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This section has some text and two schmatics that have been derived from the old v2.5 CAD manual, and should for the most part also be relevant to v2.6. For any versions subsequent to v2.6 you may need to do some alterations. Please read all the instructions in the other parts of this HTML documentation before trying to build the cine film recorder and the computer controlled cine film camera circuit. This description, of the cine film recorder and the computer controlled cine film camera circuit, is intended only for use in testing DANCAD3D.EXE (tm).
See also Section: 3.80.0.0 and Section: 9.75.61.0 for information about DANCINEL.EXE (tm) to display 2048x1536x32 high resolution Digital Cinema like image frame files on the monitor in your cine film recorder and have DANCINEL.EXE (tm) automatically operate the cine film camera and filter wheels.
See also the video about building a cine film recorder in Section: 4.0.0.0.
Steps to build a computer controlled cine film camera circuit:
Measure your camera and draw a motor design to fit it.
Purchase the motor, switches, and metal to build the mechanical parts.
Test the motor and see if the camera motor will run the camera when the camera is loaded with film.
Purchase electronic parts for the amplifier.
Wire up your audio output signal tap in such a way as to safely draw off just the right amount of audio or ultrasonic signal from your computer's speaker terminals. Be sure that your connections are of high enough impedance, and have DC blocking capacitors rated for high voltages to isolate your circuit from your computer's mother-board.
Wire up the amplifier, and connect the amplifier to the Hi-Z audio signal tap on your computer's loudspeaker.
Test the amplifier and computer signal with RUN_IN.MAC and DANCAD3D (tm).
Install the finished camera and animation motor into your cine recorder box.
Write a macro and do an exposure test to see what is the best exposure time.
Adjust your animation macro to the best exposure time.
Write an animation macro, and film your animation.
ANIMATION CAMERA MOTOR: The solenoid unit worked very well except for the loud noise the solenoid makes when the solenoid slams shut and then open. The animation motor works just like the solenoid device as far as the macro programming is arranged except that more time needs to be allowed for the shutter to close. When the signal command starts sending the signal to the computer's loud speaker, normally at an inaudible frequency like 32000 Hz, the relay closes and the motor turns until the shutter is open. When the shutter is open the motor stops, but the relay stays closed until the signal stops coming from the computer. Since the camera shutter will stay open as long as the signal continues, the duration of the signal tone, controlled from the macro SIGNAL command, will determine the duration of the exposure of the film in the camera. When the signal is finished and stops the relay opens and the motor starts turning again until the camera shutter is closed (while the camera shutter is closed the film advances to the next frame.)
The same arrangement of capacitors and resistors is used on the computers loud speaker to isolate the amplifier load from the computer. The amplifier is an IC number LM380N in the 14 pin DIP case. A single 2N3055 transistor drives the relay with Single Pole Double Throw (SPDT) contacts (you can use half a DPDT relay if you wish.) The isolation transformer was not used at the signal input of this in this circuit since C1 and C2 provide some DC isolation between your computer and the input to the amplifier.
The macro RUN_IN.MAC is an example of how to write a macro to advance the film a specific number of frames. RUN_IN.MAC was used to advance the camera past the "flashed" film exposed during threading the camera, and after the last animation was filmed so that the last sequence would not get flashed by the dim light used during un-threading the camera.
VERSION v2.7A ; RUN_IN.MAC ; Runs 16 mm camera in five feet GRAPH_MODE B&W :LABEL SIGNAL 32000 7000 DELAY 7000 LOOP :LABEL 199 ; 200 frames = 5 feet ; End RUN_IN.MAC
The LM380N amplifier produces a glitch, that can make the motor turn a little when the power is applied or when the power is cut off, so the STEP/RUN switch should have a center off position, and the switch should be in the OFF position when the power is turned on, or when the amplifier power is plugged in. The STEP/STOP/RUN switch should be set: to STOP when the ON/OFF switch is toggled, to RUN to advance the film to run in or run out, and to STEP to make animation. Also if you reboot your computer the STEP/STOP/RUN switch should be set to STOP since the computers "beep" will start the animation motor moving. The macro RUN_IN.MAC, shown above, was used to advance the past the head and tail leader of flashed film that you get when using daylight spools. In practice I loaded the camera using a dim red "safe light" so that I would not need to run in or out more than five feet of film.
