Key Takeaways
1. The DIY camera uses an ADNS-3090 sensor from an old optical mouse, featuring a 30×30 pixel grayscale resolution and 64 color options.
2. It includes multiple shooting modes, such as single, double, quad, smear panoramic, and a mouse-drawing feature.
3. The camera has a compact design with various components, including a 32kB FRAM, Python script support, and auto-lock exposure options.
4. Documentation clearly outlines the camera’s limitations, noting its low resolution but ability to produce recognizable images with different color palettes.
5. The creator compares the experience to the Game Boy Camera, highlighting greater color depth and versatility despite lower resolution.
A DIY enthusiast has created a low-resolution digital camera using the ADNS-3090 sensor from an old optical mouse, a case made with a 3D printer, and commonly available components. Shared on the r/3Dprinting and r/electronics subreddits, this device features a grayscale sensor with a resolution of 30×30 pixels and offers 64 different color options. It also comes with several shooting modes, including single, double, quad, a “smear” panoramic mode, and a unique mouse-drawing feature. Users can view photos on an integrated display that can store up to 48 images and allows serial transfer of photos to a computer.
Compact Yet Complex Design
The completed camera is small but filled with various components. It includes a 32kB FRAM, supports Python scripts for data dumps, and has several auto-lock exposure options. Furthermore, it has a battery that lasts a few hours, which is quite remarkable given its size. The creator emphasized the panoramic feature as a standout aspect: it conducts a vertical column “scan” for creating elongated images. Most of the assembly is done by hand soldering because of the limited space within the two-part 3D-printed body.
Clear Documentation of Limitations
The project documentation is very honest about the technical limitations and results: the sensor’s output is low-resolution, as anticipated, but can produce recognizable images, particularly with various color palettes and temporal effects. The “draw” mode utilizes the mouse sensor’s original purpose, allowing users to sketch directly on the display. The camera can also lock and unlock automatically for multi-shot sequences, making it a more capable device than most typical electronics scrap projects. According to the creator, the overall experience is quite similar to the classic Game Boy Camera. They noted that while the Game Boy Camera boasts a higher resolution, this DIY project offers greater color depth and more versatile shooting options for creative photography.
Source:
Link
Leave a Reply