CAMremote-1 Users Manual - VP
Contents
1. 7 PC configurable profiles for different settings or different cameras selectable in the field Four on board LED s to indicate active profile or status of the device Camera settings easily set in the field for use with CR Multiple camera triggering when CRs are connected together for example stereo photography Compatible with DuneCam KAPsure systems adds control over shutter zoom settings features using USB PTP or USB CHDK method Upgradeable firmware via USB for product improvements Wide supply voltage range from 3V to 16V Very low power consumption 1 25mA depending on configuration Ultra light and extremely compact size Product continually improving as a result of the feedback and suggestions of users on request CHDK firmware enhancement is a 3rd party solution and VP Systems is not taking any responsibility of using it and cannot guarantee its 100 functionality Note that several features listed above are available only when your camera supports one of the following remote control methods USB PTP IR or USB CHDK Check the Compatibility chapter for more information The CR is configurable and upgradeable using PC with Microsoft Windows operation systems 98 2k XP Vista Getting Started This chapter gives brief instructions how to set up the CR with an R C receiver or servo motors Not all possible scenarios are covered here It is highly recommended that the user read the entire manual prior to us2. CAMremote 1 Users Manual Applies to Configuration Software Ver 1 3 2 PCB Revision 1 0 1 1 2008 VP Systems Revision history Revision Date Summary of changes 1 0 23 Mar 2008 First release 1 1 28 Jan 2009 CHDK timing changed Overview The CAMremote 1 CR is a highly integrated device which is designed for many kinds of remote photography The main features of the CR are Triggers the shutter of the camera using the following methods USB remote control using Picture Transfer Protocol if available USB PTP USB remote control if CHDK firmware add on is installed on Canon cameras USB CHDK Infrared remote IR control Servo motor finger which presses down the shutter button of the camera SERVO FINGER Triggers video shooting using USB CHDK method Controls the zoom function of the camera using USB PTP USB CHDk IR or servo motor method Controls camera parameters like shutter speed exposure focus etc using USB PTP or USB CHDK method Controls the camera s lens open close and sleep mode control using USB PTP or USB CHDK method Controls Tilt vertical and Pan horizontal servo motor control for automatic photography Rotating angles of servo rotors are fully configurable Programmable intervalometer for automatic photography Ability to connect a 2 or 3 channel R C receiver or any external switch or electronic device to control the CR
3. 0 File Tools Help Set 1 Set H2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Set 6 Set 7 Camera Settings Device Settings Camera Canon PowerShot G3 x Control Method USB PTP x Control made Internal Auto HoVer V pattem motion CHO Pan CH1 Tilt x Program CAMremote settings x Tv 171000 Av 40 xl Intervalometer Repeat Interval Tilt Servo Positions Pan Servo Finger Servo Shooting at Stop ISO Speed Default neat Rane 4x a Number of shots 1 1450us v Drive pulse 1 Focus Re focus lack controllable by Channel0 pulse width sense only x olico0us 1300us ER A ait pus 2j Delay before Image Size Defaut v Quality Defaut W Balance Default X tale Duration F 1s 100ms tr push Delay after Extra Settings USB PTP H4 None xl 3s z P Full automatic shooting ignores manual settings lens opens only at shoot I Wait Channel or button event before open lens green LED blinks when waiting Open lens only at shoot command saves camera s battery during idle Lens and video off after 3 min idle until user involve saves camera s battery Keep camera s LCD on at shooting disables video out Profile ID on board Ma Le Note Center position value of servo is 1500 us Get settings from CAMremote Save settings to CAMremote Quit PC Mode VW THT TU When the software starts up it automatically attempts to read configuration data from CR and displays any retrieved items o
