DIY DIY Time Lapse Camera +

[wwwillie]

Hey!
Here I am with another project!
This time we're making a time lapse camera. Why? Well I have always wanted to make my own time lapse grow movie for one and just cause for two and three because it is so darn cool. Not to mention it can be used for many things other than a time lapse device.
It all starts with the venerable Raspberry Pi. This time we have V3 Pis to work with. That's cool because it has plenty of power and built in wi-fi. What really pushed me over the edge was the new 8 megapixel camera, it really takes nice pictures and video too. As it is an official Raspberry Pi product it just works with the Raspberry Pi.

To get started we'll need a Raspberry Pi single board computer, a Raspberry Pi Camera V2, a micro SD memory card 16 gb or larger should do nicely. Need it fairly large to store the images. A 2 amp 5 volt charger with micro usb cable.
MCM electronics sells a kit with all of that for $87.99 and includes a plastic case. A fair deal, not great but it is everything you would need. If you want links and stuff for this I'll be happy to get them for you. You will also need a monitor or flat screen TV that accepts HDMI and an HDMI cable, USB keyboard and mouse (what you use for your PC will be fine). Once it is all set up you won't need the monitor, keyboard and mouse. Just need them to get it set up and will prolly be needed to set the cmaer up and position it,etc.

I have all of the stuff we need and it took me about two hours to put it all together and most of that was waiting for install stuff and updates to happen. Maybe a total of 10 minutes actually doing things. It works a treat, I cannot wait to get to my garden and get it set up. Once that's done I'll put together a short film and post it.

That's it for now. Stay tuned for step by step directions. Also be happy to answer any questions!!

 

[wwwillie]

So the camera works a treat! Takes great pictures. As I went to set it up last night I had an epiphany type moment. What was I thinking! The hardest part of this is going to be making a case to hold it and protect it from the harsh environment of the tent, well harsh for electronics anyways.
I am going to find one f those plastic tub things that have a good seal and see what I come up with.
Stay tuned and let's see what I come up with.

 

[wwwillie]

Hey!
Haven't forgotten about this. Ran out of time!
I bought some plastic storage tubs that have good seals and a cell phone glass protector. The plan is to drill a hole for the camera and cover the hole with the protector glass. Still scratching my head a bit about mounting the Pi and camera inside. Proll some hot glue and / or silicone along with some studs. We'll see.
I hope to get to it this weekend.

 

[wwwillie]

Hey!
Here we are, some progress has been made. I started to put it together and realised I need to document!!
Here are a few pictures to show what I am up to.
The Raspberry Pi and the PiCam nestled in the waterproof box:

I mounted the main board with nylon standoffs and assorted hardware. I got the kit on Amazon:

The process was simple. I did have to enlarge the holes on the PCB a bit to accept the screw. I bolted up the standoffs, placed it in the container, marked and drilled the holes. I just used the bit and my hands, no need for the electric drill. Came out nicely.

In the container, from both sides. I will be sealing the bolt holes with some silicone.

Next up is the camera mounting. Still puzzling this one a bit. I do know I am using the phone glass screen protector to cove the lens but mounting is still eluding me. Adhesives and such really don't stick to the plastic of the container...
Stay tuned, more to come.

 

[garnier]

it's quite easy to do that with rasp Pi

Odesláno z mého SM-G920F pomocí Tapatalk

 

[wwwillie]

Hey,
I know I broke down and bought a case for the Pi and the Pi-Cam. Fits nicely and holds everything. Sometimes less is more. I was over engineering like a mad man I think.