Assignment 4

Some Do-It-Yourself (DIY) project options compiled by Rob D.

Pick one of the projects below or one of your own design, Document your project as a
blog report with picture documentation, text description and sound or image clips.

State your objective of your research in the description of your blog. An in-class
presentation of the final object(s) made is also required.

Audio

Microphones

A. Jim Lee’s Dollar Store Parabolic Microphone This step by step plan is for a
mono mic using a Radio Shack mic capsule. Use the better quality Panasonic WM-61A’s if your
teacher still has some available. To make the dish stereo, take a look at these photos where
two capsules are used. There are several theories about how mount two capsules for stereo,
search the web for them.

B. Here’s an example of a project blog for turning a bed-side reading lamp into
a parabolic mic.

C. Tubular “Shotgun” Microphone. Follows “organ pipe” principles. The basic

structure can be used with electret mic capsules we used in class.

D. Underwater Microphones. DIY DUNKING HYDROPHONE, uses the piezo-ceramic

element and attached brass disc from an inexpensive audio transducer. Use of unlubricated
condoms. Or coat contact mics in Plasti Dip, a rubber epoxy used to rubberize handles on
metal tools.

E. Furious Contact Mic. Based on a Piezo Transducer 273-073A from Radio Shack.
Another project based on the same part. Discussion about contact mics on Microsound list.

F. Electronic Sounds from Steel Wire. Uses a piece of steel wire about 30 feet
long and a magnetic pickup. Same author on, Peculiar Sounds from Aluminum.

G. Photophone Transmitter. Uses simple components to create an optical sound

mic/transmitter.

H. The Liquid Transmitter. The device over which Bell said, “Watson come here,
I want to see you." Basic elements are a couple of plastic or paper cups of different shapes,
a nail, and some wire. More on this project.

I. Carbon Transmitter/Mic Voice vibrations alter vibrations at the carbon

contacts – Easy to find materials attaches to your mic input of your recorder! More on this
project.

J. Simple Carbon Mic. A pencil lead is placed in the dimples of exposed carbon
inside of a carbon battery. No pictures in the description.

Recorders

Wax Phonograph. An incomplete description of how to use plumbing parts and

paraffin to make a sound recorder.

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 Thomas Edison Phonograph. Preliminary and quite mechanically involved, buy
interesting.

Speakers

A. Make your own speaker from a Styropfoam Cup. Scroll down to the bottom of
this page with many projects based on magnets.

B. Sound Amplitude Modulated Flashlight. From sound into light. Bare

description but not too complicated.

C. Tin Can Telephone. Basic instructions

D. TalkBox. A speaker is choked with a mixing bowl and the sound is re-routed
through a plastic hose.

E. Music for “Prepared” Speakers. Discover sound signals that can create unusual
sounds effects when played through broken and/or modified speakers.

Installations

Camera Obscura

A. EASY TO MAKE A CAMERA OBSCURA. Turn a room into a giant camera and
watching the images inside. How to video. By Jim Kosinski, Hartwick College,
Oneonta, NY.

B. Making a Camera Obscura, a Pinhole Camera and Film Processing Techniques.

A good overview with lists of necessary tools and materials.

C. CAMERA OBSCURA PROJECTIONS. Useful illustration of camera obscura in a

box. Uses a lens. Part of an extensive education project by Richard Torchia.
Mentions using a door peephole lens.

D. Peep Show Box. Uses transparent film images and rear lighting manipulations
to create light animation. Could be combined with polarization filters, color
filters and even artificial lights like LED’s.

E. Panorama Box Theatre. Candle light shines through the paper panorama roll.

Image Projectors

Magic Lanterns

A. Gallery of Magic Lanterns. With links to graphics and glass slides.

B. Build your own Laterna Magica. A pre-punched cardboard kit for a working
magic lantern with battery operated light source. Good for seeing the innards.

C. Main Parts Of A Magic Lantern. See also diagram of the optical system.

D. Lantern slides and how to make them. A list of vintage booklets with a few

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 illustrations.

