Homemade Gamecams/Trailcams
Trailcams, or gamecams, have come a long way over just the last few years. Game cams are a great way for someone like myself to scout hunting areas while at work. They are tireless and can be in the woods 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. My intent here is to not get into the history of trailcams, but rather to tell you how to build your own high quality Digital gamecam, including Videocams where to get the items needed, how to put it all together. Of course there are more ways to build a homemade trailcam, and many more cameras available than i can cover. I will pick out 2 of my favorite builds and put them together here on this site with pictures for you to look at and follow along with, This is an attempt to give you the basics to get started without having to sift through the tons of info on several different components available to you. First we will start with a Digital Trailcam. the first component of this build is of course the camera itself. Many of the cameras being used are getting hard to find because they are no longer available in retail stores, So where do you get a camera suitable for a gamecam? EBay is the place to look, also pawn shops, local internet classifieds or closeouts. Don't fret, you can probably find these camera on EBay for some time to come...The unit we will start with is a Sony Cyber Shot digital camera. There are several models to choose from, each one is a little different to modify but we will choose only one for this build.
Sony Cyber Shot DSC-P32
Tools needed:
Drill or Drill press, Soldering Iron and Rosin core solder, 1" & 1 1/8" Hole saw, Drill bit set, #0 Phillips screwdriver, Knife &/or Scissors and Ruler Or Dial Calipers.
Items used for this build:
Updated !! I have now included a picture of the BG2 control board on page 2 that shows the soldering points for this same build, and provided a link to where to get it here in this list. all steps otherwise are the same, except that each board is configured differently for drilling holes.
Camera ( look for the camera on Ebay or closeouts at stores), Pelican 1060 case, (or buy the case on Ebay) Control board, I used SnapShot Sniper with sensor on back, you can Also try the BG2 Control board instructions shown on page 2 ArkansasElkHunters Flash Gasket, Lodiff Flash Enhancer, Lodiff Fresnel lens, Standoffs, Shutter assembly, 2 3/4"OD Black Oxide U-Bolts, 3M PT 1100 sealing tape, 40 Gram Desiccant pack, 30 mm UV filter, Molex 3 wire connector, Black silicone gasket sealant, 5 minute Epoxy that bonds glass, metal and plastic (found at auto parts store).
Some items will be purchased locally from the Automotive Parts store, Photo store or Wal Mart.
Modify the camera.
Follow the directions in the PDF file on how to modify the camera, for this your going to need the Shutter assembly & Molex connector, along with the tools, Screw driver to take the cam apart, soldering iron to solder the wire from the connector to the assembly. it is not necessary to bring the wires out exactly as in this PDF, I prefer to come out the bottom and fasten the Molex connector to the bottom of the camera with PT 1100 tape, this makes for a very clean look, see pictures below of what I do.
Before opening cam, turn it on, and then take out the batteries, this leaves the shutter door open, then while your installing the Servo connector and shutter assembly, Disconnect the shutter door motor, this will eliminate noise.
Solder the smallest wires to the shutter assembly, then run them as shown in picture below.
Also, you will need a very small notch in the cam case for the wires to come out the bottom.
Then put the cam together, and fasten the Molex connector as shown using the 3M PT 1100 tape. Be sure that the latch side is away from cam.
