[SOLVED] How to find components for a project?

[Jibsman57]

Years ago I worked for National Semiconductor. They had book after book on their components. What they were for, how they worked, inputs and outputs, etc.
I want to build a DashCam prototype, but don't know where to look for the different components: micro cameras, interface chips for the camera and storage, maybe a raspberry pi for control, etc.
I'd imagine all this info is on websites and not in books anymore. My searching has not found what I want. Where should I be looking?
I'm also not a designer, so this is my intro to the art. Any suggestions?

 

[Eximo]

Newark.com
Mouser.com
Digikey.com

These are three I generally use.

 

[hotaru.hino]

If you're using a Raspberry Pi, there's a few project websites around (I can't think of any off the top of my head) that sell parts compatible with it.

 

[Eximo]

As for designing a dash cam. Seems like that market it plenty saturated. Doing it just for fun, depends on how you want to go about it.

You have your Raspberry Pi and other FPGA computers you can program to do the task that have optional plug in camera modules, bluetooth, wireless, etc.

There are more advanced things like, say the Texas Instruments AT Mega line of programmable chips. You would write in Assembly and build out the system that way. Learn about i2c and other serial communications protocols. (though these days I wouldn't be surprised if you could just use the IP stack to network to an onboard camera)

You would have to do an LCD interface as well, write a simple overlay and menu system.

Not really something I have put much thought into.

 

[Jibsman57]

As for designing a dash cam. Seems like that market it plenty saturated. Doing it just for fun, depends on how you want to go about it.

You have your Raspberry Pi and other FPGA computers you can program to do the task that have optional plug in camera modules, bluetooth, wireless, etc.

There are more advanced things like, say the Texas Instruments AT Mega line of programmable chips. You would write in Assembly and build out the system that way. Learn about i2c and other serial communications protocols. (though these days I wouldn't be surprised if you could just use the IP stack to network to an onboard camera)

You would have to do an LCD interface as well, write a simple overlay and menu system.

Not really something I have put much thought into.

Yes for fun, with the control hub (Raspberry Pi?) inside the vehicle inside the roof, near the center, under the roof carpeting. Running wires inside the fabric to the front, back and sides where the cameras are mounted inside near the windows. 4 to 6 cameras. No display, everything hooks up through a micro USB port. Starts automatically when you start the car, or could be on all the time running on the battery for airport parking lots,etc. Downloads to a phone or laptop.
I wanted to do a Dome inside but people wound bonk their heads because it would have to hang down to get the views needed.
Never done anything like this, but I started out my electronics career on a wirewrapped board with hundreds of TTL chips running a RAM Burn In Test Oven. Anyways I thought it would be a fun project.

 

[Jibsman57]

Newark.com
Mouser.com
Digikey.com

These are three I generally use.

Just what I was looking for. Cheers!