CCCamp

..made some photos and a lot of 3d video on the first day of the camp already.
I hope that my 5th attempt to upload at least the opening ceremony as a 3d video to YouTube now works.
At the end of the day I simply collapsed into my car to sleep. (drive all night and then had a camp day....)

update: video upload finally worked!

Update 2: My little video got mentioned on the CCC twitter stream.

• Photos
• Video
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3d dual remote shutter for Panasonic GH1

Just before CCCamp (where I plan to film in 3d a lot),
I managed to solder myself a dual remote shutter to
get both of my cameras to release the shutter at the same time
or start a video recording at the same time.

More on this later....

• Photos (coming soon)
• Video (coming soon)
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Battery grip for Panasonic GH1 working

My proof of concept for a battery grip for my Panasonic GH-1 is working.
After a first failed attempt (because red and black wires inside the grip I modified where switched)
I managed to get the Canon 450D -grip working with my GH1 using the default battery-dummy they ship with the camera.
(Optional for the GH2)

I'll take this prototype to CCCamp and start working on the higher level features
like getting the shutter-button to work after the camp.
Then I'll try to write it down as a howto and probably release a video about it too.

• Photos
• DSLR-Forum
• Video (coming soon)
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getting my sound equipment organised

Preparations for CCCamp are still going on.
I just created myself 2 additional cases like the one I use for my camera equipment but for all the sound-stuff that has piled up.
I also got myself some Yellow+Green tape to make what cables and equipment is mine and added this unusual color-code to the Hx² wiki -entry about the studio we'll have at the camp.

As I already started by getting my Zoom H4n USB-powered I hope to get a first proof-of-concept for a battery grip for one of my GH1 cameras working.
With some additional SD-cards that should grant me enough recording-time to cover what I want to cover using either multiple camera angles or 3D video. Both with external, high quality sound.

• Photos
• battery grip
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Powering a Zoom H4n via USB

Since the Zoom H4n is providing 48V phantom-power two two microphones at once and 7V plugin-power for a lavalier and for any type of recording I can switch between cameras but need one, single, continuous sound-recording.....
The 2 AAA-batteries in the H4n are always dead.
It does have a 230V power-adapter.
In fact, I have two that fit it.
But that's no good on the road.

For my cell-phone I now have this cheap USB-power-supply that I can recharge at any USB-port (and even hand through that power to the real device to charge that too.
Thus only requiring a single USB-port).
As the H4n also runs on 5V, I tried to solder myself a USB-to-H4n adapter and it actually worked!
(GND on the outside, +5V on the center contact)

The nice thing is that the H4n automatically switches between it's batteries and external power.
So now I can even attach USB-power, switch the batteries while drawing USB-power and then run on the fresh batteries when USB-power dies too.

• Photos

taking apart a camera

First tests to build a battery-grip for my GH1 camera by modifying a Chinese battery Grip for the Canon 450D. (Nearly the same size.)
However some Chinese thought it would be funny to *reverse the meaning of red and black wires*.
So I ended up frying my expensive camera.

...Took me ages and multiple failed attempts but I was able to find the fried sub-micron diode.
Tried to source a replacement diode.
...it turned out that a regular SMD- diode is still 5 times bigger then the one they used and does not fit mechanically.
Placed a 0,8mm wire over this 0.2mm diode. (Sorry, I can't cut shorter wires without a microscope.)

for (int i=0; i<7; i++) {
Put everything back together, black screen.
Took it apart, found a missing connector.
(dozens of them, all sub-millimeter mylar types.)
}
It switches on but I can't shoot pictures. Remote-trigger works.
Took it apart.....
....
....
....
....
....
Camera is working again.

PS:
It really hurts to touch the high-voltage part that powers the flash.

• Photos

Good News and Bad News

I've some good news and some bad news....

the good news is:
My new threaded rods to upgrade my Repman arrived.
(And some 15mm aluminum pipes to replace the heavy
steel-pipes in my shoulder-rig.)

