Pencam SD?

kaplow snipped-for-privacy@encompasserve.org.mars (Bob Kaplow) wrote in news:RFSgwJZr60$ snipped-for-privacy@eisner.encompasserve.org:

I have a PenCam SD, but haven't launched it. I suspect the problem you're seeing is a momentary loss of battery power due to the G-Forces of the flight. Those sheet metal spring clips lurking inside the camera may be flexing enough to cause the batteries to loose contact.

ScottE

I just went to the Aipek site to verify the video settings of the Pencam SD and it looks like it maxes out at 320*240 10fps. Probably not the answer your looking for but I suggest skipping the Pencam altogether and go with one of those CVS digi recorders. Thirty bones gets you a rugged digi cam that can do 20 mins of 320*240 video but at 30 fps.

Ted Novak TRA#5512 IEAS#75

I've got a couple CVS cams but they're designed to be returned to CVS since they're digitally locked. CVS then burns a DVD for you and keeps the cam.

Early code versions of the cams could use a Palm cable to download from, but as the revisions have marched on, so has the difficulty in retrieving video from them. There are sites like

that detail the different revisions.

I'd planned to mount one in a rocket but we're enjoying our Estes Oracle instead, so the kids are playing with the CVS cams for the time being.

Mike Doyle

tdstr wrote:

I've got 4 of the CVS cams, all unlocked. Apparently the new rev cams can also be unlocked.

Ted Novak TRA#5512 IEAS#75

I've got two - both with the 3.7 version of the firmware. I haven't been able to unlock them yet... :-(

I've been having similar problems with a couple of modified point-and-shoot digital cameras in my own rockets. For a while, I thought it might have been the vibrations of the rocket accidentally pressing the 'OK' button when the recording is done... and the camera displays the 'Press OK to Delete' message.

But the previous post about the leaf-contacts not being secure enough got me thinking along those lines. I've bent the contacts towards the batteries to place more compression-force on them, and put a piece of non-conductive foam behind each one to maintain the pressure. I want to wrap the cameras with rubber-bands now, because the pressure on the battery-compartment hatch is high enough to make me worry that the little plastic catches might fail in flight... but that's not a big problem.

I plan to test this refinement out at the Spring Three Oaks launch next year - since I have to rebuild the camera-bay of my rocket, after the main parachute failed to open fully during the last flight.

Check out

Ted Novak TRA#5512 IEAS#75

Is there a link somewhere to how to unlock them and what versions can be unlocked. There's finally a CVS in my area, so I'll go pick one up if it works as a rocketcam.

is there some way to tell what firmware rev is in the camera before you buy it? ANd how do you unlock them?

Got all my skills from camerahacking.com.

Ted Novak TRA#5512 IEAS#75

The only way to tell which firmware rev is to turn the camera on - the opening screen has the revision number listed.

camerahacking.com will have more details on this... but basically you have to open up the camera and wire a USB cable to a connector-card on the camera. After that, you have to 'trick' the camera into its' diagnostic mode (shorting out one of the SMT resistors is required...) and employing some software on your computer to do the unlocking.

I just can't seem to get it right... :-(

You can look at the bottom of the camera while still in the package for the revision number, and check the camerahacking website for desirable softwhere revisions.

There are clues in the packaging, the holy grail cams that are easy to unlock say "New" on the package and are 3.04 IIRC.

Mike Doyle

Len Lekx wrote:

Yeah. I have a pair of 3.70s, and I *cannot* get it to work. Even when I *do* manage to get the thing turned on properly, I keep getting 'Camera Not Found' messages with the utility program.

I may just give up, and keep trying to get my point-and-shoot cameras to work the way I want them to. And if they'll take the new

4-GB memory cards, I might be able to capture as much as a CVS camcorder... and without the hassle.

You have to do a thing called the "Vulcan Nerve Pinch" on the camera. ;-) Press the Delete and Record buttons at the same time, then power it up. Virtually all models can be unlocked using CronusKey, but almost any time you see someone having a problem with unlocking a camera, they either have a defective cable or have the wrong USB drivers installed.

I found three models at my CVS: 200, 220 and 230. If the 200's have "New and improved" on the sticker, they have had their firmware update. I bought an M230, firmware version 53.05. These are all unlockable using CronusKey and OPS.20. I ordered a cable off eBay, so no need to solder.

CVS/Rite-Aid Digital Camcorder Download Cable

You can find cameras on eBay already modified with USB connectors built in:

CVS/RiteAid/Ritz Digital Camcorder with USB cable!

I especially like this one:

CVS/RiteAid Cam w/Remote Lens! RC, Helmet, Rocket