PROJECTS: BALLOON CAM
3. MODIFY THE CAMERA
The specifics of this step will depend on the camera you use, but
it’s a simple mod, and readers with basic electronics skills should
have no problem. The camera shown here is Shift3 brand and
was purchased for $11 at a Rite Aid pharmacy.
3a. Remove the stick-on label from the front of the camera (or
the side, for the Aries camera) to reveal a screw that holds the
case together.
3b. Remove the screw with a small Phillips screwdriver.
3c. Gently pry the camera shell open using a flathead
screwdriver.
3d. Remove the 2 screws holding down the circuit board, and
also unscrew the keychain clip, which we don’t need (with the
Aries camera, remove 3 screws to detach the board).
3e. Turn the board over so that the lens is visible. Handling the
board by the edges only, and without touching any parts, use
tweezers to remove the black potting material from around the
shutter switch, exposing solder terminals at its base.
3f. Solder wire leads to the 2 newly exposed switch terminals.
3g. To make room for the shutter switch wires to exit the case,
use pliers to cut a hole in the plastic on the side opposite the
lens (with the Aries camera, instead of cutting the case you can
remove the pop-up viewfinder lens assembly and route the wires
out of its hole.)
86 Make: Volume
24
makezine.com/24/ballooncam