4. stop shooting Camera closes the lens if lever is set to minimum position 0 and wakes up when moved away from minimum position Useful before completing the session to keep camera in safe condition during descent of the helicopter kite pole blimp etc When CH2 is at maximum position 100 then CHO can be used to change shutter speed value and CH1 can be used to change aperture value Value increases by one step if lever is set to max position and decreases when position is set to min Center position is idle When CH2 is at minimum position 0 then CHO can be used to change configuration profile Move CHO lever to 0 and back to idle position to change profile to previous one Move CHO lever to 100 and back to idle position to change profile to next one Note only same type of Control Mode profiles are available others are ignored Use on board button to change any profile External Rising edge sense CHO Shoot CH1 Zoom CH2 Zoom This setting configures CHO CH2 to inputs where shoot CHO zoom in CH1 and zoom out CH2 are externally controllable by rising edge of the signal Signal source can be whatever electronic device like microcontroller motion detector or simple switch or button which provides voltage to input pin s Simplest way to generate rising edge signal is to short Signal and pins for a moment External By DuneCam KAPsure shutter zoom settings via CHO This setting configures CHO to inpu
5. the onboard button for 3 4 sec to restart the shooting sequence Internal Auto HoVer V pattern motion CHO Pan CH1 Tilt This setting sets CR to an automatic shooting mode with programmable pan and tilt positions A 360 modified pan servo is connected to CHO and a tilt servo is connected to CH1 Depending on the camera being used the user can choose to trigger the camera using USB IR or a finger servo use the special Y shaped servo extension cable to connect both the finger servo and power supply to CH2 The pan and tilt positions are programmable via the Tilt Servo Positions and Pan Servo lists The CR uses the following sequence when controlling the servos tilt to position 1 position 2 position 3 position 4 then pan using user selected Drive Pulse and Duration values CR then repeats the sequence At every tilt position the camera shoots the number of photos chosen in the Number of Shots list To prevent camera shake due to servo movements select suitable time values from the lists Delay Before and Delay After If IR is selected from the Control Method in Camera Settings frame use suitable Delay After value to allow camera to complete the shoot command before next step usually 3 7 sec depends on shutter speed and image size Internal Auto Panorama CHO Pan This setting sets CR to automatic shooting mode where CHO is driver for a horizontal Pan servo motor The CH2 will be a servo finger driver if Servo is selected fr
6. SD1000 Note that Canon cameras have remote control limitations in USB PTP mode and several camera features are not available For example startup time is slower compared to normal camera startup there are longer pauses between shots there is a longer latency time between shutter release command and shoot there are no on screen display texts icons on LCD Video out no short post view after shot no manual focus a workaround is available for focus USB CHDK The CHDK firmware add on is a third party software developed for Canon PowerShot cameras Remote controllable features are determined by CHDK firmware and user scripts but not by the CR The CR sends commands to camera via USB but CHDK scripts instruct the camera to perform the operations The following Canon cameras have remote control support added to CHDK firmware and work in USB CHDK remote mode Canon PowerShot A Series A570 A610 A620 A630 A640 A710 Canon PowerShot G Series G7 Canon PowerShot S Series S2 IS S3 IS Canon IXUS Series IXUS700 SD500 Visit CHDK remote control web page to get latest information about supported cameras CAMremote 1 Board soe Z 3 Oo 6 o G TET Upgrade Configuration Jumper ChannelO gt Channel gt CH1 Channel2 gt short m LED s CH2 CAMremote 1 http vp systems eu USB Laa USB i Seer JS Connector np r On board a Button A Infrared LED Connecto
7. ed Holding the button down for at least 4 seconds instructs the CR to command the camera to release the shutter This is useful to test the readiness of the camera for a photographic session Note that CR is able to send this command to camera only when the green LED is lit and the camera is turned on If the button is held down at power on CR goes into bootloader mode all LED s blink 14 times The bootloader mode is useful for recovery if a firmware upgrade has failed and CR is not able to communicate with the PC Functions of the on board button Short click Profile selection mode on board LED s start to blink showing current profile identification After short click press the button until the LED s Select next profile show the desired profile 3 4 sec click Shutter release Hold down at the power on moment Bootloader mode LED s blink 14 times Configuration Software The CR is programmable using PC with special configuration software The software runs on Microsoft Windows operating systems 2000 XP Vista and CR requires one free USB port No driver installation is required The New Hardware Found message appears on the screen when CR is first connected to the PC and the operating system automatically installs a suitable driver Once installed the configuration software may be run A screenshot of the software is shown in the following picture 3 CAMremote Configuration Panel ver 1 3
