vman
Active Member
Ill be adding to this as I go so be patient and hang in there all the information will show up.
I encourage all members that have built a cam or two to post a pic of there units. A picture is priceless!
Lets first start with a parts list.
1. The camera itself.
There are many models that will work. The sony p41 is the first choice. They bring a premium on Ebay but deals can be found. These are first choice due to trigger speed and the ability to use large memory cards. Price $130-170.
The next model is the sony p32. This model is a little slower than the p41 and larger memory cards tend to affect the trigger speed as well. Flash distance is good. Ebay price ranges from $75-100.
The next choice is the sony p31. While its a great camera, its very diffacult to hack. I DO NOT RECCOMMED THIS FOR A BEGINNER. Speed is the same as the p32 but you are limited to a 64mb card as the max size.
The next model is the olympus d380. This is the fastest triggering camera, under a 1 sec. It needs lots of batteries though and the picture quality is not as good as the sony's.
2. The case.
There are alot of different cases out there. The sonys all fit into a pelican 1040. Depending on what you want you can get them in plain black from www.cases4less.com. Camo models are also available from trailsendcams.com Trailsendcams also sells the cases precut in the vertical position. Other camo case companies are www.camocases.com and www.whitetailsupply.com
3. The main electronics.
My personal choice is the BG-2. It is available from www.hagshouse.com The board detects motion and turns the camera on/off and makes the camera take a picture. It is the heart of the trailcam. There are other boards out there but this build will feature the BG2.
4. Accessories
Other items needed are as follows and are available form www.hagshouse.com
1. Board mounting kit.
2. 3-wire servo
3. sony shutter assembly
4. Two pieces of glass for the shutter and flash holes. You can use a flash enhancer for the flash hole but it is not needed and I do not use them myself.
5. A couple of the u-bolts for hanging.
6. The rope and rope ratchet for hanging on the tree. These are 1000 times better than a bungee.
7. 9 volt battery holder.
5. Tools needed.
1. Soldering iron if your planning on doing the modifications yourself.
2. Drill and drill bits. Three 1 inch holes will need to be cut in the case for the glass and frensel lens.
3. Carpet tape or 3m ppt1100 tape from hagshouse.
4. Glass sealer. I like the E6000 glue from menards, marine goop will also work
Cutting the case
The first thing you need to do is layout the pieces of the camera. Gather the camera, the bg2 and the battery holder. Place them in the case to identify what the best fit is. The following picture details my layout.
Next, attach the u-bolts that will be used to secure the camera to the tree. I use the u-bolts from hagshouse.com. These need to be put up as high as possible on the sides of the case(esp with a p32). I like to use the top rib of the case to align the u-bolt. Use a marker to mark the location where the holes will need to be drilled.
Now drill the holes out using a drill bit. I do this with the case closed and the rubber liner in. Make sure everything else is out of the case.
Now remove the liner and remove the excess liner material. You need to make sure that no liner material can come in contact with the u-bolts.
Next, test run the u-bolts. Go ahead and tighten them up and see how they fit. You may notice some of the liner coming up out of the the case. If this happens remove some more of the excess liner material. It is also important to know that you will not be able to over tighten the nuts. If you do you can cause the liner to protrude from the case. When you like the fit, remove the u-bolts and dip the treads in the E-600 sealant(or whatever you purchased to seal the glass) and replace them and tighten them down for good.
Now Lets cut the holes. Replace the camera in the case. Next get a washer and add some carpet tape to one side. Place the washer over the camera lens and close the case. Press down on the camera. This should force the washer to stick to the lid and allow you to mark the center for drilling.
Now repeat this for the flash as well.
With that done its time to mark the bg2. There are templates that can be found Here . Use these to mark the standoffs and the center ens hole. When everything is marked use a small drill bit and drill all the markings.
Now you can drill the lens, flash and sensor holes. Just remember to drill the correct center hole for the sensor
When these are done use a razor blade to clean them up.
Place the foam inside the case and mark the holes we just cut. Also remember to mark the three standoff holes as well. I use a sharpie and have a special drill bit to cut the foam, a razor blade will do just fine though. Take your time and you will end up with a nice clean finish.
Next place some carpet tape over the three holes and cut out the centers.
Now place the glass over the cameras flash and shutter hole. A flash enhancer can be used in place of the flash glass but this is not necessary.
