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Electronics Components

Bigshot's key electronic components can be divided into three categories: photo capture components, user interface components and the camera controller. The photo capture components include the image sensor, camera flash and memory. They are responsible for capturing and storing photos. The interface components, which include the mode dial, shoot switch, liquid crystal display (LCD), LED indicators, buzzer and the universal serial bus (USB), allow the photographer to interact with Bigshot. For instance, the photographer can control Bigshot using the mode knob and shoot button and get visual feedback via the LCD. The camera controller is the brain of the camera and coordinates the operation of all the electronic components. Figure 2 shows some of the key electronic components in Bigshot. Click on the buttons to find the components and learn what they do.

Controller USB Buzzer LED Flash Sensor LCD RAM Memory Camera controller: This is the brain of Bigshot. Similar to the central processing unit (CPU) of a computer, it follows a set of predefined instructions (called firmware) to control and coordinate all other components of the camera. The controller is fast enough to read (fetch), understand (decode) and follow (execute) millions of simple instructions per second. LCD: Bigshot uses its LCD (liquid crystal display) to provide an instant preview of captured photos. Although the LCD is just a few millimeters thick, it is composed of multiple layers of glass, electronics, color filter arrays and liquid crystals. Today, thin, light and low-powered LCDs are used in computers, TVs, tablets, cameras, cell phones and other electronic devices. Learn more about Bigshot's LCD. Universal Serial Bus (USB): This is a widely used technology that enables devices to communicate with each other. USB devices use a simple "language" (also called communication protocol) to "talk" to other USB devices. USB is used by virtually all commercial digital cameras, cell phones and music players. Bigshot uses it to enable you to download photos to a computer. Buzzer: A buzzer is an electro-mechanical device that produces a beeping sound. It is often used in alarm clocks, timers and other devices to provide audible feedback to the user. For instance, the buzzer in Bigshot beeps to let you know when it is done taking a photo. LED Flash: When a picture is taken of a dim scene, the camera flash lights up the scene so that the photo taken will be brighter. Bigshot uses an LED (Light Emitting Diode) as a flash bulb. LEDs are tiny electric bulbs that are energy efficient. Learn more about Bigshot's LED Flash. Random Access Memory (RAM): RAM is a temporary storage device that is designed to provide fast access to the data stored in it. When turned on, Bigshot temporarily stores its firmware as well as the photos that need to be displayed on the LCD in the RAM for quick access. RAM loses the data stored in it when the camera is turned off. Image sensor: This is a tiny electronic chip consisting of an array of light-sensitive elements called pixels. Each pixel measures the light focused onto it by the imaging lens. The independent measurements made by all the pixels on the sensor, together, form a digital image. Bigshot's image sensor has 2048x1536 pixels. Learn more about Image Sensors. Flash Memory: Flash memory (not to be confused with LED Flash) serves as the storage center for captured photos. It is a special type of electronic chip that can retain its information even when the power is turned off. For this reason, flash memory is widely used in memory cards, USB memory sticks, and solid-state hard drives for general data storage.

Figure 2: Bigshot's electronics components

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