Small-gauge film optical printer platform

Go to file

Matt McWilliams 498b585b67 Add support for controlling the printer with an NES retro-style USB controller. As long as it has 10 buttons.		2024-11-26 13:27:31 -05:00
app	Add support for controlling the printer with an NES retro-style USB controller. As long as it has 10 buttons.	2024-11-26 13:27:31 -05:00
data	Add support for controlling the printer with an NES retro-style USB controller. As long as it has 10 buttons.	2024-11-26 13:27:31 -05:00
debug	All work on mcopy hardware. Improvements to gate peg bars, film path, front block and gate mask slides. Improvement to rails mounts for Bolex and Arri. Improvements to projector controller electronics mount.	2024-11-19 01:24:27 -05:00
docs	Upload screenshots of app	2018-10-05 18:05:16 -04:00
hardware	Improvements to the mcopy JK99 board: now the JK100.2	2024-11-19 15:30:21 -05:00
ino	add neopixel sketch. still working on hardware.	2024-10-30 16:00:05 -04:00
notes	Add support for controlling the printer with an NES retro-style USB controller. As long as it has 10 buttons.	2024-11-26 13:27:31 -05:00
processing	Add support for controlling the printer with an NES retro-style USB controller. As long as it has 10 buttons.	2024-11-26 13:27:31 -05:00
scad	Add support for controlling the printer with an NES retro-style USB controller. As long as it has 10 buttons.	2024-11-26 13:27:31 -05:00
scripts	All work on mcopy hardware. Improvements to gate peg bars, film path, front block and gate mask slides. Improvement to rails mounts for Bolex and Arri. Improvements to projector controller electronics mount.	2024-11-19 01:24:27 -05:00
src	Update scripts to reflect capability of the mscript interpreter right now. No set within loops. Resolves #10	2024-10-14 09:49:37 -04:00
stl	All work on mcopy hardware. Improvements to gate peg bars, film path, front block and gate mask slides. Improvement to rails mounts for Bolex and Arri. Improvements to projector controller electronics mount.	2024-11-19 01:24:27 -05:00
.gitignore	All work on mcopy hardware. Improvements to gate peg bars, film path, front block and gate mask slides. Improvement to rails mounts for Bolex and Arri. Improvements to projector controller electronics mount.	2024-11-19 01:24:27 -05:00
.gitmodules	Add OpenSCAD/MCAD to the project to prevent double work. Including as a submodule appears to satisfy the requirement of the LGPL and allows mcopy to remain MIT licensed.	2023-09-25 12:25:56 -04:00
LICENSE	Update license as work has been ongoing since 2018	2021-02-22 13:26:21 -05:00
Readme.md	Fix for the canonical URL caught by Tom Murphy	2024-01-24 05:19:07 +00:00
package-lock.json	Add support for controlling the printer with an NES retro-style USB controller. As long as it has 10 buttons.	2024-11-26 13:27:31 -05:00
package.json	Add support for controlling the printer with an NES retro-style USB controller. As long as it has 10 buttons.	2024-11-26 13:27:31 -05:00
tsconfig.json	Refactor mscript GUI code into Typescript	2022-08-07 22:10:53 -04:00

Readme.md

mcopy

An open platform for controlling small-gauge film optical printers (16mm, Super8, 8mm).

Project Home - git.sixteenmillimeter.com/16mm/mcopy

Github Mirror - github.com/sixteenmillimeter/mcopy
Gitlab Mirror - gitlab.com/16mm/mcopy

Introduction
Downloads
Usage
Software
Firmware
Hardware
Why?

Introduction

The mcopy project is comprised of software and hardware for optical printers, built with re-purposed broken projectors.

Components

Sequencer desktop app
Scripting language, called mscript, for orchestrating complex sequences
Arduino firmware for projectors, cameras, lights and existing printers
3D models of parts used for modifying projectors and printers
Schematics for simple Arduino-based electronics
Filmout feature for digitally transferring video and images to analog film
Interoperability with the intval3 intervalometer

Downloads

Latest Installers

1.6.9 for macOS, Linux (.deb) and Windows (.msi)

Older Versions

1.6.7 for macOS and Linux (.deb)
1.6.4 for macOS, Linux (.deb) and Windows (.msi)
1.6.2 for macOS
1.6.1 for macOS
1.5.2 for macOS
1.4.9 for macOS and Linux (.deb)
1.2.0 for macOS and Linux (.deb)
1.0.3 for macOS and Linux (.deb)

For Windows, you can install from source for now.

Usage

The software requires your hardware to be in place before the mcopy control app is useful.

Software

The mcopy desktop app is an Electron-based project which can be built for Linux, Windows and macOS. Pre-built packages will be made available for macOS, initially, with the other two target platforms to follow. To build the desktop app from source, see the installation and running instructions. The desktop software also interoperates with two related projects; the Bluetooth + Wifi capable, Raspberry Pi-based INTVAL3 and the Arduino-based intval2.

Firmware

This project contains Arduino formware for controlling:

a projector
a camera (see intval2 for more info)
a light
a projector + a camera
a projector + a light
a camera + a light
a camera + a projector + a light

Using a simple serial interface, this modular platform can be used to control DIY components, modified existing optical printers or a mixture of components. The desktop app can connect to multiple serial devices, so your mcopy optical printer can be built from various designs that suit your hardware tastes/needs/available parts.

Hardware

All non-electronic hardware for this project is available as plaintext OpenSCAD files and 3D print-able .STL files. The hardware component of this project is aimed at modifying broken Bell & Howell projectors into USB serial-controlled projectors to be used in optical printing.

As a secondary capability, this desktop software and firmware package can be used to replace the sequencers for early-model JK optical printers, with some modification.

Why?

I'm interested in expanding the viability and access of the 16mm film format and to repurpose thre rising tide of discarded film technology.