Show HN: I made a tiny camera with super long battery life (toaster.llc)

Article summary

The article presents a tiny camera called Photon with long battery life, exclusively for Mac, that can be used for time-lapse photography and has a motion sensor. The camera stores images on an unformatted SD card and has a companion app called Photon Transfer. The camera's low-light performance is a work in progress and its motion sensor has some limitations. The device is made of machined 6061 aluminum and is anodized to perfection.

Main themes

• Tiny camera design
• Long battery life
• Mac exclusivity
• Motion sensor technology
• Low-light performance
• File system and storage

What commenters say

• The camera's Mac exclusivity is a limitation that may hinder its adoption by users of other platforms.
• Adding sample images to the product website would help potential buyers gauge the camera's image quality and fitness for purpose.
• Using a more powerful and modern microcontroller, such as an ARM chip, could potentially improve the camera's performance and capabilities.
• The camera's use of an unformatted SD card and lack of file system support may be a deliberate design choice to minimize power consumption, but could also be seen as a limitation.
• The motion sensor's limitations, such as not being able to detect motion behind glass, are notable and may impact the camera's effectiveness in certain use cases.
• Some commenters suggest that using a different battery chemistry or type, such as a lithium thionyl chloride battery, could improve the camera's battery life and shelf life.
• Others propose that adding a cheap microcontroller to handle USB connections and present the camera as a mass storage device could make it more compatible with other platforms.
• There is disagreement about the choice of microcontroller, with some arguing that the MSP430 is outdated and others defending its low power consumption capabilities.