The Kite-Cam
Over the last few months I have been working on a 'Kite-Cam' - quite literally a camera attached to a kite!
The first kite I used was a 2 line stunter, but after smashing a camera I switched to a single line Stratoscoop 3, which is capable of lifting about 4.5kg.
The Stratoscoop 3
My first rig used a Fuji DX-9 digital camera with the shutter fired by a servo taken from a remote control car.
Bracklesham - April 2000
The digital camera was perfect for checking that things worked, but I wanted higher quality images so I started working on attaching my 35mm Nikon SLR to the kite.
35mm micro-switch triggered shutter rig
With this rig the shutter was fired by a servo closing a micro-switch. Unfortunately I discovered that the micro-switch was very prone to closing with vibrations in the kite line, so I ended up with a lot of unwanted pictures! Luckily I did get some good ones.
Bracklesham - May 2000
I have now replaced the servo and micro-switch arrangement with a small circuit that will fire the camera directly from the radio control receiver.
Remote-controlled shutter release
Hopefully soon I should get a day away from sorting out our new house to fly the new rig . . . watch this space!