Case for ESP32_cam Trail Camera, PIR sensor, 18650 battery, SD card, No supports

cults3d

I tried my best to keep the cost low so i could make many of them, if you have salvaged batteries then the cost will be under 10$. As always i strongly recommend shopping around to find the best value parts with the best shipping cost to your location. DIY trail camera case for ESP_32 CAM module with PIR motion detection. I use the camera without wifi connections and simply save photos to an sd card. You can always change the code to your own project but if you simply want to save the photos to an SD card like me then i recommend the code from this amazing website (works without any modification): https://randomnerdtutorials.com/esp32-cam-take-photo-save-microsd-card/ I use a mosfet to switch the power on/off to the ESP32 module using the analog signal output from the PIR module. This way there is no extra current drawn from the sleeping ESP32. But the downside of not using deep sleep is that the delay from movement to picture is around 1,5-2 seconds. If you like you can follow another tutorial from: https://randomnerdtutorials.com/esp32-cam-pir-motion-detector-photo-capture/ With deep sleep the delay is reduced to about 1 second. Parts i used: ESP32_CAM module: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DD3fJIR PIR module: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DmmGQWL 5.5mm power plug:https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DkJxaDv (This will be used to charge the internal batteries, since i did not use and internal charger you will need to supply current limited 8.4V from this plug to the battaries) 2S Lithium battery BMS: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DkcUfV5 (If you have balanced cells and you know what you are doing then this part is not needed, I use salvaged old batteries so i bought a balance charging board to make the most of my 18650 cells) 3M blots to close the case: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DBwgovt (I recommend these kits, if you make tons of DIY things they are really useful ;) Mosfet to switch ESP32 on/off: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DeTXjYj (You can use any kind of mosfet you have available, just make sure they support atleast 200mA of current, also i again recommend kits so that you have a choice available for future projects: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DmG6wcr) Glue to keep everything in place: I just used a bit of hot glue. DISCLAIMER: The links above are affiliate links and if you buy these items i will get a couple of cents of kickback, I tried to find the cheapest options but I always recommend you shop around and find the best value for your location! 18650 lithium battery: Use any kind of battery you have. You will need 2 cells in series to get a voltage suitable for the ESP32. Any active voltage regulator will sap away power and using 2 cells will keep the power usage low. I tested with old lithium cells from a broken laptop that had about 900mah of capacity left in them and after a month of running and about 200 pics the cells were still at about 3.85V≈70%. THE WATERPROOFING- If you plan to use the case outside i have a list of things i did to make the case last longer. Use silicon adhesive glue to clue the parts poking out of the case in, so around the camera sensor and around the PIR sensor. I use clear nail polish to coat the circuit boards and connectors. Use a lot of glue/silicon around the gap between the camera and the battery box. After making sure the PIR sensor was set up i plugged the PIR sensor holes with silicon. The only hole left should be the bottom SD card slot and that will stay open so that the water or moisture that does get in will have a way out of the box. PIR sensor will have to be set up to have the ESP32 powered long enough to take and save the picture, you will have to set the time by using the potentiometer on the PIR sensor. I have it turned on for about 15 seconds each trigger. PRINTING: Use PETG or ABS if possible, PLA will degrade outside after a year or two. Printed with a 0.6mm nozzle. 0.2mm layers. No supports needed. Make sure you do not have any underextrusions to keep the plastic solid and waterproof. In the picture i have a PLA case to test how well it will survive compared to PETG.