The (broken) camera - Canon Digital IXUS 70

I bought this camera on eBay around a year ago - a few months before I left the UK - with the ultimate intention of using it in this project.  I chose this model very deliberately - one, because of its dimensions (it's perfectly rectangular, with no rounded surfaces, making for easy mounting), and two, because it's one of many Canon cameras to support CHDK firmware.  CHDK is an aftermarket, open-source firmware distribution that opens up a whole host of features not available in stock form - including a very powerful scripting language that will be invaluable to a project such as this.  Whilst I'm yet to decide on what I'd like to capture, be it still images or video, the ability to create a script will give me the flexibility to switch between the two at any desired interval.

In the meantime, it was due to serve as a backup travel camera; something I could slip into my pocket for days I didn't want to lug my DSLR about the place.  Sadly, that idea didn't last - somehow I managed to break the screen on only its second outing, rendering it completely unusable and seeing it relegated to a bottom drawer for several months.

I've managed to track down an aftermarket screen on eBay for the bargain price of $15, which should be a straightforward repair.  Once it's back up and running again, I'll set about making a custom battery coupler for it to enable me to provide a power from an external source, allowing runtime well beyond the capacity of the standard battery - but more on this later.