The relative position of the cameras for the car collision project is absolutely essential in order to make sure we aren’t changing the parameters of our setup. In order to keep this factor constant before setup the depth map in our software, I wanted to make sure I had something to hold our cameras together. I was going to create my own holder but saw there was a plethora of available models out online specifically for the c270 camera. I decided to print them all out and give a run down about each one.
My final decision (Vertical Case)
The first option can be found at this link. I really like this option as it very minimal and requires you to take apart the cameras and only use their boards. I really like this because it reduces the depth since it just uses the essential components from the camera and not their cases. Taking the cameras apart was difficult as I had to break their shell since I would have had to desolder one of the wires going through it as the board couldn’t pass through the wire hole when taking apart the board. The actual hole in the back for this case though was more than sufficient for passing through the cameras’ USB cables. The case is very solid as well. The only few issues I had this this case are that the screw holes weren’t there when it came printed out. So I had to take a hot pin and melt away a hole to put the screws in which worked great. Other than that the screw placement wasn’t perfect (or maybe it was my melting of holes on the cylinder). As a result the camera boards are both on their own ~5º angle with respect to the case which shouldn’t be that big of an issue. If it turns out to be bad I’ll just print it out again and puncture the holes for the screws again.
C270 internal boards mounted to the same case
Pros:
- Minimal
- Clean
- Puts both cameras in a single enclosure
Cons:
- Screw configuration isn’t that great but can be worked with
- Requires you to break apart the original camera enclosures
Second Option (Vertical Option)
This is my second favorite case and I found it at this link. Its really elegant and uses the shell from the actual cameras so you don’t have to break anything. This case works by unscrewing the front cover and using this case as the front cover with the same screws as the original cover that came with the camera, which is great since you can reuse them.
Pros:
- Solid design
- Don’t require you to break apart the original camera enclosures
Cons:
- Requires additional image processing to rotate the images (depending on your setup)
- Uses additional space because it uses the shells from the camera and there is a big gap in the middle for use with a mount
Third Option (Rotational Option)
This option is available at this link. At first I really liked this option as it allows for you to rotate the cameras along the z-axis if you left the screws loose though. I realized that it wouldn’t be ideal for our situation though since we needed a case where we couldn’t change the relative location of the cameras. Also it took up a lot of space since it had a big gap to a mount area in the back and also used the stock enclosures of the C270 webcams. It also requires breaking off the clamps from the webcams in order to insert screws in its place which are located in the back of the webcam.
Pros:
- Allows for rotation
- Open-air design
Cons:
- Uses up a lot of space
- Requires breaking off the clamp from the back of the webcams