Shuttering Light Bulb
(click here for a larger view)
In this example I captured a shattering light bulb.
For this picture I used the following components:
- Camera.
- Universal Photo Timer with IR extension cable.
- Pellet gun.
- 100W light bulb.
The challenge in this project is breaking the light bulb while it is still on. If this picture was taken in a dark room, it would be overexposed. Clearly, I needed to trigger the camera, and let the shutter make the exposure.
I decided to use the microphone as a sound trigger for the exposure. If you place the pellet gun above the microphone, it will trigger the timer as you fire.
One problem that I have encountered is camera shutter lag. Typical exposure lag could be 100ms from the time of the trigger. I have resolved this by placing some distance between myself and the light bulb. Since the pellet gun is not very fast, in my case 5 to 10 meters was enough to delay the impact so that the camera had a sufficient time to react.
After the exposure I needed to make sure that the power to the light bulb was disconnected, before removing it from the socket.
The example described here contains several dangerous elements. They include potential risks in handling a pellet gun and handling high voltage electricity. Both could result in an injury.