GrowCam C4 time-lapse and reflector plan

Confirmed equipment

The C4 requires a microSD card for time-lapse. VIVOSUN says to insert the card before powering the camera. A solid green indicator means the connected camera recognizes a card; a slowly flashing green indicator means a time-lapse or recording is active.

What the July 31 installed photos establish

• The centered AW200SE is hung in front of the window over the aligned three-surface table run.
• The plant area has a black divider on the left, a white wall on the right, a window behind it, and an open room side in front.
• The 36 in wide by approximately 60 in long bay holds a 24 in round glass table at the window end and two identical 16 × 13 in wooden tables toward the room. They run end to end beneath the window-to-room long axis of the fixture rather than side by side across the bay. Their nominal longitudinal footprint is about 56 in before gaps and leg interference.
• All three tabletops are 18 in high. The AW200SE is approximately 26 in from wing tip to wing tip.
• The GrowCam is fixed to the white wall and must frame all three surfaces from above.
• Full-height Mylar covers the divider; a separate loose sheet protects the carpet.
• The lower-right power and controller area is close to the watering zone; keep it raised, secured, and below-protected by cable drip loops.

The historical layout tool retains these measured diagrams and riser assignments. The current placement page shows the four-table display.

Recommended physical layout

Mylar

The first reflector is installed top-to-bottom on the plant-facing side of the black divider. Leave the white right wall uncovered because it already provides broad, diffuse reflection.

1. Hang the film flat and taut from the divider's rigid frame, not loose where either pole fan can make it flap.
2. Keep the installed full-height sheet clear of the lamp, driver, and open top.
3. Leave the window side and room-facing side open for access, heat escape, and airflow.
4. Keep the film clear of fan blades, outlets, adapters, and wet trays.
5. Install it before the final baseline lux or PAR grid. Record readings with the film in place because it changes edge intensity.

Keep the white wall uncovered and the room-facing end open. The broader light replaces the return-panel approach; enjoying and reaching the plants takes priority over enclosing more sides. No additional reflector is proposed.

GrowCam

The earlier three-surface plan proposed a rigid point on the right wall, slightly toward the room side of the second wooden table, aimed diagonally down and lengthwise toward the round table and Mylar-lined divider.

This direction keeps the bright window out of the center of the image, uses the divider as a cleaner background, and avoids mounting the camera on fabric that can move. Do not attach it to either fan, the light, adjustable light hangers, or anything that vibrates.

That earlier plan used the following starting geometry; these are not current measured camera positions:

• lens roughly 18–30 in above the tallest plant tip;
• camera roughly 24–40 in from the center of the occupied footprint;
• a 30–45° downward view that includes every pot, its short plant ID, and several inches of growth space above the tallest plant;
• the light itself and the brightest Mylar reflection kept near or outside the image edge; and
• enough clearance from the grow lights to follow VIVOSUN's instruction to install the camera away from grow lights to avoid overheating.

Aim tightly enough that the couch, clothing area, and normal room traffic are outside the frame. Disable audio recording in the app if that option exists and plant audio is not wanted. Although the hardware is listed as IP54, the manual calls it a dry indoor device; keep it and its 5 V connection outside watering and spray paths.

Mark the mount position and angle so framing can be repeated. Start a new clip whenever a table or camera moves enough to change the scene, then keep the camera fixed for that clip.

Paired fans and electrical equipment

Both pole fans remain separate from the camera:

• keep both rigid divider-pole mounts clear of the fabric and Mylar;
• offset the fan bodies, intakes, cords, and arcs so they cannot collide, and use the tissue test from the operating schedule;
• make sure neither sweep can strike the camera cable, the other fan, or the Mylar; and
• raise the power strip, adapters, and all controllers off the floor and outside the watering path, with drip loops below every connection.

Time-lapse program

Full-day validation test

The full-day check was completed by September 20. The following settings remain a useful commissioning reference after changing a camera, card or recording setup; the exact options used in the completed test were not recorded.

Download and play the result before relying on a multiweek recording. Confirm that focus is acceptable, the window does not dominate exposure, light-on and light-off transitions work, timestamps are correct, and the file can be exported from the current app version.

Main acclimation time-lapse

The original six-week recording plan covered August 3–September 14. The August 8–9 table expansion and August 14 repot, second fan and light change marked useful boundaries for separate clips. The table preserves that dated plan.

At a conventional 30 frames per second, a 15-minute interval over six weeks is roughly a two-minute result if the camera captures all 24 hours, or roughly one minute if it captures only the 12-hour light window. The VIVOSUN app determines the actual output frame rate and estimated duration, so use its displayed estimate as the final check.

For a quieter long-term record after September 14, a 30- or 60-minute interval is enough for slow cactus growth. Start a fresh clip whenever the seasonal layout, camera angle, or table changes materially.

The official manual documents the hardware, card requirement, and recording indicator but does not document every time-lapse interval, daily-window, export, or storage-management option in the changing app. Check the controls available in the installed app before planning a recording.

Final checks

Use this checklist when setting up or reframing a recording:

• camera is on a rigid mount and outside the lamp's heat path;
• all pots and short position labels are visible while the couch and normal room traffic are excluded;
• the window is not the dominant background;
• Mylar is taut and cannot enter the fan sweep;
• a post-Mylar lux or PAR grid has been recorded;
• both fans reach their assigned canopy zones without moving the camera, reflector, or each other;
• power equipment is raised outside the watering path; and
• the app recognizes the installed card and can export a playable test.

Keep original recordings backed up separately from the camera card; export selected clips for viewing.

Sources

• VIVOSUN GrowCam C4 product page
• VIVOSUN GrowCam C4 manual
• VIVOSUN AeroWave E Series manual
• VIVOSUN 6 mil diamond Mylar product listing
• AW200SE and paired-fan operating schedule