Do Camcorders/ Video camera have Sensors in them?

Rhine720

Curious. I have a video camera and I've decided to take it apart. I posted a thread a while ago about building a robot, so It would be nice if somehow i could use something from this camera to give it "vision" or "Senses". So I want to know. Do these things have sensors in them? Is that how they work? What kind of sensors if they do?

DaveC426913

Any autofocus camera will have a way of knowing how far it is from the subject.

Wiki goes into some details about the methods.

Danger

I'm just guessing here, but it seems to me that any decent camera would also have some sort of optical sensing apparatus, such as maybe a CCD array...

Mech_Engineer

Well if the camera still works, you could incorporate it into the robot to give you video feedback. Otherwise, I don't really think there's much you can do with it, other than possibly making a line, color, or light/dark sensor (but it might take some advanced soldering and circuit modification).

Phrak

In addition to ranging for autofocus that DaveC brought up, analog cameras will, usually have sensing for overall light intensity to adjust shutter speed and flash. I don't know about digital cameras.

Borek

No sensors, there is a gnome in each camera, gnome with a canvas, palette and paintbrush.

mgb_phys

For video you need two sets of imps, one painting each image and another blowing it dry.

zbeast

Now, now people be nice..

I'll answer some of your question after that use Google and wikipedia.com
for more detail..

1) Don't even try to hack an old broken camera..
unless you have tech information on that camera your wasting your time.
2) All camera contain some type of "sensor" Cmos or mos.
the most common is a ccd a type of cmos sensor.
3) Here's where you should go to wikipedia and look up "CCD"..
How they work is much easier to understand with pictures.
4) Adding vision to a robot is a very complex process....
I would recommend that you visit a site like "make"...They have projects
you maybe able to do to add simple vision to your home bot.

Well that's it from me... good luck...

DaveC426913

@*#! unions...

ddemetrius456

Yes Video camera and camcorders do have sensors. without ssensors hardly there are anymore gadgets produced.

Rhine720

Alright so after taking it apart some more. I can accross a very interesting piece. Makes me think of a turbine(I know that it is not). At one end it has a white cap with 4 holes with metal rods that then pass through a short(very short) glass tube and then through some gears and into another things with all these green and copper tightly packed teeny tiny wires. and then thats connected to the part that you put your eye at..Could this be it? If not, what is it? I'll upload a picture

Rhine720

DaveC426913

Hm. If you don't know what a circuit board is, is there any possibility this is over your head?

Rhine720

Of course it is..which is why I'm buying a kit to learn off of. But I figured I'd pick up some knowledge here too =]