KAP & UAV Exposure Control Intervalometer Script

waterwingz

campingkaper
can your script be altered to include video recording so that stills and video can be taken on the same flight ?

Its just a script and as such always possible to modify. How would you see this working? Take a short video every so many seconds with video duration and interval user defined? Or trigger video mode via the USB remote input? Or both, I guess.

campingkaper

you hit the nail right on the head .... now since i do not know how to write code
what will it take to bribe a fine upstanding techno superior being like yourself
waterwingz to alter your KAP script i am sure all the high altitude balloon people will love the alteration too.

Microfunguy

Deleted.

Wreck

Is anyone using a canon s100/110?

Does it have an adjustable iris and nd filter? Can't seem to find any info around on this.

I've done a couple of test runs so far with 1/1250 shutter with AVmode set to none, but I'm getting a lot of overexposed and blurry images.

Also what's the best focus at infinity mode to use with this camera? I'm currently using AFL and it seems to show focus set to infinity in the kap.log. 'aflock' didn't seem to work.

waterwingz

Wreck
Does it have an adjustable iris and nd filter? Can't seem to find any info around on this.
I've done a couple of test runs so far with 1/1250 shutter with AVmode set to none, but I'm getting a lot of overexposed and blurry images.

They have both. The next release of the script will force the ND filter off if the user does not select a mode that allows it. Apparently several people have set the AVmode to no ND filter on cameras that actually have one, and that can throw things off. So will setting AVmode to none when your camera has an adjustable iris and an ND filter.

Also what's the best focus at infinity mode to use with this camera? I'm currently using AFL and it seems to show focus set to infinity in the kap.log. 'aflock' didn't seem to work.

While we continue to sort the whole SD override thing out, if you have something that works, use it. We are getting really close now.

Wreck

Thanks for that. I'll give it a run tomorrow with avmode set to both.

Wreck

Is there a way to keep the HDMI port active while the script is running? It works until the script starts, then it seems to stop outputting to the HDMI port.

waterwingz

Wreck
Is there a way to keep the HDMI port active while the script is running? It works until the script starts, then it seems to stop outputting to the HDMI port.

Most of my cameras have an HDMI port so I've never tried to use it. Does it stop outputting to the HDMI port when you run any script or just with the kap_uav.lua script?

Wreck

waterwingz
Most of my cameras have an HDMI port so I've never tried to use it. Does it stop outputting to the HDMI port when you run any script or just with the kap_uav.lua script?

Yeah it stops outputting the HDMI signal with other scripts too. I just wondered if you knew a way around it?

I've ordered a few 11 pin micro USB plugs to try hacking into a cable so that I can get the analog video out through there, but they're still somewhere in the postal system. Thought if I didn't need to trigger via USB that I could at least get the HDMI live view so that I could frame shots and run it on an intervalometer, but maybe not :/

reyalp

Wreck
Is there a way to keep the HDMI port active while the script is running? It works until the script starts, then it seems to stop outputting to the HDMI port.

Most (if not all) cameras are incapable of outputting HDMI while in shooting mode.

Does it work if you switch the camera to shooting mode without the script?

Wreck

reyalp
Most (if not all) cameras are incapable of outputting HDMI while in shooting mode.

Does it work if you switch the camera to shooting mode without the script?

No, switching to shooting mode without the script also stops the HDMI output. I guess I just got used to the luxury of live HDMI output from my nex5 and figured other cameras must do it.

The 11 pin mini usb plug will have to be the thing to use then.

reyalp

Wreck
The 11 pin mini usb plug will have to be the thing to use then.

I'm not clear which camera you are using, but it's not necessarily safe to assume it will support video out in shooting mode using the analog out either. The Canon manual should tell you if it does, see discussion in https://chdk.setepontos.com/d/11290/5

From the Canon manuals, it looks like the S100 and s110 do support analog video out in shooting mode.

bisenberger

Hi waterwingz,
Can the interval part of the script be bypassed and the camera be triggered through the USB with a CHDK cable instead?

bisenberger

Oops 😳 should have read the wiki a little closer. This is stated under features:
shooting enable / disable via USB remote signal

waterwingz

bisenberger
Hi waterwingz,
Can the interval part of the script be bypassed and the camera be triggered through the USB with a CHDK cable instead?

bisenberger
Oops 😳 should have read the wiki a little closer. This is stated under features:
shooting enable / disable via USB remote signal

The feature enables/disables interval shooting. So when USB remote is active, the script shoots at whatever rate you have specified in the script parameters. Probably fine for most applications but it does not give you one shot per USB activation if that's what you were looking for.

bisenberger

Here's a link to a tutorial that shows how to use a flight controller to trigger a camera running CHDK based on distance intervals as the vehicle travels.

http://diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/apm-to-chdk-camera-link-tutorial

Would your script work with something like this?

waterwingz

bisenberger
Here's a link to a tutorial that shows how to use a flight controller to trigger a camera running CHDK based on distance intervals as the vehicle travels.

http://diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/apm-to-chdk-camera-link-tutorial

Would your script work with something like this?

Wow, that page and all the ones it links to are a whole new world. Lots of CHDK references there too - nice to see.

It would be a small change to make kap_uav.lua work with the Ardupilot. If you are interested and have the actual hardware to do some testing then let me know?

bisenberger

I am very interested 😀 and do have the hardware to do the testing.

waterwingz

bisenberger
I am very interested 😀 and do have the hardware to do the testing.

Okay - game on.

The script he posts is pretty funny : http://www.event38.com/v/vspfiles/downloadables/E38_APM.bas There is no way for that code to ever reach the :terminate label. There are a few other laughs too.

So what do you want to be able to do from the ArduPilot Mega ? Can you program that end? Simply telling the CHDK script to shoot is easy. Shutdown mode too. What about switching to video and back on command? Or zoom in / out? All possible from the CHDK end but I can't really help you (much) with programming the ArduPilot Mega unless there is more documentation somewhere online.

bisenberger

waterwingz
So what do you want to be able to do from the ArduPilot Mega ? Can you program that end? Simply telling the CHDK script to shoot is easy. Shutdown mode too. What about switching to video and back on command? Or zoom in / out? All possible from the CHDK end but I can't really help you (much) with programming the ArduPilot Mega unless there is more documentation somewhere online.

The setup outlined in the link I posted is designed to be used for aerial mapping. It would be great to use it in conjunction with your scripts ability to set the camera parameters for taking good photos from a moving object. Something that would be nice to add to your script, for this setup, would be to have it turn the camera off after a set number of photos are taken. This would cause the lens to retract and make for safer landings. There are probably more things to suggest, but I'm getting tired and my brain is getting fuzzy.

Here are a couple more links to help give you an idea of the possibilities:
http://diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/how-to-plan-missions-for-aerial-survey

and (you may have already seen reference to the following the link) another method for connecting the APM to a CHDK enabled camera:
http://plane.ardupilot.com/wiki/common-chdk-camera-control-tutorial/

More tormorrow 😀

« Previous Page Next Page »