Camera Shutter Control for Sony DSLRs

If you are building one of our DIY projects, chances are that you already have a 3D printer. If so, and if you are using OctoPi to remotely control it, then you can also use the Octo Lapse plug-in to get really nice time lapse videos of the things you print. Well, we took it one step further: Ultra-high quality time- lapse videos from Sony DSLR cameras. Since the Octo Lapse software tells your printer to run the plate fully-forward and the print nozzle to the far- right position, why not put a micro switch there to take a picture with a GOOD camera? One problem with new Sony cameras: They use a USB remote. But hey no problem. Just buy a cheap knock-off remote for $19, cut the cable and solder the three wires onto our Arduino Pro Micro board. When the microswitch is closed, it sends a command to turn on a strip of LEDs to light-up the plate, then it sends a FOCUS command, immediately followed by the camera shutter TRIGGER. It leaves the lights on for a few more milliseconds (in case you have a slow shutter), then it turns them off. Lastly, it displays on an I2C display how many photos you’ve taken. Just stitch the photos together using any video editing software and you have cinema-quality time lapse video of your 3D prints! NOTE: You must strictly control the lighting in order to get good results. Also, recommend using a USB-powered dummy battery for your camera, as 3D prints take a long time! For the Sony A7-S, we use the “Foto4easy NP-FW50 DC Coupler Power Supply Dummy Battery with USB Cable.” Kit comes with a printed circuit board, a list of parts (just resistors and transitors, an I2C display, an LED, etc.), a 3D plastic .STL part for the mounting plate, and assembly instructions.

Camera Shutter Control for Sony DSLRs