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I had the idea of using a webcam with a Raspberry Pi a long time ago, but it wasn't until April 2015 that I started working on it. I replaced my old Raspberry Pi model B (256 MB) with a new Raspberry Pi 2 model B, and the old one became the heart of this project.
The reason I used a wired connection is very simple: in the event of Wi-Fi failure, I would find myself locked out of the Pi!
Equipment used:
- Raspberry Pi model B (256 MB)
- 4 GB Lexar SD card
- Microsoft LifeCam HD-3000 webcam
- 5 V, 1200 mA power adapter
- Two weather-sealed (IP56) junction boxes
- Around 15 meters of CAT5 Ethernet cable
- A ringless 67mm UV filter
The whole ordeal runs a Python script I developed that works around a minor issue with the webcam and scrapes weather information from the web, then joins everything together and uploads the resulting image every five minutes.
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The main junction boxed equipped with a custom (badly) cut wooden base.
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The secondary junction box, holding the electrical components.
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The wooden base was equipped with screws to latch the Raspberry Pi onto, and cable ties to hold the webcam.
The arrow is a reminder for the direction to unlatch The Raspberry Pi.
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Cable ties before tightening.
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Tight and safe.
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The first, rough hole. Turns out the webcam is too far from it, leading to thick vignetting.
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Properly enlarged hole to prevent vignetting.
Not perfectly rectangular, but does the job and also allows for rotating the camera to the right to get a better view.
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An old 67mm UV filter was removed from its ring and attached using hot glue.
This prevents rain from collecting inside the ring, and insects from entering the box.
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The PiWebcam in its final location.
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How it looks.
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