How can I deactivate the shutter button?

[Serhatee]

Hey guys, as a freshman, I want to deactivate this shutter button. I don't know how it works and its structure. I want to be able to connect two cables so that by giving current, I can take a photo. Which terminals should I use? Or different ways?
http://www.imageurlhost.com/images/37308593159235356750.jpg

 

[sophiecentaur]

Welcome to PF.
If you have no plans for ever using the button and if you are not too hot with electronics. I could suggest a nice big dob of Araldite resin over the top of the button. That would stop it ever being activated. Even if you wanted to do it 'electrically', and could just slice through the appropriate conductor strips, you could still have problems in re-connecting the lands together unless you are fairly familiar with soldering.
I expect some PF members would disagree with me, here, but soldering is quite a skill and many people forget the messes they used to get into when they started. Overheating the circuit strips can cause them to burn and lift off. Soldering practice is best carried out on simple circuits with nice large areas of copper and which don't matter too much. Ideally, you should start on a cheap 'project' board.
Actually, if you examine the way that switch is mounted, you may see a number of pins that a soldered to the ground areas of the board and you may well be able to identify the pins of the switch that actually do the connecting, while the others merely hold the switch in place. There may be solder on front and back of the board, to make life more complicated for you.

You may find the answer on eBay. Does the camera have wireless connectivity? Remotes are incredibly cheap.

 

[meBigGuy]

<<Mentor note: Some content removed>>

I want to be able to connect two cables so that by giving current, I can take a photo. Which terminals should I use? Or different ways?

Regarding extending the cable:

It looks like the button has 5 terminals. Not sure what they do, though. You need to measure from terminal to terminal with an ohmmeter when the button is pressed, and when it is not pressed. Then you can draw a schematic of what is inside.

Chances are there are contacts that open and contacts that close. This probably means you will need to remove the button and use a 5 wire cable to connect it remotely.

But, note that I cannot be sure that there are actually 5 contacts on the switch, nor that all contacts are used, nor that you need all 5 contacts to extend the switch function.
For example, 2 of them may just be on the frame to make the button stable.

What is the model of the camera. Maybe there are schematics on-line (no likely, but possible).

Regarding other methods:

We need the make and model to determine if there are other methods available for that particular camera.
There are cameras available that can be operated by remote.

 

[meBigGuy]

Oops forgot one important thing!

Camera buttons are usually two stage. A light press activates focus and exposure, and a harder press makes the exposure.
Those function can change based on the mode. For example a picture is frozen on the screen, then released when you make a light press.

I think you will need to extend the complete button (but I could be wrong)

 

[Jeff Rosenbury]

Or you could use a standard photographic solution. Photography is a mature technology. You are not the first person to want a remote switch.

If you gave us the make and model of the camera, I'm sure a solution would present itself.

BTW, I liked the dab of glue over the switch to deactivate it; simple and effective. Tape and a dime might work as a more temporary option. Not every solution needs to be rocket science.

 

[meBigGuy]

BTW, I liked the dab of glue over the switch to deactivate it; simple and effective. Tape and a dime might work as a more temporary option. Not every solution needs to be rocket science.

You too? LOL(meant in a good way). If there is a NC contact in the switch, then you need to remove it to remote control through those pads (you can't open the contacts in a glued switch). You are going to need the 2 stage switch to connect it to the cable.

I don't think deactivating the switch is actually the focus of this issue, even though that is the title.

Heck, just remove the switch activator from the case so you can't press the button.

 

[Jeff Rosenbury]

You too? LOL(meant in a good way). If there is a NC contact in the switch, then you need to remove it to remote control through those pads (you can't open the contacts in a glued switch). You are going to need the 2 stage switch to connect it to the cable.

I don't think deactivating the switch is actually the focus of this issue, even though that is the title.

I'm guessing you are over thinking this. Most cameras have a socket for a remote switch. Read the manual. Buy the part. In this case I suspect the part is a USB cable. Since most people already own several ...

 

[sophiecentaur]

<<Mentor note: Some content removed>>

Most cameras have a socket for a remote switch

Really? If you are referring to modern compacts and dslrs then I think you'll find that the remote function is more likely to be wireless. The only electrical interface is usually a Power In and a USB connector, in my experience. That would call for a laptop to do the control and that could be problematic.

