Sony DSC-S70 Digital Camera

In news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com (Jim Thompson):

Jim, why all the fascination with USB?

Last I checked, you were anti-uC, and any USB chip pretty much is a uC and USB driver married in one, such as

or Unless you really want to delve into the 8051/uC arena, USB is going to be proprietary or bust...

Regards, Mark

Jim, There is no support for a remote or cable release on this camera.

Unless you hack it open and add the wires to the exposure switch.

Last time I looked I designed the USBv1 cells for Intel. And I designed the serial chips 1488 and 1489.

Being anti-uC ('cause I'm an Analog guy) doesn't necessarily make me anti-USB.

This was posted as a *camera-specific* question. I own a Sony DSC-S70 that I'd like to have the modern equivalent of a cable release (for wildlife shots, etc.).

Since there's no classic screw-in-cable on the shutter, I was just muttering to myself if the shutter might be activated thru its USB port.

...Jim Thompson

--
|  James E.Thompson, P.E.                           |    mens     |
|  Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
|  Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
|  Phoenix, Arizona            Voice:(480)460-2350  |             |
|  E-mail Address at Website     Fax:(480)460-2142  |  Brass Rat  |
|       http://www.analog-innovations.com           |    1962     |
             
I love to cook with wine.      Sometimes I even put it in the food.

[snip]

Thanks, Martin! Maybe I'll just do a mechanical hack with a clamp-on solenoid ;-)

...Jim Thompson

-- | James E.Thompson, P.E. | mens | | Analog Innovations, Inc. | et | | Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus | | Phoenix, Arizona Voice:(480)460-2350 | | | E-mail Address at Website Fax:(480)460-2142 | Brass Rat | |

| 1962 | I love to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.

It's deeply annoying that the bastards don't. It's essentially free, and makes the camera usefull for many other applications.

If you want to do this, you need to spend a lot more...

Well pardon me. :)

Oh ok. Sounds reasonable, but is this "remote shutter" to be controlled from a PC or a discrete driver? And does the camera have the capability of actuating the shutter via a command from the USB bus? If it does and you want to use a computer to control then it may require a device driver to be compiled and a small program made which calls the driver and sends the command. Seems like overkill for such a simple application, therefore I assume a discrete solution is what you're talking about.

seems to be a great help with USB, they even have complete reference designs such as: or related available online. I guess it boils down to "does the camera support USB shutter control?"

Regards, Mark

[snip]

You "PC" guys always want to involve your computer... I just want to push a button ;-)

From other posters it appears that the function I want doesn't exist, so I'll probably hack a electro-mechanical solution :-(

...Jim Thompson

--
|  James E.Thompson, P.E.                           |    mens     |
|  Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
|  Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
|  Phoenix, Arizona            Voice:(480)460-2350  |             |
|  E-mail Address at Website     Fax:(480)460-2142  |  Brass Rat  |
|       http://www.analog-innovations.com           |    1962     |
             
I love to cook with wine.      Sometimes I even put it in the food.

For general use - i.e. fast *and* slow shutter speeds - you might consider pneumatics. I used to have an el cheapo remote shutter release (bought in Tokyo back in the 60's) that I used with an SLR. Piston screwed onto the shutter;

10-12 ft. soft rubber tubing connected piston to a hand operated squeeze bulb. This low-tech thing was so gentle that I retired the handsome cable release I had been using.

[snip]

This shutter button has no threaded insert like you usually find on better film cameras. So I'm studying my tripod to see how I can rig it up.

...Jim Thompson

--
|  James E.Thompson, P.E.                           |    mens     |
|  Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
|  Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
|  Phoenix, Arizona            Voice:(480)460-2350  |             |
|  E-mail Address at Website     Fax:(480)460-2142  |  Brass Rat  |
|       http://www.analog-innovations.com           |    1962     |
             
I love to cook with wine.      Sometimes I even put it in the food.

I recall one model rocket project that used a 555 to trigger the electronic shutter in a film cammera as the rocket was ascending. Neat pictures.

