Time-Lapse Package
Revision D
Harbortronics LLC 9 1/5/2007
Camera Mount The camera is mounted on a high quality tilting head, with a quick release plate. You can easily remove and re-install the camera,
without having to re-align it! Of course a quick release head may not give you perfect pixel alignment, but for most applications it
should work quite well.
The camera head is attached via a bracket to the mounting plate. The head can be adjusted front and back on the bracket, as well as
rotated on the bracket. We suggest you locate the lens near the glass window, to minimize internal reflections.
The head can be tilted and rotated to orient the camera independently of the housing.
The’ brains’ of the time-lapse system is the DigiSnap 2100. This device, designed
and produced at Harbortronics, is a digital camera controller, developed to work
with a variety of digital camera models. The DigiSnap can be configured to take
pictures at any interval desired, or to operate on a daily clock.
The DigiSnap series of controllers have been in continuous production since 1999,
and many thousands of units are in use around the world.
The fully charged LiPoly battery pack has enough capacity for up to 3 months of operation between charges, depending on the details
of the application. Most photographers prefer to augment the battery with a solar panel, allowing for unlimited duration, and less
worry about the battery status.
A high quality 5 watt solar panel is a
standard feature with the Time-Lapse
Package. This is sufficient to keep the
battery charged in almost any situation.
We have a couple of suppliers for these
panels, so yours may not exactly match
the one in the pictures. If your installation
site does not get frequent full sun
exposure, or you have other power
concerns, please contact us. We can
supply long cables to re-locate the solar
panel, or work with you to develop other
options, such as external AC or DC
power.
Custom aluminum brackets are used to
mount the solar panel to the housing. The
brackets may be further formed by hand to
suit your particular needs. You may want to consider a couple of things when orienting the panel. If the panel is located over the
housing, it can serve as a shade to the housing, reducing the internal temperature when in the sun. The panel can also serve as a rain
shield to minimize drops on the front window of the housing.
A high quality ‘gland’ is used to pass the solar panel cable into the housing, maintaining the watertight integrity of the housing. The
price for the solar panel option (which includes the above, and the solar charger) is $267.25, installed.