E. Chromatrope. Uses two discs of glass which rotate in opposite directions to

produce similar images on the screen.

F. Magic Lantern Links. Lots to explore here.

Flip Books

A. Flip Books. The simplest moving image presentation machine. There are free
printing programs for converting video frames into flipbook images.

Thaumatrope

A. Thaumatrope. A persistence of vision image presentation machine from string

and cardboard. Overview of several pre-cinema optical toys with animations.
More discs.

Zoetrope

A. Zoetrope. A drum with a series of slits on the upper half and a series of
images inside on the lower half.

B. Discs and drums, or how the images learned to walk. Lucid imagery of several
working Zoetropes.

Praxinoscope

A. Praxinoscope. replaces the slits on the outside of the drum with a set of
mirrors in the center of the drum.

Phenakistoscope

A. Phenakistoscope. like a Zoetrop except the slits are on rotating disks

rather than in a drum.

Stereo Camera & Viewer

A. How to Create Stereo Photopgraphs With one or two cameras and a

tripod rig.

B. How to Make a Stereoscope. Uses reading glasses and two print images
side by side. Could be adapted for images displayed on a LCD screen.

Web-Cam Projects

Camera Box to enable Web Cam to use Telephoto Lens

A. Webcam Telescope by Dennis Onbertram. DIY project usinmg blogger. An

incomplete project but instructive. No reason one couldn’t measured the film
plane to lens deistance required first. Requires dismantling a webcam, a very

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 long focal length “telephoto” lens-- like 300mm or longer.

B. How to make a webcam work in infra red by Geoff Johnson. Done here on a
Sweex webcam but a good introduction to the principle steps.

C. Make A Creative Webcam work in Infra Red. By Ken R. in six steps.

D. Modify a Webcam for Videomicrography by Thomas Webster using a Logitech

Quick Cam® Zoom with a microscope that is equipped with a video take-off
stem.

E. Installing a wider angle lens to a Kensington VideoCam 67014. Brief post, with
broken links. Used 25 mm to 37 mm step-up ring for mounting a wide angle
lens with 25mm threads (probably a “C-mount”)

F. Fisheye Digital Imaging For Under $20, H. G. Dietz. Many examples of

attaching very wide angle “peephole” lenses to digital cameras and webcams.

Cameras Using Traditional Photo-Processing Film and Photo Paper

For overview and discussion of alternative practices, see The Analog

Photography Users Group.

Pinhole Cameras

A. Coffee Can 4”X5” Pinhole Camera for sheet film by Ed Buffaloe. Takes very
wide angle shots. You can probably find some B&W sheet film in this size or 8”X10” size on
eBay. Requires a basic understanding of still photography and Black & White negative film
processing.

B. Holga Pinhole Cameras. The technique used here can be applied to other
cheap cameras, even disposable cameras that are returned in person.

a. Pinoramic 120 by Kurt Mottweiler. He’s gone commercial now with

this product but the photos and camera are fun to look at.

b. DIY High Capacity Panoramic Pinhole Camera. His project uses “120”
size film and requires almost “machining” precision to make, but a cruder version using a
simpler enclosure can be imagined.

c. Pinhole Photography. Steps for creating your own camera out of

cardboard.

d. Pinhole Size Optimization. Discusses the diameters for best results

depending on several factors. Includes a chart with needle size #’s and corresponding hole
sizes in inches and millimeters.

e. How to Set-Up and Easy Darkroom and Process Film. Video tutorial. By
Jim Kosinski, Hartwick College, Oneonta, NY.

f. The MERLIN pinhole camera. An elegant camera from a one gallon

paint bucket. Also include information on photo papers and developing
techniques.

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 g. Oatmeal Box Pinhole Camera. Thorough, written instructions

h. Cardboard Reflex Camera. No text but an amazing testament to what

can be done with a straight edge ruler, Xacto knife and cardboard.

i. Junk Store Cameras. Reviews.

j. Infrared Filmstock (and other speciality film products). One source.

