An intervalometer is a device which counts intervals of time. (Other names include interval meter and interval timer). Such devices commonly are used to signal, in accurate time intervals, the operation of some other device. For instance, an intervalometer might activate something every 30 seconds.

In photography, intervalometers are used to trigger exposures. This is often done for a time-lapse series. It may also be used to take, or begin taking, picture(s) after a set delay.

Since I want to automate the entire Pan Tilt head; having the camera take Photos automatically at intervals would be helpful, online is Sebastian Setz’s Arduino Multi Camera IR Control, which is a useful set of codes for controlling Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax, Sony or Minolta cameras with an IR sensor. however this wont always work as some cameras don’t have IR Sensors.

The Parts list for the IR realise system is

1. Arduino
2. IR LED
3. Resistor

As such it requires access to only one IO pin.

For Cameras without IR remote shutter realise; I am thinking about mounting a servo which will physically articulate the shutter realise button. this servo could be mounted off the Hot Shoe ¹ or using 15mm system (I can build the entire head round the 15 mm system) There are a number of cool parts that can be made to work with the Photography/Videoography  industry standard 15mm tube system that can be printed.

• The Ultimate DSLR Shoulder Rig with deadly simple Follow-Focus
• Video Camera accessory Cheese Plate
• Camera rail adapter for DSLR rig
• 85mm offset rails for studio film/video

I have been wondering if Solar Panels on nbArianrhod would be a good idea, and worth the cost. since her roof is mostly used as a bike, log, loo store there is no free roof space forward of the centreline mount; and to the stern the area is kept clear for the centreline working area.

The Sun Shines?

These two Diagrams show the solar irradiation and solar electricity potential in the UK, with both Horizontal and ‘optimally – inclined’ photovoltaic modules.

b0atg1rl and I plan to mainly stay in the south; so we shan’t be going much below 950 kWh / m²; with horizontally  (1050 kWh / m² with optimally – inclined) photovoltaic modules; which means that our electrical requirements should be met with a fairly small installation.

Currently we run the motor for a couple of hours every evening to charge the domestic batteries, I am looking for details of flexible solar panels; that could be mounted to the clear section of roof by either adhesive; or bolting them down in the centre line working area.

Fox Talbot is universally recognised as the father of modern photography. His ‘calotype’ or ‘Talbotype’ process was the first working photographic process to use the now familiar format of negatives and positives. He was an ambitious man but his interests spread far beyond the confines of photography and it was as a mathematician that he was awarded first Membership and then Fellowship of the Royal Society before the age of thirty-three. He was an accomplished astronomer, a keen archaeologists and a fluent master of Greek and Hebrew. He patented pioneering ideas for internal combustion engines and as early as 1840 and through his life was at the forefront of progressive scientific thinking in England.

b0atg1rl recently went to Lacock Abbey, and had a look round the Fox Talbot Museum and Village, when I got back to our home she gave me this interesting book as a present Its a nice easy read and a good introduction to Fox’s life and his inventions. It would appear that b0atg1rl is a Photo Geek too

“This new volume provides readers with an in depth look into the Somersetshire Coal Canal. The previous volume of old photographs of this delightful short canal, which branched off the Kennet & Avon Canal just south of Bath, brought together what was then considered the finest range of photo-graphs of the canal. Further research by the author has, remarkably, unearthed a large number of hitherto unseen images and many of these are included in this new journey down the canal. Lavishly illustrated with a vast amount of black and white images as well as a variety of maps and line drawings, this title will appeal to all those interested in the history of Somerset and the coal canal.”

Also according to Amazon Roger Halse is a leading light in the Somersetshire Coal Canal Society and is well known for his lectures on the canal.

b0atg1rl and I were Dundas recently; and I would like to have a wonder up the available parts of the Somersetshire Coal Canal at some point, I bought this book to give me a bit of background on the canal; its mostly historical Photos (B&W) showing the state of parts of the canal over time; and describes the creation, use, and the canal falling into disrepair, parts of it subsequently becoming railway and then complete abandonment.

Sublime’s Tantillus 3D Printer looks like an interesting printer, I will have to ask Nathaniel to print me one when Sublime realises the part files.

The things that draw me to this 3D printer are its compact size; its mostly printable; and easy to build (and I guess make replacement parts for )

The Specifications are as follows:

• Outer dimensions: 225mm x 225mm x 300mm
• Build Area: 100mm x 100mm x 110 usable

And some of the features are:

• Fully printed case.
• It can print all of its own parts.
• Internally mounted extruder.
• External power supply to allow for battery operated use.
• Uses an interesting drive train: low cost wire rope (fishing wire) or High test Braided fishing line instead of costly belts.

In the future there is a plan to be able to print extension panels to allow it to expand itself by 100mm in any or all directions, and the ability to daisy chain two (I guess or more) machines together to mass produce parts while only using one set of electronics (both machines would produce the same parts at the same time).

