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Aerial Photography and Video > Taking a picture - the triger
 
 
Mark Johnson
Senior Heliman
Location: Ont. Can.

How is a camera using trigered to take a photo?

Is a servo usually just set in position to move the arm and hit the camera button?

Is there any pictures out there that you would like to share that helps ilustrate the camera trigger?
10-01-2003 Over year old.
 
 
Angelos
Key Veteran
Location: nr Oxford, OX11, UK

Electronically via infrared. I made a small device that reads two channels from the receiver and generates infrared commands for the camera. One channel is for zoom and one for trigger. You will of course need a camera with infrared remote control.



I also do panoramic photos and my camera can't be triggered in high speed shooting mode via infrared. In this case I use a miniature servo which locks on the flash mount of the camera. You will of course need a camera with an external flash mount or you need to improvise with double sided adhesive tape or some other arrangement.
10-01-2003 Over year old.
 
 
flyboy
Elite Veteran
Location: California


Emsjomar makes a dual e switch and an opt isolated switch. If your camera has a remote shutter release, or you hack into the contacts you can use either of these products to fire the shutter.

http://www.emsjomar.com
10-01-2003 Over year old.
 
 
flyboy
Elite Veteran
Location: California

Minolta Dimage 7 & 7i Dimage X & Xi F100 & F300

All Minoltas, great luck with all of them. The support at minolta sucks a big one however.
10-01-2003 Over year old.
 
 
michaelmillikin
Senior Heliman
Location: Granite Falls NC USA

flyboy

thats what i just recently purchased,,{ minolta dimage 7}

part number of your remote trigger??
or which one did you use for the dimage 7 in the pic????
the opti or the other


thanx

michael.
10-02-2003 Over year old.
 
 
flyboy
Elite Veteran
Location: California

You need to go to minolta's website and purchase the remote triger for that camera. The get either the opto isolated or the dual e switch from who ever you decide, I like the emsjomar, (I prefer the dual e, as it will do two functions.) I solder a servo connector on each end and that way I can use it for multiple purposes.

You hack the push button off of the end of the remote (only using a small section of the cord and the plug that goes into the side of your camera) You cut back the protective rubber on the cord.Notice that there is three wires. If I remember correctly one is the auto focus one the triger and one the ground. Since I shot the pictures on infinity focus. I experimented and found the two contacts that when connected would triger the shutter.

Solder the wires to a servo lead.You can now plug the trigger release into the switch and then the plug to the camera, program a switch and corresponding channel you are firing shots in no time.

Sorry if I am rambling, drop me a line if you have any more questons.

See above photos they are the actual switch & cord that I described.
10-02-2003 Over year old.
 
 
FlightPower
Veteran
Location: Herts UK

In case it helps, I am now using a similar setup to the above by hacking a Sony RM-VD1 remote used in conjunction with a Sony DSC-V1 camera.

Another nice thing about this is that it includes an easily accessible on/off and zoom switch for the camera - if I could be bothered I could easily add remote zoom funtionality by haking the remaining switches on the remote - most of the time I just set the zoom to wide angle and fly in and out for composition.

Previously I had hacked a Sony DSC-P9 (the camera itself) in a similar fashion because the P9 had no existing remote triggering function.

Julian.
10-02-2003 Over year old.
 
 
Angelos
Key Veteran
Location: nr Oxford, OX11, UK

I use zoom on mine. Because the buttons of the remote are usually multiplexed you can't activate more than one with transistor or mosfet switches. You need a opto-insulated solution. Otherwise nothing tricky with this.

I guess you might have seen the little device I developed. It is dual switch with four opto-insulated outputs (two per channel). If you connect it to the elevator channel for example it is off in the centre, out1-on when the stick is moved 30% to one side and out2-on on the other side. I also have two LEDs of each channel for visual confirmation that the switch reads the channel correctly. Outputs currently wired with a hacked remote control for zoom in, zoom out, trigger and one spare.

By the way… how many people are interested in this? I can have some PCBs professionally made for them.
10-02-2003 Over year old.
 
