Engine Room - 12 volt lighting and video monitors

[sclancy]

1. does anyone have good ideas for 12 volt engine room lighting?

this light looks decent but pricey...

http://www.cyber-bridge-marine.com/l...t-9-36vdc.html

LED would be nice for lower voltage draw. i am assuming that LED strip-type lighting does not put out enough light...

2. has anyone put together their own camera/video monitor set up? 2 or 3 cameras, LCD monitor and switcher on ebay look to run only a couple of hundred bucks. Hate to spend thousands for a pre-packaged system. the Raymarine cameras costing hundreds $$ are identical to the ones on ebay for $35-75 a piece...

3. ideally i want enough light in the engine room so that the cameras stay in color mode and dont switch to low light B&W with the built in leds...

thanks

[misokat]

do you want to run video all the time on your engine room?
easy solution just incorporate a relay to switch on lights as the cameras go on , cheap halogen lights or what we use are round 12volt emergency type lights in plastic housings, cheap and only draw a couple of amps, draw shouldn't be a issue because im only concerned when underway on power.

[JMiner]

1. does anyone have good ideas for 12 volt engine room lighting?

this light looks decent but pricey...

http://www.cyber-bridge-marine.com/l...t-9-36vdc.html

LED would be nice for lower voltage draw. i am assuming that LED strip-type lighting does not put out enough light...

2. has anyone put together their own camera/video monitor set up? 2 or 3 cameras, LCD monitor and switcher on ebay look to run only a couple of hundred bucks. Hate to spend thousands for a pre-packaged system. the Raymarine cameras costing hundreds $$ are identical to the ones on ebay for $35-75 a piece...

3. ideally i want enough light in the engine room so that the cameras stay in color mode and dont switch to low light B&W with the built in leds...

thanks

We have installed cameras in many engine rooms utilizing the marine monitors on the boat and stand alone LCD monitors. The cost of the camera for engine rooms is driven by the enviroment they are in. If you have a dry engine room then any quality camera with the right lens can work. Give me a call if I can help. 610-825-7040 Jim Miner Judge AV

[sclancy]

1. the relay is a good idea. you are also correct that amp draw isnt much of an issue when running which is 90% of the time i want to monitor. maybe just go with the cheap single bulb fixtures with the cage over them....i could use fluoro bulbs to lower the draw.

2. my engine room is dry so i m just looking at 1/3" ccd cameras in the $30-80 range - i just want to make sure i get the right lens - my cameras will be mounted about 3 ft from the motors so i need enough field of vision to maximize resolution... i m thinking of pairing up the cameras to a video switcher i saw on ebay for under $100 that automatically cycles through the cameras or you can use the remote to pick a particular camera. going to run it through a std lcd screen made for a headrest so i can surface mount it next to my other electronics - going to use an 8" display.

[Deep C]

I just installed a 120 twin camera set up in my engine room... Sorry I don't remember the brand off hand. Got them at costco. They have tgheir own IR light source if the lights are out... I set up their receiver to connect to run av cable through a portable set I can move around for better view angle.... Instead of fix mounting the cameras I set velcro bases around different places for quick change...
As for light a simple 12v flourescent works just fine... Low amps and loads of light..

[Banshee]

DR smith out of Fl has a great engine room light in 12 v or 120v or combo. Compact flourescent, really nice light and are bright. Thought of the cameras, I have two and may hook them up to my Northstar,
JW