Cameras
Author- Caliph Lebrun
This week we had the opportunity to start testing the individual devices we will be launching on our balloon. I had the pleasure of getting our camera, a Canon A810, set up to take pictures on an interval. This was quite fun and easy as I was able to get it working with the kids running around like crazy hooligans. You can see the timelapse video test that was run while we were in the lab. It was only run for a relatively short time span than the 2+ hour mission to near space it will eventually be used for, but it felt good to know that we are one step closer to testing things in an environment that is similar to the one we will be operating in.
Getting the camera running took a few steps starting with getting the software, CHDK, which acts as a new hard drive for the camera. This allows us to run the camera with an on-board intervalometer. Additionally we made adjustments to the camera's functions in order to extend battery life. We shut off all of the noises and then attempted to use the software to turn off the display. After searching and failing horribly to find any method of turning off the display screen we had to decide if we would just cut the displays leads. The group leader stepped up and found a way to disconnect the lcd screen without ruining it permanently. With this in its final configuration it was subjected to a test at temperature, and performed expertly (hose photos are all of the inside of a cooler).
In addition to the Canon A810, I set up our GoPro. This tiny camera was the easiest element of our payload to set-up. All I had to do to get it ready was charge it, and perform some repairs to its case as it was modified by the previous year's group. The repairs were performed after the temperature test due to the GoPro failing at some point during the test. It was not determined if the GoPro failed because of temperature or humidity, but we sealed the case and determined to include humidity control strips when we launched. One oversight that was not noticed prior to launch was that the GoPro will record about 45 minutes of video to 4 Gb in the shooting mode we used. This turned out to be a problem for us on launch day.
After recovering the payload we found that we only had video of the ground before our SD card filled up, but the Canon A810 performed well and captured over 300 pictures of the journey.
This week we had the opportunity to start testing the individual devices we will be launching on our balloon. I had the pleasure of getting our camera, a Canon A810, set up to take pictures on an interval. This was quite fun and easy as I was able to get it working with the kids running around like crazy hooligans. You can see the timelapse video test that was run while we were in the lab. It was only run for a relatively short time span than the 2+ hour mission to near space it will eventually be used for, but it felt good to know that we are one step closer to testing things in an environment that is similar to the one we will be operating in.
Getting the camera running took a few steps starting with getting the software, CHDK, which acts as a new hard drive for the camera. This allows us to run the camera with an on-board intervalometer. Additionally we made adjustments to the camera's functions in order to extend battery life. We shut off all of the noises and then attempted to use the software to turn off the display. After searching and failing horribly to find any method of turning off the display screen we had to decide if we would just cut the displays leads. The group leader stepped up and found a way to disconnect the lcd screen without ruining it permanently. With this in its final configuration it was subjected to a test at temperature, and performed expertly (hose photos are all of the inside of a cooler).
In addition to the Canon A810, I set up our GoPro. This tiny camera was the easiest element of our payload to set-up. All I had to do to get it ready was charge it, and perform some repairs to its case as it was modified by the previous year's group. The repairs were performed after the temperature test due to the GoPro failing at some point during the test. It was not determined if the GoPro failed because of temperature or humidity, but we sealed the case and determined to include humidity control strips when we launched. One oversight that was not noticed prior to launch was that the GoPro will record about 45 minutes of video to 4 Gb in the shooting mode we used. This turned out to be a problem for us on launch day.
After recovering the payload we found that we only had video of the ground before our SD card filled up, but the Canon A810 performed well and captured over 300 pictures of the journey.