Game camera

Squirl · September 22, 2010, 10:05:39 AM

Has anyone built their own game camera? I have an old digital one that I was able to hard wire an electronic trigger into. I just need to set up the motion sensor part. I will post pictures of the build a little later. I thought there was one on the forums here, but I can't find it.

NM_Shooter · September 22, 2010, 11:05:05 AM

I built a 24 hour camera... I had it rigged so that every day at noon it woke up and took a picture through the winter.

September 22, 2010, 12:22:45 PM

http://chasingame.com/ used to have a home build board. I have not checked recently

peternap · September 22, 2010, 01:39:04 PM

Quote from: MountainDon on September 22, 2010, 12:22:45 PM
http://chasingame.com/ used to have a home build board. I have not checked recently

I think they still have it but I don't get there as often now.

Check on some of the ready made sensors like Yeti. They are very good, easy to wire and good support.

My Scoutguards are starting to die so I think I'll build a few too.

MountainDon · September 22, 2010, 01:52:17 PM

http://www.chasingame.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=4&sid=fe3ddc75c7879305c75034f394da0ca7

September 22, 2010, 09:24:24 PM

Ive built many using the various board that are available. Even some of the old radio shack pir operated owl 35mm cameras.
If your looking to buy a pre-made controllers, most all of the ones being offered online I've tried and all but one vendor I would say makes a great board for the money. For experimenting with new or different set ups I would suggest the snap shot sniper.
http://www.snapshotsniper.com/HomeBrewProducts.htm

It allows you to play with the timing by simply clicking a button and reading the settings on the on-board display screen. or his newer smaller board that allows complete programing from your computer.

+1 on using the hombrew forums for help and information.

NM_Shooter · September 23, 2010, 11:37:12 AM

Hey... that picaxe chip is pretty cool looking. Has anyone played with it at all?

Squirl · September 23, 2010, 02:03:51 PM

I got one of these last night.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2906724&CAWELAID=124299771

I just need to figure out how to hook it up to the camera. I was thinking a simple transistor should work. I might need to hook up a 555 time circuit delay in between pictures. I could buy it, but I want to try and relearn a little electronics.

Shooter, how did the shooter cam work out? Do you have any pictures?

NM_Shooter · September 23, 2010, 05:17:59 PM

Yes... shooter cam worked great... but it got whacked by lightning near by. I got about 100 pictures from early November on, and it was interesting to see the snow fall then recede until early December, at which point it just stayed. In mid January on, I was appalled to see all the snowmobile tracks running past my cabin. I posted one of the pictures on my cabin site... I don't know if I kept the rest.

September 23, 2010, 06:45:50 PM

Quote from: NM_Shooter on September 23, 2010, 11:37:12 AM
Hey... that picaxe chip is pretty cool looking. Has anyone played with it at all?

It gets played with here quite often,
http://www.hagshouse.com/forums/index.php?showforum=64
I'm not sure if you need to be a member to view or not so heres the
main page. http://www.hagshouse.com/forums/index.php?act=idx

peternap · September 23, 2010, 08:56:05 PM

Quote from: diyfrank on September 23, 2010, 06:45:50 PM
Quote from: NM_Shooter on September 23, 2010, 11:37:12 AM
Hey... that picaxe chip is pretty cool looking. Has anyone played with it at all?

It gets played with here quite often,
http://www.hagshouse.com/forums/index.php?showforum=64
I'm not sure if you need to be a member to view or not so heres the
main page. http://www.hagshouse.com/forums/index.php?act=idx

The Hags bunch are creative but an odd bunch. I'm a member and it's like talking to Vulcan's sometimes.

diyfrank · September 23, 2010, 10:05:02 PM

I think the Idea of home brew cameras pretty much started at JHO. After several members had been banned from there, their were new hunting sites that began popping up. Hags was one of the first to open up. I join there and a few others but I mostly stay around the Hags crowd. I don't speak the Vulcan language too well but I probably could be called odd for sure. I've tried logging into JHO every once in a while but I believe I'm currently also a former member.
BTW, I go by luckyman those sites.

