Camera Circuits

Kirlian Photography power supply

This device is essentially a high-voltage variable-frequency ac supply. ? CD4049 IC multivibrator circuit drives a Darlington connected transistor pair, which drives TR2, an ?? transformer...

High Speed Photography circuit

Simple electronics provides the foundation for many closed loop control systems. Since the principle components that we would wish to control for HSP are electronic in nature, an electronic control system is the natural choice. As this document is not designed to be a course in electronics, only general concepts shall be presented, and our system as an example. The choice of available power supply should be considered before designing circuits. Old personal computers are a great source of cheap yet versatile power supply units. These will usually provide terminal voltages at -12V, 0V (GND), +5V and +12V. This will allow the use of dual rail operational amplifiers, digital logic devices (TTL and CMOS) along with the traditional single component devices (transistors, relays, SCRs etc.). Less versatile alternatives are batteries and +12V transformers. Once a power supply has been selected, your attention can turn to the functions you want your control system to exhibit...

Flash triggering circuit

My first project after assembling an electronic design lab was to build a flash trigger that I could use for high-speed photography. I thought it would be useful to share not only the finished product but also the reasoning that went into its design — in the hopes that others will learn from and improve upon it. When I first thought about building a flash trigger, I did some research to see if anyone had a ready-made schematic available. It turns out that Johannes Eriksson has done just that — and kindly provided a schematic and a brief overview of the circuit. I pored over the circuit until I had a tentative understanding of how it worked, then set about designing my own...

Sound Trigered Camera flash

If you wish to take a picture of a fleeting event which generates a sound, you can do it with this sound activated trigger. It does not require any power supply: it feeds on the high voltage available on the flash trigger terminal. Any economic ceramic microphone is suitable for the purpose. The 68nF capacitor introduces a small delay in the operation of the flash and may help in getting the picture in exactly the right moment although you should expect to take several shots for best results. ..

Video Camera switcher MAX454

The video switcher described here can display the output of two, three, or four cameras on a single monitor. The number of cameras is set by a DIP switch on the circuit board. That feature avoids blank displays if less than four cameras are used by sequencing through only the inputs that are connected to a camera. In the automatic mode, the cameras are switched at a rate that can be varied with a panel mounted control. The switching rate can be set from about once per second to about once every 20 seconds. In the manual mode, one camera output is displayed continuously. A momentary-toggle switch is then used to step through the various cameras. The heart of the video switcher is a Maxim MAX454...

disposable camera strobe light

If you have no idea what is a "strobo", "strobe", "stroboscopy" or whatever way it is called, it is simply a flashing light. It is usually used on police cars, 'disco' places and many interesting applications, including scientific ones. This project is dangerous because it implicates high voltages, it can be lethal. Please read the Disclaimer about my articles: Use this material as educational only, do not build this project unless you know what you are doing and under your own risk. What I'm trying to say is: Don't be stupid, you can kill yourself. After using a disposable camera, is possible to remove the film for develoment and use the camera to build an easy, cheap and cool strobe light...

Photo film processor circuit

This machine essentially does three things: It controls the process temperature, provides constant agitation of the chemical baths, and performs the timing. The operator must pour in and out the liquids by hand. The heart of the circuit is a Basic Stamp 2p microcontroller. It has a program loaded that contains several film processing algorithms. For each of them, the process temperature, the bath sequence, the bath names, and durations, are stored. The program offers the options via a menu, displayed on a 16x2 character alphanumeric backlit LCD, while user input is through two pushbuttons. A small speaker gives confirmation beeps, and is also used to signal the end of the process time for each bath...

Darkroom Photo Timer with PIC16F84AP MC

This is an improved version of the Darkroom Timer originally created by Stan Ockers (1999). Some extra features were added and the PIC code was modified accordingly. Lamp(s) light at start of timing and turn off when timer reaches zero. A set of leds were added between the minute and second leds which blink during timer operation. 7 segment displays include tails for digits 6 and 9. A bicolor led (common cathode) indicates standby (green) and timer operation (red). Separate PCBs were designed for the led display and the timing system. The power supply is also integrated in the PCB...

Camera Photo Timer Circuit

Time is set by potentiometer R2 which provides a range or 1 sec. To 100 seconds with timing capacitor C1 of 100uF. The output at pin 3 is normally low and the relay is held off. A momentary push on switch S1 energies the relay which is held closed for a time 1.1 X (R1+R2). C1 and then released. The exact length of the timing interval will depend on the actual capacitance of C1. Most electrolytic capacitors are rated on the basis of minimum guaranteed value and the actual value may be higher. The circuit should be calibrated for various positions of the control knob of R2 after the timing capacitor has had a chance to age. Once the capacitor has reached its stable value, the timings provided should be well within the photographic requirements...

Disposable Camera Flash Circuit

When you press trigger of camera, the trigger closes briefly, connecting the capacitor to a second transformer. This transformer boosts the 290-volt current from the storage capacitor up to between 1,000 and 10,000 volts, and passes the high-voltage current pulse onto the metal plate next to the flash tube. The momentary high voltage on the metal plate provides the necessary energy to ionize the xenon gas, making the gas conductive. And the flash tube discharge...

This circuit is a RF modulator which can be used for modulating of video signals. The P1 controls the Light and the P2 controls the contrast of video signal. The RF modulated output signal can be received on the VHF band ( about 189 MHz ). Note that the circuit don't modulate the audio signal of the pictures. ..

The camera rotator circuit uses a 2716 EPROM to store a table of logic values that control the motor driver (H-bridge) circuit. The EPROM data is shown in the schematic. By using the EPROM, a large number of discrete gates are eliminated. The logic table is designed to allow the motor to turn clockwise until the clockwise limit sensor is activated. The same operation happens with counter clockwise rotation and the counter clockwise limit sensor...

If you are not using the Aiptek camera then it will be up to YOU to determine how to hack your particular digital camera. The camera that was used in the project is the tiny Aiptek Mini PenCam 1.3. However, other cameras are possible candidates too since the schematics include notes for a universal shutter interface...

The ZXSC100 is a DC-DC boost converter designed for single or multi-cell portable equipment. A typical application is shown in Figure 1. The application is for a digital still camera DSP power supply, providing a regulated 3.3V/250mA supply from two cell input...

Battery powered applications are becoming more desirable and common. In the past, battery powered applications were not suitable because of the high quiescent currents, low efficiency and the inability to operate at low input voltages...