Junk build intervalometer

What to do when you want a time lapse control:

 

Buy a proper unit? - Nah, even a Chinese built one at less than twenty quid on fleabay was more than I wanted to pay(!)

 

Buy a Canon and hack it's firmware? - I don't even want to buy a timer remote why would I shell out for a Canon camera(?!)

 

Sit down with a cable release and manually press it? - You're joking right?(?)

 

So I came across this microchip PIC circuit on the web, TimeLapse, and it seemed just right. No LCD to try and find, no complicated build with superfluous 'features', just a nice simple unit and simple means I stood a better chance of finding the junk parts for it :-)

 

OK, I'll have to admit, it's not all junk - the PIC chip was in my stock, (and I remember paying something like 50 pence for it a while back now), and a little bit of veroboard.

 

So what we talking? 50 odd pence? Yes! That'll do me Tommy!

 

A few pieces on the guys original design, and I like him even more after checking one of his vids and hearing him pronounce 'camera' the same way I do! ;-) needed some changing hence the opto-couplers on the camera output connections. The multivibrator for the piezo speaker was probably superfluous, (could've been done with the PIC), but why not as it only needs a PIC output to sound and another to change the tone, (I love the little "OK" high/low tone beep!) Besides, I don't remember building a multivibrator the old fashioned way for some years now and strangely found it fun.

 

Couldn't I have designed my own circuit? Yeah, probably but not with the old Velleman K8048 kit I have, (what happened to RS232 ports?! There wasn't one on the new PC!) Plus why re-invent the wheel? This little circuit is close to perfect for me :-)

(Some of you may be wondering how I got my old Velleman RS232 programmer to work on USB. A prolific 232 cable, WinPic and a bit of know how, that's how. Not perfect but works! If any of you have a junk PIC-Kit programmer you're sticking in the bin, let me know....)

 

So really simple, (OK, comparatively simple), cost next to nothing and works great.

Little foibles? Not really, simple one button programming and it is great to hear that little "OK" beep. The shutter LED blinks nicely as it fires the camera and it opens the 'focus' line first for 100ms giving the camera chance to 'wake' during long intervals, (programmable from 1 second to some 18 hours with this little beast!) Worked out fairly small for the final build and those little AG12 batteries should last a while yet.

 

So thanks to the guy that posted this up on the web, (good to find this sort of sharing stuff!), couldn't find his name but I'm sure to thank a stranger as much as a friend :-)

Edit: Found the guy on Instructables. So thanks again Andrew!

If you build one, send him a thanks, little things like that go a long way :-)

 

What's next? Pulling my old Fui S5700 apart to hard wire a cable release socket to it. Looks like there's a couple of spare connectors on it's usb port so might as well wire it up to that ;-)

Edit: Done! Just got to figure out where all those little screws go back now - wibble!

 

 

Done