An Interview with David Kronstein (Tesla500)

Welcome, David Kronstein (Tesla500)!

• David is the creator of the Krontech Chronos 1.4 high speed camera currently funding on Kickstarter.
• Dave has already reviewed this camera...on camera.
• Check out the tesla500 youtube channel. David also runs the "Will it Mow" channel.
• PhantomV4
• David is considering a die cast mold for the case, depending on volumes.
• The battery is an off the shelf, common camera battery.
• OurPCB is doing the assembly in China. $100 per board in low volume, with 1000 placements, 130 line items.
• The main FPGA is the Lattice ECP5.
• The main processor is the DaVinci TMS320DM8148 running embedded Linux
• The main sensor is the Lumxima LUX1310
• CMOS vs CCD
• The FPGA only has 15% utilization.
• The KS offers monochrome and color versions because monochrome maintains higher resolution. This is explained by a Bayer Color filter in hardware.
• The FPS1000 was a lower cost high speed camera on KS.
• One big risk to the process is David is looking at chaning the toolchain for the TI chip because of processing power. He's looking at ridgerun, a 3rd party embedded development house.
• The camera has ADC inputs for displaying data over the images.
• It will be compatible with Genlock.
• David also desigend a 5 kW LED rig but won't be selling it. He may open source the waterblock design or sell just that piece.
• We had some great questions from our audience, hopefully we got them all answered.
• Ben Krasnow did a great "bullet time" video using the camera.
• Photonic induction doesn't have a camera yet but he did a fun video with a pumpkin at Halloween.
• Interested in embedded Linux? Send a resume to jobs@krontech.ca
• You can learn more about David's company at Krontech.ca
• Pre purchase your own Chronos 1.4 camera over on Kickstarter. Or check out the Datasheet for the camera.

Community Announcements!

• Meetup in Chicago on 12/6
• Contest to win a signed copy of The Art of Electronics!
  • Tweet about this episode! (click to get a prefilled tweet or compose your own and send a screenshot to contest@theamphour.com)
  • Post to Facebook (send a screenshot to contest@theamphour.com)
  • Send an email to a coworker about this episode (copy contest@theamphour.com)
    • Example Email:
    • "Hey _______, I listen to a show about electronics called The Amp Hour. They have a contest where I can win a signed copy of The Art of Electronics if I mention their latest show to you, which was an interview with the creator of a high speed camera. It was all about FPGAs and image sensors and getting a product made. Check it out here: https://theamphour.com/the-amp-hour-325-an-interview-with-david-kronstein-tesla500/"

And finally, shredded wheat.