digital camera relay timer

WBahn

Joined Mar 31, 2012
29,976
There are many digital camera that can do this. The terms used in the descriptions may vary, but what you are looking for is something that can do time-lapse photography.
 

WBahn

Joined Mar 31, 2012
29,976
A simple circuit board for what? If you have a camera that does what you want out of the box, what is the circuit board going to do?

If this is a homework assignment or project, then you need to clearly explain what the problem is and show your best effort to solve it so that we have somewhere to start the discussion from.
 

Thread Starter

police110

Joined Feb 25, 2013
15
ok, im designing a two stage rocket for aerial photography for my dissertation, and for the camera part i wanted to deign a specific circuit board to take the pictures automatically. the time laps should be external (from the camera and it could be any sort of camera not just digital). i need to know the mass of the payload before i can work out the propellant so thats why im stock!

thanks for your response BTW
 

WBahn

Joined Mar 31, 2012
29,976
If you have a camera that can take a picture every time a switch is cycled (closed and then opened) then this is a pretty straightfoward task. The simplest way, probably, is to use a small microcontroller (like an 8-pin PIC) and program it to pulse one of the outputs at the desired rate. Then use that to drive a MOSFET switch, assuming the camera isn't directly compatible with the micro's output.
 

Thread Starter

police110

Joined Feb 25, 2013
15
well thats the whole problem i have literally zero knowledge about electronics and is it possible to just hand draw what you said?
 

tracecom

Joined Apr 16, 2010
3,944
well thats the whole problem i have literally zero knowledge about electronics and is it possible to just hand draw what you said?
Most modern cameras with a jack for remote control simply use an external switch to route a voltage from inside the camera through the switch and back to the camera to trip the shutter. Are you actually going to build and use this timer with a camera, or is this strictly an academic exercise? If it's a real project, then the best bet would be to specify the camera to be used and then design an appropriate interface. Even if it's an academic exercise, specifying the camera is a good idea. Then, you can provide a design for an interface that is realistic.
 

WBahn

Joined Mar 31, 2012
29,976
Could you please describe a bit more about what it is you are needing to do. Not just that you need to build a board to interact with a camera, but WHY you are having to do this. There are cameras that do exactly what you want, but apparently you can't use one of them. Why not? I have to assume it isn't because your academic program is related to electronics because you say that you have zero knowledge about electronics. So why are you having to build an electronics project as part of your dissertation? Also, what degree level and major field are you working towards?

If you could provide a bit more detail about both what you are needing to do, why you are needing to do it, and what your background is we can probably provide better assistance.
 

Thread Starter

police110

Joined Feb 25, 2013
15
im doing aerospace engineering, youre right im not assigned to do it but since ive done everything in depth such as the material for instance. i wanted to show the circuit board that does the job instead of relying on the camera itself.

All i need is a circuit board as you said to open and close every few seconds (a relay timer), to record the journey of the rocket. the rocket will reach an altitude of 8K,
 

tracecom

Joined Apr 16, 2010
3,944
It describes a procedure for building what you want. How good the procedure is won't be easy to tell without trying to build what they describe. The basic premise of the procedure is good. Some of the on-line "instructables" are good, but others are fraught with omissions and errors.

As I posted early in this thread, the first step is to identify the camera you are going to use, and build a timer just for that camera. For example, if the camera has a manual mode, and you are taking aerial photos, you won't need auto-focus.

What camera are you using?
 

tracecom

Joined Apr 16, 2010
3,944
i was thinking of using something i had in the house so samsung nv3
I have searched the owner's manual for a remote shutter jack on that camera, and have not found one. Without a remote shutter jack, the only way to use that camera would be with a solenoid to press the shutter button, which is not practical. Unless I have overlooked the jack, that camera will not do.
 
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