Its now time to set the sensors frensel lens. This is a critical step. The center of the lens needs to be in the center of the sensor(not the center of the hole in the case). Place the lens on the carpet tape but only put minimal pressure of the lens. Use the template you used for cutting and make sure the three standoff holes line up and the center of the frensel is over the center hole marking. When everything is lined up remove the excess tape. In the following picture I'm showing my plexiglass template I use for the lens alignment.
Now go ahead and apply the e600 craft adhesive around the glass. Make sure all side of the glass are covered for a watertight fit. Next make sure you have the three standoff and the screws handy. Apply some sealant around the lens and add the standoffs. Wait for the sealant to dry and perform a watertight test by submerging the case in water.
After the water test, you can add the foam and the case is now complete!
Now lets modify the camera. The pictures are for a p41. Here are some detailed instructions as well. P41 p32
Take the servo connector and cut off the female end about 1.25inches.
Next split the ends and strip a small piece of the shielding off. Once this is done apply a small amount of solder to the bare wires.
Now solder the female end of the connector to the shutter assembly. You dont need much solder just enough to attach the wires. Make sure there are no points or rough edges. The flatter the solder job the better.
Now add some electrical tape and your ready to open the camera up.
Remove the 4 screws and pry open the case.
Locate the point of exit for the servo connector. I prefer right nexat to the power on light on top. I use a dremal tool to cut a small slit for the wires to go through the case of the camera. Make sure you only cut the plastic.
Now remove the blue ribbon connector on the top right hand corner. Go slow they do tear.
Now place the shutter assembly in upside down and all the way to the right. Once its in there replace the blue ribbon cable. Make sure the small wires of the shutter assembly do not get crossed or broken. You may need some extra hands for your first one. Just take your time.
Now bend the shutter assembly back and fold it over the the left again. You a small piece of electrical tape to hold it in place.
Now you can slid the wires through the small slit and out the top. Put the two halves of the camera back together again and replace the screws.
Now its time to test the camera. Plug the connectors together and touch the black and red together, the camera should come on. Now touch the white and the red together and the camera should take a picture.
If everything works use some super glue and glue down the connector. Once its dry add some liquid electrical tape to seal everything up. When using the super glue all you need is a small amount. You dont want that stuff dripping down between the two parts of the camera and into the electronics.
Now solder the red, black and white wires to the BG1 and your done!
The Red wire=common, the white= shutter, and the black= power.
P41 p32
I encourage all members that have built a cam or two to post a pic of there units. A picture is priceless!
Lets first start with a parts list.
1. The camera itself.
There are many models that will work. The sony p41 is the first choice. They bring a premium on Ebay but deals can be found. These are first choice due to trigger speed and the ability to use large memory cards. Price $130-170.
The next model is the sony p32. This model is a little slower than the p41 and larger memory cards tend to affect the trigger speed as well. Flash distance is good. Ebay price ranges from $75-100.
The next choice is the sony p31. While its a great camera, its very diffacult to hack. I DO NOT RECCOMMED THIS FOR A BEGINNER. Speed is the same as the p32 but you are limited to a 64mb card as the max size.
The next model is the olympus d380. This is the fastest triggering camera, under a 1 sec. It needs lots of batteries though and the picture quality is not as good as the sony's.
2. The case.
There are alot of different cases out there. The sonys all fit into a pelican 1040. Depending on what you want you can get them in plain black from www.cases4less.com. Camo models are also available from trailsendcams.com Trailsendcams also sells the cases precut in the vertical position. Other camo case companies are www.camocases.com and www.whitetailsupply.com
3. The main electronics.
My personal choice is the BG-2. It is available from www.hagshouse.com The board detects motion and turns the camera on/off and makes the camera take a picture. It is the heart of the trailcam. There are other boards out there but this build will feature the BG2.
4. Accessories
Other items needed are as follows and are available form www.hagshouse.com
1. Board mounting kit.
2. 3-wire servo
3. sony shutter assembly
4. Two pieces of glass for the shutter and flash holes. You can use a flash enhancer for the flash hole but it is not needed and I do not use them myself.
5. A couple of the u-bolts for hanging.
6. The rope and rope ratchet for hanging on the tree. These are 1000 times better than a bungee.
7. 9 volt battery holder.
5. Tools needed.
1. Soldering iron if your planning on doing the modifications yourself.
2. Drill and drill bits. Three 1 inch holes will need to be cut in the case for the glass and frensel lens.
3. Carpet tape or 3m ppt1100 tape from hagshouse.
4. Glass sealer. I like the E6000 glue from menards, marine goop will also work
Cutting the case
The first thing you need to do is layout the pieces of the camera. Gather the camera, the bg2 and the battery holder. Place them in the case to identify what the best fit is. The following picture details my layout.
