Making our Meadow Blog

A new solution

Neil at REUK has come up with the goods again and reckons he can make a controller using the AC adapter and the ML L3 wireless remote at a very reasonable price, hopefully with more control over the timer. I'll send it off tomorrow hopefully should be back next week. The priority now is getting the box thoroughly tested and ready to go. Then at a push i might be able to get it installed by the 20th... although i still have to work out how to set up the camera, if I suddenly have all this choice on my hands denied to me with the Coolpix 995. Some research is needed i think.

I have sealed the box today so hopefully i will be able to get it mounted on the test post over the next couple of days (when i get a bracket for the solar panel sorted out).

Trials and tribulations

Tested the D70 with the adapter and the ML-L3 type IR remotes i got from some dodgy Chinese replica company and as expected they worked very haphazardly - good job i got a Nikon one as well. Unfortunately the D70 is a bit haphazard in how it responds to being turned on and off, in particular i returns to its default setting of Continuous Mode rather than remote shutter mode which obviously won't work. I assume there is a setting which can make this the default moed, but it doesn't always return to the continuous mode so there may be another factor at work.

It looks like i will need to consider this option, the attempt at partitioning the memory card worked, in that it was partitioned, and didn't work in that the camera still does not write to it anyway.

Steen  wondered what the flashing hourglass icon on the screen was. According to one report i have seen on the internet (which is usfeul as ever) this is not in the manual and is an indicator that the card is too large to write in the allowed time. Steen then suggested I should contact Neil and have the processor on the circuit reconfigured to allow it enough time towrite to the card. This seems sensible, i'll give it ago.

However i have just looked at the manual and here it states on p 33 that it flashes when the date/time is not set...I set it using the bypass mode set up on the circuit but it seems to disappear since it is not shut down properly. However the card definately writes to a 16Mb and a 64Mb card and the date still flashes so this is not related to not writing to cards.

Perhaps i can trial it on the lowest setting using the 64Mb card i have, and see if i can find a 128Mb card in the meantime. I am still reluctant to put my D70 in a field in the middle of nowhere.

The bracket holding the panel on the post cap/tripod head fell apart, presumaply the cap is made of PE.

On the upside the box is ready, just needs sealing and the pond cam is back onstream.

Coolpix 4500? Nah!

It looks like the Coolpix 4500 will not work out as a viable option, they end up around £150 - £200 on Ebay which is a lot more than i am willing to spend. I am currently watching a bargain Canon EOS 20D which might work with compatible lenses i already own, alternatively I have an AC cable for the D70 on its way to me so that opens up this possibility at the lowest price.

The partitioning idea of Steen's  has ended up being a lot more complex than either of us initially thought and will need to be done on a Linux platform. I will try to get it sorted out this weekend...

The bracket idea i was planning involved using 60mm x 60mm steel brackets to hold the battery in position and also support the camera. I was going to rivet them together, then rivet them onto an aluminium plate and use a swinging arm to allow the camera to be rotated and the card to be easily removed. But while doing it I realised that there is no reason that the bracket supporting the camera needs to be connected to the brackets containing the battery (the reason i am using the same brackets is that i happen to have a box of these brackets available!). By bolting rather than riveting i can change the configuration of the brackets to support the camera in different positions and by using a combination and bolts and washers i now have a rotating bracket. I will get some wingnuts at the weekend to allow the rotating bracket to be locked in position. I will then glue the brackets holding the battery in position and bolt the camera support brackets. Then i just need to get someway of supporting and adjusting the position of the whole unit on the shelf. I may also install the post on the meadow at home to test the supports etc. Hmm thats a point must get some weights... 

Solutions?

My attempts to buy a 128Mb CF card yesterday morning all ended in failure, with none of the three camera shops i visited having such a diminutive memory card - understandable now that memory is so cheap.

I have continued to investigate the other options and have contacted Neil McNiven regarding using another beloved old camera, my D70 which has been semi retired since i got the D200 i currently use. He thinks that the IR remote it uses (it lacks a remote shutter cable socket, an ommission Nikon rectified with the subsequent D70s) can be used with the same type of setup as the current design. The only thing i am missing is an ac power cable, i am watching some on ebay but will need to see how these pan out.

I am also watching some Coolpix 4500's which are also supposed to take a larger capacity card. I have a generic remote shutter cable which will fit the 4500 . At some point i need to do a cost benefit analysis to determine which is better. Or just guess like i normally do.

