Mounting cameras on Propeller Activity Board

JoeM

Hello. I am new to this forum.

I am attempting to mount a pair of cameras to my propeller activity robot (http://www.amazon.com/HDE-Smallest-Digital-Recording-Camera/dp/B00E9YFB5C). I want to mount them on either side of the front of the ActivityBot , angled inward. My intent is to use stereoscopic triangulation to measure distances from the robot to objects, and to allow the robot to distinguish between different objects (shape, size, etc.) and provide feedback (i.e. flash led light, piezo beep, etc.). However there is not enough room to mount them directly on the robot's breadboard. I have been looking for a Parallax attachment board that I could mount above the robot, so that I could then mount the cameras to this board, and still use the breadboard for circuitry. I don't need any electronic connection to my camera. I just need a flat surface to mount the cameras.

If there is no Parallax product, can anyone recommend a workaround. Any flat surface will do. I just need to know how to mount it, so that it does not get in the way of any wiring on the Propeller board, and mounts securely in place. Thank you.

NWCCTV

Welcome to the forums JoeM. Is a second platform an option? You could use some standoffs and a thin piece of pretty much any material of your choosing, or if you plan to add more electronics a piece of PCB and mount the cameras on each end. There are many smart people on this forum that will chime in and give you their ideas and possibly even post some photos of what they have done.

JoeM

Thanks Andy.
I know that the answer to my question sounds obvious. Of course I could always mount a piece of cardboard or plastic above the Propeller Board and then tape the camera onto it. The only tricky part is finding anchor points on the Propeller Board that will keep the platform sturdy and will not interfere with the electronics or wiring. I'm sure it is not an impossible task though.
After composing my original message, I noticed that there is a metal surface beneath the Propeller board. Depending on the size of the cameras (I don't have them yet), I may be able to mount them underneath the board. I think I will try that first. Again, I am glad to be on such a helpful forum.

Duane Degn

I was also wondering about attaching the cameras to the base of the robot.

Do you have a plan on how you're capture these images you plan to use? This is a non-trivial task.

I have some links to machine vision techniques using the Propeller in post #4 of my index. I don't have a link (yet) to information about the PropCAM but here's a thread about image processing with the PropCAM.

Edit: I've updated my index to include links to information about the PropCAM.

erco

Welcome JoeM. Those cameras got fairly thrashed in the Amazon reviews. Before you spend lots of time and money to use them, make sure they work to your satisfaction. Good luck on your project.