And once I complete this Day Zero Task I can Print a 3D printer for a Friend

10 rules I follow when building something new.

This is a list of rules I try and follow when ever I have to build, design or program something. Some are clearly inspired by things other people have said but they have been tweaked a little to meet my own goals and hopefully they’ll help you think of your own.

1. Functional over flashy- Working perfectly is more important than looking amazing.
2. Simple over complex - Keep it clear and concise. Don’t confuse people.
3. Forget about profit - Create something with value instead.
4. Try and solve problems that have yet to be solved -Building your own CMS isn’t helping anyone.
5. Do something differently - use this opportunity to learn something new.
6. Don’t reinvent the wheel - unless the wheel is broken.
7. Do one thing really well- One perfect feature is always better than twenty mediocre ones.
8. Use version control- you’ll thank me for it later.
9. Take inspiration from others- don’t be afraid to see how other people have tried to do it before you.
10. Test, test, test - because I always rush stuff out without checking it for bugs first

From Paul Hallett‘s blog post.

My comments on this list are as follows:

1. Functional over flashy

   I endeavor to get the thing to function correctly before adding the aesthetics; Function over Form; also Form does not mean Flashy!

2. Simple over complex

   While I generally agree with this; I think this should be expanded to “the most elegant solution over complexity” sometimes the Simplest solution is not the most elegant, and the most elegant should not be overly complex.

3. Forget about profit

   I like to try and open all my workings up; so that it can be reviewed by any one, used as a basis for further Making; so far the projects I am playing with are all listed on here with the source code, build logs, and my random thoughts on the subject. but please take what I have done; make it awesome; share it with your mates; and let me know where you have taken my thoughts!

   My Projects at the moments look like this:

   • Accessible Keyboard
   • My 1st ROV
   • Remote Control K-9 from Doctor Who
   • Automatic Panoramic Head

4. Try and solve problems that have yet to be solved

   While I may work on projects that look similar to ones I use as sources; and jump points, I like to carve my own path.

5. Do something differently

   I would hope that I always do this

6. Don’t reinvent the wheel

   I hope that in the doing something differently; and the sharing of both my methodology and results (weather works or not) that I can come up with a new way of doing things.

7. Do one thing really well

   Most of my projects are finished first by getting the core working; then adding the form, I hope that through feedback that I get to the ‘Really Well’ level.

8. Use version control

   Hmmm, I keep trying this. bma hosts my online GIT repositories at http://git.subvert.org.uk/skippy/ and when I am trying to use it I use SourceTree as my GIT client. However I find that it is sometimes more hassle than it should be I am sure it will be useful; however a simpler interface/paradigm for the loan worker with a single computer would probably make this less of a chore.

9. Take inspiration from others

   I have loads of random clippings and files all over my laptop; and to a lesser extent my blog charting other people research and projects with a view to using them as reference  points. although cool things I find also end up on my Twitter stream; oh and if you do take inspiration from some one else; Link back to them.

10. Test, test, test

    Oh very much so; little steps, lots of testing with little steps. and debug!

I hope that the list of 10 rules to think about following when building something new is something that makes you think too.

I plan to start this challenge on the first of April; so I have a while to make sure that everything works

I have managed to take a few photos with it (despite not being charged) and shall put them up in a subsequent blog post.

I wanted to evaluate it for the posibility of using them with my ROV Project (And Perhaps a Birdbox idea for my mum).

At the moment its sat on my window cill feeding an image to the web every 15 minutes (when I don’t turn it off) via FTP (A requirement of the BirdBox Project)

I have had a look inside the Camera; and it seems to be two PCBs mounted back to back that are the full size of the case, with the camera attached via a short peice of ribon cable to one of the PCBs. ergo not much scope for making it smaller; as such this one is more likely to end up in a Bird Box than the ROV.

There are two things you may spot on my Schematic Diagram;

1. My cunning use of Ethernet over CAT 5 for Data.
2. I forgot to draw the lights on – ah well.

The cunning Plan is to use one Arduino Mega (2560), with an Ethernet Shield for the control; and interface (serve a webpage with all all the controls on it). and use an Ethernet Camera for Vision Feedback.

I used .:oomlout:. as my supplier for the Arduino Mega and Ethernet Shield, after they were recomended by Nat Poate, however oomlout don’t stock, and have no plans currently to stock the Teensy.

If I need more than one Microcontroller in my ROV I can interface them together using I²C (“i-squared cee” or “two-wire interface”), However the Arduino Mega has 54 digital input/output pins (of which 14 can be used as PWM outputs), 16 analog inputs, and I cant see myself running out even with the Ethernet Shield connected.

