I wanted an easy way to syncronize my GoPro videos with the data generated from my data logger. In the past, I've done this manually with DashWare, but it is a tedious manual process to get them syncronized. There had to be a better way!
I realized that many GoPro's (GoPro3 Silver/Black, GoPro4, etc) have built in WiFi and we all know about the iPhone and Android apps. So clearly there was a way to controll them via WiFi.
GoProControl is a simple box you can plug into your car or motorcycle and connect to your datalogger's digital output or input sensor. I use the inexpensive ESP8266 to control the a GoPro. In the future, I hope to be able to control multiple GoPro's like the GoPro Remote can.
GoProControl has 4 pins:
- +5-12V
- GND
- Digital Input
- Digital Ouput
When GoProControl is turned on, it will send a signal to the GoPro to also turn on- which may take a few seconds. When the Digital Input is connected to ground (GND) it will tell the GoPro to start recording.
When the Digital Input is disconnected from ground (floating or +3.3-12V) it will tell the GoPro to stop recording. You should configure your GoPro to auto-off after 60seconds to save battery.
Note, when the Digital Input is connected to ground, the Digital Output will be driven to 3.3V. This is so if your data logger does not have an output channel you can control, you can use a simple toggle switch to both turn on the GoPro and mark the time when recording started in your data logger using an input channel on your data logger.
Note: If you have the option of powering this by 5 or 12V, use 5V. If using your vehicle's battery, be sure it is switched with the ignition to prevent draining your battery as this circuit uses ~330mA.
The GoProControl board has an onboard connector for programming via a FTDI cable. This cable should provide 5V of power and can use either 3.3V or 5V for signalling.
Configure your GoPro WiFi for "App Mode" and define a SSID and WiFi Password.
Before programming your GoProController, you first need to edit src/goprocontrol/goprocontrol.ino and edit the SSID and WIFI_PASSWORD to match your GoPro's settings.
In order to program your GoProController, you will need to start the Arduino application and figure out what serial speed (baud) your ESP8266 communicates at. Older boards run at 9600, while newer boards seem to run at 115200.
Once you have figured out the serial speed, configure Arduino for a "Generic ESP8266 Module" and the upload speed to the same speed. Then, with the board powered up:
- Press and hold the PROG button
- Press and release the RST button
- Release the PROG button
- Uplaod the sketch via the Arduino application
project. Thank you!
GoProControl is GPLv3
GoPro, GoPro3 and GoPro4 are trademark GoPro.
GoProControl is not affiliated with GoPro in any way.