A protective Raspberry Pi Camera Case, custom made from a SD memory card case.
I recently receive my eagerly awaited Raspberry Pi camera module that I plan on using for time-lapse photography of the wildlife in the garden, clouds and hopefully the nights sky.
On opening the box there was a notice about the camera module being sensitive to static, as with any bare electronics, and that it should be handled with anti-static precautions. So ideally it needed to be in a protective case. So I went off to scrabble through various draws to see what I could find. I eventually came across a micro SD memory card and adapter case that looked perfect for the job. Actually I found three that I forgot I had. The one I used was made of sturdier plastic and had the most internal space.
On the inside was some supports to hold a SD card adapter which also fitted the camera modules width to hold it in place nicely. The ribbon cable passed over the micro SD card supports which looked like they would damage it when the case was closed so I removed them with a sharp knife. Next I cut a rectangle hole out of the front of the case to pass the ribbon cable through it. Then I marked out where the camera lens goes and cut out a square for it and closed the case.
Using some bluetack the camera is now protected and mounted on the Raspberry Pi.
As the SD card case is larger than the camera it can be used to mount, screw or stick the camera module in suitable places to take the pictures. We use suckers to attach Christmas decorations to windows which would work well attaching the case to a window. I think the case would make it easier to mount the camera to a lens of a pair of binoculars which I will have to try next time the moon is passing by.
I have a mini camera stand I brought from a local supermarket for an extortionate price of £2 which is perfect for attaching to the case with and elastic band allowing the camera to be supported at any angle.
The only problem I have is the RPi gets in the way of the middle leg to position it and keep the ribbon cable straight. This can be helped by extending the two outer legs as they are telescopic and resting the middle leg on the RPi case. I think it would be useful to cut a second slit out of the back of the SD case for the ribbon cable to go through, which will make postioning it a bit easier in some cases.
When the camera is active a red LED is lit above the lens which is useful except when you are taking photos through glass as you get light reflection on the glass. Covering that area of the case with black electrical insulation tape helps to eliminate the effect.