Next, attach the u-bolts that will be used to secure the camera to the tree. I use the u-bolts from hagshouse.com. These need to be put up as high as possible on the sides of the case(esp with a p32). I like to use the top rib of the case to align the u-bolt. Use a marker to mark the location where the holes will need to be drilled.
Now drill the holes out using a drill bit. I do this with the case closed and the rubber liner in. Make sure everything else is out of the case.
Now remove the liner and remove the excess liner material. You need to make sure that no liner material can come in contact with the u-bolts.
Next, test run the u-bolts. Go ahead and tighten them up and see how they fit. You may notice some of the liner coming up out of the the case. If this happens remove some more of the excess liner material. It is also important to know that you will not be able to over tighten the nuts. If you do you can cause the liner to protrude from the case. When you like the fit, remove the u-bolts and dip the treads in the E-600 sealant(or whatever you purchased to seal the glass) and replace them and tighten them down for good.
Now Lets cut the holes. Replace the camera in the case. Next get a washer and add some carpet tape to one side. Place the washer over the camera lens and close the case. Press down on the camera. This should force the washer to stick to the lid and allow you to mark the center for drilling.
Now repeat this for the flash as well.
With that done its time to mark the bg2. There are templates that can be found Here . Use these to mark the standoffs and the center ens hole. When everything is marked use a small drill bit and drill all the markings.
Now you can drill the lens, flash and sensor holes. Just remember to drill the correct center hole for the sensor
Place the foam inside the case and mark the holes we just cut. Also remember to mark the three standoff holes as well. I use a sharpie and have a special drill bit to cut the foam, a razor blade will do just fine though. Take your time and you will end up with a nice clean finish.
Next place some carpet tape over the three holes and cut out the centers.
Now place the glass over the cameras flash and shutter hole. A flash enhancer can be used in place of the flash glass but this is not necessary.
Its now time to set the sensors frensel lens. This is a critical step. The center of the lens needs to be in the center of the sensor(not the center of the hole in the case). Place the lens on the carpet tape but only put minimal pressure of the lens. Use the template you used for cutting and make sure the three standoff holes line up and the center of the frensel is over the center hole marking. When everything is lined up remove the excess tape. In the following picture I'm showing my plexiglass template I use for the lens alignment.
Now go ahead and apply the e600 craft adhesive around the glass. Make sure all side of the glass are covered for a watertight fit. Next make sure you have the three standoff and the screws handy. Apply some sealant around the lens and add the standoffs. Wait for the sealant to dry and perform a watertight test by submerging the case in water.
After the water test, you can add the foam and the case is now complete!
Now lets modify the camera. The pictures are for a p41. Here are some detailed instructions as well. P41 p32
Take the servo connector and cut off the female end about 1.25inches.
Next split the ends and strip a small piece of the shielding off. Once this is done apply a small amount of solder to the bare wires.
Now solder the female end of the connector to the shutter assembly. You dont need much solder just enough to attach the wires. Make sure there are no points or rough edges. The flatter the solder job the better.
Now add some electrical tape and your ready to open the camera up.
Remove the 4 screws and pry open the case.
Locate the point of exit for the servo connector. I prefer right nexat to the power on light on top. I use a dremal tool to cut a small slit for the wires to go through the case of the camera. Make sure you only cut the plastic.
Now remove the blue ribbon connector on the top right hand corner. Go slow they do tear.
Now place the shutter assembly in upside down and all the way to the right. Once its in there replace the blue ribbon cable. Make sure the small wires of the shutter assembly do not get crossed or broken. You may need some extra hands for your first one. Just take your time.
Now bend the shutter assembly back and fold it over the the left again. You a small piece of electrical tape to hold it in place.
Now you can slid the wires through the small slit and out the top. Put the two halves of the camera back together again and replace the screws.
Now its time to test the camera. Plug the connectors together and touch the black and red together, the camera should come on. Now touch the white and the red together and the camera should take a picture.
If everything works use some super glue and glue down the connector. Once its dry add some liquid electrical tape to seal everything up. When using the super glue all you need is a small amount. You dont want that stuff dripping down between the two parts of the camera and into the electronics.
Now solder the red, black and white wires to the BG1 and your done!
The Red wire=common, the white= shutter, and the black= power.
P41 p32
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