CINE2 CIRCUIT PARTS LIST: L1 ................................. The computers 8 ohm loud speaker. L2 ... 9 volt 500 ohm coil relay with 120 volt AC 2 amp SPDT contacts. L3 ..... 120 volt AC primary 12.6 volt 1 amp AC secondary transformer. L4 ............................. 120 volt 60 Hz AC 1 RPM timing motor. R1, R2, R7 ................ 100 ohm 0.25 watt 5% carbon film resister. R3 ....................... 100K ohm 0.25 watt 5% carbon film resister. R4, R8 ..................... 1K ohm 0.25 watt 5% carbon film resister. R5 ........................ 10K ohm 0.25 watt 5% carbon film resister. R6 ........................... 2.7 ohm 1 watt 5% carbon film resister. R9 ........................... 220 ohm 1 watt 5% carbon film resister. C1, C2, C3, C5, C6 ................. 0.1 mf 50 volt ceramic capacitor. C4 ................................. 470 pf 50 volt ceramic capacitor. C7, C8 ........................ 100 mf 25 volt electrolytic capacitor. C9 ............................ 470 mf 25 volt electrolytic capacitor. C10 .......................... 1500 mf 25 volt electrolytic capacitor. IC1 .................................. LM380N 14 pin DIP power amp IC. Q1 ...................................... 2N3055 NPN power transistor. D1 ......................................... 1N914 small signal diode. D2 ............. 50 volt 1 amp full wave bridge or four 1N4004 diodes. S1 .............................. SPST 120 volt 3 amp AC panel switch. S2 .............. SPDT with center off 120 volt 3 amp AC panel switch. S3 ..... SPDT 120 volt 3 amp AC micro switch with cam follower roller. F1 .................................... 120 volt 3 amp fast blow fuse. A1 through A5 ...... Connector from amp box to motor and micro switch.
I used a miniature 9 volt relay in my implementation, if you use a 12 volt relay you can replace R9 with a piece of wire. R9 sets the relay current and voltage when the relay is rated at less than the supply voltage.
To make the understanding of how this animation motor amplifier and controller works I have included the drawing CINE3. Since the camera I used had an eight frames per turn drive shaft I made a cam that had eight bumps that were one sixteenth of the circumference wide. If your camera has a single frame shaft you would make a cam with an 180 degree bump.
The photography of a single cine frame in the movie camera takes place in four stages or steps.
STEP ONE: The micro switch is arranged so that the micro switch's normally open (N.O.) contacts are closed when the high part of the cam pushes on the micro switches contacts. The cam rotates on the motor's shaft clockwise in the drawing CINE3. The signal from the computer is normally off so the relay contact defaults to the normally closed (N.C.) position. To set up the movie camera turn the camera shaft until the camera shutter is closed and mid way between being open. Then rotate the cam until the micro switch N.O. contacts just close. Adjusting the cam this way insures that the shutter will be closed when the motor moves from step four back to step one. I made the cam fit over the camera drive shaft that connects the motor to the camera and have set screws to allow for rotary adjustment of the "phasing." A flexible coupling should be used between the camera and the motor to prevent breakage of either shaft.
STEP TWO: When the macro command SIGNAL starts the tone on the computers loud speaker the relay will close the N.O. contacts and break the N.C. contacts of the relay. The motor will then rotate until the micro switch falls into the slot in the cam. Since most movie cameras have a shutter that will be open when the shutter shaft is 180 degrees away from the closed position an eight frame shaft will need to turn one sixteenth of a turn before stopping.
STEP THREE: After the micro switch roller falls into the cam slot the camera motor stops. As long as the amplified signal from the computers loud speaker continues the motor will hold the camera's shutter open. The exposure will follow the macro SIGNAL command very closely since the time required to open and close the shutter pretty much cancel each other. If you have a movie camera with a one frame per turn shaft you would probably want to use an 8 RPM motor rather than a 1 RPM motor.
STEP FOUR: When the macro SIGNAL command is finished and the relay returns to have the N.C. contacts closed the motor will start turning again to close the camera shutter and advance the movie film to the next frame. The motor will continue to rotate until the cam pushes the micro switch up and closes the micro switch's N.O. contacts. When the micro switch's N.O. contacts close you are back at step one and ready to photograph another frame. Because it takes a few seconds for the camera shutter to close you will need to use the macro command DELAY after the SIGNAL command to ensure that the screen display is not disturbed until the camera's shutter is closed. The actual time that the signal stays on, or the delay from the macro DELAY command lasts can vary from computer to computer, and for different program versions, especially on computers faster than 66MHz, so you should test the timing on the computer that you will be using with the program version you will be testing.
EXAMPLE: SIGNAL 32000 90000
DELAY 3000
The above macro commands issue a 32000 Hz inaudible signal from the computers loud speaker for 90 seconds (i.e. 90000 ms.) It will take about the same time for the camera shutter to open and close on the camera driven from the animation motor. If we assume that it takes three seconds for the motor to pass through step two to step three the shutter will open after the signal has been on for 1.5 seconds. After 3 seconds the motor will stop and the shutter will remain open until 1.5 seconds after the signal stops. The motor will run for three seconds after the signal has stopped, so you will need to allow for a three second delay before disturbing the video screen in any way. The DELAY command can be used to make sure nothing happens while the camera is closing its shutter and advancing to the next frame of film.
If you build a film recorder I hope you enjoy seeing your computer animation run smoothly. The projected cine film can make a nicer impression than a VHS video tape of your computer animated film because the film can have higher resolution, and frame rate conversion is not needed. Film runs at 24 fps and video runs at slightly less than 30 fps for NTSC (USA), or about 25 fps for PAL (Europe).