[sdiy] CCD cameras for control

[harry]

Hi Rob...

Whether they can be used for IR depends on the wavelength. The glass or
plastic
lens / window will be the determining factor. My guess is that they will
work in the
near IR, just below human visual wavelength (900nm).  You will need an
IR source...
like LEDs etc.

CCD are like (yuck) BBDs... they need to be clocked to bring the data
out of them.
The line sensors are addressed serially... don't know about the x-y
sensors. No data...
etc.

To do an Alesis Air-FX clone... you probably just need the ratio of
light reflected into
a pair of phototransistors...  (total 4 for both axis)....

OTOH the CCD might allow more gestural control... like the difference
between a wave
and a "bird" !

H^) harry

Rob wrote:

> Just wondering if anyone knows exactly how a CCD works.. I have access
> to a few of them, and was wondering how feasible it would be to *tune*
> one to work in the IR range, use a transmitter that reflects the IR
> from a hand or some other object into the CCD. I *think* a CCD is
> strobed on its elements with a known voltage then sampled by looking
> at the residual charge left on the individual pixels then recombined
> using some micro to make a sort of picture. In this case the picture
> would be my hand in the way reflecting the IR and I would look for
> intensity and off-center direction and set *zones* that would trigger
> different midi responses, controllers, or midi notes. I have not been
> able to find any app notes on raw ccds.. Most of them are setup in an
> assembly with the strobe and mux attached, along with some primitive
> optics. Rob