Flip MinoHD works in vacuum!

Testing Flip MinoHD in vacuum chamber up to a pressure equivalent altitude of 300,000 ft (almost the pressure in Low Earth Orbit).

Because the Flip MinoHD records video directly to solid state memory, it functions without any problems in vacuum. Normal video cameras that use miniDV cassette or small optical discs almost always overheat in a vacuum because they typically rely on air convection to remove excess heat.

Hard drive based video cameras (and all other hard drives) also fail in vacuum environments. The read/write head of a hard drive normally floats on a cushion of air. However, in a vacuum, this cushion doesn't exist and the read/write head literally crashes into the magnetic platters.

Thanks Pure Digital Technologies for providing a Flip MinoHD evaluation unit.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Testing
• in
• vacuum
• chamber
• space
• low
• earth
• orbit
• minidv
• video
• camera
• videocamera
• cnet
• review
• flip
• mino
• HD
• flipmino
• flipHD
• minoHD
• flipminoHD
• HDmino
• HDflip
• spacecraft
• balloon
• high
• altitude
• simulation
• solid
• state
• memory
• moon
• moonhoax
• hoax
• pure
• digital
• technologies

[roidroid]

it's impressive that a flash camera has enough space to record in full HD for the whole time it takes to suction down to 50 torr.

That must be hours of HD footage

[benwl]

Actually it only takes us ~15 minutes to get to 50Torr. The MinoHD will record for an hour, so that was plenty of time to get to even lower vacuum.

[ngfisher]

What is your job.. if I may ask? Or what do you do at your job?

[benwl]

I'm a plasma physicist and work on the VASIMR plasma rocket....you can see my other videos for that. I did my Ph.D. at the Univ. of Wisconsin and right now I am employed by the University of Houston as a post-doctoral fellow and will soon join the Ad Astra Rocket Company as a full time employee.

[Kzaks]

Maybe next time you could have something to illustrate the pressure change in real time ...like maybe a marshmallow or a balloon?

[guzguz21]

You look like having lots of fun, too bad i'm so dumb to work in something like that :(

[ApolloWasReal]

Khan, there's no reason I must watch this, is there?

[HedgehogStudios1]

That does make sense. Besides the fact that no air means no sound, it should work just fine.

[WhiteHawkUK]

@coffeebuzzz : You know, for a moment there, I thought this video *was* shot in 'the real world'. Amazing what they can do with CGI nowadays, eh?

[WhiteHawkUK]

@Kzaks : I absolutely second the marshmallow suggestion! :)

[lotanerve]

It was working...my ears were hurting.

[aerotown42]

@benwl nice mang

[cubby3o5]

did you lock him in the vacuum?!

[titmousetalks]

zzzzzz

[UBERKron]

im impressed by the chamber, perhaps you culd do a bag of marshmellos next?

[bakonfreek]

if you were in a 100% vacuum, there would be no sound because there would be no air to vibrate and create the sound...that was legit