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Canada
Asked — Edited

Camera Trouble

Hi, my camera won't turn off ( or on ) I was using it and the video stopped , when I noticed that the blue light was very dim I tried to turn it off but no luck, I plugged in the USB charge cord and again tried to turn it off...no luck....Will it charge up to full even with the light on? or what the heck??????

It's the camera that comes with the kit I used it approximately 25 mins. NO JOY!!!!

Dave


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#1  
Update....it seams that the camera has to completely drain of all power then charge it back up before it will turn off or on again .

Is this normal?
PRO
Synthiam
#2  
not at all. you should be able to hold the power button down for 5-10 seconds and it will turn off. otherwise, holding it down for 2-3 seconds will turn it on.

have you openned the camera casing?
#3  
No, I have not opened the case. I was using it and the battery was getting low because the led was dimming and the picture output stopped, at that moment I tried to turn it off and nothing happened the led still remained on thou very dim.

After that I just waited until the led went right out then plugged it in to charge and walla...it's working again.
PRO
Synthiam
#4  
There are some brains in the circuit. Maybe it got confused. Is it working now?
#5  
It seems to be fine now....one thing I did was as the battery was dying out and it stopped transmitting I plugged in the USB, maybe that locked it up.

I will see what happens next time the battery dies and let you know.

Dave
Canada
#6  
Hi All, Just got this great little board for Christmas. Trying to learn about all the good stuff that is to come. Is there a manual for this camera? Does it just work in your Software DJ? or can you use it separately in Windows?

Thanks
Chris
#7  
@Lisa,

It is a PC camera first. DJ's software will work with any camera your PC can see. The advantage to this one is that it is wireless, so your computer doesn't need to be on the robot.

My robot will actually have the computer on board and I will have a couple of cameras. I plan to use the wireless one from DJ for a totally unrelated project (first I am setting it up in the break room at work to find out who takes the last cup of coffee without making more, then I will use it at home as a security cam.

Alan
Canada
#8  
Hi All, having the same issue I think, I lost video signal, tried to turn it off and it would not. SO I plugged it in to charge and still can't get signal back or turn it off. I will wait until it dies then recharge it to see if it will work again.

Just got my board for Christmas and built a little bot with the parts... so far so good. Can't wait to see if I can get motion tracking working if the camera comes back.

Are there any other wireless cameras people have used with EZ software?
#9  
So far mine is working still , just had to let it completely drain out then plug it in and it works again.
Australia
#10  
I had this issue with my camera. Fixed it by removing the battery & connecting +5V directly to it (without using the mini USB adapter) as per this thread:

5V Direct to Cam
#11  
Hey ,nothing wrong with that but I prefer a true wireless camera so the battery stays, anyways it may just be a quirk of the camera and if draining it restores operation then that's how I will use it.
Canada
#12  
Camera came back after let it run out and a recharge.... think I will go with the 5v d-port option everyone is doing:)
PRO
Synthiam
#13  
I find that if you connect the +5 to the camera, and replace the battery with the power from the EZ-B, that it works. If you keep the battery on the camera, it draws a lot of current. I think it is because the battery is charging and the camera is powered, so your EZ-B battery won't last as long.
#14  
Hey, I bought a female version of the wireless cam.;)

Also in the picture is my latest gift from my generous wife...a Ro-Board 110 with 8.9" LCD and VGA card to drive it.

User-inserted image



:)
#15  
Check this out....ARC on my Ro-Board with wireless cam showing Shorty on the grid.
User-inserted image
#17  
DJ
i'm having the same problem with my wireless cam.
this happened the other day and i had to just let it die completely and then i charged it up on my computer's usb. it came on by pushing the power button, but after 30 minutes the cam died again. the camera was working, but then the signal turned the whole video window pink, then i just lost signal. so i thought the battery was just dead, so i charged it about an hour. it still doesnt work, maybe it needs to be charged 2 to 4 hours, or all night?

the blue light is on. when i hold the button 5-10 seconds it did not turn off the camera. i held it for 30 seconds and no luck.

hey everyone, at Dollar Tree in USA there is a connector that is mini usb to usb, perfect to charge up your camera from your usb port.

so i will try charging the camera again but i'm worried that it will not let me turn it off, no matter how long i push the button:(

thegoodrobot@yahoo.com
TJ
Canada
#18  
Hi TJ,
I've been having weird things happen with turning the camera off too. I found that I need to hold the button in about 7 seconds ( 7 1 thousand counts) and I need to do this with 3 times with about a second or 2 wait in between. I tried a number of things as you have mentioned (holding it long doesn't seem to help) and got the funny colored window once too (can't remember if it was pink or not)

Anyway I thought I would throw in my 2 cents on it, maybe it will help you out.

