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Remote Shutter Release for Canon Point and Shoot Cameras (CHDK)
This is a remote shutter release I built for my Canon PowerShot S5 IS. It uses the "remote" capability of the CHDK firmware mod. See chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK for info on CHDK.
Parts:
- Radio Shack Project Enclosure (3x2x1") Model: 270-1801 $2.29
- Radio Shack Mini SPST 1.5-Amp Momentary Pushbutton Switch (2-Pack) Model: 275-1556 $2.99
- Radio Shack "AA" Battery Holder Model: 270-401 $.99
- Batteries Plus 4.5 Volt alkaline battery Model: DAN TR133A $12.99
- USB A fem to A male extention cable (only the A fem end is needed, with a few inches of cable). Purchased online for about $4.00
- Small piece of aluminum foil Priceless
Construction:
(I would have used a larger project box, but the local Radio Shack didn't have one when I went in.)
- Cut the female connector from the USB cable, leaving two or three inches of the red and black wires. Cut off the other two wires. They will not be used. Do not throw away the rest of the cable. It makes a good test cable.
- Drill a hole for the momentary switch.
- Drill and file a rectangular hole for the female end of the USB cable. Test fit the USB while drilling it so it just fits in the hole.
- Make sure pieces will fit in the enclosure.
- Place battery in holder. It is a tight fit. Make sure you put it in correctly. The flat end has a + on it. Use aluminum foil to make sure there is good electrical contact between the + end of the battery and the battery holder.
- Insert and fasten the momentary switch.
- Solder the black wire from the USB connector to the black wire (-) of the battery case.
- Solder the red wire from the USB connector to the momentary switch.
- Solder the red wire (+) from the battery case to the other side of the monentary switch.
- Use a volt meter to make sure you are putting 4.5 volt on the red USB wire compared to ground on the black USB wire. Do not skip this step. Reversed polarity could damage your camera. If you plug the leftover USB cable into the connector on the remote, you can measure the voltage (and polarity) on the bare red and black wires.
- Test fit USB connector and battery case. Make sure the cover will fit.
- Epoxy USB connector in place.
- Place battery holder and battery in box. If the cover will not hold the battery in place use spacers. Do not permanently secure battery holder. It would make changing the battery difficult.
- Place cover on box and screw in place.
Usage:
- Set your CHDK enabled Canon point and shoot camera to Enable Remote. (You only need to do this once.)
- Take the USB cable that came with your camera. Insert the small connector into the recepticle on the camera. Insert the large connector to the remote.
- Press and hold momentary switch to focus and set exposure (half press of shutter button). Release and immediately press again to take picture (full press of shutter button).
- If camera is set to continuous mode, hold down the momentary switch to continue shooting.
(On a Canon PowerShotS5 IS, when in manual mode and manual focus, pressing the monentary switch immediately takes the picture.)
Note:
The Canon PowerShot S5 IS needs to see at least 3.7 volts on the USB to recognize the remote. If your camera can work with 3 volts or less, you could use a single 3V button battery instead of the 4.5V battery I used.
To determine what voltage your camera needs to see, check the CHDK wiki at
chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CameraFeatures#New_Camera_Capabilitie...
Look in the next to the last column.
3/25/2011
This is by far my most popular post on Flickr. I keep finding references to it. Based on what I have found, at least six people have made this remote release using these instructions.
3/22/2012
Of the 16,621 views of all my photos, this one has received almost 1/3 of them, 5,573. The next closest photo only has 1,195 views.
If you build a remote release using these instructions (successfully or not), please post a comment so I know about it.
Remote Shutter Release for Canon Point and Shoot Cameras (CHDK)
This is a remote shutter release I built for my Canon PowerShot S5 IS. It uses the "remote" capability of the CHDK firmware mod. See chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK for info on CHDK.
Parts:
- Radio Shack Project Enclosure (3x2x1") Model: 270-1801 $2.29
- Radio Shack Mini SPST 1.5-Amp Momentary Pushbutton Switch (2-Pack) Model: 275-1556 $2.99
- Radio Shack "AA" Battery Holder Model: 270-401 $.99
- Batteries Plus 4.5 Volt alkaline battery Model: DAN TR133A $12.99
- USB A fem to A male extention cable (only the A fem end is needed, with a few inches of cable). Purchased online for about $4.00
- Small piece of aluminum foil Priceless
Construction:
(I would have used a larger project box, but the local Radio Shack didn't have one when I went in.)
- Cut the female connector from the USB cable, leaving two or three inches of the red and black wires. Cut off the other two wires. They will not be used. Do not throw away the rest of the cable. It makes a good test cable.
- Drill a hole for the momentary switch.
- Drill and file a rectangular hole for the female end of the USB cable. Test fit the USB while drilling it so it just fits in the hole.
- Make sure pieces will fit in the enclosure.
- Place battery in holder. It is a tight fit. Make sure you put it in correctly. The flat end has a + on it. Use aluminum foil to make sure there is good electrical contact between the + end of the battery and the battery holder.
- Insert and fasten the momentary switch.
- Solder the black wire from the USB connector to the black wire (-) of the battery case.
- Solder the red wire from the USB connector to the momentary switch.
- Solder the red wire (+) from the battery case to the other side of the monentary switch.
- Use a volt meter to make sure you are putting 4.5 volt on the red USB wire compared to ground on the black USB wire. Do not skip this step. Reversed polarity could damage your camera. If you plug the leftover USB cable into the connector on the remote, you can measure the voltage (and polarity) on the bare red and black wires.
- Test fit USB connector and battery case. Make sure the cover will fit.
- Epoxy USB connector in place.
- Place battery holder and battery in box. If the cover will not hold the battery in place use spacers. Do not permanently secure battery holder. It would make changing the battery difficult.
- Place cover on box and screw in place.
Usage:
- Set your CHDK enabled Canon point and shoot camera to Enable Remote. (You only need to do this once.)
- Take the USB cable that came with your camera. Insert the small connector into the recepticle on the camera. Insert the large connector to the remote.
- Press and hold momentary switch to focus and set exposure (half press of shutter button). Release and immediately press again to take picture (full press of shutter button).
- If camera is set to continuous mode, hold down the momentary switch to continue shooting.
(On a Canon PowerShotS5 IS, when in manual mode and manual focus, pressing the monentary switch immediately takes the picture.)
Note:
The Canon PowerShot S5 IS needs to see at least 3.7 volts on the USB to recognize the remote. If your camera can work with 3 volts or less, you could use a single 3V button battery instead of the 4.5V battery I used.
To determine what voltage your camera needs to see, check the CHDK wiki at
chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CameraFeatures#New_Camera_Capabilitie...
Look in the next to the last column.
3/25/2011
This is by far my most popular post on Flickr. I keep finding references to it. Based on what I have found, at least six people have made this remote release using these instructions.
3/22/2012
Of the 16,621 views of all my photos, this one has received almost 1/3 of them, 5,573. The next closest photo only has 1,195 views.
If you build a remote release using these instructions (successfully or not), please post a comment so I know about it.