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Basic DIY camera for educational use

Started Apr 8, 2019 | Discussions thread
Bernard Delley Senior Member • Posts: 2,041
shed the sensor !!

the sensor, whatever kind, is always a complex electronic blackbox.  I think for an educational project in the image sensing electronics you would have to start at the photodiode. Of course the photodiode and the nano- amperemeter (or better high impedance DC voltmeter) risk to remain blackboxes.  An LED is also a photodiode of course. You could even try a 'crystal detector' as a more hands on diode. But, to bring the light detection out of the black box seems to require  basics of quantum mechanics and Shockley's thermodynamic device equations. So that remains way too much for most pupils unfortunately.

So perhaps do away with the sensor. No electronics at all ! Use a white screen. You may start with a camera obscura .   You could include prisms, gratings and spectra in your optics course.

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