8. ing the CR Begin with step 6 once the CR has been configured by you or the vendor DORE NE 8 9 10 Short the UPGRADE header by placing a jumper onto the pins Connect the USB cable to CR and to the USB port of your PC Run the configuration software camremote exe file name may contain the version number Configure profile Set 1 or additional profiles according to your camera s and save Remove CR from the USB port of the PC and remove UPGRADE jumper from header Connect the USB cable to CR and to the USB port of your camera if you are going to use USB If the SERVO FINGER method is used connect the servo cable to CH2 Attach IR cable if IR control is going to be used External control Connect cables from R C receiver to CHO CH1 and CH2 Internal control Connect the pan servo cable to CHO the tilt servo cable to CH1 and the power supply battery to CH2 Turn on your camera use playback mode if USB PTP method is selected Wait until green LED lit constantly The CR is now set up and ready to use Compatibility The CR is able to release the shutter with the SERVO FINGER method on any camera but if the camera has a built in remote function then there are additional options available for remote control Currently the CR is able to handle several USB PTP IR and USB CHDK supported cameras USB PTP Controllable features of USB PTP supported cameras are listed in following table Camera Shoot Zoom Parameter
9. is is useful when using long time photography like astronomy observing plant growth etc After shooting the Camera closes the lens and thus the camera goes into low power mode Lens and video off after 3 min idle until user involve saves camera s battery This setting enables the power save feature of the camera where after 3 minute idle time no activity on input channels button or intervalometer the camera closes the lens and goes into low power mode Any interruption from channels button or intervalometer will wake the camera up Note it requires a few seconds before the camera opens the lens starts up and is able to shoot photos Keep camera s LCD on at shooting disables video out This setting turns the LCD on and disables the video signal on the video terminal This is useful when testing the CR on the bench Device Settings Device settings let the user choose the operating mode of the CR and configure several servo motor related parameters Note that zoom focus lens control and Tv Av shutter speed aperture control are available only if your camera supports USB PTP mode For CHDK compatible cameras special CHDK scripts may be used to control a variety of camera settings and features More info about CHDK scripts will be available on the CR web page soon Control Mode Control Mode setting is used to set how CR is controllable externally by user or any electronic device or internally by CR program Cha
10. l if fast shooting is important Choose a suitable focusing method from the list according to your requirements Re focusing can controlled manually by the user during photography session when choosing Re focus lock controllable by Channel0 Read more info from chapter Device Settings Extra Settings USB PTP only Full automatic shooting ignores manual settings lens opens at shoot This setting uses camera feature to open lens and shoot picture using automatic shutter speed and aperture parameters and ignoring all user settings This is same command Windows sends to camera when user clicks on Take a new picture link on the Camera Task window XP Vista only After shooting the camera closes the lens Wait Channel0 or button event before open lens green LED blinks when waiting This setting waits for an external signal to be applied to ChannelO or waits for a button click before CR opens the lens This is useful when CR and the camera are powered up but there is need to protect the camera lens during the setup of the photographing system pole helicopter plane kite lift off etc Open lens only at shoot command saves camera s battery during idle This setting opens the lens only when shoot command is detected The CR applies all settings to the camera which are defined in the Camera Settings frame of the configuration software Note it requires a few seconds before the camera opens the lens starts up and is able to shoot a photo Th
