Lightning Trigger - Housing

Lightning Trigger Project

An Arduino-based lightning trigger for my d7000 and d80IR, a quick side project while I waited for the last parts for the dolly project to arrive.

Since I couldn't be happy with only using four pins on the Arduino, I made it really complex. Just because.

The slider on the front, between the eyes, selects between a photoresistor for visible light and a phototransistor for infrared.

The slide sw…  (read more)

09 Feb 2014

171 visits

Lightning Trigger - Housing

I think I needed a box about 5mm larger in all three dimensions. The switch positions were dictated by the limited space around the 9V battery, which itself just barely fits under the cover. This is what happens when you see all those extra Arduino pins going unused and decide to add functionality.

09 Feb 2014

92 visits

Lightning Trigger - Housing

The results of three hours of work with a drill, a dremel, hand files, and profanity. Putting the 9V battery inside the case meant replacing the countersunk screws that came with the box with finger-turnable socket-head cap screws. Unfortunately, being #4 screws, they aren't very finger-turnable and will need to be replaced with thumbscrews or something in the future. All that's missing here is the tiny poke-hole for the reset button, which I added after the unit was built up (needed to know for sure where the Arduino button ended up).

09 Feb 2014

119 visits

Lightning Trigger - Parts

Not shown are the RGB LED and associated current-limiting resistors I switched to late in the day, the washers I had to add under the trigger button, and the fine-gauge (26?) wire I had to switch to in order to fit everything in. Oh, and copious heat-shrink tubing. And no, I didn't recognize the need to change the wire gauge until after I'd had all the switches pigtailed and test fit into the box.

14 Feb 2014

160 visits

Lightning Trigger - Squiddie

The unit is based around an Arduino Micro microcontroller, and uses two MC3041 optoisolators to drive the focus and shutter lines for the Nikons (via commonly available camera-specific cords from Aputure). All very simple. Until you try to fit it all into a tiny box that will mount on the hot shoe. As it went together, the unit sans enclosure took on the unpleasant look and feel of an electronic squid-like creature. Here it is, ready for its first test fit in the housing. After which I would expend a great deal more profanity in the process of rewiring two of the slide switches and the remote jack. The loose wires are for the indicator light, which I knew better than to try to wire up before getting everything else fit.

16 Feb 2014

141 visits

Lightning Trigger - Maximum Density

As my supplies of profanity were rapidly running out, I finally got the thing packaged. And wonder of wonders, when I ran the test program, all of the switches and sensors and LED colors worked, despite the abuse involved in shoehorning everything into the box. Note the stacked washers under what was going to be a sleek and discreet surface-mounted arming button. This is what I get for doing test fits without the Arduino mounted - one corner just barely interfered with the body of the switch. Two nylon washers, one cc of epoxy, and much carving with the dremel took care of that last fit-up hiccup. Just underneath, you can see the hot-shoe mount. I foolishly expected that *that* would be the hard part of this project.

16 Feb 2014

141 visits

Lightning Trigger - Assembled

Ready to go. Just needs the programming, which is mostly done.

28 Apr 2014

93 visits

Replacement Cover

A new two-part cover/battery door for the lightning trigger, freshly printed.