A590IS power save

bonny

Hello...I wish to have script to take picture every minute. It works, but current consumption is to high. It draw battery in 5 hours. I did use set_backlight(0) and set_lcd_display(0), but the current consumption in sleep is still 320mA (display is off). I assume that I can still reduce the power but donÄ‡t know how. If I set camera in playback manualy with display on it draw only 200mA.

reyalp

bonny
Hello...I wish to have script to take picture every minute. It works, but current consumption is to high. It draw battery in 5 hours. I did use set_backlight(0) and set_lcd_display(0), but the current consumption in sleep is still 320mA (display is off). I assume that I can still reduce the power but donÄ‡t know how. If I set camera in playback manualy with display on it draw only 200mA.

If your interval is one minute, you could switch to playback (using set_record(0)) between shots. You should be able to set the lens retract setting so it doesn't retract within that time, but if you not could switch to record and back periodically from script.

Alternately, Canon's power save mode (Canon menu under setup / Power Saving / Display off) can be set as low as 10s and can be significantly better than using set_lcd_display / or set_backlight, because it also turns off the sensor and associated processing. This should also be true if you turn off display using a scripted "display" key press on cameras which support it (which a590 should, since it has an optical viewfinder).

If you use the Canon power save setting, make sure the CHDK "disable LCD off" setting is off.

FWIW, a forum user did a bunch of measurements specifically on a590 a long time ago which you can find in "bugsplatter chdk stuff" PDFs at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B08pqRtyrObjUDIyZHpPbHhvWEU?tid=0B08pqRtyrObjTy11Y003Sk1lYTQ&resourcekey=0-afDsMe1y-OidRW-nhuqC6A (original discussion here https://chdk.setepontos.com/d/3872)

bonny

I did little research and found that waiting in record mode with set_lcd_display(0) consume 320mA, and playback mode with lcd on consume 200mA. With set_lcd_display(0) in playback the consumption goes to around 120mA but then sometime the camera just shut off without retracting lens. Then I try to flash with blue led in 1s period and seems that this keep camera alive. Will try above protocol too (lcdoff without chdk).
with that script I get 12h capture with AA cells

-- Interval shooting with minimum power usage for CHDK
-- Designed for Canon A590IS

interval = 56-- interval in seconds

function take_picture()
    set_lcd_display(1)  -- LCD off
    sleep(1000)
    set_record(1)   -- go to record mode
    sleep(1000)
    shoot()
    sleep(1000)     -- some image processing time
    set_record(0) -- go to playback
    sleep(1000)
    set_lcd_display(0) -- turn off LCD

end

while true do
    take_picture()
    for i=1, interval do
        sleep(990)      -- near one second wait
        set_led(8,1)    -- turn blue print led on
        sleep(10)       -- just tiny wait for led on
        set_led(8,0)    -- turn led off
    end
end

bonny

Probably this is simplest and most efficient script.

--[[
@title Intervalometer
@param a Interval (sec)
@default a 60
]]

interval = a -1

-- Turn menu off
-- sleep(500)
-- click("display")
-- sleep(1000)

while true do

    shoot()

    for i=1, interval do
        sleep(990)         -- near one second wait
        set_led(8,1)    -- turn blue print led on
        sleep(10)         -- just tiny wait for led on
        set_led(8,0)    -- turn led off
    end
end

It take shoot every minute, and have 110mA current draw when idle. That's lowest current I ben measured.
The only drawback it need some 'blind' keypresses.

I need to turn camera on in record mode.
Turn on/off whatewer I want (flash off for example)
Turn display off by disp key
With display allready off press "print" key to activate alt menu (not visible as display is off)
Press shutter to start script

I did try with click("display") but isn't relaible as that just toogle it without knowing current state.Executing click("display") until display is off should be best but seems that function to show current display state isnt available.

reyalp

bonny
I did try with click("display") but isn't relaible as that just toogle it without knowing current state.Executing click("display") until display is off should be best but seems that function to show current display state isnt available.

You should be able to check the DISPLAY_MODE propcase. something like

props=require'propcase'
while get_prop(props.DISPLAY_MODE) ~= 2 do
 click'display'
 sleep(250) -- may not be needed, but there may be some delay before the prop changes
end

If your script is meant to work on other cams, be are that not all have a mode 2, or even a display key. You also might want to restore the original mode when the script ends

Regarding

With set_lcd_display(0) in playback the consumption goes to around 120mA but then sometime the camera just shut off without retracting lens.

The means the camera crashed. A romlog may provide clues. If you've used set_lcd_display, on thing I'd do is make sure the display is on before you use set_record to change modes, IIRC quite a few cam crash it's off. This should only apply to set_lcd_display, the cams native display off function should be handled correctly.