Olympus D340R

[fuzzylogic]

I have just finished my first trail cam. I started out with a 35 mm and estimated the film and developing cost would give a quick pay back for a digital camera. I found an Olympus D-340R at a pawn shop and gambled on buying it and rigging it for trail cam use. I worked several days re-vamping my camera box and adding the circuitry for the digi cam. I spent several hour completing a timing circuit to fire the camera after the PIR tirned the camera on. I used a 555 timer chip and got the job completed. Now the camera does not power up until the PIR Detector sees an object. This will save batteries in the cam. If I can help anyone with my experience, please contact me.

 

[Eric Mayer]

I moved this here from the Camera forum.

Eric A. Mayer

 

[ArkansasElkHunter]

Welcome and great job with the camera. Sounds like you had some fun.

 

[Washout]

Welcome to the forum

Let us know how the 340 works out for you. I've got one that I bought several years ago and the only problem I've had with it is it's terrible appetite for batteries. Having it off until the sensor trips is a really good first step. The worst battery drain on that camera is the monitor. If I just take pics I can probably take 75 or more before the batteries give up but if I use the monitor to review the pics, that number will be cut in half or more. Good luck,

 

[Nytro69]

"Now the camera does not power up until the PIR Detector sees an object."

If I read this right you are saying that the camera is powered completely off untill the pir senses motion then powers on and snaps a picture. So what happens when it takes the next picture? Do you have a delay setup between pics so that the camera powers down again between pics or does it take the next pic again regardless of wheter it is on or off? If the power is on still when it takes another pic how do you keep it from turning it off again when the pir senses motion again. I hope this makes sense I am trying to do the same thing with a cheapie $60 camera from wal-mart that Is a real battery hog so that it will remain off between pics to save on batteries. Let me know what you setup is exactly so maybe what you have done will work on this camera also.

Thanks.

 

[fuzzylogic]

Nytro692000

The signal from the pir detector goes directly to a relay or optocoupler to switch the camera off and on. The signal from the pir goes through a 555 timer to get the delay needed for the camera to check off it's memory then it goes through a relay or optocoupler to the shutter. It works very well. I am not very good at designing but I made this work. I will be very happy to help you if I can. The camera shuts off after each picture is taken.