a maquette and a shutter update...

so, first of all, the bad news. an LCD shutter is unfeasable for several reasons: they aren't clear enough when open, or dark enough when closed, and worse, because the light would be hitting it at all angles, some would leak through anyway. Which Brings me to the first real hitch in the design:

I need a mechanical (moving parts) shutter.

I was hoping to avoid this. It's an extra complication. There's a reason most camera manufacturers were proud of their super-awesome focal plane shutters- they're wonders of technology, little testaments to how awesome your engineering department is. There's no way I'm going to design one of these, it's way out of my league. Which means I need to find a commercial source. This is where I turn to you, internet. Where can I buy a single focal plane shutter in 35mm format? Electronic, quartz timed, the whole bit. I'll worry about sound dampening after I worry about having one that works.

And in other news, while I'm ruminating on the electronics design, I've been mocking up a few different body shapes. The first was a really simple box in the dimensions I gave in that first post, 5x1.5x3in. I didn't like that though, and so I made this new one, shown at the top alongside my M4 for size comparison. Yes, I like big dorky grips. And while it might get a little wider, and a touch deeper (I didn't maesure the depth, so it's a bit off), it won't get any taller. Honest. And the dorky grip? probably going to be smaller, molded. I'm still not convinced I shouldn't make the first prototype out of some really nice wood, but the sheetmetal is fast to bend a shape from, and less messy.