This week I highlight the hardware improvements from the Camera Axe 4 to the Camera Axe 5.

• The Camera Axe 5 no longer needs a special cable to reprogram it. It uses a standard USB cable and that cable is included. Reprogramming to the latest software is a huge selling point and many of the improvements from Camera Axe 4 to Camera Axe 5 are in the software so they aren’t mentioned on this list.
• The Camera Axe now has an internal re-chargeable lithium ion battery. The battery is 850 mAh and provides 20-60 hours of typical use (turning off the backlight is the biggest factor). Recharging is done via the included USB cable. It is easy to replace this battery with a larger one if you need extended life.
• Sensor ports can now have two data lines per port. This will be required by some sensor designs. The first such sensor is the motor controller. This was done while keeping backwards compatibility with all the existing Camera Axe sensors.
• Adding input/output protection on the sensor ports so people are less likely to accidentally damage the Camera Axe.
• The trigger LEDs are now multi-color LEDs so you can see the difference between triggering the shutter, focus, or both.
• A much more power efficient power converter was chosen that allows this version to run on about 5x less power than previous versions.
• New timing crystal give much more accurate and precise timing.
• Overall product design is made to be more durable, and more testing has worked out some rare glitches. End result is that fewer people will have issues with this version.
• Designed to use less expensive parts so that it actually costs less to buy than the Camera Axe 4.
• Designed to use more easy to obtain parts. The previous versions were difficult to keep in stock because certain parts were always on backorder at every electronics store on the web. I tried to pick parts that are less likely to have shortages.
• Designed with a bunch of surface mount parts to make assembly easier. Again this helps supply more Camera Axes to help meet the higher demands and keep prices lower.

You can purchase the new Camara Axe here when it’s in stock or sign up for the email list if it’s out of stock.