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usb wireless to control model or camera?

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rich - 25 Jun 2007 19:24 GMT
Is such a device available? name/price/where?  would be most helpful.
thanks  rich
Steve W - 25 Jun 2007 19:30 GMT
> Is such a device available? name/price/where?  would be most helpful.
> thanks  rich

I have a wireless camera which transmits wireless and can be powered from a
small 9 volt battery.   On the ground I have a video receiver with composite
output.  These are usually on eBay for £40 ish.  To get composite video into
the laptop I bought a winTV usb model,  it has a composite video input and
USB connection to the laptop,  a bit messy but it works fine.   I have yet
to fly the camera.

The kit is branded but without  a recognisable name.

Steve
rich - 25 Jun 2007 21:16 GMT
Well, my needs are similar... but... I have a Canon S3is camera. It can be
controlled by usb cable utilizing the free included ZoomBrowser program.  It
can be zoomed; settings changed and shutter clicked on order.   What I would
like to do is substitute wireless usb for the usb cable.   Any help
appreciated.  Rich
Ray Haddad - 26 Jun 2007 00:04 GMT
>Well, my needs are similar... but... I have a Canon S3is camera. It can be
>controlled by usb cable utilizing the free included ZoomBrowser program.  It
>can be zoomed; settings changed and shutter clicked on order.   What I would
>like to do is substitute wireless usb for the usb cable.   Any help
>appreciated.  Rich

Rich,

Something you may want to keep in mind is that the miniature devices
that hook to your computer don't have much range. The hubs have more
but still probably don't work beyond 20 yards or so. Maybe 30 with
perfect conditions. Controlling your camera from the ground with
such a weak signal probably won't work but you could give it a try.

Break out your laptop and a wireless hub. Make a battery power
supply for the hub and see how far away the camera can be and still
have control. But wait a moment. In order for this to work you need
a USB input wireless device and that takes a full on computer or
embedded wireless device to work.

Check out April's Circuit Cellar Ink for an embedded USB wireless
port. Here's a link to the table of contents:
http://www.dtweed.com/circuitcellar/caj00201.htm
Scroll down to page 78 then go and order a back issue to read.
http://www.circuitcellar.com/
--
Ray
rich - 26 Jun 2007 01:05 GMT
Ray, range isn't that much of an issue.  A typical use, for me, would be to
set up the camera on tri-pod aimed at a bird feeding station.  The camera
would be five feet or so away from the feeder. If I stay outside of the
house, the birds won't come.

I have the camera and the program all set up and it works perfectly, but
only with a wired USB. Dragging the wire through the screens and taking it
back in every evening is a PIA.

If I go inside, even with a window or a screen in place...I would be
fifteen/twenty feet or less away.  Watching the birds, (either directly or
through the computer program) I could trigger the camera.  Is that too much
range to expect?  I could also stand twenty feet away, if the screen or the
window was blocking the signal and would be causing the program/process to
fail.

thanks, Rich
Ray Haddad - 26 Jun 2007 01:30 GMT
>Ray, range isn't that much of an issue.  A typical use, for me, would be to
>set up the camera on tri-pod aimed at a bird feeding station.  The camera
>would be five feet or so away from the feeder. If I stay outside of the
>house, the birds won't come.

That kind of range is fine for even a Bluetooth configuration. For
some reason I kind of guessed you wanted to use it on a flying model
airplane where range would be an issue.

>I have the camera and the program all set up and it works perfectly, but
>only with a wired USB. Dragging the wire through the screens and taking it
>back in every evening is a PIA.

That Circuit Cellar Ink information I gave you in the last post
would work.

>If I go inside, even with a window or a screen in place...I would be
>fifteen/twenty feet or less away.  Watching the birds, (either directly or
>through the computer program) I could trigger the camera.  Is that too much
>range to expect?  I could also stand twenty feet away, if the screen or the
>window was blocking the signal and would be causing the program/process to
>fail.

Try this site: http://www.zigbee.org/en

Depending on how much of an experimenter you are, this technology
will do exactly what you want.

If you're willing to buy another camera, this will do perfectly with
pan, tilt & zoom built in.
http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=342

Or something like it. There are some equivalents for sale on eBay
for much less than the D-Link model. Even the D-Link model is
cheaper there than buying direct.

Another option is to get a camera with a wireless zoom only and
build a tilt and pan platform that uses an RC TX/RX and two servos.
To really tighten the budget, use one for those cheap cars you can
buy in any toy store. Just make sure it uses servos or get a low end
two channel from a hobby shop. The entire thing could be built into
a nicely camouflaged unit with a pile of birdseed right in front of
the camera. Put a couple of lead-acid gel cell batteries in there
and you can have fun for hours and recharge overnight.
--
Ray
rich - 26 Jun 2007 02:12 GMT
Ray, I've tired to"backorder" but I find that both CD and print backorder
sites are "non-existent".

  Hmmm...Maybe it is just a temporary thing, but...after reading a little
bit, it appears that the article offers methodology but not a product.
Since I have reached the point where I doubt that I could even understand
the methodology, let alone build my own unit...I'm really looking for
something that I can buy and plug-in.

Can my request be so unusual?...USB wirelessly for ten or fifteen feet?  I
can buy an Xbox and operate it wirelessly; call across the world wirelessly;
open my garage door and change dozens of things on my Tivo and TV
wirelessly...yet this request seems "far out" on the other sites on which I
posted.

Any further help appreciated.  thanks Rich
Ed Cregger - 26 Jun 2007 03:31 GMT
> Ray, I've tired to"backorder" but I find that both CD and print backorder
> sites are "non-existent".
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>
> Any further help appreciated.  thanks Rich

Anyone remember the old 2.4 GHz "Rabbit" devices for adding a TV to a house
that did not have cabling? Those have composite inputs and outputs. Some
have an RF modulator on the receiver output, making it easy to hook up to a
regular TV set. I have one downstairs somewhere. Actually, I have two. One
is on 900 MHz and the other on 2.4 GHz. You should be able to find used
units on eBay for next to nothing.

Ed Cregger
Abel Pranger - 25 Jun 2007 21:55 GMT
>Is such a device available? name/price/where?  would be most helpful.
>thanks  rich

The heart of the Spektrum 2.4 GHz SS R/C system (well, the RF waveform
generation and transmission part anyway) is a wireless USB chip, so
yes, they are available.  Are you looking for a turn-key system or
parts to kluge something together?

Abel
rich - 26 Jun 2007 00:57 GMT
Even though, fifty years ago, I learned to solder, I would prefer a turn-key
operation. Any leads appreciated.  Rich
 
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