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limiting factors of CHDK for extended time-lapse

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Offline waterwingz

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Re: limiting factors of CHDK for extended time-lapse
« Reply #40 on: 04 / August / 2018, 21:46:43 »
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Quote from: Sdack on 04 / August / 2018, 21:44:37
D'oh..  0.32 Amps or 320mA @ 5V I think
That makes more sense.   

FYI - I posted a much faster script attached to my previous post.    Might use a lot less power but you need to trade that off against mechanical wear as we have discussed.
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Offline Sdack

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Re: limiting factors of CHDK for extended time-lapse
« Reply #41 on: 04 / August / 2018, 23:08:16 »
From my one hour test using the KAP UAV script I got a measure of 0.94 Watt Hour, which seems pretty lean to me.

I am now running the same test using your updated script, thanks indeed for coding that up so quickly.

Like you I'm getting a similar, just over 6 second cycle from power up to shutdown.

Interestingly, the power draw remains at 0.17 Amps even after the camera has shutdown, and doesn't drop to zero until the 30 second timer on the Arduino switches to off.  Not sure what's going on there.  Maybe that's the draw of the relay alone?

It seems highly promising that the camera being powered for a tenth of the time (on or 6 seconds a minute compared with constantly on while taking an image every 60 seconds), will lower both power consumption and heat build up significantly.

How long the lens mechanism can handle the 450 extra cyles per day remains to be seen.

The only other item not yet in place is the Raspberry Pi CHDKPTP connection to download and process the resulting images.  Obviously this can't happen without some kind of interrupt to the auto start script.

To retain the peace of mind that Internet connectivity represents I need the minimum of a system report uploading once every hour or two (even just a text file showing image count), with image transfer and thumbnail upload once or maybe twice a day.

Exciting times!
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Offline reyalp

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Re: limiting factors of CHDK for extended time-lapse
« Reply #42 on: 04 / August / 2018, 23:34:38 »
Quote from: Sdack on 04 / August / 2018, 23:08:16
Interestingly, the power draw remains at 0.17 Amps even after the camera has shutdown, and doesn't drop to zero until the 30 second timer on the Arduino switches to off.
I believe this has been observed before when the power button is held down.
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Offline Sdack

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Re: limiting factors of CHDK for extended time-lapse
« Reply #43 on: 05 / August / 2018, 06:23:27 »
Ok the results are in

Original test using KAP UAV script = 0.94 Watt Hour
New test using OneShot script      = 0.253 Watt Hour

That's a 0.687 saving or, if my calculations are correct close to a 75% saving.

I'm very concerned about the lens mechanism, cause the wear factor is increased by 4,500%.  Up from one actuation per day to shoot 450 images, to one actuation per image.. ouch!

Is there a way to display a camera's shutter count?

Cheers
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Offline waterwingz

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limiting factors of CHDK for extended time-lapse
« Reply #44 on: 05 / August / 2018, 09:21:17 »
Did you reduce the Arduino's power relay "ontime" to 8 seconds?

And what power saving mode did you use with the kap script? (I assume you were not cycling it with the arduino?)


Edit 1:  also what "cheap USB tester" are you using?

Edit 2: Shutter count script attached from this post : https://chdk.setepontos.com/index.php?topic=9168.msg94848#msg94848
« Last Edit: 05 / August / 2018, 13:23:51 by waterwingz »
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Offline Sdack

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Re: limiting factors of CHDK for extended time-lapse
« Reply #45 on: 05 / August / 2018, 19:05:39 »
Hi,

Thanks for the shutter count script!

Yes I reduced the Arduino's power on time to 8 seconds in the test with your fast one shot script.

The KAP script WAS being cycled by the Arduino but on a 30 seconds on 30 seconds off cycle.

This is the USB current device I'm using 



https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/192374169857

Sadly my the tests were't terribly scientific because in the first run (KAP) I was powering both the camera AND Arduino from a single 5V usb outlet (the one with the measuring device on it) and later I discovered that the camera had only taken about 25 shots, when it should have taken 60 - I'm thinking either there wasn't enough current available to the camera, or the 'sharing' of the 5V line had interference on it due to the action of the relay - something I've solved before by splitting a 12V power line into two separate 5V lines.

So because I hadn't yet figured out how supply both the Arduino AND  the camera via a single, measurable 5V supply, I decided to measure the second in two parts.  One hour measuring the Arduino alone, then another hour measuring the camera.  then I added the two figures together for a sum total.

I would like to repeat the test and I will today if I can figure out how to connect the USB meter inline with both power lines.

