All components were sourced in Sydney, Australia through 2018 & 2019. We won't anticipate you'll have too many problems sourcing these items.
Notes:
- All pricing shown here is approximate, and excludes shipping costs.
- The totals reflect the unit price and don't take into account that some merchants require you to purchase more than 1.
- All Element 14 links should readily translate to Avnet and Farnell links for other markets. (They're the same company).
| Section |
Approx pricing AU |
Approx pricing USA |
| Photographic |
$690 |
$501 |
| Electronics |
$213 |
$160 |
| Power |
$113 |
$83 |
| Hardware |
$112 |
$76 |
| TOTAL |
$1128 |
$820 |
Photographic
A camera (Canon 60D)
See the Design Decisions page on the project's Wiki for the logic behind specifying this.
~ $AUD400
~ $USD250
18-55mm EF-S Lens
See the Design Decisions page on the project's Wiki for the logic behind specifying this.
~ $AUD75
~ $USD75
DC Power Coupler to suit
Aka a "fake battery". We cut off the USB plugs, stripped the cable and terminated it directly to the matching plug for the PCB-mounted socket. If your camera has an auxiliary power input this coupler won't be necessary - substitute a suitable plug and cable instead.
$AUD35
$USD25
Shutter Release cable to suit
$AUD10
$USD9
Manfrotto Rapid Connect Adapter with 357PLV Camera Plate
$AUD83
$USD60
77-82mm filter step-up ring
$AUD10
$USD5
82mm UV or ND filter
$AUD50 - 100
$USD50 - 110
Right-angle Mini-B USB cable
This one's optional, and depends on your choice of housing and camera. We wanted a right-angle USB plug to come out of the camera. This one ended in a Male A, necessitating the use of the second USB cable (see Electronics/Pi).
$AUD2
$AUD2
SUBTOTAL: AUD$690 / $USD501
Electronics
Arduino Pro Mini 328
We went with the 3.3V 8MHz model for its minimal current consumption and pin-compatibility with the Pi's 3.3V IO pins. You *will* get better performance out of the 5V version, but also inherit an obligation to add a level converter for the pins (not described here).
$AUD16
$USD13
FTDI programming cable
Don't be tempted to go with a generic 5V programming cable - stick with a 3.3V version to match the Arduino, otherwise your in-situ programming will result in the Arduino presenting 5V into the 3.3V pins of the Pi.
$AUD25
$USD18
Raspberry Pi Zero W
I went for the Pi Zero as it met my needs for a low-current, low-cost unit in a small footprint - and less than half the cost of the larger models. There's nothing stopping you upgrading to a Model 2 or 3, but be aware that some of the config options will be slightly different.
$AUD15
$USD22
USB "OTG" cable
You will recognise this as a micro-USB plug to a USB-A socket, but it's officially known as an On-The-Go (OTG) cable. Your Pi supplier probably offers these as an option with the Pi, so you can connect "standard" USB peripherals to the Pi. It's only required in the finished unit if you can't source a single USB cable to run from the camera to the Pi.
$AUD5
$USD5
Mini HDMI cable/adapter
As with the OTG cable, your Pi supplier will surely offer these with the Pi, as you'll need it to connect your desktop monitor for the initial config steps.
$AUD8
$USD7
SanDisk 128GB Ultra Micro SDXC Memory Card
Choosing a larger size allows you to maximise the off-camera storage in the Pi. Be careful though, as once you go over 32G you're beyond the capabilities of the FAT file system and you're at greater risk of finding the Pi won't read the card. I used "RPi SD cards" as a helpful reference to find the card we went with here.
$AUD50
$USD20
Real-Time Clock
DeadOn RTC Breakout - DS3234
$AUD24
$USD11
Coin-cell Backup Battery
The DeadOn RTC requires a 3V lithium backup battery. The common CR1225 or the slightly thinner CR1220 are compatible here. Your DeadOn supplier will probably have these in stock, otherwise they're the sort of item you might get from the local electronics hobby store or key-cutting kiosk.
$AUD3
$USD4
3.3V regulator (Arduino)
Pololu 3.3V, 500mA Step-Down Voltage Regulator D24V5F3
$AUD7
$USD9
5.0V regulator (Raspberry Pi)
Pololu 5V, 500mA Step-Down Voltage Regulator D24V5F5
$AUD7
$USD9
7.5V regulator (Camera)
Pololu 7.5V, 2.4A Step-Down Voltage Regulator D24V22F7
> This regulator is *purely* for the camera, so choose a different voltage here if required.
$AUD13
$USD10
Opto-Isolators
We used bog-standard Motorola 4N25 6-pin DIP opto-isolators. These (or an equivalent) should be easy enough to find anywhere.
