"New" sensor technology article

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427295.100-cheap-naked-chips-snap-a-perfect-picture.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=tech

Eric Miller
www.dyesscreek.com

"Eric Miller" wrote in message
...
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427295.100-cheap-naked-chips-snap-a-perfect-picture.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=tech

Thanks for posting.

I remember years ago troubleshooting a very high frequency amplifier that
would not "hold still." Turned out that the main RF transistor case was
flawed and was admitting light which was affecting the bias and the gain and
the noise. Knotty problem solved with a drop of black goop!

Anyway, all semiconductor devices are light sensitive, some more than
others.

No way that memory chips are properly configured to be photo sensors. My
guess is that the article was written by one with limited knowledge in this
arena.

In article , Eric Miller
writes
http://www.newscientist.com/article/...naked-chips-sn
ap-a-perfect-picture.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=tech

We really are desperate for news in this field, aren't we.
I recall making an imaging sensor from a 64kbit DRAM about 30 years ago!

256x256 pixels, framing at TV rates! And that was following
instructions from an article in a popular electronics magazine, though
its so long ago I can't even recall which one it was, so I doubt I was
alone!
--
Kennedy
Yes, Socrates himself is particularly missed;
A lovely little thinker, but a bugger when he's ****ed.
Python Philosophers (replace 'nospam' with 'kennedym' when replying)

Kennedy McEwen wrote:
In article , Eric Miller
writes
http://www.newscientist.com/article/...naked-chips-sn
ap-a-perfect-picture.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=tech

We really are desperate for news in this field, aren't we.
I recall making an imaging sensor from a 64kbit DRAM about 30 years ago!

256x256 pixels, framing at TV rates! And that was following
instructions from an article in a popular electronics magazine, though
its so long ago I can't even recall which one it was, so I doubt I was
alone!

Yup, it was a popular way of building small cheap cameras for robot
vision. The best chips were the MIL-spec ceramic bodied chips with
metal lids which could be carefully soldered off. Grey scales were
obtained by repeatedly reading the memory cell while the light charge
built up -- the longer the time to flip, the darker the cell. But
today's young engineers are so hooked on novelty they refuse to read
anything published before they were born :-)

--
Chris Malcolm

Eric Miller wrote:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427295.100-cheap-naked-chips-snap-a-perfect-picture.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=tech

Eric Miller
www.dyesscreek.com

Digital film has arrived.

:-)

Just drop the card in your old film camera and shoot. Remove the card to
download the image. Wipe the dust off & shoot another... I'd guess full
frame 35mm will be a couple grand or more but the rest is just that
simple, plus some software. I like it.

--
Paul Furman
www.edgehill.net
www.baynatives.com

all google groups messages filtered due to spam

Kennedy McEwen wrote:
In article , Eric Miller
writes
http://www.newscientist.com/article/...naked-chips-sn
ap-a-perfect-picture.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=tech

We really are desperate for news in this field, aren't we.
I recall making an imaging sensor from a 64kbit DRAM about 30 years ago!

256x256 pixels, framing at TV rates! And that was following
instructions from an article in a popular electronics magazine, though
its so long ago I can't even recall which one it was, so I doubt I was
alone!

Along with turning a transistor (cheap) into a photocell (not so cheap)
by sawing the top of the can...

BugBear

"Bob Larter" wrote in message
...
bugbear wrote:
[]
Along with turning a transistor (cheap) into a photocell (not so cheap)
by sawing the top of the can...

Yep, eg; a BC108. And I've even seen it done with an OC71, if anyone
here is old enough to remember them. With them, you scraped the paint
off the glass package.

How big - physically - a 12MP array of OC71s and filters?

And why do they have silicon diodes in transparent packages?
http://luguang.en.alibaba.com/produc....html#inSearch

David

Bob Larter wrote:

Kennedy McEwen wrote:
In article , Eric Miller
writes
http://www.newscientist.com/article/...naked-chips-sn
ap-a-perfect-picture.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=tech

We really are desperate for news in this field, aren't we.
I recall making an imaging sensor from a 64kbit DRAM about 30 years ago!

256x256 pixels, framing at TV rates! And that was following
instructions from an article in a popular electronics magazine, though
its so long ago I can't even recall which one it was,

Byte magazine published an article on how to do that, so that may be the
one you're thinking of.


Steve Ciarcia wrote the article. I think Micromint created a kit. It was
published in Byte Vol. 8, No. 9 Sept 1983 and republished in several
best of Circuit Cellar.

http://books.google.ca/books?id=sM6K...d=0CAwQ6AEwAA#



w..

Bob Larter wrote:
bugbear wrote:
Kennedy McEwen wrote:
In article , Eric Miller
writes
http://www.newscientist.com/article/...naked-chips-sn
ap-a-perfect-picture.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=tech

We really are desperate for news in this field, aren't we.
I recall making an imaging sensor from a 64kbit DRAM about 30 years
ago! 256x256 pixels, framing at TV rates! And that was following
instructions from an article in a popular electronics magazine,
though its so long ago I can't even recall which one it was, so I
doubt I was alone!

Along with turning a transistor (cheap) into a photocell (not so
cheap) by sawing the top of the can...

Yep, eg; a BC108. And I've even seen it done with an OC71, if anyone
here is old enough to remember them. With them, you scraped the paint
off the glass package.

Or (nowadays), just use a teensy little LED. No sawing req'd.

--
Jeff R.

"Bob Larter" wrote in message ...
[]
I've never heard of diodes being affected by light, although I suppose
that - at least in theory - it's possible that they are somewhat light
sensitive.

Indeed they are - photo-diodes! I'm guessing that the packaging excludes
light getting to the active area. Early diodes had the same black paint
as transistors, such as the middle component he

http://www.reuk.co.uk/Germanium-Diodes.htm

Cheers,
David