Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Shop Camera

wanliker@... wrote:

>
> In a message dated 8/5/2006 12:35:18 A.M. Mountain Daylight Time,
> john@... writes:
>
> But if you use an old PC, free from most places, you can also run it as a
> shop computer.
> Run various programs like Machinist's Mate, _http://www.wadecoprhttp:_
> (http://www.wadecopro.com/)
> Run a set or part of a DRO system.
> Run TurboCNc driving one stepper motor [ or more ] to give a simple power
> feed to a machine, [ no need for out and out CNC. ]
> Use Turbo CNC again to power a stepper driven dividing head for indexing
> without tears.
>
> A cheap shop PC has far more uses than a TV and takes up the same amount of
> room.
>
>
>
> I agree with your comments.
>
> However, I still want the TV, one unit, versus a computer, and a monitor.

Assuming your TV has a straight analogue input it will probably be NTSC
on that side of the pond. The problem with getting good sharp close
pictures is that composite video has the colour and black and white
mixed up so that when it is pulled apart in the monitor you get strange
patterning. NTSC can be a bit worse for this as PAL is designed to lock
the pattern so you do not get colour crawl. Small single chip colour
cameras can be bought for 40 to 50 GBP and probably the same in dollars
in the USA. The do not produce bad pictures and for inspection work they
may well be acceptable, but they are usually about 350TVL resolution -
basically 350 dots across the screen.

A higher resolution 'composite' camera giving 550TVL resolution will
come in at 150GBP but has the same colour problems.

If your TV has a scart connector and RGB input then you can get rid of
the colour crawl problem, but cameras with RGB output are a lot more
expensive. My own broadcast quality Sony camera comes in at 3000GBP
complete with remote control lens assembly and all the extras. It has
separate sensor chips for red green and blue, so NO cross colour ;)

SO USB cameras are a good price, and some can capture a lot higher
resolution than a standard TV would display. A small ITX based computer
attached to the back of an LCD panel with a good quality USB camera is
going to be a lot cheaper - performance wise - than the TV solution. I
use an 8Mpixel SLR style camera for capturing high resolution images and
download them through the USB cable to the computer as my Sony camera
cant come close to the quality.

--
Lester Caine - G8HFL
-----------------------------
L.S.Caine Electronic Services - http://home.lsces.co.uk
Model Engineers Digital Workshop -
http://home.lsces.co.uk/ModelEngineersDigitalWorkshop/
Treasurer - Firebird Foundation Inc. - http://www.firebirdsql.org/index.php