The bad news:
My long awaited ABS from china also arrived.
The surface is marred, it's brittle and there
are 0.5mm air bubbles inside the filament.
I have no hope that one can use this for 3d printing at all.
And I got the minimum of 20Kg of this junk.

The company is:


Qingdao TSD Plastic Co.,Ltd.
Add.:No.48, Ruijin Road, Qingdao, China.
Website: www.qdtsd.net
MSN: hongyong_zhang@live.cn
Free Line: (86)400-688-0532
Office Line:(86)532-81936899
Mobile No.:(86)158-54279111



I found a wiki-page about this to compare noted on different companies.

3d printed camera belt clip

Like I planned before I jsut designed myself a belt-clip for a camera.

I was impressed with my B-Grip. However it would not accept my Manfrotto quick-release plates that I have on all cameras and tripods,... .
So I designed this one, based on the existing camera-plate of my 3d printed shoulder rig.
I guess it will be hard to print due to it's size and the large overhang.
I hope to include a pause G-Code in the overhang to insert the actual belt as a support.
That should make it 3d printable.

We'll have to see.

PS:
This time I not only did a colored rendering and technical drawing with dimensions and a 3d PDF with the movable model and the drawings but also included the thingiverse-URL to the part into the PDF.

• second Google+ posting
• first Google+ -posting
• Design files on Thingiverse
• Photos (coming soon)
• Video (coming soon)
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re-uploaded Micscreen-video

With the cleanups of intro, outro and the new broadcast-logo
I at least re-uploaded the latest video last night to include these changes.

• Photos (coming soon)
• Video (coming soon)
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Going on digital TV

It so happens, that during the CCCamp 2011
I may broadcast some of my videos to the Camp TV.
Thats a real, terrestrial, digital TV-station that can be received with a normal diital TV set.
(Analog TV has been switched off already.)

I took that as an opportunity to clean up my intro, create a separate outro for non-youtube (you can't have a clickable "subscribe"-button on TV) and create a small logo for the upper right corner.

I also just recorded the introductions to 3 smaller [HOWTO] -videos that I may or may not find the time to record before the camp.
(Extremely busy right now.)

• Video (new intro)
• Video (old intro)
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old:

new:

old:


new:

Mirrored Zoom H4n Belt Clip

Last night I noticed a flaw with my Zoom H4n belt clip....you can't wear it on the other side without the microphones facing backwards or the speaker being obstructed.

So I created a mirrored version, so I can wear my camera on the right and sound on the left.
(I'm used to carrying my camera on the right side.)

• Design files on Thingiverse
• Photos
• Video (coming soon)
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Video: [HOWTO] Building a microphone screen

And another video is done.
The one about how to build a microphone screen.
As you can hear in the video, it improves sound quality dramatically.
I'm slowly getting the the level of quality that I want to see in my YouTube channel.
Still a lot left to learn and to practice but I'm making progress.

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Video: [REPORT] Gullasch Programmier Nacht

It is done.
My report about GPN11, what it is, what to expect there, what it looks like to be there is uploaded and public.

• Photos (coming soon)
• Video
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Longer videos on YouTube

Herzlichen Glückwunsch! Dein Konto unterstützt nun Uploads von Videos, die länger als 15 Minuten sind. Klicke auf die Schaltfläche "Video hochladen" und wähle ein Video aus.

= For whatever reason I just got a notification in YouTube, that I now can upload videos longer then 15 minutes.
From the help-pages I thought that thus required an old directors-account (that you can no longer get) or YouTube-partner status (that you needs lots and lots of followers to get).

BTW, the GPN11 -video is finished and a [HOWTO] -video on how to build my mic-screen just needs the introduction to be recorded.