Early Photosensitive Processes & Sunprints

For overview and discussion of processes people are exploring, see the
Alternative Photography Forum.

A. Heliograph or Sun Drawing. Sometimes regarded as the first photograph made

by JOSEPH NICEPHORE NIEPCE (1765-1833). He used a pewter plate that was
sensitized with bitumen of Judea and an eight hour exposure in a camera
obscura.

B. Sunprint Kits (Photosensitive Paper). A commercial product that develops in

water. Research how this paper is made? Another source of Sunprint Paper.

C. Cyanotypes. Discussion of on APUG. One source for ready-made coatings to

use on your own paper. Basic instructions for using ready-made cyanotype
chemicals. See also Blueprint.

D. Platinum and Palladium. A hand-coated, UV light sensitive contact printing

process, one of the "iron" printing processes. Uses sunlight for contact
printing. One source for ready-made coating.

E. Salted Paper. a modern version of Fox Talbot's printing paper with a beautiful
delicacy in the lighter tones with flat shadows. One source

F. Liquid Emulsion. A commercial product that can be coated on just about

anything. One source.

G. How to make contact prints using Dupont Dylux® Proofing Paper. This
commercial paper is coated with a yellow light-sensitive pigment which turns
deep blue when exposed to ultra-violet light which is abundant in sunlight.

H. A Dreaded Sunny Day. A document of a dye-line (Diazo) print installation at

WestSpace, Melbourne, February 2005. Note: the processing of Diazo products
can be toxic. There may be an architectural supplies store in Milwaukee that
sells the paper and will do the processing.

Macrophotography

A. Experiments with Close-Up Lenses and Extension Tubes. Tests that show how
much magnification “close-up” (diopter) lenses and extension tubes provide.

Telescopes

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 A. Simple Telescope. Construct a simple refracting astronomical telescope.

Unusual Light Sources

A. Alpha Radiation from Smoke Detector uses a $60 Logitech quickcam 5000 for
the interception of the alpha particles.

B. Make your own Light tent for soft diffuse lighting using a wood frame and
white bed sheets.

Video Monitor Hacks

A. Older NON VGA displays running on VGA hardware. Fairly involved but you can
use $15 TV’s. Shows example where the the RGB is split into three streams to
run three monitors each with a different portion of the image.

Underwater Visual Imaging

A. Underwater CVS Camcorder. Everett Bradford’s plan that uses A $13 #1010
Micro Pelican waterproof case is used for the housing. Check out the other
sizes available here that might work for other cameras even a live webcam.
One could start the camera running before closing the case If you didn’t want
to mess with the reed switch.

Night Vision

A. CVS Camcorder based night vision. Everett Bradford’s involved project that
starts off with a hacked videocam and ends up with a head worn infra-red
video viewer and recorder.

Wireless Remote Operation

A. LAN/WLAN Interface for Digital Cameras. Helmut Dersch’s involved project to

control a digital camera by connecting the camera via USB to a computer
system which is connected to a network.

Software Work-Arounds

A. Find or develop an easy way to reverse the action/time in a video clip using
all freeware (not FCP, Premiere or any application that costs).

B. Find a way to randomize the playback order a bunch of numbered video still
frames in a folder.

C. Find freeware and explore for taking single frames and time-lapse sequences
with a webcam.

D. Find freeware that allows one to layer multiple moving images . Blender would
probably do this but the interface is a challenge.

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DIY Radio Receivers

A. Crystal Set Radios. One source of kits and experiments with.

B. Crystal Radio From Scratch. Even shows you how to make a capacitor out of
tinfoil, copper strips cellophane and cardboard.

Motors

A. Super Simple Motor. Everyone needs to make at least one motor during
their life. More on this site.

Musical Instruments

A. Musical Saws. About the history and playing one.

B. Theremin. History and how it works. List of DIY plans and other resources.

Old Videotape Recorders

A. The History of Video Tape Recorders (before Betamax and VHS). Video
recording hardware, some of which you can still find around.