SUPER-MOD GLITCH CAMERAS

For the past year, I have been building and selling these "Super-Mod" glitch cameras, and I thought it was about time I posted some details on the process of building them, as well as sharing some information on how they work for the numerous people who have purchased them from me so far. Thanks for waiting!

TL;DR...

2X 'SUPER-MOD'

The 2x 'Super-Mod' has two separate glitch channels with four controls.

Each channel has:

-One two-position 'Input' switch selects the PWM filter input.

-One slide potentiometer to control the PWM filter cutoff.

-One two-position 'Polarity' switch changes the PWM filter from HP to LP.

-One five-position 'Output' slide switch to send the PWM filter data to.

(The 'Output' slide switch can disconnect all mods in the '0' position)

The 2X 'Super-Mod' is an advanced modification for taking striking glitch-photography with high quality classic cameras such as the Panasonic FZ-10.

The controls are easy to use, and offer a wide variety of glitch combinations that work well under various types of shooting conditions. 

FZ-10 2X SUPER MOD HARDWARE LAYOUT

2X SUPER-MOD SIGNAL PATH

3X 'SUPER-MOD'

The 3x 'Super-Mod' has three separate glitch channels with four controls.

Like the 2X 'Super-Mod', each channel has:

-One two-position 'Input' switch selects the PWM filter input.

-One slide potentiometer to control the PWM filter cutoff.

-One two-position 'Polarity' switch changes the PWM filter from HP to LP.

-One five-position 'Output' slide switch to send the PWM filter data to.

(The 'Output' slide switch can disconnect all mods in the 'OFF' position)

The 3X 'Super-Mod' is also an advanced modification for taking striking glitch-photography with high quality classic cameras such as the Canon Powershot S3is and S5is. The controls are intuitive, and offer a carefully selected variety of glitch combinations that work well under various types of shooting conditions. 

S5is 3X SUPER MOD HARDWARE LAYOUT

3X SUPER MOD SIGNAL PATH

DEVELOPEMENT PROCESS...

The first CCD-sensor digital camera I successfully circuit bent was the Canon Powershot S3is in the summer of 2020. My Dad had given me his old beloved S3is that was not working very well. While attempting to fix it, I was able to find the service manual, and noticed the ADC chip with parallel data-lines running to the main processor through 100R resistor arrays.

Dad's S3is on the bench 2020

This was the start of a new chapter in my camera bending. Before this, I was sure that only CMOS sensors could be circuit bent, and the ones that were bendable tended to be very low quality with very few shooting features, terrible battery life, and extremely slow performance. They were fun for my own use, but I didn't think it would be a great idea to try selling them.

When CCD cameras became an option, I began researching models to find the perfect candidates for high quality glitch photography, that I could also sell as a reliable finished product. After a few years of buying dozens of different camera models and reverse engineering them, I found that the cameras that performed best were usually the higher quality flagship consumer-models of the early-to-mid 2000's. The ideal camera for me would be something with powerful optics(lens), excellent build quality that can stand the test of time, and good battery life(rechargeable).

When I found the Panasonic 'FZ' series, I considered them the perfect cross-section of everything I was looking for. The Canon models I tried were amazing too, but they tended to have more cosmetic issues due to age that would have to be addressed before trying to sell them, so I stuck with the Panasonic FZ's. However, unlike many Canon Powershot models, the FZ series only has two models(that I know of) that use chip-resistors between the ADC and ASIC chips, so any chance of bypassing the data-lines would only be possible on the FZ-10, and the FZ-1.

FZ-8 10X Data-Masher

 I created a custom circuit board to mount 10 micro slide switches to the outside of the other FZ models I had on hand(FZ-8, FZ-7, FZ-5, FZ20), and started selling the cameras on Etsy, and here on my BUY page. The 10 micro switches can be used to 'mash' all the data-lines together in different combinations. This approach is effective, but it can be kind of daunting to try and remember all of the combinations that work well in different shooting environments. Since the 10 different data-lines are all just connected to one common bus, there tend to be a lot of redundant switch combinations that all tend to look only slightly different than each other in photos. Also, since the data-lines are just being mashed together, it seemed to me that a lot of interesting pulses might be lost when the signals' positive and negative going pulses cancel each other out.

Cameras with the chip-resistor coupling from the ADC to ASIC would make it possible to bypass the data-signals, and arrange the inputs/outputs fully, however I want. Removing the chip-resistors makes available input and output solder pads for the ADC and ASIC chips. Having access to the inputs and outputs would also mean the data-signals could be modulated in different ways externally with filters, dividers, delays, etc. before being sent back to the ASIC.

3X and 2X Super-Mod PCB bottom

3X and 2X Super-Mod PCB top

I experimented for a while with different circuits for a while, and found that the most effective and useful mod was a simple pulse-width filter/buffer with variable cutoff, and selectable inputs and outputs. The dividers and delay circuits were effective, but not as intuitive as the filter, and not really versatile enough to justify the larger footprint of my next circuit board.

2X SUPER-MOD CIRCUIT BOARD

During my experiments with the FZ-1 and FZ-10, I tried various combinations with the ADC outputs and ASIC inputs, and found that of the 12 data-lines available, the five towards the 'MSB' end had the most dramatic and useful effects on the image. The others add some slight coloration, but are pretty subtle. The two to 'LSB' end do almost nothing at all. Since space would be limited, I decided to just leave those other 7 bits(data-lines) unchanged.

FZ-10

I came up with a simple circuit that has two separate glitch channels. Each channel has an input switch that can select one of two data lines; D09/D10 for channel 2, and D08/D09-or-D10 for channel 1. In the D09-D10 position on channel 1, the input will be the opposite of whatever channel 2 is set to, to avoid redundancy, and make more useful combinations possible with the three ADC outputs as inputs.

