Harbortronics Nikon Coolpix 990 Deep Sea Camera

CHALLENGE: Harbortronics has provided innovative solutions for digital camera owners since 1998. The company wanted to convert a Nikon Coolpix 990 for deep-sea use, which required redesigning the lens section so that the lens pointed 90 degrees from its original position.

SOLUTION: Harbortronics chose Accurate Design for their circuit board design expertise. No drawings or documentation were available from Nikon, so Accurate Design made careful measurements. They added a new circuit board to tap into the microprocessor of the camera and to give the operator control of the camera's functions remotely. The new housing and circuit board were mounted on a sliding rail system, allowing rough positioning of the camera inside an existing cylindrical titanium housing. The housing was attached to the remote arm of a deep-sea submarine, allowing control of the camera from inside the submarine. The lens assembly contained multiple mounting positions on different planes.

RESULTS: Despite the complexity of the lens mounting, the first prototype worked flawlessly after modeling in Solidworks.