 
Mark Johnson
Senior Heliman
Location: Ont. Can.

The feedback has been great. Thank you.

I do not have a camera with infrared function. I am going to some how strap a servo to the camera mount made and have it trigger the camera.

I may have to modifiy my camera mount a little to fit the servo on there.
10-04-2003 Over year old.
 
 
Angelos
Key Veteran
Location: nr Oxford, OX11, UK

Mark,
I have a servo for my camera too. I use it for taking photos in the fast shooting mode (2.5 frames per second) while the heli is rotating at a constast speed. This is ideal for making aerial panoramics. Anyway back to the point... I have a little mount for the servo so that it can clip on the external flash holder and can be easily installed or removed.
10-04-2003 Over year old.
 
 
Mark Johnson
Senior Heliman
Location: Ont. Can.

Angelos: Do you have a picture of the mount for the servo?

I have recently placed a servo on my camera, just held with a rubber band and plastic ties right now. Wonder will this work?


That panaramic idea is neat.
10-05-2003 Over year old.
 
 
MPAElite Veteran - Location: Australia -
I use "Knock" boxes.

Cheap.
Doesnt offer much protection in serious trouble but does stop the cameras and lenses getting knocks and bumps, dings, scuff marks etc from carrying the heli around the place and in transit with gear..
Also stops dirt getting straight in the holes fan forced from the rotors.
The lens has a bit of smeg on it but the cover keeps the rest pretty tidy and it doesnt get knocked about.

Makes a diff if you intend on trading in cmas later to upgrade its best to have them looking very much hand held only.
My servo arm has silicone tube and foam so as not to mark the button on the little digital.

The EOS box has a mini cam that slips on the top to look into viewfinder, that shared with another SLR.

The base plates go on all cams and the bottom bolt pattern is the same so I can swap cameras easy on location.
Batteries moved to rebalance.
I throw a 2 velcro straps over the boxes around around the base plate rady to drop in the heli mount..
10-05-2003 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
FlightPower
Veteran
Location: Herts UK

Hi,

I've been PMd a lot about hacking the Sony VD-1

Here's what I replied to someone in case it helps others:

The most practical way to achive this is probably to stuff a micro-servo down the trigger switch of the VD-1 and program a 3-position switch on your tx to achieve half-pressed and fully pressed functions of the swich.

I used a pair of e-switches (because I had them), the shutter-switch terminals on the VD1 are in the corners of the square block base of the switch on the circuit board. They're tiny. With the black lead to the camera on the left (from memory) the switching action has a common on the bottom left, and then half and full activation on the top left and top right. There seems to be no permanent harm testing this with bits of wire. E-Switches are from http://space.virgilio.it/schieppati.m@tin.it/prod02.htm

The double e-switch is probably a good bet (not available at the time I did this). Carefully solder two of the swiching wires to the common and one each to the half and full activation positions. BOTH e-switches are needed to be in the ON state to trigger the camera. You can mess with the swich programming until you have a sensible remote triggering function. I.E. you can have both switched off at 0%, one switched on at 40% and both switched on at 70%. You can even get one of the switches to go into timer mode at the 40% level with a pulse every couple of seconds which means that when you throw the TX trigger to 70%+ and leave it there, the camera will take photos as though it was on motor-wind until you return the TX switch to the 40% level or below.

The main advantage I have found with the VD1 is convenient on-off and a single connector for the camera. I also like to think that there is an advantage not putting a buzzing servo on the camera but I have never tried putting a buzzing servo on a camera. However I'm sure it's absolutely fine to put a buzzing servo on the VD1





Cheers!

Julian
02-10-2004 Over year old.
 
 
Angelos
Key Veteran
Location: nr Oxford, OX11, UK

Julian,
My switches do exactly the same think and they are dual channel, quad output. The first channel goes though the two stages of focus then take the shot. Therefore (off, on1, on1+on2). The second channel is for zoom in/out, therefore on1, off, on2

More info at the bottom of this page http://www.model-gadgets.com/camcopter/

Price £20, US$35

Cheers,
Angelos
02-10-2004 Over year old.
 