The other meter I'm waiting on has wire connectors, which will be easier to put in the power line

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/DC-100A-Digital-LED-Power-Meter-Monitor-Power-Energy-Voltmeter-Ammeter-shunt-free-shipping/32420786424.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.569d4c4d90DmHO

As for KAP 3.8 set up, I altered the following

Total shots 1
Display off
Start delay 0

here's a snippet from the KAP.log

Code: [Select]
2018Aug05 12:14:43.240 1) IMG_1057.JPG
2018Aug05 12:14:43     meter : Tv:1.0 Av:n/a Sv:lo(0) 0:0
2018Aug05 12:14:43     actual: Tv:1/160 Av:- Sv:800 Temp:24
2018Aug05 12:14:43             AvMin:2.8 NDF:NDout foc:infinity
2018Aug05 12:14:43    Total shots count reached.
2018Aug05 12:14:43    script halt requested
2018Aug05 12:14:43    Logger : log file updated.
2018Aug05 12:15:31    KAP 3.8 started - press MENU to exit
2018Aug05 12:15:31    CHDK 1.4.1-4918 ixus160_elph160 100a Sep  9 2017
2018Aug05 12:15:31    Mode:PLAY,Continuous_AF:1,Servo_AF:0 Drive:0
2018Aug05 12:15:31     Tv:1/1000 max:1/2000 min:10 ecomp:0.0
2018Aug05 12:15:31     Av:4.0 minAv:2.8 maxAv:8.0
2018Aug05 12:15:31     ISOmin:100 ISO1:400 ISO2:800 M:0
2018Aug05 12:15:31     Focus:AFL  Video:0 USB:0:1 Tmo:0
2018Aug05 12:15:31     AvM:0 int:10 Shts:1 Dly:3 B/L:0
2018Aug05 12:15:31    entering start delay of 3 seconds
2018Aug05 12:15:39    Mode switched to P
2018Aug05 12:15:39    setting zoom to 0 percent step=0
2018Aug05 12:15:46    Logger : log file updated.
2018Aug05 12:15:47.400 1) IMG_1058.JPG
2018Aug05 12:15:48     meter : Tv:1/13 Av:3.2 Sv:800 -22:-22
2018Aug05 12:15:48     actual: Tv:1/13 Av:- Sv:800 Temp:24
2018Aug05 12:15:48             AvMin:3.2 NDF:NDout foc:infinity
2018Aug05 12:15:49    MENU key pressed.
2018Aug05 12:15:49    Total shots count reached.
2018Aug05 12:15:49    script halt requested
2018Aug05 12:15:49    Logger : log file updated.
I just scanned the log and saw that the highest temperature recorded was 31 degrees but maybe that's the optics?

If you can suggest any other methods or tests, I'm happy to try them.

Thanks for your interest.  Hope my explanations make sense.
Sdack
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Offline waterwingz

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Re: limiting factors of CHDK for extended time-lapse
« Reply #46 on: 05 / August / 2018, 19:19:36 »
How are you powering your camera? Will it actually run off USB power? I can trick my Poweshot N's to do that but they are the only models I have seen that will do that.
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Offline Sdack

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Re: limiting factors of CHDK for extended time-lapse
« Reply #47 on: 05 / August / 2018, 21:08:24 »
I use a dummy battery..
So far my power button holding methods seem reliable despite their makeshift appearance.

Reharding lens actuator wear and tear,
I have been wondering if I could combine the Arduino approach with a CHDK script in the following way.

1
Arduino schedule powers up the camera, set to autorun a variant of the KAP script, set to take X amount of shots at my desired interval.

2
At file handling time, after a given amount of shots, the KAP script shuts down the camera.
3
The Arduino wakes up the Raspberry Pi and then powers up the camera
4
The camera, sensing a signal on the USB port (I imagine from the Pi), goes into USB transfer mode.
5
After handling the images, the Pi reboots the camera and removes the USB port signal,
6
The camera boots back up into KAP script
7
Rinse and repeat

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Offline waterwingz

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Re: limiting factors of CHDK for extended time-lapse
« Reply #48 on: 05 / August / 2018, 21:40:46 »
Still trying to understand how you power your camera.  Where does the power for the dummy battery come from? And how are you measuring it?
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Offline Sdack

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Re: limiting factors of CHDK for extended time-lapse
« Reply #49 on: 05 / August / 2018, 22:26:15 »
Quote from: waterwingz on 05 / August / 2018, 21:40:46
Still trying to understand how you power your camera.  Where does the power for the dummy battery come from? And how are you measuring it?

here's a picture showing my basic rig set up, this is the Raspberry Pi version (I've since added a dew heater but it doesn't affect what you are asking)



In words it runs like this

12V input supply goes into Dual 5V USB buck converter
One of the 5V outputs goes to power the Raspberry Pi, which in my current rigs, stays on constantly (300mA draw I believe)
The other 5V output goes to a relay which is controlled by the Raspberry Pi, running Multilapse and then on to a second buck converter which drops the 5V to camera Voltage (nominally 3.7V but I give it 4.2)


In the not so scientific KAP script test I described in previous post, I was using an Arduino in place of the Raspberry Pi and, instead of splitting a 12V input into two 5V lines, which works just fine.  I tried running both devices off a single USB line - so that I could put the USB measuring device inline with that supply to get a reading for both Arduino AND Camera. 

It seemed to be working fine and I assumed that because the Arduino draws a lot less than a Raspberry Pi and I could see that images were being taken, that it was all working fine.

it was only when I downloaded the DCIM folder later that I found it had only taken 25 shots, instead of 60.

As it can handle 3-34 Volts I would like to put the measuring gadget inline with the 12V supply before it splits into two but I can't figure out how to connect it.  I tried hacking an old USB socket this morning but stuffed it up completely.

If my AliExpress, wired meter turns up in the post, I'll be able to measure the 12V line easily.

Hope that clarifies it a bit.
« Last Edit: 05 / August / 2018, 22:29:44 by Sdack »
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