Hopefuly this will be waiting for me when I get home, so I can have a play

A while ago Loupie and I went to Trewsbury Mead to look for the source of the Thames;

Thames Head

There’s a little cup in the Cotswold Hills
Which a spring in a meadow bubbles and fills
Spanned by a heron’s wing, crossed by a stride
Calm and untroubled by dreams of pride
Guiltless of fame and ambition’s aims
Thats the source of the lordly Thames
– Bret Harte

This field is official source of the River Thames,

The Inscription on the stone reads

The Conservators of the River Thames 1857-1974
This Stone was Placed here to Mark the source of the River Thames

[pro-player type="flv"]http://www.jet.efda.org/wp-content/uploads/EP2-FULL.flv[/pro-player]

(From http://www.jet.efda.org/jet/news/2011/06/the-shutdown-in-time-lapse/)

During the Shutdown we managed to get a walk round the JET Torus Hall; and I managed to get a few pics on my iPhone; unfortunately now the shutdown is over I wont be able to get back in for a while.

And some pics from a Clean room,

One of those interesting PDF’s you pick up while moving around is the 2000 issue of the London Underground Railway – Junction Diagrams book. This is one of those documents that most people who use the tube every day will never have thought about; like the Quail Diagram Books for the National Rail Network.

While I was working with Scott Wilson Railways, on my Year in Industry I had the pleasure of walking the East London Line Junction, while it was being transferred from London Underground to London Overground.

Thames Tunnel is an underwater tunnel, built beneath the River Thames in London, United Kingdom, connecting Rotherhithe and Wapping. It measures 35 feet (11 m) wide by 20 feet (6 m) high and is 1,300 feet (396 m) long, running at a depth of 75 feet (23 m) below the river’s surface (measured at high tide). It was the first tunnel known successfully to have been constructed underneath a navigable river, and was built between 1825 and 1843 using Thomas Cochrane and Marc Isambard Brunel’s newly invented tunnelling shield technology, by him and his son Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

The tunnel was originally designed for, but never used by, horse-drawn carriages and now forms part of the London Overground railway network.

I will try and Work out where I took these photos; and when I do I will update and Caption them.

Just Round the corner from Battlebridge Basin is the London Canal Museum where Loupie found this book:

Geoffrey Lewis & Tom McManus’s “L-Plate Boating”; if we do get aboard we may have to get a copy.

A while ago I bought my self a Sprocket Rocket camera, the Sprocket Rocket is a 35 mm film camera that packages an ultra wide angle lens, that allows you to capture the image on the whole width of the film (Including on the Sprockets).

Three things really stand out about the Lomography Sprocket Rocket, one is that it allows you to shoot Panoramic Shots, super wide angle photos, using its 30 mm 130 degree lens, a re-wind knob that allows multiple exposures, giving you even more creative control, and thirdly exposure of the sprockets.

I have currently got my third role of film in it; hopefully this weekend I will be able to get some negatives developed, and scanned so I can see how they come out.

The most recent book I have acquired of interest is a 1967 print of G.F.C Rogers and Y.R. Mathews’ “Engineering Thermo-Dynamics – SI Units”, other books acquired include Maxwell Crooks and Frederick Dawson’s “The Dictionary of Typewriting”, and some older hardback books on Photography.

The general rule of thumbs are:

• Ask nicely if you can swap the books you find for ones you have
• Bring in a book of your own to replace with the one you acquire

So for the Engineering Thermo-dynamics book, I shall be taking in a copy of “Plasma Diagnostic Techniques” that I found at work.

So with a blank canvas to start from, and no equipment to tie me to a manufacturer; I am wondering if I should look at Canon equipment as well as Nikon.

In the mean time a good friend of mine has lent me a Sony α 200 to have a go with; until I can afford to replace my equipment.

UKgoth.info is now back online; well sort of; needs a fair amount of poking to get it up to date; Tony of the UK Waterways Ranking Site has agreed to let me use the code for a Ranking Site. I did speak to Geekery.in about using their code in the project; but they wanted to host it for me. Well; it just means that Loupie and I will have to ask bma nicely to make us something.

I have chosen to Start my New Years Challenges Tomorrow; The First one is the “Day Zero Project”, which is otherwise known as the “101 things in 1001 Days” and the one that makes more sense just for a year is the “100+ Reading Challenge” however given how well I get on with reading; this may be one painful challenge.

Also on the cards is the resurrection of some of my other sites; these should acquire a post each as they come back online.

The Bag Contained:

• Nikon D70 18-70mm Lens
• Sigma 70-300mm Lens
• A Little GE Compact Camera
• 2x Jesops Speed-lights
• a collection of Compact Flash Cards
• 3 Nikon Batteries + Charger
• A USB multi format Card Reader
• Loupie’s Bridge Camera

This matter has been reported to the police; so hopefully they wont be entirely useless should any of this show up. well we can all but live in hope.