Space1 DIY Fish Cam

How to Build a DIY Fish Cam

Fish Cam with stock lens prefocused

Introduction
The fish cam is made from a discarded discontinued 8-bit 640x480 logitech computer cam with an adjustable lens. Good images of fish are obtained by turning the lens to the shortest possible focal length which is about 3 inches. This images fish swimming about 3-inches into the tank. However, the field of view is much too limited and one must wait some time for a fish to swim into focus.

The color USB web camera is made for Microsoft Windows on a PC computer. The third party Mac software shows 640x480 photos using a 1,300,000 pixel CCD. It has a 2.6-foot cord built in. Macam software can be downloaded for free and will include live views, adjustments and photo capture.

Original Logitech Cam

Modification
The cam has a plastic case with a swing down lid that gets in the way of mounting to aquarium. As the cam was old, it was easy to snap off the lid thus creating greater clearance between the cam and the face of the glass aquarium for easy mounting using 3M duct tape. Fig. 2

Making the Cam Mount
The Cam fits into a discarded 2.5-inch diameter plastic water bottle trimmed 4-inches from the bottom and with a semicircular cutout for the lens. Slide the mount back and forth in front of the tank and adjust the cam lens focus for each distance.

Pinhole increased depth but with vignetting

Improving the Depth of View
To improve the depth of view to capture sharper images of fish beyond the 3-inch range, an aperture pin hole stop was placed over the lens. The aperture stop successfully improved focus across a larger depth of view however it also caused significant vignetting, thus limiting the FOV field of view to a small circle in the center of the frame.

Added fish eye phone lens for a wide FOV

Larger Field of View
To improve the cam significantly, create a much larger FOV, and maintain a large field depth focus, an extra lens was added to the existing cam lens. At a cost under US$10, the  37mm 0.45x 49UV Super Wide Angle Phone Lens was configured and clipped onto the front of the cam over the lens center. Readjust the cam lens for focus each time the cam is moved. The result is a dramatic improvement, showing more fish throughout most of the aquarium in focus.

TV-like view of entire aquarium is amazing

Attaching the Modified Cam
There are two options. One, attach the modified cam with the extra lens direct to the glass front of the aquarium with duct tape. This will show the appearance of larger fish in the direction of where the cam is aimed. The second option is to mount the cam farther away from the front of the tank. This can give a TV-like view of the entire aquarium for watching all the fish at the same time. Again, the original cam lens will need to be refocused for the sharpest view.

Live window is spectacular to watch

Using the Fish Cam
While the Fish Cam can provide hours of entertainment and is loads of fun, it can also be psychological beneficial with its mood calming, and scientifically useful. The Fish Cam window can be placed anywhere on your work computer screen like a real time miniature aquarium. The cam can photo, video record and monitor a community of fish and analyze swarming patterns, behaviors, eating patterns, and identify fish by their analyzed markings. It can identify healthy or sick fish and study the condition of the plants and tank. It can be used to create a digital photo book and show growing fish and plants over time. Get to know your fish closeup. If the aquarium is a small nano tank, the Fish Cam electronic window lifts up the image of the tank and fish to a very convenient location. Watching the live window on a Mac with Macam is spectacular as the top half of the tank is a moving rippling reflection of the water and fish below.

Fish Cam with extra fish-eye lens attached

Going Further
Ironically the best views are with the fish-eye lens. However, the wide angle fish eye lens may be reconfigured as a macro lens to take microscope-like images. This can be useful for examining fish and plants close-up though it may require special mounting.

Links
Macam Download

The Fish Cam has a simple recycled bottle mount with clip on fish eye mobile lens

http://webcam-osx.sourceforge.net/
https://sourceforge.net/projects/webcam-osx/

Logitech Cam
http://www.novatechgadgets.com/loquwefornow.html
https://www.pocket-lint.com/laptops/reviews/logitech/67375-logitech-quickcam-notebooks-pro-webcam
http://www.zdtronic.com/WEBCAMS/LOGITECH-961240-0403-QUICKCAM-PRO-USB-WEBCAM-FOR-NOTEBOOKS.html
https://www.cnet.com/products/logitech-quickcam-for-notebooks-pro/specs/

Spectacular Xtelescope

Skyscraper Observatory Update
Work continues on the spectacular and powerful Xtelescope designed for Skyscraper Observatory along with special Amping techniques that will amplify the diameter up to 100 times.

The telescope has run into numerous unending development challenges, the most recent solved was a rebuild, to metal machine the mounting. The first snafu was a skewed tripod in April that needed rebuilding and took about two months to complete. The mount machining took place over a one week period in the latter part of July when tools were purchased and a machine shop was quickly set up at the new location. Massive heat was another challenge approached in July. If left unchecked, the optics glue and other components could melt. Unexpected telescope OTA mass was prohibitive in assembly, plus a run-out of Skyway space necessitated new programming orientation during August.

Additional workings involve shielding from heat which required the design and construction of a telescope heat shield. That took about a week to manufacture and was completed and put into operations about 2 weeks ago near the end of July, however it will continue to have improvements and tweaking.

The system is awaiting the assembly of the most massive and heavy OTA optical tube assembly. It is unknown how this will be hoisted.

The heat shield is still in the works for the telescope, for withstanding the typical daytime temperatures around 122 deg. F in the Pacific Ocean.

Then, due to the oversized telescope, space began to quickly run out on the skyway. This will require specialized programming and compensation during use.

The observatory is now waiting for the massive and heavy OTA to hoist up high on the mounting and install the anti-vibration devices, execute leveling and calibrations, attach the additional scopes, access the operation of the star sensing AI, and develop operations for limited space function.

The first five software packages are now installed (in July) and equipment is standing by at Mission Control.

Mars is around opposition and closest approach, although besieged by a global dust storm obliterating surface features by dust for over a month. Contrast of features is extremely low and the storm is slowly settling down somewhat as some surface features are beginning to return in the dust.