Squirl · September 24, 2010, 08:28:17 AM

I tried signing up under hag's, but it didn't work. There seems to be a glitch in their forum. I still used Google to search their forums and didn't find almost anything on Kodak's. It seems that most people don't like to use them, or go out of their way for them. I saw the control boards were around $40. They sell complete day/night game cameras for $60. I just wanted a low cost way to use up an old camera. So it looks like I will be doing things the hard way.

So here is the camera that decided to donate its body to science.

As you can see it has a selector on the back cover and a trigger on the front. To properly use it, I am going to have to reassemble it.

I removed all the screws.

I popped off the trigger to put some wires going out for an electronic trigger.

As you may be able to see, there are four leads going into the trigger switch. (ABCD) Also you can see the (E and D) section that is for the back mode switch.

So I stuffed four wires though the old trigger hole and wired them to the A-D leads on the switch. Dummy me forgot to record which were each. Oh well, I only had two different colored wires anyway.

So I stuffed everything back together and reassembled. Because there are so many switches tied to the case, I didn't know if it would work until it was back in one piece.

I touched all four wires and it took a picture. Time to screw around with the wires.

peternap · September 24, 2010, 10:49:44 AM

Quote from: Squirl on September 24, 2010, 08:28:17 AM
I tried signing up under hag's, but it didn't work. There seems to be a glitch in their forum. I still used Google to search their forums and didn't find almost anything on Kodak's. It seems that most people don't like to use them, or go out of their way for them. I saw the control boards were around $40. They sell complete day/night game cameras for $60. I just wanted a low cost way to use up an old camera. So it looks like I will be doing things the hard way.

So here is the camera that decided to donate its body to science.

As you can see it has a selector on the back cover and a trigger on the front. To properly use it, I am going to have to reassemble it.

The signup on Hags is legendary. He'll get around to approving it at some point...maybe

I removed all the screws.

I popped off the trigger to put some wires going out for an electronic trigger.

As you may be able to see, there are four leads going into the trigger switch. (ABCD) Also you can see the (E and D) section that is for the back mode switch.

So I stuffed four wires though the old trigger hole and wired them to the A-D leads on the switch. Dummy me forgot to record which were each. Oh well, I only had two different colored wires anyway.

So I stuffed everything back together and reassembled. Because there are so many switches tied to the case, I didn't know if it would work until it was back in one piece.

I touched all four wires and it took a picture. Time to screw around with the wires.

September 24, 2010, 11:09:06 AM

Just got back from Hag's.
It has changed some....for the worse.

Now you have to have 50 posts before you can see the Classifieds...but Dan's banning new people for making BS posts to get the 50. Says it's because he quit smoking. What a dick.

peternap · September 24, 2010, 01:38:02 PM

I found a P41 on Craigslist and I think I'll order a Yeti board now. Look what you started

diyfrank · September 24, 2010, 06:21:58 PM

You may have one ground wire and a lead for the power on /off
one ground wire and a lead for shutter.
I would try a+b and see if that turns camera on/off
c+d for shutter for a place to start or run a wire directly to ground and touch it to each of your wires to see which is power on/off and which is shutter.

peternap · September 24, 2010, 06:35:54 PM

Quote from: diyfrank on September 24, 2010, 06:21:58 PM
You may have one ground wire and a lead for the power on /off
one ground wire and a lead for shutter.
I would try a+b and see if that turns camera on/off
c+d for shutter for a place to start or run a wire directly to ground and touch it to each of your wires to see which is power on/off and which is shutter.

Have you done any of the Jazz builds Frank?

diyfrank · September 24, 2010, 06:52:05 PM

Yes,3. Were you thinking on one?

diyfrank · September 24, 2010, 07:17:56 PM

Heres the one that I like best. It came out small and works well with descent battery life.

September 24, 2010, 08:34:58 PM

Quote from: diyfrank on September 24, 2010, 07:17:56 PM
Heres the one that I like best. It came out small and works well with descent battery life.

Very nice! Love the camo job.
Yeah, I like video in a game camera. The Scout guards all had darn nice video but I;m down to one working camera now. The little Jazz cameras are so cheap it's hard to pass up and from what I've seen, the image quality isn't bad.