FZ-1 2X Super-Mod wiring up

The two glitch channels are then sent to PWM filter/buffers with variable cutoff slide potentiometers. There are also switches to invert the data-signal by changing the PWM filter response from high-pass to low-pass. The buffered pulse-signal is then sent to each channels' 5-position slide switch(OFF-D09-D10-D11-D12) that sends the glitch channel outputs to the ASIC input.

FZ-1

The effect of the PWM filter/buffer causes the pulses being fed into it to be shortened, lengthened, or pinched off completely. This causes color effects in the image being taken that can be adjusted manually with the slide potentiometer. The inversion effect flips the pixel-data 180 degrees, and causes the image to become extremely saturated with color and light. Certain combinations of glitches with the inversion engaged will occasionally cause the image to go completely white, but so far I have not had any problem reversing the blank white screen by simply changing settings back to more subtle effects, or tuning them down with the slide pot.

FZ-1

I designed the circuit board in KiCad to fit the small size available on the side of the FZ-1 and FZ-10 bodies. The PWM filter/buffer chips I used are 74LVC2G14 dual inverting schmitt trigger chips. They are pretty useful little SOT23-6 chips, and they do not cost too much from LCSC. They have protection diodes on the inputs, can push 25ma, and can operate up to 80Mhz(double 74HCxx). It's a good jellybean part to have on hand.
Selecting the hardware was important for the size considerations since there is really not enough space for switches and pots in a compact camera. I shopped around for different switches and pots with tiny profiles, and landed on the SMD mount slide switches, and 18mm slide pots. All of the parts are fairly common at LCSC and even aliexpress, and they are actually pretty solid and easy to use considering their tiny size.

FZ-10's Silver and Black

To protect the circuitry and wiring underneath the circuit board, I designed a little spacer to go between the camera body and the added hardware board. It is just a small rectangle the size of the circuit board that I laser-cut from 3mm acrylic, but it gives the mod a little more structure, and the colored acrylic gives it some added character.

Nikon Coolpix 5700 with 2X Super-Mod

I ordered the circuit boards from JLC PCB, and went with the red mask. Why not. The circuit boards worked perfectly the first time, and I am still working through my first order as of writing this post. I assemble all of circuitry by hand and hot-plate/wand.

3X SUPER-MOD CIRCUIT BOARD

Recently I have been going through my misfit camera collection(un-modified), and found that I had 5 or 6 Canon Powershot S3is and S5is cameras. They are all more or less needing to be repaired, since they all seem to suffer from similar known ailments. Powershot cameras in the 4-8 megapixel range take some of the best glitch photos. They definitely have a unique character compared to the Panasonic FZ line. Unfortunately, they can be hard to find in good working condition, and even then it is only a matter of time before they start to have issues with the shutter and iris getting jammed in the lens. It is a somewhat well known failure in the S3is and S5is models. There is a small amount of grease in the lens that finds its way to the shutter and iris fins, and causes them to get stuck. All that is needed is a light cleaning, but the entire lens assembly has to be opened, and carefully reassembled, which took me 2 hours from start to finish, the last time I did it... The other fixable, but time consuming repair is the inevitable battery corrosion. The S3is and S5is cameras run on AA batteries, and if they are left in the camera for a long period of time, they will leak and jam up the door. Scraping and cleaning the corrosion is usually not so bad a job, but it is sad when the previous owner has pried the jammed battery door open, and destroyed any chance of it ever being closed properly again... At that point, they are usually only good for parts. The other known common failure is the zoom-power off bug. When zooming the lens in, the power to the camera will suddenly cut out, and turn off. There can be many reasons for this, and it is sometimes hard to fix.

Cleaned Battery compartment and contacts

When all is repaired and in good working order, the S3is and S5is are champions of glitch photography with the Super-Mod circuit added! The 'S' series cameras were marketed to discerning pro-sumers, and were packed with shooting features geared towards experimental photography and manual control. The lenses are not quite as nice as the FZ-10, but the glitch color pallet is far superior, and can give some amazing results.

Sadly, the S1is and S2is models didn't escape the early-2000's Sony-sensor blight that causes the notorious black-screen failure that so many models of that era are afflicted with. They can be had for a good deal on ebay, but do not be fooled, they are all defective...

S5is

The S3is and S5is camera bodies have quite a bit more empty space on the hand grip, so rather than using the 2-channel Super-Mod circuit boards, I designed a 3-channel version that includes extra inputs. The circuit is exactly like the 2X version, but there are 5 available inputs(D08, D09, D10, D11, D12) as opposed to the 3 inputs available on the 2X model(D08, D09, D10). Having more than two glitch channels on at once is kind of overkill, and usually any changes of settings in the third additional channel will be pretty subtle, but it is very useful to have the option of the other inputs for a wider variety of glitch combinations.

S5is rearview

I ordered the circuit boards from JLC PCB, and they arrived perfect, again. The cameras came out amazing, and definitely hold their own against my long-standing favorite FZ-10. Having more controls to cycle through can seem a little jarring. I would much prefer the simpler two-channel control interface for its simplicity, but it is hard to give up the extra input combinations of the 3X model. Both versions are vastly superior to the early 10-switch data-masher boards I started with. 

Both the X2 and X3 are perfect for finding glitch settings quickly in different shooting environments, without having to fumble through redundant combinations to find something amazing. I am very proud of these cameras, and I am anxious to get them out into the hands of experimental photographers who share my love of glitch!