Shop OBEX P1 Docs P2 Docs Learn Events
Controlling a cheap digital cam with my stamp? — Parallax Forums

Controlling a cheap digital cam with my stamp?

Tyler MeekTyler Meek Posts: 21
edited 2008-05-23 23:58 in BASIC Stamp
I am trying to understand relays and how I can use them for a camera project. History.... I have written a program for my PIR sensor, a couple of LED's and a speaker. Now I am trying to trigger a digi cam when my PIR goes high. This is starting to sound like a deer cam but wait....I will also be triggering a compressed air "bang" tube that I came across in Make Mag. The picture will be taken just after the bang is sounded. So.... I have disassembled my camera and have become familiar with its guts. I arced across the shutter button and it took a picture. Finally the question. How can I use the stamp to not add any juice but rather just open a gate and act like a switch. I bet you are going to tell me RELAY?

Comments

  • ercoerco Posts: 20,261
    edited 2008-05-23 02:33
    Nothing wrong with relays; they're cheap and simple to understand. And isolated electrically from whatever you're controlling (a camera in your case). See another thread at http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?p=727502·for info.

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    ·"If you build it, they will come."
  • Tyler MeekTyler Meek Posts: 21
    edited 2008-05-23 02:46
    Thanks erco, that was my gut feeling, I just have never used one. I will read the industrial controls section on relays. One more hypothetical question. So lets say I have a 110v power supply going to say a blender. I can use a my stamp and a relay to switch the power on and off without hurting my stamp?
  • allanlane5allanlane5 Posts: 3,815
    edited 2008-05-23 02:53
    If you get a 5 volt coil relay, drive it with a transistor or Darlington array, put a "protection diode" reverse biased across the coil, and the contacts are rated for 110 volts AC, then yes.

    But be careful wiring it up.
  • FireHopperFireHopper Posts: 180
    edited 2008-05-23 03:00
    I have plans to purchase a cheap digicam for controlling via basic stamp of some type. I plan on using it to make timelapse movies/picture series. since most digital cameras lack that feature.
  • Tyler MeekTyler Meek Posts: 21
    edited 2008-05-23 16:21
    That will be a neat project Fire Hopper. Are you thinking a few picture over the course of an hour, or several hundred pictures over the course of a day?
  • FireHopperFireHopper Posts: 180
    edited 2008-05-23 23:58
    Tyler Meek said...
    That will be a neat project Fire Hopper. Are you thinking a few picture over the course of an hour, or several hundred pictures over the course of a day?
    anything is possible [noparse]:)[/noparse]
    I want to have it ready for a 5 hour drive I will have to do the end of june [noparse]:)[/noparse] to a big confrence I am going to, that I will be wearing my animatronic costume at [noparse]:)[/noparse]
    I'd like to set it to take a picture every minute.. but eventually it will have a lcd and some switches to allow one to set the interval and start and stop.

    I'm going to be using 3 relays, one for power off/on. one for the focus detent, then one more for the full shutter press..

    just need to find a camera with·4 features.. (3 if dun mind running off battery)

    1 seperate power button
    2 2 stage shutter switch
    3 SD card
    4 power input
    ·
Sign In or Register to comment.