$AUD1 (each - you need two)
$USD1 (each - you need two)
Concealed Timber Door Frame Reed Switch
So as to save opening the case when its in situ, we added a standard door reed switch you might find used in a burglar alarm. Wave a magnet on the outside of the box, and in the configuration presented here it will wake the Raspberry Pi for the previously-set "WakeTime" duration. (This presumes a low-power setup with the Pi normally turned off).
$AUD5
$USD2
2.5mm stereo socket
This is to connect the intervalm8r to the camera's shutter cable. The PCB has been designed to accommodate all the thru-hole PCB-mounted sockets we could buy online. You could just as easily choose in-line instead, or a directly-connected cable. Change this to a suitable connector if your camera shutter release cable uses a different type. (See "adding the components" in the PCB assembly.md for more details and options.)
$AUD2.00
$USD0.40
3mm Green LED (optional)
As the project is presented, this LED lights when the Arduino is awake, but only if the adjacent jumper is connected (taking Arduino input A0 to ground). I used it as a generic headless debugging aid. You should be able to find this just about anywhere: your Arduino/Pi supplier, local electronics hobby store, etc.
$AUD0.28
$USD0.06
Custom PCB
The custom PCB for the project is available on eBay.
$AUD15.00
$USD10.00
A fully assembled and tested version of the board is also available: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/266454263566
Resistors
Resistors are used on the board for two purposes. They're either current-limiting the supply to the LEDs (the green one and the 2 optos) or providing pull-up or pull-down assistance to the IO pins. You should be able to find these just about anywhere: your Arduino/Pi supplier, local electronics hobby store, etc.
Green LED: 1 x 150R 1/4W
Optos: 2 x 150R 1/4W
$AUD0.03 (ea)
$USD0.06 (ea)
Arduino pin A8: 1 x 4.7k 1/4W
Arduino pin A2: 1 x 4.7k 1/4W
$AUD0.03 (ea)
$USD0.06 (ea)
47uF electrolytic capacitor
Every supply needs some smoothing. Optional but recommended.
$AUD0.30
$USD0.50
100nF MKT polyester capacitor
Every supply needs a 100nF poly smoothing capacitor. Optional but recommended.
$AUD0.30
$USD0.25
100nF ceramic capacitor
I really love the DeadOn RTC, however SparkFun appear to have omitted the chip manufacturer's recommended power supply capacitor. I went with a 100pF ceramic.
$AUD0.30
$USD0.80
5.08mm / 0.2" PCB-mount sockets
These are the green power connectors for the power input and camera power output on the PCB. You want two.
$AUD0.50 (ea)
$USD0.48 (ea)
5.08mm / 0.2" PCB-mount plugs
These mate with the above. You want two.
$AUD1.36 (ea)
$AUD1.09 (ea)
Miscellaneous
Header pins
$AUD0.40
$USD0.56
Jumpers
You need either 4 or 6, depending on how you assemble the board.
$AUD0.30
$USD0.40
2.0mm Bolts (to mount the Raspberry Pi)
You might find these a challenge to source. Try a shop selling model aircraft, drones, etc.
$AUD0.30
$USD
2.0mm threaded spacers
$AUD0.30
$USD
Backmount (for mounting the PCB to)
3.0mm bolts (PCB to backmount)
3.0mm (dia) spacers
Interconnecting wires
Let's call it $AUD10
Let's call it $USD10
SUBTOTAL: AUD$212 / $USD159
Power
12V Sealed lead-acid (SLA) battery
Be careful selecting a battery. The 12V 2.2Ah SLA battery we went with only *just* fits inside the Pelican case.
$AUD24
$USD15
12V Solar charger
We used this "12V 6A Battery Charging Regulator for Solar Panels".
$AUD30
Or this 3A version will also do the trick.
$AUD15
Both these are easily sourced on the usual websites.
Solar panel
Choose a panel and matching charger to suit your installed environment. If you're lucky enough to have mains power, perhaps omit the panel but retain the battery and charger to sustain the system through any unexpected mains failures.
$AUD49
$USD21 - 34
Miscellaneous
Your choice of solar panel might require some bracing or a bracket in order for it to mount to a pole. For ours we used two lengths of some 2" aluminium angle that we had to hand, resulting in a U-shaped support.
Let's call it $AUD10
Let's call it $USD10
SUBTOTAL: AUD$113 / $USD83
Hardware - casing and mounts
Pelican 1300 case
$AUD95
$USD60
CCTV Camera Mount
$AUD15
$USD
Cable entry gland
You only need two holes in the box - one to let the light in, and another for the power. For the power input, you'll need some sort of gland to provide a water-tight seal.
You should be able to source these from your nearest electrical wholesaler, hobbyist electronics shop, or maybe a marine supplies shop (if you're near water).
$AUD2 (est)
$USD1
Ram Mounts
If your budget allows for it, check out some of the mounting options in the Ram Mounts range. Their "C Size" mounts will take up to a 5kg (~10lb) load.
SUBTOTAL: $AUD112 / $USD76
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