DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

This is what it takes to build a super high speed $150K Phantom camera

Sep 12, 2016 by John Aldred Add Comment

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

phantom_construction

Gavin Free of the Slow Mo Guys is no stranger to Phantom cameras. In his time producing slow motion videos, he’s used pretty much all of the ones they make at some point. In this new video for their “Behind the Scenes” channel, Gavin takes a trip to Vision Research in New Jersey to see how they’re made.

Having donned his anti-static lab coat, Gavin, along with the rest of us, are taken on a tour of the production line. Starting with the bare circuit boards and resulting with a fully finished Phantom v1612, capable of capturing a million frames per second. We also see them testing out one of their new Phantom VEO 640 cameras with water droplets.

All Phantom cameras start off as a series of unpopulated circuit boards. From there, a solder mask is applied, followed by components using pick-and-place machines. It’s pretty standard procedure for electronic devices, with tiny components far to delicate to solder by hand. The board is then photographed by a high resolution camera, and a computer inspects the images to ensure proper placement.

pick_and_place_smd_components

Once boards come off the pick & place machine and pass inspection, they are sent into a reflow oven. These are well controlled, and temperature profiled so as to ensure high enough heat to work with the solder, but not too high as to damage components. Large and small components require different temperatures, and these profiles allow them to subject different parts of the board to different temperatures.

When they come out of the other end, the board goes in again upside down to solder the components on the other side. Larger components that are too big for automated placement and soldering are soldered by hand.

Sensors and other critical components are checked for defects before being put into the assembly line.

phantom_sensors

After the cameras are assembled, they’re temperature tested. All Phantom cameras are rated to operate within a certain temperature range. So, each camera gets a full test at those temperatures in the factory. During the temperature tests, the image quality of the cameras is monitored throughout, to look for problems.

Finally, the screws and bolts are hand checked ensuring a good fit. You don’t want it falling apart once it gets in your hands.

phantom_construction

It’s always fun seeing how things come together from their constituent parts and end in their final form. Especially so when it’s something as unusual as this. It seems, too, that even Phantom are fans of vertical video.

water_droplet_vertical_video

Do you shoot slow motion footage? With a Phantom or something else? Let us know what you use and your thoughts in the comments.

[via Slow Mo Guys]

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

DJI officially launches Phantom 4 Advanced, new and improved version of Phantom 4 Leaked Phantom 5 photos turn out to be a modified Phantom 4 Pro How To Build A 22 Gallon High Speed Photography Studio Default ThumbnailSuper High Speed Footage Of A 60D Exposure Cycle

Filed Under: Gear Tagged With: Flex, Flex 4K, Gavin Free, phantom, slow motion, The Slow Mo Guys

John Aldred: from diyphotography.net

About John Aldred

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

« How to save your GoPro from drowning for $1
Demand for the X-T2 takes Fuji by surprise with deliveries delayed by up to two months »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • Here’s a bullet time video booth you can build yourself
  • Ricoh has discontinued the HD PENTAX-DA 21mm F3.2AL Limited silver lens
  • This “stellar flower” unravels the twilight’s evolution in 360 degrees
  • Strobes vs Continuous LEDs – Which is right for you?
  • Wave goodbye to Apple’s My Photo Stream next month

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy