The terrific TV camera

[Harry Dalek]

Great work and repurposing idea
http://mi.eng.cam.ac.uk/IALego/TV.html

[Viewmaster]

That's just bloody amazing.
I wont one.

[Harry Dalek]

That's just bloody amazing.
I wont one.

Yes Albert its pretty good results i like to use of lego machine for the vertical scanning .

[Klaas Robers]

Tis LEGO machine is perfect to show the principle of the flying spot scanner, but for real time experiments in NBTV, even for SSTV, it is far too slow.

[Viewmaster]

Yes it is far, far too slow as they say. Demo only.
There is no fly back to the next line either, so it may'read'
each alternate line left to right, then right to left !!

This Uni has about 10 scientific Lego projects
which are all very impressive.

I daresay engineering students going to Cambridge Uni never thought that they would be
involved with Lego from their childhood days!

[Harry Dalek]

Yes it is far, far too slow as they say. Demo only.
There is no fly back to the next line either, so it may'read'
each alternate line left to right, then right to left !!

This Uni has about 10 scientific Lego projects
which are all very impressive.

I daresay engineering students going to Cambridge Uni never thought that they would be
involved with Lego from their childhood days!

Hi Albert Yes little did they know but bet it was fun !
A while back i was working on the problem of a SSTV vertical scan moving a horz scanning mirror for a close 7 or 8 sec vertical scan i used a micro wave oven oven plate 50 hz geared motor with a off center wheel that gave a pretty smooth down scan and up scan half the wheel cycle...many ways to give similar results in mechanical tv.... mine would have to wait for a full wheel scan or the results would be correct and upside down scan a small price to pay for the correct movement without a harder mechanical system for a quick flyback as the lego version

Playing with NBTV with a 2 disc or 2 drum system the 12hz horz you get interesting visual results at the wrong framing speed slow the image looks small more detail to fast large so you can zoom in and out ...only tried this on still images as i recall .....i think the lego one if used as a monitor would still work in a still image version of NBTV using uv laser glow paint screen Slow scan NBTV

Anyway its fun thinking about it ...and seeing how others do the hobby in different ways !

[Viewmaster]

Next time you do SSTV, Harry, I will expect it all to be made with Lego.

I have been nosing around. Found that an old laptop running BBC BASIC,
all the colours can be intensity controlled, unlike on the old BBC micro.
So that would enable me to write a modulated scanning display app, probably in
faster assembly language, which I can do.

Old laptops have the parallel port which can be used to
input from the photocell so I understand.

All I require now are a huge pile of Lego pieces !!

It might be an interesting project to see an image forming on the screen
as the laser pen scans and lights up the subject in a darkened room.

Maybe capture all the still images then fast present them for movement !!

I might ask Father Xmas to send me a big Lego set soon.

[Harry Dalek]

Next time you do SSTV, Harry, I will expect it all to be made with Lego.

Well i have two boys of the age with tons of hand me down lego but these days ipads are the thing I have used lego and duplo square blocks a few times for a place for a 4 sided mirrors very accurate squares ....

I have been nosing around. Found that an old laptop running BBC BASIC,
all the colours can be intensity controlled, unlike on the old BBC micro.

I bet it carries out the task very quickly ! i read in your post you were thinking about this .

So that would enable me to write a modulated scanning display app, probably in
faster assembly language, which I can do.

You must be good at that i have no idea how to go about doing this i am sure Gary will have a chat when he see's what your up to ,does sound interesting .

Old laptops have the parallel port which can be used to
input from the photocell so I understand.

even more interesting !

All I require now are a huge pile of Lego pieces !!

If i were there i could help you out many times over !

It might be an interesting project to see an image forming on the screen
as the laser pen scans and lights up the subject in a darkened room.

OH yes flying spot camera for sure .....when i tried an nbtv version i had to have the solar cells very close to the subject ,i think they uses a PMT which made it easier but with a laser even so might be better for a solar cell or what ever you plan to use Albert

Maybe capture all the still images then fast present them for movement !!

Or do your own TV system ? but yes why not !

I might ask Father Xmas to send me a big Lego set soon.

Some times you can get them in used they sell the parts in bags over here any way ...due to the times as like with my sons most kids like these little slabs of electronics over hands one things now so i would expect the same over your way ?

[Viewmaster]

More thoughts.

The input to the laptop from the photo cell will be 8 bit.

If one ensured that the intensity never reached 255 (max 8 bit), but 254
one could exclusively use 255 as sync signal.
Also first bit alone (one) tooo.

So two sync possibilities in just 8 bits!

I must be mad. I have ordered a big bag of Lego on eBay. I AM mad.

The noughts and crosses mAchine, as with much other stuff,
is on the back burner.

[Harry Dalek]

More thoughts.

The input to the laptop from the photo cell will be 8 bit.

If one ensured that the intensity never reached 255 (max 8 bit), but 254
one could exclusively use 255 as sync signal.
Also first bit alone (one) tooo.

So two sync possibilities in just 8 bits!

I must be mad. I have ordered a big bag of Lego on eBay. I AM mad.

The noughts and crosses mAchine, as with much other stuff,
is on the back burner.

This will be an interesting build the computer programing and such is beyond me but i am curious as i can see what you are up to another camera machine and computer interfacing not easy ...well for me .
So i am thinking you are using the computer as a monitor you could do away with camera for now and replace it with a video sync signals to test ?

[Viewmaster]

This will be an interesting build the computer programing and such is beyond me but i am curious as i can see what you are up to another camera machine and computer interfacing not easy ...well for me .
So i am thinking you are using the computer as a monitor you could do away with camera for now and replace it with a video sync signals to test ?

The number of lines will not be club standard. Probably in the 50 to 150 range.

Early thoughts......
One can make PC control motors as Cambridge did or make motor position control
running PC program. Because I do not know how to o/p control from PC whilst taking in
light info from photo cell I am doing the later.

The two motors for hor and vert scanning will be stepper motors. They will
do their cycles and using say, micro switches will send their start positions
to the laptop.

This will trigger the start of the line scans by drawing short lines horizontally,
each line being a pixel. So one scan line on computer will be made up
of many short lines. The speed to be set to get to end of line as stepper motor does.

This speed is established by test.

Output from photo cell will modulate red/green/blue equally.
So full white will be 255 max on 8 bit (256 is sync) and
black will be 2 bit on red/green/blue equally. ( 1 is sync).

Phew ! That's enough of my early thoughts methinks.

[Harry Dalek]

Sounds all worked out Albert ,but what will you call your TV system ? i always like your invention names

[Viewmaster]

Sounds all worked out Albert ,but what will you call your TV system ? i always like your invention names

Ah Harry, thanks for reminding me of that.
Well, I had The Edikow Machine, The Nipkow Nipper and The Niptrix.

I'm not a drinker but after all that I think this slow camera
could be called, The Slow Nip !

...........although Cambridge Engineering dept has already called their design
The terrific TV camera.

[Viewmaster]

I've just realized that one can get red, green and blue lasers.........
..........Mmmm, I wonder?