Adventures in DIY land

My adventures in DIY land: finding out how to create the thing you need and crave.

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Follow Focus arm model up for sale

Hey, 

As I wrote a while ago, I've uploaded the follow focus arm design and it can purchased through Shapeways.

Please remember that a rod clamp is not included and that this design is suited to the motor I'm using.

You can find the model here:

http://www.shapeways.com/model/1936591/diy-follow-focus-motor-arm.html?li=search-results&materialId=6

P.S.

Unfortunately the pricing is entirely up to Shapeways. 

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A forum?

Well what do you know!

Dave Grant, one of my followers, was kind enough to take it upon himself and has created a forum for all of us.

Thanks Dave!

Dave and myself will figure out how this will unfold as we'll go along, and we obviously welcome your input .

Since I'm busy these days founding my studio "Lampa Filmz" with my friend and partner Anat Costi, it's great Dave is into this project and community and it's great you will have a place to more easily exchange ideas.

:-)

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Working on the eagle files.

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Ideas, suggestions and what they mean...

Once again, since no forum is available to me (yet), I'm creating this thread for the collection of your ideas and thoughts regarding the Open Source Wireless DSLR Follow Focus.

Since some very interesting directions were raised in different comments, I think it is better to dedicate this post for the goal of discussing them and their hardware and code implications.

Once we'll decide on a direction, I'll try and use my free time to write the new code and figure out ,with your help, the different hardware possibilities.

How's that sound?

Let your ideas start flowing - start commenting!

Adi

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Wireless Follow Focus Schematics Pt 2

And here's the camera part, integrating TC's voltage regulation clever thinking :-)

Thanks TC. 

Again, if I I've made some errors due to speed, please let me know ASAP so I'll fix it.

EDIT: 2 notes

1. pay attention that the wiring for the LD33v is different from most other regulators.

2. Since coloring schemes may vary on different stepper motors, make sure you check the two coils and wire them correctly. (thanks Daniel)

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Wireless Follow Focus Schematics Pt 1

I lack the time, and receive quite a lot of mail asking for the schematics, so I created this one pretty quick. I hope I have no errors...

You can double check me on the code and on my wiring 101 post.

This is the remote part.

The camera part will follow.

:-)

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Donation button? Really?

Ok, since I've received a few queries about the possibility of donating to this project, and although I felt a bit uncomfortable putting up a donation link, I finally added it to my blog. You can find it on the right.

What's it for?

1. The completion of the first fully designed and 3d printed wireless follow focus V3. Since I have to test the enclosure designs, which means printing (using high quality 3D printing services abroad) and refining, the procedure is getting to be a bit pricey. The same applies to the printed circuits I'm designing for the Follow Focus. Up until now this meant waiting and saving some funds for the next printing. Donating means this could go a bit faster, thus enabling me to complete the project faster and spreading it around to the users and community. 

2. A simple thank you. If you like this project, learned something from it, or (hopefully) are using it, it would be a nice and very much appreciated gesture.

Best,

Adi

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Discussion time :)

Since the traffic and discussion have become long and threaded, and I do not have a forum (...) I'm creating this new post simply to continue the lively discussion in a new and easy thread to read...

Tc, Daniel, flexirig and all other who wish to join the talk - welcome!

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Wiring 101

Hey there.

As can be seen on the comment section, I've been asked to give a short explanation regarding the wiring. I'd like to do that by highlighting the code lines defining the connections, since I believe this to be a better teaching method. This will allow the novice user to later re-define the wiring according to his/her special needs, simply by changing the relevant code lines.

So,

Sending unit:

OneButton playButton (A1, true);

OneButton outButton (A2, true); OneButton inButton (A3, true); OneButton realTimebutton(A4, true);

This means the switches are connected to Analog pins 1 to 4. They share common ground.

#define playLED 5 //PLay LED #define outLED 6 //Out LED #define inLED 7 //In LED #define realTimeLED 8 //Real Time LED

This means the LEDs are connected to digital pins 5-8. Again, common ground.

int encoder0PinA = 4; int encoder0PinB = 3;

The optical encoder has 4 pins. power and ground (in my case the 2 outer pins) go to... you guessed it right - power and ground. The other 2 go to digital pins 3, 4.  

And we're done.

Receiving unit:

int easyDriverStepPin = 15;

int easyDriverDirPin = 16; int enablePin = 17;

The easy driver has 3 pins marked as Step, Dir and Enable. They go, respectively, to pins 15, 16, 17.

On the moteino these are actually A1, 2, 3.

The ED gets it's power from an external 12V battery or adapter, and its ground is shared with the moteino. Be careful and don't connect the 12V into the 5V the ED also has. 

I've done it.

Twice.

:-(

I think I've left nothing out, but feel free to correct me or add.

Hope this clarifies things.

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Awesomeness!!!

No other word but awesome to depict the 3D printing of the arm. The part that holds the motor next to the lens. Updates to come (and better pictures...)

UPDATE:

You can find the model to purchase here:

http://www.shapeways.com/model/1936591/diy-follow-focus-motor-arm.html?li=search-results&materialId=6

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Final Moteino code

Yep. It's done. It's working. 

Lens calibration, A->B focal points, wireless control and variable speed.

The receiver code is here, the sending is here.

Your'e welcome to build your own and tell me how it's going!

You're also welcome to tell me you'd like me to build you one for an affordable fee, 'cause I'd really like to be able to manufacture this project from top to bottom and sell it. If I see demand, I'm jumping in...

:-)

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Breakthrough

Had one today. The moteino is finally working.

Simple mode only for now: turn the encoder, stepper moves.

Keep in mind: pin D10 is no use when radio is operating.

Now to implement the different modes.

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Adventures in DIY land turned 2 today! Since I'm awfully busy right now, I'm delaying the updates, but I do hope to post the final project with all the modifications in the following weeks.

It's smaller, cheaper, lighter and better.

See you!

:-) 

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So this is what it's gonna look like?

I sure hope so.

On the right side, featuring 4 LED buttons and a jogger, you can see the remote sending unit - - 

If indeed all parts (Nano, Xbee, EasyDriver, LipoRider, Battery) will fit in nicely, I'll need to decide where the final printing will take place and what will be the technique/materials used.

These are exciting days. 

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Order!

It's so much fun to go from this:

To this:

The circuits are finished, and both have a nice backside :-)

Next stop CNC to create and test the casing.

Updates soon.

...I hope...

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Moving forward: the receiving end incl. Nano, Xbee, and the EasyDriver. It’s just construction now. No small matter though :-)

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Had to let you know - -

- - that It's done. Wireless stepper motor, optical encoder Follow Focus with lens calibration and user controlled speed.

After all these months of not having a minute to finish this, I was quite intimidated by my own project... Seriously. But all the parts arrived and I had a few hours and I looked at my code again and things began falling into place again, and I could (contrary to all my fears) figure out all that I've done up until my (too long) break.

And so I've added the lens calibration function, and soldered and tinkered with my lipo rider to get it to like my battery and now it actually works.

I hope to find a few more minutes next week to clean up the code, and then it's packaging time: finishing the design of the various parts, 3d printing prototypes, blah blah blah...

(I do have a small itch, and that is to add a circular LED ring around the optical encoder, just to make things even more refined and friendly, but this will again take more time. Should I...?)