• GPN11 video
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new extruder design - prototype 5

Only 2 weeks until CCCamp and my Thing-o-Matic is still out of order...
I managed to get my new extruder design up to prototype IV.
The print-quality of my Repman suddenly dropped dramatically with the update from firmware 2.0.8 to 4.1.1 .
Reason still unknown. Maybe they changed something in the handling of reversals.
The photo below is the same Skeinforge 16mm/2 profile I used to do really high quality prints the day before.
(After the quick 48mm/s prototype. That was ugly but served it's purpose.)

I changed some dimensions, turned the magnetic encoder board around, got more pressure on the filament, ...
I even got the axis for the magnetic encoder to be turned by the filament already.

There is not enough time left this weekend to also print the new pressure-arm and possibly even test-drive this extruder. :(
So that leaves me with 2 weekends to finish this extruder, get it to print, pack the printer for CCCamp and get some last camera parts printed.

• Design files on Thingiverse (coming soon)
• Photos
• Video (coming soon)
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Firmware upgrade to Repman

I haven't looked at the firmware-version of my Repman in a loooong time.
It was still running 2.0.8 while the current firmware is 4.1.1 .
They only listed the changes since 3.x and even that takes multiple pages
(with one line per improvement).
I'm not sure I like the high travel speeds when moving from homing-location
to warmup-location. That could be dangerous. But during a print that does
come in handy.

Found the right sound for my Intro

So far the HOWTO-intro has been silent because I just could not find the right click-noise I wanted.
...I just found it.
The new emergency-stop for my Thing-o-Matic has just the right two sounds.

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CCCamp planning has started

CCCamp 2011 is drawing near and I'm starting to plan the last details of my stay there on this wiki page.

I plan to:

• do 3d printing (of cause)
• get more experience in interviewing people by doing so for [REPORT]-style videos for my YouTube channel. Where they can present their project.
• Provide a place where people can plug in their recorder/laptop to record podcasts

<<Wiki page

building a micscreen from Basotect pyramid foam

A few days ago I got myself a nice T.Bone SC600 large disphragm microphone.
That one should be just perfect for recording voice-overs.
But since my room is not a sound studio, I was looking around for a good mic-screen.
(Something to absorb sound in the back and on the sides of the microphone.)

However these things are expensive in any reasonable size.
And they are not very portable.

So I decided to make my own.
My first thought was to make a half-circle of felt and glue some 5cm cussioning on.
But last night I found a source where I could get me 1x0.5m of Basotect pyramid foam.
(The real stuff [tm])
So now I'm preparing a howto-video about building yourself a (hopefully) really good mic-screen with the proper materials for cheap.
...and to build it in a way, that can be quickly disassembled and reassembled and
folded flat for transportation.

Update:
The mic-screen is finished and I made a video about it.
(Will be on my YouTube channel

• Photos
• Video (coming soon)
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soon)

new extruder design

I managed to get the last required meassurements for a first prototype of my own extruder design.

Not printed yet and certainly not tested yet.

The magnetic encoder can be mounted above the drive pulley. The head of an M3 capped bolt inside a 3mm ball bearing (6mm outer diameter) is driven by the filament streaming by.
The encoder-board is held by 3 M3 bolts driven directly into the extruder-block and cutting their own thread.
I think this will hold securely but this remains to be tested.
The magnet is glued to the bottom of that bolt, sticking out of the extruder, and rotates below the board.
In the design it may look like this but in fact this M3 bolts does not get in the way of the M5 spring-loaded fastener bolt. (I hope.)

The mounting at the bottom is only for the Thing-o-Matic in this early prototype.
The later version will also allow other hot-ends and I'll see about an adapter-plate to mount 2 of these extruders (one mirrored) in the limited space of a Thing-o-Matic.
2 of the M3 bolts use trapped nuts, the other 2 are inverted and need to face downward instead of up. (not enough space below the pressure-arm.)

• Design files on Thingiverse (coming soon)
• Photos
• Video (coming soon)
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Update: I did a very rough prototype at 48mm/s for the first tests.