an Attempt at Simple Toucam Cooling (with RESULTS)
I am fed up with getting Amp Glow in the corner of my pics when doing Long Exposures, but I know that cooling decreases it.
So I have made a very basic cooling device for my Toucam.
It is a small fan from an old computer attached (temporarily) to the back of the Toucam. I know I can fit Peltier Cooling inside the Camera, but this is a test of a very simple method anyone can do if it works. Plus it's cheap
The 1st Test:
I tested its performance today for creating cold air. The Air temp outside was 8 degrees during testing. I switched on the fan and held it close to my hand. Within 1 minute my hand was starting to sting badly from cold!!!
The 2nd Test:
I strapped the fan to the Toucam and ran it for 3 minutes. Then I removed the fan and felt the Toucam body. It was extremely cold to touch!!!
So far so good.
Now all I need is a clear sky and I can test it on Long Exposures. The temps at night are dropping to around 1 degree here at the moment, soon to be in the minus region, so I am hoping the fan will make the camera go down to somewhere around -5 degrees or lower.
If it all works, I will mount it properly to the camera body instead of by the Rubber Bands I am using now.
I will do a report on its performance when I get some sky.
Last edited by ballaratdragons; 02-06-2007 at 07:49 PM.
Ken, chill factor is about how fast heat is transferred from warmer body to moving air that sourrounds it... http://www.learner.org/exhibits/weather/act_windchill/
So, blowing wind will only cool your camera faster, until the same temperature is reached.
For anything lower, you need peltier (active cooling).
Ken, I think that allthough wind chill has to do with faster heat transfer, it might tend to work for you but not as well as hoped.
With no latent heat of vaporisation to aid cooling such as with the human body, wind chill will not be as obvious. Increasing air preasure locally over the body of the toucam should aid in some heat transfer, but not much.
my 2c worth
Ken, I think the ambient air temp is not sensed very quickly by the body. that is why you can go outside for a short while before the cold gets to you; but staying out side for an hour or two and you begin to feel uncomfortable?
Ken, not getting into the chill factor debate, would the fan on the camera itself cause vibrations, and upset the image quality, i would be interested to know.
Ken, not getting into the chill factor debate, would the fan on the camera itself cause vibrations, and upset the image quality, i would be interested to know.
Leon
Dunno yet Leon, I haven't tested it yet. But I did feel the Toucam while it was running and there was no vibrations felt.
Yup tis true! Ken you might like to google 'wet-bulb thermometer'
Noun 1. wet-bulb thermometer wet-bulb thermometer - a thermometer with a bulb that is covered with moist muslin; used in a psychrometer to measure humidity
Ken, I think the ambient air temp is not sensed very quickly by the body. that is why you can go outside for a short while before the cold gets to you; but staying out side for an hour or two and you begin to feel uncomfortable?
Correct. This is because air is actually a good insulator when it comes to heat. Contrast this with a metal surface which will feel very cold when you touch it because metal is a good conductor of heat.
The metal object and the air are actually at the same ambient temperature but the metal 'sucks' the heat from your fingers very fast so it feels cold to the touch. The air takes your heat away a lot slower which is why, as Doug says, you can stay outside a while before feeling the cold.
Hi Ken, not knowing much about the toucams I can`t say if this is right, but with your DSLR`s cooling the ccd/camera makes little difference with actual amp glow which is not temperature related. Only noise is temp related. Your cooling idea should help with the noise a little as any heat created by the ccd/curcuit board shall be removed and kept at ambient not 5c higher than ambient...Why don`t you go for the amp off modd?
cheers Gary