11. n screen The communication status bar is on the bottom of the window If communication between CR and PC has been successful it displays an OK message on a green background otherwise it displays CAMremote 1 0 error on a red background Seven user configurable profiles are available Click on tabs Set 1 Set 7 to open a specific profile for configuration Every profile includes a graphical representation of CR s on board LEDs When CR s on board LED s are lit in the same configuration the specific profile is selected and active Note that this profile identification is displayed only when the green LED is lit otherwise CR may show other operational information on the LED s The button Get settings from CAMremote reads the configuration data from CR Click on it if CR is connected to the PC after the software has been started The button Save settings to CAMremote stores all configuration data to CR Click on it when all profile configurations are completed This will store all profiles in CR The CR may now be removed from the PC When configuration is completed the profile settings can be exported to Notepad for printing by clicking on Profiles to Notepad from File menu Printed copy would be like a reminder when choosing profiles in the field Firmware Upgrade The firmware of the CR is upgradeable by the user The configuration software checks the firmware version of CR when the software starts or by pressing the Ge
12. ng commands in USB CHDK mode Commands and pulse widths are shown in following table Use them in your CHDK scripts to detect a right command and instruct the camera to perform the operation Command Pulse width in milliseconds Shutter Release 15 ms Zoom In 65 ms Zoom Out 100 ms Focus 165 ms Power Off 200 ms Program USB PTP only Choose a suitable program from list Setting options including Auto Aperture priority Shutter priority are not described here but may be found in the camera s User Manual The selection M settings Set on field uses the camera s last settings which were manually set when the camera dial was on the M position This allows the photographer to set the camera settings manually before starting a new photography session with CR Note that some cameras have C1 and C2 settings but those are not accessible in USB PTP mode and will be ignored The selection CAMremote settings allows the CR to use settings Tv Av ISO Quality Size White Balance set by the configuration software Note when CAMremote settings is selected it will overwrite the camera s last manual settings during photography session Focus USB PTP only Manual focus is not available in USB PTP mode A workaround is to point the camera toward an object command CR to perform focusing and then lock the focus Note that focusing always takes time before shooting so try to keep the need for focusing minima
13. nnels CHO CH2 of the CR are inputs when selected value is External and CR is waiting commands via Channels If selected value is Internal then channels of the CR are outputs in most cases are able to drive servos There are 6 options how CR can be controlled More info about these options are listed below External 3 channel RC receiver CHO Shoot CH1 Zoom CH2 Alt This setting configures Channel0 2 CHO CH2 to inputs and shoot zoom and Tv Av parameters are externally controllable by RC receiver Channels are sensible to pulse width coding signal Most RC transmitters receivers are generating pulse width from 1 milliseconds 0 to 2 milliseconds 100 according to position of lever on control panel of transmitter Descriptions of lever positions and how CR interprets them are shown in following picture Lever positions Lever positions Lever positions ChannelO Channel1 Channel2 Shoot Zoom In Iv Av 4 4 Change Idle Idle Idle Focus 7 Lens off Zoom Out noble Change CH2 is used to define functionality of CHO and CH1 When CH2 is on idle position or left connected then CHO can be used to trigger the shutter re focus optional depending on Focus setting and lens on off control and CH1 can be used to control the zoom of the camera Move lever to 100 to shoot the photo Keep it on that position to repeat a shooting Move it to center position to
14. om the Control Method in Camera Settings frame The desired amount of pan servo rotation is user programmable via the Pan Servo list After each servo rotation the camera shoots the number of photos selected in the Number of Shots list To prevent camera shake due to servo movements select suitable time values from the lists Delay Before and Delay After Either a 360 modified servo or a Parallax Futaba Continuous Rotation servo should be used If IR is selected from the Control Method in Camera Settings frame use suitable Delay After value to allow camera to complete the shoot command before next step usually 3 7 sec depends on shutter speed and image size Recommended pan and tilt settings Tilt Servo Positions is used to select desired tilt There are 4 positions available Choose None if you want to skip any position s The listed values are in microseconds A value of approximately 1000us will move the tilt servo to one extreme either horizon or straight down and a value of approximately 2000us will move the servo to the other extreme A value of 1500us will move the servo to a center position approximately 45 These values are rules of thumb and most servos are able to rotate more than 180 so you can experiment with larger or smaller values too Pan Servo parameters are used to control a Pan servo position A 360 modified servo or a Parallax Futaba Continuous Rotation servo should be used When a 360 modified
