It seems I need to re-calibrate my camera every few weeks.
The camera is in it’s little case, extra secure with some double-sided tape in there. The camera case is secured to the lid with hot glue, as is the USB cable. It’s not going anywhere. When aligning, and updating the overlay, the lid is secured to a screw with some snug rubber bands. After alignment, the camera is dead on.
I haven’t used the camera for a while, but today it’s off by about an inch to the left, just a hair off from front/back. I can understand the front/back issue if the lid isn’t in the EXACT same spot, but left/right? I don’t understand how that’s happening. Everything I’ve read here tells me this is due to the camera moving, but it’s glued in! And even if the camera somehow moved in the case, there’s no way it can move that far.
Could it be that the image is not actually shifted but rather angled? If so, that could possibly be explained by a small drop on one side of the camera.
It may not appear obviously angled due to LightBurn calibration adjusting for distortion but it’s one possibility.
Is the lid of the laser always opening to the same place? If you have gas struts, those are notoriously bad for this - I created a piece of 1/4" plywood, cut to length, and with a shallow notch on each end, so I can use it prop up my lid to exactly the same height every time. You prop up the lid with that, set the Z height of the bed to the focus height, and snap the image.
The camera module was a snug fit in the case, even before I added a little double-stick tape, and does not have a separate lens. (generic 5mp camera, OV5648)
The rubber bands keep enough tension on the lid so it’s pulled back as far as it can go, but I’ll make up something to prop the lid up and take the rubber bands out of the equation, then I’ll re-align it in the morning. Fingers crossed!
Tossing this out there for the developers. If you added some sort of special/symbol stickers at various fix points on the laser bed, would it possible to dynamically offset the camera alignment? Essentially using the fix points as anchors to adjust the X and Y offsets by a few mm as needed (or as requested)?
I do think one could find fixed areas for such markers. That said, my depth of knowledge of the process and key elements is rather “lacking” .
Once in awhile someone without any knowledge will say why don’t you do this … and OMG, they are right and I can’t believe it never occurred to me. I hate to say it, the less knowledgeable they are on the subject matter the more likely their suggestion has merit.
Long winded way of saying, I was hoping to be a useful idiot !
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