discussion / Camera Traps  / 1 June 2022

BoomBox camera trap models?

As discussed in this other thread, I've been planning to mod some camera traps, and would like to learn from existing work on the BoomBox.

I've been reading the BoomBox documentation here and here, and see that there's a list of test camera traps here. However, the links provided revealed that most of those camera traps are discontinued, 404, or out of stock. A quick search showed that these camera traps are still in stock on Trail Cam Pro: 

My question is: How difficult would it be to open the case, find, and tap into the sensor circuitry as described in the BoomBox documentation if I buy camera traps that are not listed in it?

I know the documentation says it shouldn't be too difficult, but what should I watch out for when selecting which camera to buy? Would it help if I buy from the same brands used with the BoomBox?

My goal is to find and buy camera traps that are as close as possible as the ones used with the BoomBox, so that I can follow the instructions to connect to their PIR motion sensors without needing to figure out too much new stuff...

Can @Freaklabs or others speak to this issue? Thanks!!!




Hi Pen-Yuan.

This is Akiba from FreakLabs. For using a non-verified camera trap, we normally work with you to get the camera trap open and take high resolution zoom shots of the critical parts. We try to identify the circuitry to tap into remotely that way. Sometimes it's a bit tricky and we actually need to get the camera in house to probe with an oscilloscope (unless you happen to have one and are handy with it). In that case, we ask to ship it to us and then we would ship it back once the interface is verified. Unfortunately Boombox isn't exactly plug-and-play since it's essentially an after-market camera trap mod. 

One of the tricky things about Boombox being based on consumer trailcams is that the models churn quite quickly. We've found that devices within a specific product name, ie: Browning Strike Force, Browning Strike Force Pro, Browning Strike Force HD Pro X, Browning Strike Force Extreme are just marketing differentiations but contain the same hardware.  That said, if it's not on the list, we'll likely ask to get pictures initially to see if we can verify or identify the critical parts on it that Boombox would hook into. 

Once you get Boombox, we take people through the steps of basic soldering technique to attach the wires as well as set up the software on their system so they can modify as needed and download into Boombox. 

We'll be adding more tutorials and videos on Boombox attachment, compatibility, and techniques soon so stay tuned. In the meantime, send us an email from the Boombox page and we can walk you through any questions you might have. 

Akiba 

Thank you Akiba/@Freaklabs!! Super informative. I didn't know much of the hardware inside different models are actually the same, but probably not a surprise.

OK, I'll have a look at what cameras I can obtain, and contact you through the email on the Boombox website. Thanks again!!

Hi Pen-Yuan. 

I need to revise what I said before. Browning devices within a specific model number have similar PCBs, ie: we worked with the BTC-8A for the Spec Ops Advantage. They're currently on the BTC-8E which we've found to have a different PCB. So I think the rule we're using on Browning at the moment (and most vendors) are that the model number needs to match, else it's likely the PCB is different. This also happened to us with Bushnell Trophycams. We're running into this issue now with a Boombox customer planning a Browning deployment. We're currently getting the camera trap in so we can reverse engineer the newer model and interface it to Boombox. 

Akiba