Camera Attachment and Adjustment

[johnelle]

Building the archivist kit. The directions stop after the lighting module and I need some pointers on camera mounting. I have two knobs that thread into the cameras but the hang way too loose so do I need to add something in the middle to take up the slack(?). There are a couple of round felt pads with screws--not sure if they're involved.

Also am curious about getting the camera position correct. I want the cameras to be in the right place before the lighting module is popped on top. Anybody developed a workflow for this?

[duerig]

Camera mounting depends on how the cords connect to your camera. If there are any cords that need to attach underneath, it becomes more tricky.

But, assuming that you can just mount the camera flush with the camera support, you can use a few washers to take up the 'slack'. I think there might have been a few washers that came with the kit that you can use, or just pick a couple up at a local hardware store.

The felt pads are entirely different. Those are for use on the cradle. The bearings that act as small wheels for the base mean that there is almost no friction for the base which means it is prone to slide back and forth too easily. The round felt pads are used to add a bit more friction by screwing them on underneath the cradle.

Take a look at this picture to see how they go: https://files.app.net/wq09krltQ

Edit: If the pads are placed correctly, they will rub up against the two cradle rails whenever the cradle moves to provide more friction.

[stromateis]

I kept the camera loose and moved the camera till the correct orientation/position was achieved in the frame and marked the position. Then I used rubber washes to fill up the slack. I used rubber to avoid scratching and creating a little more friction.

[johnelle]

Meanwhile I made a depot run based on my hypothesis and ended up buying some 1/4 x 1-1/4 neoprene washers (camera side) and some 1/4 x 1-1/4 stainless washers for the knob side. I found the left over black washers in their bag on the floor so I ended-up with the black washer from the kit and the neoprene for starters.

A couple of other electrical items were purchased to deal with cable management, etc.

• Cord Channel to help with cable management on the back side http://goo.gl/VS8SUy
  Cable Clamps http://goo.gl/zrLxZ6
  Single switch to power Pi up after the cameras: http://goo.gl/DeseZW

Earlier I bought this B+ case http://amzn.com/B00MRKSGP2 which has some nice screw mounting slots on the back and I am expecting to be able to attach it low on the side near the back.

All this in anticipation of wanting to neaten-up the all the cabling once everything is adjusted.