 
FlightPower
Veteran
Location: Herts UK

Hi Angelos,

I'm pleased for you and I think you have an elegant solution.

Also I'm sure yours is a damn sight cheaper and less fiddly than buying a RM-VD1 and a pair of e-switches too. However this is what I did way before your device was available. The last person in a long line who asked me about this was solution was today so I thought I'd post the answer. Hope tha's OK.

Cheers!

Julian.
02-10-2004 Over year old.
 
 
gpyros
Key Veteran
Location: Palm Desert, California

hacking the Sony VD-1

Julian:

Thanks for posting the info on the Sony switch. I've been looking at the image you uploaded and the text in your message, and not quite putting the two together. The photo seems to be oriented properly with regard to the text "With the black lead to the camera on the left...".

The picture has a letter 'C' in the lower left, but it is far from the circuit board and I can't tell where the common is actually located.

Your text states that "the switching action has a common on the bottom left, and then half and full activation on the top left and top right", but the photo has an 'A?' on the lower left and a 'B?' on the upper left, and no way of telling where the actual connections are?

Thanks for clearing this up, I'd like to try it!

Greg

Maxi-Joker helicam
Joker-CX helicam
Graupner Jet Ranger (elec)
Raptor-50
Logo-10
9CH
02-10-2004 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
FlightPower
Veteran
Location: Herts UK

Hi Greg,

Sorry it's taken so long, and blanket apologies to anyone who finds that I have the A B C all the wrong way round - too long ago to remember and un-documented

That said, here's my best shot. All the solder joints are in the very corners of the far left switch. It took ages to figure this out because they looked like mechanical joints fixing the switch to the board. They're small and fiddly and its easy to do a solder joint that shorts to the swich case. I used thin wires and when everything worked I tacked them down with cyno glue.

The C (common probably) is the solder joint just north of the resistor which is just north of the sybmbol "D6" A is to the right of it (actuation probably), shutter release is north of this below the symbol C2

Hope that helps. I wrote the "top left and top right" in my post above before I gave up and took the switch to bits. Sorry for confusing anyone.

I think the most important guideline is that you can go around with bits of wire shorting one switch terminal to the next without apparently damaging anything. When the camera goes "beep beep" for focus you know you're on to something - stuff in another wire and watch the flash go off - well that really feels lke a winner.

Good luck and on you head be it (no seriously) you have to be nuts if you want to follow the PAL-rotor.

Cheers!

Julian
02-10-2004 Over year old.
 
 
wes-powell
Heliman
Location: Dayton, Ohio

Thanks for the post!

Thanks for posting the info PAL-ROTOR.

Angelos,

Do you have any of your switches available? I have not bought a new camera yet and was considering the SONY DSC-V1, Minolta like Flyboy, and the Canon like yourself. What IR remote do you need to get in order to make the setup like yours? Do they have something from canon in the 5 Megapixel variety that will work with your setup?

Thanks,
-Wes
02-10-2004 Over year old.
 
 
Angelos
Key Veteran
Location: nr Oxford, OX11, UK

wes,
yes I have a few of them. They are very easy to install, you just need to hack the remote that comes with the camera (or buy an additional one) and connect two wires from each button of the remote to one contact of the switch.

The Canan Powershot G5 is a nice 5MPixel camera. I have one of them too. The large lens is a great thing. The points inside the Canon infrared remote where you need to solder the wires are however tiny and you need a bit of skill with soldering.

-Angelos
02-10-2004 Over year old.
 
 
gpyros
Key Veteran
Location: Palm Desert, California

Julian:

Thanks for clarifying, that makes sense now!

Greg

Maxi-Joker helicam
Joker-CX helicam
Graupner Jet Ranger (elec)
Raptor-50
Logo-10
9CH
02-10-2004 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
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Aerial Photography and Video > Taking a picture - the triger
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