Camera level
indicator
Thomas Dabay, Kristopher Engel, David Quirk
Group members
• Thomas Dabay – 4 out of 5 EE. Gyroscope portion
• Kristopher Engel – 4 out of 5 CPE. Microcontroller portion
• David Quirk – 4 out of 5 CPE. Project leader, original idea and
hot shoe portion.
Intro
• Typical issue with handheld photography is that pictures aren’t
level
• How can we fix this?
• Modern electrical and digital systems can rectify this
Intro
• Create a unit that attaches to a professional camera with realtime feedback within the eyepiece to ensure a level picture on
the fly
• Make the unit universal and removable to be switched or
removed when not needed
• Make it affordable to be part of any photographer’s repertoire
• Include the following:
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Simple power source (power management)
Good mounting point (hot shoe)
Quick, digital feedback (gyroscope)
Small form factor (microcontroller)
Hot Shoe
• Universal port available on practically all SLR cameras and
some high end point-and-shoots
• Controls an external flash unit
• Handles small amount of electricity
• Provides power and mounting point
Hot Shoe
• Using for a solid mounting point for unit
• Integrating pass-through to still use external flash
• Power output not enough
• Using rechargeable battery
• Using hot shoe to signal the unit to wake from sleep
Gyroscope
• Measures angular velocity
• Term coined by Leon Foucault in 1852
• Many different types
• Mechanical
• Laser
• Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS)
Gyroscope
• Project Specific Constraints
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Small Size
Accurate measurements
Affordable
Low power consumption
Easy to interface with microcontroller
• All of this points to a MEMS gyroscope, but which one?
Gyroscope
• STMicroelectronics LY503ALH
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Physical Dimensions – 5mm x 5mm x 1.5mm
Supply Voltage – 3V
Supply Current – 5mA
Measurement Range – +/-120 °/s (+/-30 °/s @ 4x amplification)
Sensitivity – 8.3 mV/ °/s (33.3 mV/ °/s @ 4x amplification)
Microprocessor
• Normal computer consists of CPU, Memory and I/O.
• CPU – logic and math
• Memory – data storage
• I/O – how computer moves data
• Microcontroller
• Combines CPU, Memory, I/O in specialized, small device
• Specialized device, excels at one thing
• Power
• Static – consumed when idle
• Dynamic – consumed when active
Microprocessor
• Project Specific Constraints
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Power consumed only when hot shoe active
Wakeup time must be minimized
Static power must be low – battery powered
Must be small enough to fit on top of camera and under pop-up
flash
• EEPROM or Flash memory
• Simple coding environment
• Which microprocessor to choose?
Microprocessor
• Arduino
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Very flexible
Strong, diverse line of microprocessors
Open-source hardware
Simple coding environment
Easily interfaces to computer for program upload
Microprocessor
• Arduino Pro Mini
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Utilizes the FTDI Basic Breakout
Attaches to Pro Mini
ATmega168B with operating voltage of 3.3 (8MHz) or 5V (16MHz)
14 digital I/O pins, 6 analog inputs
16KB flash mem, 1KB SRAM, 512 Bytes of EEPROM
150mA output, .7x1.3”, <2g
Project Evaluation
• Good
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The product is simple enough in its idea.
Existing products are inferior and limiting
Proven want/need for the product
Cheap to develop and produce
No patent on individual parts necessary
Requires no additional parts
Doesn’t take away from the original product
Very marketable to both enthusiasts and casual users alike
Project Evaluation
• Scary
• Size requirements are small
• External power source will be difficult to implement
• Compatibility with other cameras –
• Universal fit design may not fit all cameras
• Separate design for each camera will up production costs and
complexity
• Niche market
Project Evaluation
• Fun
• Relatively easy to create
• Lots of room for improvement and tweaking
• Requires a lot of finesse and space management and makes the
project interesting to think about
• Photographers would be very thankful for a device like this
• Good place in the market
• Very useful for the team members as well
• Something a creator cares a lot about would end up being of much
higher quality
References
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The E-TTL Protocol. (2007, October 3). Retrieved February 2011, from Kzar.net: http://kzar.net/wiki/Photo/CanonETTLProtocol
InvenSense Inc IDG-2000: Dual-axis gyroscope improves optical-image stabilization. (2009, September 11).