15. ourself or you will void the warranty Problem Cause Solution All LED s are on CR didn t start correctly Unplug CR from power supply or from after power on USB port of the PC and plug again All LED s blink Firmware of CR is corrupted Update the firmware using configuration 14 times after software power on All LED s are off No power supply on CHO CH1 or CH2 If Check wires of power supply and polarity after power on connected to PC no jumper inserted to _ of connector which is attached to CHO UPGRADE header CH2 If upgrade configuration mode is in use insert jumper to UPGRADE header Only LED 1 is CR is in upgrade configuration mode Remove jumper from UPGRADE header remains on after startup and camera doesn t shoot Specification Board size 36 x 21 mm 1 427 x 0 83 Board weight 3g 0 106 oz Board weight with USB and three servo cables 18 g 0 635 oz Supply voltage 3 16 V Power consumption without servos 1 25 mA Channel connectors 3 pin JR Futaba style Maximum input voltage on Signal pin of CHO CH2 10 V survival Warranty 1 year
16. r Power Supply The CR can take its power from an R C receiver connected to any of CR s channels CHO CH2 or can be powered from any power source which provides 3V to 16V If a servo motor is connected to any of channel s be sure you don t exceed the maximum voltage that the servos can accept usually 4 8 7 2V otherwise the servo s will be damaged Supply voltage terminals are and on any channels CHO CH2 Read the specifications of your servo motor before applying higher voltages WARNING The CR has no reverse voltage protection circuitry and incorrectly connecting the supply voltage will damage the device Onboard LED s The CR has 4 Light Emitting Diodes LED s on board where LED s 1 3 are red or yellow and 4 is green The LED s show the state of the CR green LED blinks quickly when it performs operations During photography session when green LED is on red LED s show code of active configuration profile Indication codes of the configurations are shown in each configuration tab on software window see more info from chapter Configuration Software Channels The CR has 3 bidirectional channels CHO CH2 which receive signals from an R C receiver or any other electronics device including mechanical switches in order to control the functionality of CR In automatic mode Intervalometer or Panorama modes the CR drives servo motors which can be connected to CHO and CH1 Channel CH2 is used fo
17. r servo finger if needed custom functionality is also possible upon request A USB Connector USB Connector is used to connect CR to camera or to PC Upgrade Jumper Insert a jumper to the UPGRADE header when configuring the CR or upgrading the firmware Remove it when starting a photography session otherwise CR stays in upgrade configuration mode When CR is connected to a PC it supplies 5V to CR through USB for powering Note this voltage goes to terminals and of CHO CH2 Remove any power supply from CH0 CH2 during upgrade configuration to avoid any damage to PC or external power supply There is no need to remove any servos connected to CR s channels Only the red LED 1 is lit not blinking when CR is connected to a PC Infrared LED Connector Connect the infrared LED cable plug to this connector and mount the infrared LED close to the camera s IR sensor If tiny IR plug is used attach CAMremote 1 board onto camera so that IR LED points to camera s IR sensor Use tape or Velcro to attach it On board Button An on board button is used to select the desired profile A short click of the button switches the CR to profile selection mode and the onboard LED s start to blink to display the current profile identification Pressing the button again selects the next profile and the blinking LED s display the next profile identification If the button is not pressed for 3 4 seconds the currently displayed profile will be select
18. s Extras Note Canon PowerShot A series Ok Ok Tv Av F SQ L S A510 A520 A640 A60 A70 A75 A85 A95 Canon PowerShot A310 Ok NA TBD S Canon PowerShot G series Ok Ok Tv Av F SQ L S TRAW mode is G5 G6 G7 G9 unavailable Canon PowerShot S series Ok Ok Tv Av F SQ LS S50 S60 S70 S80 S410 S500 S1 IS S2 IS S3 IS SX100 Canon IXUS series TBD TBD TBD TBD S110 Digital IXUS v S200 Digital IXUS v2 S230 Digital IXUS v3 S300 Digital IXUS 300 S330 Digital IXUS 330 S400 Digital IXUS 400 410 Digital IXUS 430 S500 Digital IXUS 500 SD100 Digital IXUS II SD110 Digital IXUS Ils Canon dSLR s To be supported in near future Nikon To be supported in near future Not tested yet may work but probably need improved firmware of the CAMremote 1 Descriptions Tv Shutter speed Av Aperture F Focus unlock lock SQ Size and quality L Lens open close control S Sleep mode NA Not available TBD To be defined The following cameras have remote control disabled and don t work with CR in USB PTP mode e Canon PowerShot A series A410 A420 A430 A450 A460 A530 A540 A550 A560 A570 IS A610 A630 A650 IS A700 A710 IS A720 IS e Canon PowerShot S series S100 SD10 SD20 SD30 SD40 SD200 SD300 SD400 SD430 SD450 SD500 SD550 SD600 SD630 SD700 IS SD750 SD800 IS SD850 IS SD870 IS SD900 SD950 IS
