video suspension diagnostic tool

One of the great things about having a gadget shop is all the gadgets .

I see these threads where folks say "I have this wierd clunk when I turn left", or "name that noise", and the like.

I got to thinking that for these problems and things like dw that a pair of eyes under the vehicle while it is in motion would be a good thing. A small CCD camera with a strong clip for attaching it to stuff, connected to a PDA in the cab would fit the bill nicely!

I have these small cameras with built-in illumination that would work great for that, I think. I haven't tried it yet, but this is what I'm thinkin'...

You could place the camera pointing to where you think the problem is, then drive around to cause the symptom, and the camera records the actual occurrance of the wierdness. With a passenger to watch the screen, you could probably do even more.

What am I missing here? This seems like a great diagnostic tool ... why hasn't someone thought of it before?

i want to see DW in action....

I can see a whole series developing from this......something like "When good suspensions turn bad" or "Steering Gone Wild-The Jeep Safari Edition" complete with uncensored oscillations by drag link and tierods!!

I found a site a while back - an X10 camera mounted underneath a Wrangler. It was cool checking out suspension movement, but way low-res, and too many vibes to spot a little suspension clunk. The engine and tire noise drowned out everything else.
Cool video otherwise.

The cameras I have get great resolution ... one with illumination is good for closeup, others (security cams) for wider shots. I think that with solid mounting vibes shouldn't be a problem.

I think I'll do a proof-of-concept prototype this weekend to try it out.