Cheers

:)

Computers are getting darn small these days, check out this 400MHz handheld:

It's only $280! One of these models includes its own digital camera, so it would not even apply... :)

I had a similar requirement a couple of years ago and ended up doing that, i.e improvising a gadget attached to tripod.

It's a scandal that modern cameras heave neither an electronic socket to operate the shutter nor even a screw thread for mounting a simple release. I spent ages getting this thing working. Rather than my Sony DSC-1, I used an old Olympus Zoom auto-focus. Felt less nervous about leaving that outside overnight.

My aim was to photograph whatever was coming through a hole dug below my garden fence. I thought it might be foxes. So I had to arrange to press and release the button. Eventually, after a lot of experimenting, I designed a unit inside a small plastic case. I connected an old-style cable at one end to a solenoid plunger in the case, and its other end was just on top of the button. The mechanics proved a greater challenge than the electronics for me. But after virtually constructing Hubble single-handed I imagine you'll get it sorted a lot faster .

My sensors were micro-switches attached to lightweight, camouflaged board, and provided the trigger. All crude, temporary stuff. Circuit ensured camera wouldn't get re-triggered within 5 seconds or so, while motor wound film on for next shot. A mono powered the solenoid driver. Power supplies were via mains. A *long* extension cord. And we get rain here, so weather-proofing was another challenge.

The trickiest aspect was powering the solenoid. Extensive trial and error to get reliable action. The surplus component I had available was rated at 24V and my first approach was to use a multiplier and largish capacitor to power it from the 6V supply I was using to emulate the camera's battery. But eventually that proved inadequate, so I added a 29V line.

Block diagram, circuit and a few photos:

Bottom line: three cats, two squirrels - no foxes!

--
Terry Pinnell
Hobbyist, West Sussex, UK

Well done!

This gives me an idea to document the damage I believe the neighbors cat is responsible for. The fellow next denies it's his cat, but I've seen it. He says bring me the proof, and I will pay for it. This seems a much better solution that hurting the cat. :-]

Louis--

********************************************* Remove the two fish in address to respond

Hmm,

You could hook up a timer that takes a picture after the onboard beeper sounds a specific tone, most cameras beep when you download the pictures.

(though don't choose the tone it makes when you take a picture :) )

back

shutter;

squeeze

So, it looks like the NPN is not even needed, and eliminating it would save quite a bit of current. If you got the current drain down, you could use batteries. I'm a bit leery of using a 4001 for a one shot, which passes slowly thru the voltage range on the inputs.

I don't know about the -S70, but my -F717 can't do anything except downloading files to/from the PC when the USB cable is connected. This is strictly a firmware feature. If the -S70's FW is similar, remote operation via the USB would be impossible. Canon G2, on the other hand, could operate under remote control from PC via the USB and a special application running on the PC. Regards, Eugene.

Yeah, that occurred to me after I had replied. I encountered the same problem (no threaded shutter button) some 20 years after buying the pneumatic release, wanted a release for a Polaroid SX-70 camera. (I think Polaroid did offer something, but probably it cost big bucks.) Shutter button looked like a "Klixon" switch, the kind used for keyswitches on the Bomar Brain calculator. So no threaded hole. Anyway, I cut a small block of hard maple about an inch square and about half an inch thick, drilled a through hole in it to pass the plunger rod, counterbored it slightly so it would take the thread of the pneumatic plunger, and on the other side (and with plunger hole as center) used an auger and counterbored about 3/32". That last bored depression fit fairly well around the metal collar of the camera's shutter button and kept the plunger hole centered over that button. Screwed a piece of spring steel to the switch button side of the wood block, it clamping the block and attached pneumatic plunger to the body of the camera. It was easy to put on and take off without tools.

The key to this solution was that the part of the SX-70 body on which the button is mounted is not terribly thick .... mebbe 5/8" or 3/4".

If I had thought I would use the kludge very much - which I didn't - I would have protected the camera's shutter button from the small diameter pneumatic plunger rod.