Jzoe Blog

cutting

A co-worker was starting to machine a block of aluminum with a 3/8ths inch endmill, and after observing the proper safety precautions I made this video.

I’ve been looking for a source for high speed video for quite a while now, trying to get a better idea of the mechanics of a foot guard hitting a soccer ball. I found a camera that might be a big help:

http://www.amazon.com/Casio-EX-FS10-Digital-Stabilized-Blue/dp/B001OTZR4A

One thing people ought to know about digital cameras is that a company usually sells a few different models at different prices, all with the same light sensor and the same basic electronic guts. The more expensive cameras get nicer controls, nicer materials, maybe a bigger LCD- and some extra software options. The cheaper ones within a series can usually take nearly identical pictures or movies as the next step or two up in price.

This is a pretty cheap camera at $154, compared to the $190 EX-FC100, or the EX-FH20. They all seem to have the same exact 9.1 megapixel sensor. The FC100 has image stabilization, which is nice for pictures but worthless for high speed video. The FH20 has a faster lens, which would actually be pretty helpful for cutting down how much light is required for the high speed video.

So, is it worth $308 to get the f/2.8 lens instead of $154 to get the f/3.9? It’s like having twice as much light, but less stuff will be in sharp focus. For my money and my purpose, I think the cheaper camera is great- I was thinking of doing the shot outside in full sunlight around noon regardless, so it should be fine.

So, do I buy the camera, or just build another guard and see if it hits harder? Or do I build the guard, then buy the camera used if I can find it, take my video, and resell the camera for close to the same price when I have my data?

January training in Atlanta went well, pictures are here:
http://www.jzoe.com/TeamUSAJan2010Training/

Pictures from the most recent games are here:

http://jzoe.com/Dec 5 2009 games/

Kendra’s new soccer chair really sucks down the juice! I put in some premium new batteries, but after two games and a day of running around, they were all the way down to empty. For Team USA, we are looking at getting a second set of batteries to carry with us, but that’s heavy and expensive.

This made me think- why not just charge them 3x as fast? These chargers would do the trick:

http://www.evparts.com/prod-CH5407.htm

http://www.batterystuff.com/battery-chargers/brands/iota/IOTA-DLS2725.html

They each weigh about 5 pounds, fit in a backpack, and cost less than a pair of batteries. When everyone else has been charging for an hour during lunch, it will be like she charged for 3 hours! Caution to anyone else trying this, though- you need to rewire things to keep from breaking anything.