The photosphere project combines a Rico Theta 360 camera and a raspberry pi with a custom outdoor housing into a rugged 360 (outdoor) time-lapse camera. In my application I track changes in leaf development in a Belgian forest. You can visit the project website at http://virtualforest.io.
The housing is made of standard PVC fittings, sitting on top of a garden fence post. The optics are covered by a glass lamp shade to provide optimal transmission and limited deformation (acrylic globes can be used as well). The only custom part is the mounting setup of the camera which is a 3D printed PLA setup. Black PLA is used to limit internal reflections.
Constructed and placed in the forest the camera looks like a garden lamp (see figure). An ethernet cable, which runs to a nearby hub, serves as the internet and power connection. The setup has a ground wire for surge protection due to voltage spikes from any nearby lightning strikes.
To install the software clone the project onto a raspberry pi and run the install script.
git clone https://github.com/bluegreen-labs/photosphere.git
sh install_photosphere.shYou will have to edit the crontab manually. Data is uploaded to github for viewing, but additional lines can be added to upload captures elsewhere for permanent storage (either on- or offline).
I assume that common items such as screws and glue (pvc, silicone) are available to makers.
| Item | Price ($) | |
| Ricoh Theta 360 camera | ~$300+ | |
| Raspberry pi 3B+ | $36 | |
| Raspberry pi PoE hat | $25 | |
| 48V POE injector | $10 | |
| APC surge protector | $18 | |
| 200ft / 50m Cat5e cable | $13 | |
| 8" glass globe lamp cover | $35 | |
| 4" (10cm) PVC pipe | $20 | |
| 4" (10cm) PVC coupler | $2.5 | |
| 3.5" Wooden Fence post | $5 | |
| 36" ground anchor | $30 | |
| TOTAL | ~$500+ |