In the meantime Steen has come up with a great idea - partitioning the 1Gb card i have going spare to see how large a partition it will accept. He reckons this will work and if i can get it to work it is a free way of solving the problem.

Also i have some design ideas for the battery and the camera locating bracket inside the camera. I will try to get these developed further tonight. I have also ordered some components from the excellent Bob's Bits website which i will hopefully be able to use to make a DIY pan & tilt base.

However, I have just realised that the D70 has a major flaw - unlike the D70S it does not have a socket for a remote shutter - the only way this can be done is with an IR remote control, which i assume is out of the question...

Tried the D70 in the cabinet last night and there is plenty of room.

Tried to get a 128Mb CF card from Amazon last night and it seems these are as rare as unicorn poo... I'll try Ebay but i'm starting to wonder if this is doomed!

Greenhouse Trial

The boxes arrived on Friday and i managed to get both the battery and the camera in the same box - it turned out pretty heavy (nearly 10kg) so might not work but it will reduce the work alot. However i will need those pressure gizmos after all. Hmph.

Trialled it anyway all weekend, putting it in the greenhouse in case the seal wasn't perfect. And it completely failed to record anything. Glad i didn't check earlier as it would have interfered with an already busy weekend. I have fixed the seal issues now.

More trials yesterday revealed that the 2Gb card is now mysteriously not recording. Tried formatting it in the camera, deleting everything off it and then adding a large amount of data to fill it up again (smacks of desperation?). However, i am right back where i started. I can't run this project using a 16Mb card. I may need to tear it up and start again. If this card doesn't work i will need to anyway. I think the problem may be the time it takes to write the data is longer than has been allowed for in the microprocessor.

I have tested the memory cards and only the 16Mb card works now. This means it may only accept a maximum of 128Mb cards after all. Very disappointing. I need to work out how many images i am planning to take. The settings I have available are:

Code & Interval	Average shots per day	Average Shots per wek	Estimated Shots per year	Length of film in mins @ 30fps
1 = 1 minute	960	6720	350400	195
2 = 2.5 minutes	384	2688	140160	78
3 = 5 minutes	192	1344	70080	39
4 = 10 minutes	96	672	35040	19
5 = 15 minutes	64	448	23360	13
6 = 30 minutes	32	224	11680	6
7 = 1 hour	16	112	5840	3
8 = 2 hours	8	56	2920	2

I think the most likely setting is 10 minutes, it will be long enough to have some detail and be interest. The ideal quality for the images is XGA Normal. The consequences in terms of memory requirements are as follows:

	Mb for 1 day shots	Estimated no days for 128Mb card to fill	Estimated no days for 256Mb card to fill
Code & Interval	1024 x 768 XGA Normal	1024 x 768 XGA Normal	1024 x 768 XGA Normal
4 = 10 minutes	22.08	5.8	11.6
5 = 15 minutes	14.72	8.7	17.4

So i am looking at a card lasting 5 days in the worst circumstances, possibly 17. This is possibly doable but with a baby, allotment, business and birding to take care of, it's not really going to work. I really need more memory! Or poorer quality images. I will trial a 128Mb and 256Mb card when i get one, and then experiment with the quality settings. I may be able to live with a poorer quality image in which case i may be able to last a bit longer. I could also get other people to swap over the cards... 

Other alternatives:

• I have a generic remote shutter on its way and am keeping my eye on some Coolpix 4500's on Ebay which would mean that i can keep the same circuit. If it works.
• I can see if the D90 i have fits...It would need a different voltage regulator, a new ac input, and another remote switch, all of which woudl be a pricey option.
• maybe a canon dslr, i have an old manual wide angle lens and the remote shutter and ac sockets accept generics more readily. If it fits. And if i can find one.

Other issues i need to sort out:

• The solar panel i purchased has a particularly leaky looking compartment housing the electronics at the bottom which needs waterproofing - this has now been sorted.
• The panel also needs to be fixed at around 75^o from horizontal to maximise the available light in winter (latitude x 0.9 plus 29 degrees apparently). I have solved this with a spare cheap tripod head some glue and a protractor.
• fixing the hefty box needs some pretty heavy duty brackets. I am sure that the sign brackets i am planning can take more than 10kg. I think the shelf option is still the best, this will allow the box to be rotated and tilted. When I have figured out how to pan and tilt it. A simple tripod head is out of the question with such a heavy box. I could use a TV wall bracket, but this will increase the moment of the weight away from the post and put a lot more strain on it. It will also be difficult to lock in position. I am thinking along the lines of a ball and some bolts but early days yet...