Chris
#19  
I solved all my camera issues by disconnecting the battery and powering it with the EZ-B.
#20  
A little tip for those of us who are beginning solderers: solder 22 gauge solid wire to the ends of the cut servo wire (which is stranded). It's much easier to solder the solid wire to the contacts on the camera. I've watched DJs video 20 times and still can't figure out how he's able to solder the stranded wire so easily to the board!
PRO
Synthiam
#21  
@Choyster skillzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz:)
#22  
I think the process you are looking for is actually called' tinning' your wires/pins prior to soldering them together...works for me...you solder the end of the wires just a bit BEFORE you solder them to anything else......i am not a great solder-er but i don't have too many problems. This also makes soldering quick so you don't put too much heat on your components.

And yes, DJ does have skilzzzz as evident by his awesome boards!


Tinning

Good luck
#23  
kkeast -- I think I read somewhere that the method you described results in a "cold solder joint" which is less reliable. In any case, I actually soldered the stranded wire to a one-inch length of solid (unstranded) wire and then in turn soldered the solid wire to the board. I've got a second kit coming my way so I'd appreciate some thoughts on this as your method sounds easier than mine!

DJ -- Since so many of us are powering our cameras this way, what about a dedicated box within the camera control window (rather than the simple Set Digital control) to more accurately toggle between the four power states for the camera (Off - Video On - Off - Still Photo)?
#24  
@Choyster
Tinning is the ONLY proper way along with applying a bit of flux for soldering, research this on the internet and you will find this the absolute best method.

I'd would like to point out that since I started this thread that I've come to the conclusion that the camera supplied with the EZ-B does have this quirk with the battery that if the voltage gets below a certain level that the camera shuts down but the led indicator circuit still has enough power to stay lit.

As everyone that has experienced this minor issue can attest you have to let the camera led completely go out then you are able to recharge the unit.

So far this doesn't seem to harm the unit .

I would like also to point out that all the suggestions about hard wiring and soldering are great but as I pointed out in post number 12 that I require a completely wireless camera.

Having a wireless camera that is hardwired in any way is not wireless, it's like hooking up a new wireless router to your computer and ripping off the antenna and plugging in the Lan cable and telling all your friends that " I finally have wireless internet in my house now ".

I'm thinking that maybe there is a way to completely shut down the camera automatically before the voltage drops too low, like a ." Fail Safe " in that way you just recharge when it quits instead of waiting for the battery to completely die.

:)
#25  
Putt Putt -- Thanks for the advice on the soldering. Will make life much easier when the second EZ-B kit arrives later this week!

What about replacing the existing battery with your own more reliable power source? You could simply cut out the small battery the camera comes with and replace it with 3 AA eneloops or something.
#27  
There's nothing wrong with the battery, please read the whole thread.
#28  
Yeah so after like 20 mins of playing around my camera also locked up. LED light is stuck on. Is there anyway to fix it other then letting it drain all its power?
Canada
#29  
It is comforting when you search for something and find others had similar issues (thus I am not alone :P) but I do waffle between starting a new post and continuing an old one. Anyhow:)

I can confirm that the wireless camera from the kit will "lock up" into a quasi on state when the voltage drops to low... not enough power to run the camera OR the "shutoff" circuit. @Putt_Putt and @bean341 assuming you still need an answer, I think you have a couple of solutions:

A) Like @Choyster suggested... a more reliable battery source might allow enough "end" voltage to shut down properly, and still give you full wireless (albeit a bit more bulky).

B) Solder (with tinning of course :D) a micro-switch to one of the battery leads (a momentary disconnect button switch would work), giving you a physical shutoff thus allowing a full recharge right away.

Hope this confirmation and idea helps someone out there:)
#30  
@Gunner,

Thanks, when I started this thread I thought there was some problem with the camera, I discovered that it's just the nature of the beast and I use and do what it wants.
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