 

[Serhatee]

Sorry guys, thanks for all answers. I suppose I did not express my purpose clearly. May be due to lack of knowledge. It is not actually remote switch. I had to make a project for my introduction to electrical engineering course so I decided to make a kind of photo-trap which is working with a laser security circuit. When there is a obstacle between light dependent resistor and laser pointer, the circuit comes into play and camera takes a photo automatically. I know there are different ways to do this like motion sensor, but my laboratory instructor didn't approve them. Laser circuit works but not combined with the camera and that's the point. Thought that it can be possible just by connecting cable to shutter button. This idea comes from a video on YouTube that shows the same project. However, it wasn't clear and the shutter button is different. As you see and said, my camera's button has 5 terminals and half-press activates focus, full press takes photo. It might be more difficult than I thought so I'm open to the different advises. Thanks all of you for your interests.

 

[meBigGuy]

Again, what is your camera make and model? If there is a schematic online (not likely though) maybe we can determine a 2 wire kludge that will work.

Again, if we knew the operation of the button (what changes on half press, what changes on full press) there may be a simple solution.
You can remove the camera batteries and use an ohm meter to determine the button internal operation.
Who knows? Maybe the final photo trigger is a simple closure of a NO contact.

Link to the youtube video you mentioned. Maybe it will give me (us) an idea. And it certainly will make your project clearer.

Even if you had a camera with a remote trigger method, you would need to design an interface to it.

Are you stuck with this particular camera? Or, can you buy a new camera?

 

[Serhatee]

Camera model Practica DCZ 5.8.
Yes, the button has two operation half press activates focus, full press takes photo.
And here is the link:

 

[sophiecentaur]

To deal with the pre-focus problem, perhaps it would be best to select manual focus but I see that the camera doesn't have the option.
There was a suggestion to buy a different camera. Good idea. A second hand, entry level dslr would have manual focus and wireless link (check before you buy). Doctoring a cheapo wireless transmitter would be a lot easier and less risky. (I appreciate that money sourcing may be difficult for a student.)
Rather than providing 'current' as your early post suggested, it could be better to use a reed relay to close the switch contacts and to drive that from your control system. It would be less invasive than linking two different electronic systems together - particularly is a long connecting lead is involved.

 

[davenn]

Really? If you are referring to modern compacts and dslrs then I think you'll find that the remote function is more likely to be wireless.

yes really
I have 8 modern cameras 6 DSLR's and 2 non-DSLR
They all have remove shutter cable socket

Even the Canon 6D which does have WiFi control, still has the hard wire option :)Dave

 

[sophiecentaur]

yes really
I have 8 modern cameras 6 DSLR's and 2 non-DSLR
They all have remove shutter cable socket

Even the Canon 6D which does have WiFi control, still has the hard wire option :)Dave

Well, how about that? I guess your sample of ten is good enough statistic for me. (another one)
Would these be high end, then? I notice that the Practica in question has no bells and whistles at all. Before buying a second hand one for the experiment, it would be worth checking.

 

[davenn]

yeah that Practica is pretty low range, so not surprising it doesn't have a remote shutter socket

some of them include
Canon 5D3 full frame and Canon 700D DSLR's
3 x Pentax DSLR's

The 700D is my latest new toy, its going to get opened up over the next few weeks and have surgery done on it to remove
one of the filters to make it a special purpose astrophotography cam

There will be a thread on that in the astro forum soonSorry Serhatee ... didn't mean to corrupt your thread

Dave

 

[meBigGuy]

I can't find a schematic.

If you really want to adapt this camera, we are going to need to understand the internal connections of the switch. You need to measure them with an ohmmeter and draw a schematic of the contact operation. Three drawings to display "at rest", "partial press" and "full press" This will be a good chance to exercise your resourcefulness.
Maybe there is a simple way to do what you want, but we will not know until we see the way the button operates.

Also, once we know how the button actually operates, we might be able to try some simple experiments.

Of course, the better solution is to use a camera more suitable to being externally triggered. I don't know what camera to recommend, though.

 

[meBigGuy]

Found this article
http://martybugs.net/photography/remote.cgi

It's for a different camera, but it gives me hope that all the switches are NO (normally open). If so, it may be simple to build an extension cable.

 

[meBigGuy]

Another thought (sorry for the serial posts).

If you buy another camera, you should buy a cheap point and shoot that is compatible with the CHDK (canon Hackers Development Kit).
Here is a way to remotely trigger such a camera. Plus, there are many neat programming fretures in the CHDK, like motion detection, time lapse, raw images, etc etc.
You can program the camera with complex macros. Like making 4 different exposures at specified intervals every time it is triggered.
http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/USB_Remote