like a found-footage horror movie from the perspective of a shaken soda can, mount the dashcam loosely.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><span class=\"\">The vibration is part of the charm. It gives the footage a raw, gritty feel. You aren&#8217;t watching a stabilized drone shot; you are watching a war zone. Every bump in the dirt sends a shockwave through the frame. It adds a visceral sense of danger that a smooth gimbal just can&#8217;t replicate.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><span class=\"\">Plus, dashcams are surprisingly durable. They\u2019re built to survive a hot car in summer and a cold windshield in winter. A few flips into the grass? That\u2019s nothing.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"\">Why You Should Do It<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><span class=\"\">Is the footage usable for a Hollywood movie? Absolutely not. It\u2019s shaky, the horizon is rarely level, and the camera angle usually ends up pointing at the sky after the first jump. Plus, there\u2019s a good chance the suction cup will give up entirely and your dashcam will become a very expensive projectile.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><span class=\"\">But that\u2019s exactly why it\u2019s fun.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><span class=\"\">It forces you to rediscover your backyard. You start looking for ramps, tunnels, and streams. You start driving differently\u2014not just to go fast, but to\u00a0<\/span><em><span class=\"\">see<\/span><\/em><span class=\"\">\u00a0things.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><span class=\"\">So, dig out that old dashcam from the glovebox, grab some duct tape, and create a Frankenstein monster of a car. It\u2019s time to see the world from three inches off the ground.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><span class=\"\">Just make sure you secure that suction cup properly. Trust me, you don\u2019t want to lose a dashcam in the neighbor&#8217;s bushes at 30 miles per hour.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"><strong><span class=\"\">Happy (tiny) driving!<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-29-at-10.36.41.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8709\" src=\"http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-29-at-10.36.41.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-29-at-10.36.41.jpeg 1920w, http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-29-at-10.36.41-300x169.jpeg 300w, http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-29-at-10.36.41-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-29-at-10.36.41-768x432.jpeg 768w, http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-29-at-10.36.41-1536x864.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-29-at-10.38.52.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8710\" src=\"http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-29-at-10.38.52.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-29-at-10.38.52.jpeg 1920w, http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-29-at-10.38.52-300x169.jpeg 300w, http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-29-at-10.38.52-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-29-at-10.38.52-768x432.jpeg 768w, http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-29-at-10.38.52-1536x864.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"RCPRESS vid cam on car vid\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/p1Kg5iF0uWg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"RCPRESS vid Cam on Car POV vid\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/P2UNuZcjG8I?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This is a DIY project &#8211; a car camera (mini SD card) and a portable USB battery glued to the&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8707,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[58,57],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8704","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-1-to-1-scale-videos","category-rc-videos"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8704","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8704"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8704\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8713,"href":"http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8704\/revisions\/8713"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8707"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8704"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8704"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rcpress.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8704"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}