A complete noob needs help

[Electronoob]

Sorry if this is in the wrong place but:

I've hardly done any electronics in my life, but now I've decided that my nature photography needs some automatic elements.

Basically, I need to be able to open an application on my laptop, and click various buttons to operate a few motors (servos) attatched to my camera:

Motor 1: above zoom lever
Zoom in (forward)
Zoom out (backwards)

Motor 2: above shutter button
Focus (on for 1/2 second)
Shoot (on for another 1/2 second)
Release (backwards for 1 second)

Motor 3: on top of tripod
Pan left (forwards)
Pan right (backwards)

Motor 4: above the button on my floodlight
Floodlights toggle (on, backwards to press the button once)

So, can anyone give me some pointers on

• how to wire the thing up,
• which picaxe chip to get,
• how to pass inputs to it from my computer based on a computer program (I know some developers who should be able to help me write it),
• how to reverse the direction of a motor,
• how to convert the power from a picaxe chip to power for a motor,
• and actually, now i come to write this, how to fix the motors in place.

PLEASE HELP!!!

 

[eclectic]

First, what CAMERA do you own?

Can you provide a reference to the instruction manual?

e

 

[Electronoob]

It's a Lumix DMC FZ-18. The manual is online here service.us.panasonic.com/OPERMANPDF/DMCFZ18.pdf

 

[Electronoob]

If it helps, I can solder pretty well, I know how to string together a basic circuit, and I can, if I ask a friend really nicely, get into an electronics lab to do the work, with vacuum former and laser cutter. I've got a budget of about £100.

 

[manuka]

START SIMPLY WITH A BREADBOARDED 08M ! You'll gain all manner of insights in just a few hours/days, & can THEN progress to some of these more vexing issues. The standard "Kiwi" approach, used & abused by endless downunder enthusiasts, is shown => www.picaxe.orconhosting.net.nz/bboview.jpg

 

[Mycroft2152]

First, follow Stan's advice and start breadboarding with a PICAXE 08m.

Now, how comfortable are you in disassembling your camera, and putting back together again?

You will probably have to find the contacts to a few very tiny switches and solder wire to them, without destroying them of course.

There has been some discussion on the forum about using a PICAXE to control an XBOX handhelp unit. this is a very similar project in technique as your camera project. Do a forum search.

Myc

 

[Electronoob]

Now, how comfortable are you in disassembling your camera, and putting back together again?

- It's all sealed in, so I don't think I'll risk it.
I was really thinking something vacuum formed which would connect to the camera controls like a hand.
Thanks so much for the help!

 

[Mycroft2152]

- It's all sealed in, so I don't think I'll risk it.
I was really thinking something vacuum formed which would connect to the camera controls like a hand.
Thanks so much for the help!

Don't give up yet!

You could use some servos with flexible 'fingers' to press the buttons.

Controlling servos with a PICAXE is easy as pie.

Myc

 

[Electronoob]

Don't give up yet!

You could use some servos with flexible 'fingers' to press the buttons.

Controlling servos with a PICAXE is easy as pie.

Myc

Thanks! I'll look it up

 

[lbenson]

A very nice-looking camera, the Lumix DMC FZ-18--18x optical zoom is very tempting. Quite a project requirement, tho.

A thread I just posted -- http://www.picaxeforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=9425 -- deals with your "motor3"--actually two motors for pan and tilt. My webcam is a good bit lighter than your camera, but these servos are supposed to provide 51 ounces of torque at 6 volts. I don't have enough experience with servos to know if these would be adequate for your purposes. More powerful servos are of course available.

And there would be more than the camera which would need to be moved. I imagine some kind of rigid structure, perhaps of aluminum (your "hand"), which would hold the camera as it panned and tilted, and provide a framework for the solinoids which would press the zoom and shutter buttons. But another issue arises--how would you know what the camera is panned, tilted, and zoomed in on? With the webcam, that's not a problem. I didn't look at the manual for the FZ-18 in detail, but I didn't see that there was a way to send back the viewfinder image to the remote spot where the pan/tilt/zoom/flood/click controls are operated.

The problem you set is one which I would like to see solved inexpensively (eagles regularly land in the wintertime in the tree across the river from where I want to place my rivercam), but I haven't seen the solution yet for ordinary digital cameras.

Tom2000 referred to his very nice remote controller -- http://www.mindspring.com/~tom2000/Projects/AI-1_Remote/AI-1_Remote.html -- but unless I misunderstood, it isn't remote in the sense of (hundreds of) miles away. If you work out a solution, keep us posted.

 

[Dippy]

Quite a project for a starter.

But Ibenson raises an important point; how will you know what you've got on the frame with all that panning and zooming?

And don't belittle yourself with your poll questions.

 

[Electronoob]

I've got to say, this is one of the most helpful and friendly forums I've ever used!

 

[Electronoob]

I thought I'd cheat a bit with looking at the screen- have another window which shows live feedback from a webcam aimed at the camera.

In terms of structure, I was planning to build it in something like MDF or laser-cut acrylic (one of the joys of having access to a college electronics lab) and then coat it in a vacuum formed case.

I'm only really planning to control it from up to 20 metres, so I'll as like as not use a good old fashioned wire to connect it.

I really wish I'd decided to take an electronics course . So many ideas i've got now.

 

[Electronoob]

I've got an idea for the shutter button:

-Is this feasible or could I improve it
-Which picaxe product could control 5 outputs from a computer?

 

[Dippy]

"Is this feasible or could I improve it"
- well, I can't see picture so I couldn't tell you.

"Which picaxe product could control 5 outputs from a computer? "
- do you mean:
A) could control 5 external devices using the commands issued by a computer?
B) could control something based on 5 output lines from a computer?

Assuming (A), then anything from a 14M upwards.
Take a look at Manual NUMBER 1, "Getting Started" page 23 and on...

 

[Electronoob]

A) could control 5 external devices using the commands issued by a computer?

Sounds right. I assume I can change the direction each servo goes in.
Shame about the image- it's online at
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/Tom.Newport/Imageshare/photo#5195088684452459170

 

[Dippy]

Ah, an extra variable in the equation.
I'll leave this to the Servo gurus.