19. servo is used use the Drive Pulse parameter to set the direction of the rotation Usually 1500us is the center point but this may vary depending on the modification The servo rotor turns left if the value selected is less than the center value and turns right if the value selected is greater than the center value The servo makes a smaller rotation if the value selected is closer to center point Use the Duration setting to determine how long the servo motor is driving its rotor For example the servo rotates about 45 if the Drive Pulse is set to 1400us and the Duration is 400ms When a Parallax CRS servo is used the Drive Pulse parameter can vary from 100us to 2000us You may need to experiment with different values to find a suitable combination Support CAMremote is continually improving as a result of the feedback and suggestions of users Ideas for improvements and requests for new feature are welcome and greatly appreciated Bug reports will be investigated and corrected as soon as possible To report a problem or request a new feature please contact us by email at support vp systems eu or through our web page hittp vp systems eu gt Contact Visit CAMremote s support page to get updated software and documentation Troubleshooting If an error occurs please consider the following instructions If you are unable to solve the problem please contact us by e mail or through our web page Please don t try to repair the device y
20. t and shoot zoom lens open close and Tv Av settings are externally controllable by DuneCam KAPsure or any other programmable electronic system CHO is sensible to pulse width coding signal Pulse width and its related commands are shown in following table Pulse Width Command in microseconds 2000 Shoot 1900 Lens Close Sleep 1800 Re focus Lock focus 1700 Zoom In 1600 Zoom Out 1500 Next Profile 1400 Previous Profile 1300 Shutter speed increase Tv 1200 Shutter speed decrease Tv 1100 Aperture increase Av 1000 Aperture decrease Av Use scripts to perform Lens close open Zoom Tv Av and Profile change Use Shoot command to wake up the camera if it was commanded to sleep Read DuneCam Users Manual to get more info how to create and use scripts Internal Intervalometer This setting sets CR to an automatic shooting mode where the shooting interval and count are user selectable Choose the maximum number of shots desired from the Repeat list and the desired time interval between shots from the Interval list Note the shooting operation requires a few seconds to complete which causes an additional delay to the interval Select the value Minimum from the Interval list if the fastest possible shooting is required The camera closes the lens and goes into sleep mode when the shooting counter reaches the maximum value selected from the Repeat list USB PTP mode only Hold down
21. t settings from CAMremote button The software will suggest that the user upgrade the firmware if it is an older version Press Yes button to perform an upgrade You can perform a firmware upgrade or downgrade manually by selecting Update Firmware from Tools menu Camera Settings Settings for ISO Speed Zoom Image Size Quality and White Balance are beyond the scope of this document They may be found in the camera s User Manual The CR software will enable disable various settings according to selected items This will helps the user to understand which features are available or unavailable in specific modes Camera Choose the exact model of your camera from the list because configuration parameters will vary according to the selected camera If the camera is not listed choose the closest model When use of a camera with CHDK firmware add on is desired select from the list Any CHDK Compatible When use of a simple servo triggered camera choose Any Uses servo control only Control Method Choose a suitable control mode depending on the method you would like CR to interface with your camera using USB PTP IR USB CHDK or Servo This list will vary according to the selected camera model Note when USB PTP mode is selected CR attempts to communicate with camera before it will be ready for shooting The red LED 1 blinks at every 3sec intervals until CR is not able to negotiate with camera The CR generates pulses on USB when performi
Download Pdf Manuals
Related Search