About the Snow Cam
Several people have asked how we went about setting up the Snow Cam and for any advice, so here it is.
We started the Snow Cam in Late December of 2002. The all time high, so far, was in February of 2003.
PC & Operating System
We are using took and old IBM Pentium 133 with 256 MB of RAM running Windows 98. Ideally you want something more powerful so you can install a better operating system like Windows XP Professional. The reason a better operating system is required, is because it has better "redial" settings to your ISP. More redial attempts, more settings to configure to ensure you stay connected, etc. 99% of the time we stop working, is because the ISP terminated us and we cannot configure Windows to reconnect in this case. Some ISP's will also tell you it's unlimited but unless you request to be put on a truly unlimited server, they will cap you at so many hours, just call them, if they will not support this, then find a new ISP.
The other reason for a good operating system is that it is more stable. instead of getting the "blue screen" of death in Windows 98, you get an exception and are then able to still dial in and work on the computer remotely. When you get the blue screen, the only thing we can do is call our local Technician to hit the power button.
You want a lot or RAM because the WebCam software needs it when you put it in Preview mode to see the live picture while you focus it, etc. This PC comes too a crawl when we do this, of course the CPU also has a lot to do with this.
The computer is configured such that if you just turn it on, it will start the necessary software, connect to the Internet and start functioning.
Power: UPS and Wake on Ring
In the event of a power outage, which happens often in the mountains, we have installed a UPS Battery Back up system and configured the software to send an e-mail alert to us when it is on battery power. The UPS we are running can last for approximately 4 hours. When we get the alert, we then can check periodically to make sure the cam is up, we have never had the power be out long enough to cause us to do anything.
If the UPS did run out of battery pwoer, we have configured the mother board on the PC to "wake on ring". This means that if the PC is powered off, and but the power has finally been restored, we can just dialing our phone number, the modem will detect the "ring" and automatically power the PC back on. We did this before we had a UPS because we thought power outages were the cause of most of our problems.
Web Cam Software
We installed WebCam32 software which is configured to take a picture every 5 minutes and to save 288 pictures on the website. We configured it to upload every 5 minutes so that the Internet Service provider would not drop the connection for inactivity, and to keep the camera active to prevent freeze up.
PC Anywhere
We installed PC Anywhere with a good password, and when the cam is down, we just call the camp to make sure the phone rings. If it does, we know the connection was terminated by our ISP. We then dial in with PC Anywhere and restart the computer. Since all the necessary software starts at boot up, everything should come back up. Sometimes our ISP is "busy" and it then redials every 5 minutes, up to 100 times (the max allowed by Windows 98).
Camera to The PC
We are connected with a 6' USB cable with an 6' extension to a Logitech WebCam. USB carries power, so this prevents you from running power. The older slower USB cables can only carry a signal 10-12', so that's the farthest the camera can be from the PC. You can buy a repeater to boost the signal farther if you want to, another $30.
The Housing
We ran the USB cable out the window and enclosed it in 3/4" PVC. We took a 5 gallon bucket, inserted a 4" PVC post in the center and filled the bucket with concrete. On top of the post, we put a 6" PVC drain pipe with a screw in cap on one end. This is important so you can adjust the camera and then screw the cap back on. We drilled a hole in the bottom of the 6" case and ran the USB cable in. We screwed the base of the camera holder to the PVC, added a plexi-glass lens in front of it, and then added a PVC visor to prevent Snow from blowing onto the lens. So far, so good, had a very cold winter and no freezing or moisture problems. The bucket design will let us take the set up inside during the off season.
Lighting
We installed a dusk to dawn light and a on/off switch so we can turn it off during the summer months.
Our Costs
One Time
PC = Free (but we need a better one)
UPS = Free
Modem = Free
PVC = $20
Logitech Camera = $90
ISP Set Up Fee = $20
USB Cables = $30
Lighting = $25
Total one time = $185
Monthly - We will run it 5 months (Nov - Mar)
Unlimited Internet = $10 ($50 per year )
Electric for PC & Lighting = $8 ($40 per year)
Total Monthly = $18 , $90 Yearly
So there it is, feel free to e-mail us with any questions, webmaster@pasnowseekers.com We hope that other clubs will do the same and would be glad to help out.