Timelapse Pi Mk3
Simple Raspberry Pi timelapse camera. Updated!
![raspberry pi timelapse camera Mk3](timelapse-pi-mk3-2882.jpeg)
from 3D model to first 3D-printed prototype
The code is pretty similar, and still extremely simple.
But for this one I opted to focus on form and features.
- starts on boot
- autofocus (16MP Arducam)
- saves 1080p or 4k photos to local folder
- ordered by timestamp so easy to make video
- 3D-printed case
- laser-cut acrylic sides
- RGB LED fan
- OLED display to show status
- a few guardrails to prevent user error
The Essentials
Install headless OS on Raspberry Pi Zero W I had laying around.
- user: pi
- pass: [mypisystem]
- enable VNC - this made previewing the graphic easy
- set VNC resolution
- enable Glamor
- enable peripheral > camera
- set boot to gui for testing purposes
Create bash script to take still photos (named mine "run-timelapse.sh"):
#!/bin/bash
while : #infinite loop to just take photos!
do
echo "taking still photo"
libcamera-still -o /home/pi/timelapse/ --datetime -q 95 --width 1920 --height 1080 --nopreview
sleep 120 #in seconds
done
Make script executable:
sudo chmod a+x FILENAME
Set script to run on reboot with:
sudo crontab -e
by adding this line to the end of the file:
@reboot /home/pi/timelapse/run-timelapse.sh
Then ssh to the pi and navigate to the directory where the pictures should be. If new images show up every two minutes, you're good to go!
ssh pi@timelapsepi
Copy photos to local computer
From the terminal on the local machine using rsync instead of scp:
rsync -azP pi@timelapsepi:timelapse/ /Users/joelgaeddert/desiredlocation
Make the video using ffmpeg:
ffmpeg -framerate 12 -pattern_type glob -i "*.jpg" FILENAME.mp4
1 picture every 2 minutes = 30 pictures / hr = 720 pictures / day
720 frames x 12 frames / sec = 60 sec video
So to make a video of April 14:
ffmpeg -framerate 12 -pattern_type glob -i "*0414*.jpg" 2022-4-14.mp4
Delete files after copy
This needs to be scripted to prevent user error. Because remember that one time I deleted 42,000+ files on my computer accidentally? Including all my wedding photos? We don't want that.
Note: it's all good--luckily my backup systems worked as designed. But it was honestly one of the most nerve-racking few hours of my life.
Preview camera for initial setup
Start the camera and open a preview window, indefinitely:
libcamera-hello -t 0
-t = time, 0 = indefinitely
Connect with RealVNC
The simplest solution for connecting to the Pi in a headless setup. Both Mac / iPhone apps.
That pretty much covers the basics. Plug it in and pictures start being taken right away!
3D printer laying down first layer of filament
Next time:
Take the extra 2 minutes to swith out the 3d printer filament!
The green color is hideous.
Take the time to model all the screws.
The only real design mistake I made was putting one screw too close to edge of the case, which meant that it couldn't be screwed in all the way. It's a tiny error, but easily preventable and quite frustrating when you want to get it right!
Better process documentation.
I only took a couple photos during this build, and a short video clip. Should have documented things better as I went along. Especially during the 3D modeling process.