Coolpix 990 Homemade remote control
I already have the MC-EU1 remote control but could see short falls with
it such that the minimum time lapse interval was 2 minutes and for BULB settings
you couldn't lock the shutter down without holding the button. As
I am starting to delve into astrophotography I felt that these features
would be handy. Also I am planning on having an external trigger
input for sound, light, switches and the like. Most of the hard work
has been done by sniffing the data communications between the MC-EU1 remote
and figuring out what the commands did what. This means that external events
could trigger the camera. At present the remote supports the following modes
and functions:
- Normal Mode - Zoom functions, half shutter press and full shutter press
- Bulb Mode - Zoom functions, half shutter press and bulb shutter
(press open shutter/press release shutter).
- Time Lapse Mode - Zoom functions, half shutter press and Time Lapse (pressing full shutter starts time lapse/pressing half press exits time lapse)
- Set Time Lapse Interval - provides a meanse of setting a 1 to 255 second delay interval
The modes are selected by holding the Zoom Telephoto button down then pressing the Zoom Wide button to select the mode. The mode is indicated by the 2 LEDs.
- Both LEDs on - (During power up) to indicate the unit is functional
- No LEDs on - Normal mode
- Red LED on - Bulb mode
- Yellow LED on - Time Lapse mode (not taking photos)
- Yellow LED flashing - Time Lapse mode (taking shots)
As all the functions are implemented via software it is easy to expand on
the basics.
The remote control consists of a PIC16F84 processor, Xtal 10Mhz ,5v Regulator , a few resistors , a few capacitors ,some switches and a DB9 connector. The unit runs on a 12v battery that fits in the space by the Xtal. The remote connects to the Coolpix 990 serial cable as it is near impossible to get one of the true Nikon connectors. The half/full shutter button was made by gluing 2 PCB mount momentary contact switches together. The top switch requires less pressure to make the contact than the lower switch. Therefore the top switch provides the half press and the lower provides the full press. Here is the Circuit .
Below is a photo of the prototype.
The remote fits neatly into a small 185mm x 50mm x 15mm case.
If you are interested in the nitty gritty of the remote email Bruce Gentle