Retrieved March 2011, from EDN Electronics Design, Strategy, News.:
http://www.edn.com/blog/EDN_Product_fEEd/36439InvenSense_Inc_IDG_2000_Dual_axis_gyroscope_improves_optical_image_stabilization.php
Arduino Pro Mini. (n.d.). Retrieved from Arduino: http://arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardProMini
Bernstein, J. (2003, February 1). Acceleration/Vibration. Retrieved February 2011, from Sensors:
http://www.sensorsmag.com/sensors/acceleration-vibration/an-overview-mems-inertial-sensing-technology-970
Brain, M. (n.d.). How Microcontrollers Work. Retrieved February 2011, from Howstuffworks:
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/microcontroller.htm
Burg, A., Azeem, M., Sandheinrich, B., & Wickmann, M. (n.d.). MEMS Gyroscopes and Their Applications.
Chatterjee, P. (2010, January 7). MEMS, sensors, and nanotechnology. Retrieved March 2011, from EDN Electronics
Design, Strategy, News: http://www.edn.com/article/457967-MEMS_sensors_and_nanotechnology.php
Conner, M. (2009, June 9). MEMS-based motion sensors move lower in both size and price. Retrieved March 2011,
from EDN Electronics Design, Strategy, News: http://www.edn.com/article/459361MEMS_based_motion_sensors_move_lower_in_both_size_and_price.php
Cortese, Mario F.; Avenia, Giovanni; STMicroelectronics. (2010, July 28). MEMS testing: innovations in mass
production. Retrieved March 2011, from Hearst Electronic Products:
http://www2.electronicproducts.com/MEMS_testing_innovations_in_mass_production-articlefarc_stmicro_jul2010-html.aspx
Hohner, M. (2009, January 24). Technical references. Retrieved February 2011, from http://www.mhohner.de/sonyminolta/flashcomp_techref.php#newshoe
References
• ISO. (n.d.). ISO 10330:1992. Retrieved February 2011, from International Organization for
Standardization:
http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_ics/catalogue_detail_ics.htm?csnumber=1
8381
• ISO. (n.d.). ISO 518:2006. Retrieved February 2011, from Internatioinal Organization for
Standardization:
http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=3633
0
• Jimbo. (2011, January 12). Arduino Pro Mini 3.3V quickstart Guide. Retrieved March 2011,
from Sparkfun Electronics: http://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/244
• Looney, M. (2010, May 13). A simple calibration for MEMS gyroscopes. Retrieved March
2011, from EDN: Electronics Design, Strategy, News: http://www.edn.com/article/509352A_simple_calibration_for_MEMS_gyroscopes.php
• LY503ALH Gyroscopes. (n.d.). Retrieved March 2011, from Mouser Electronics:
http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/STMicroelectronics/LY503ALH/?qs=sGAEpiMZZMsk
zhF9uAtig0PaRHy2pb49xlMQRuW%252bj2U%3d
• Nasiri, S. (n.d.). A Critical Review of MEMS Gyroscopes Technology and Commercialization
Status. Retrieved 2011 February, from InvenSense:
http://www.invensense.com/mems/gyro/documents/whitepapers/MEMSGyroComp.pdf
• TTI. (n.d.). All Products Sensors Gyroscopes. Retrieved from Mouser Electronics:
http://www.mouser.com/Sensors/Gyroscopes/_/N-70eo6/
• westfw. (n.d.). How to Choose a MicroController. Retrieved February 2011, from
Instructables: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-choose-a-MicroController/
Questions?