Bartman
Welcome to MultiRotorForums.com!!
The question comes up from time to time, how do you remotely release the shutter on the camera? I'm not a lifetime photography buff but just about every camera I've seen has had a spot where you can plug in a remote shutter release. That remote shutter release is usually a simple switch where you push a button, it closes a circuit and the camera shutter releases. So to make the camera on your multi-copter take a picture you have to find where the remote shutter release plugs into your camera, find a plug to fit it, and then figure out which wires need to be shorted to trigger the shutter.
The Mikrokopter has output channels that can be used for this but when I had trouble making it work I discovered a very small voltage across the switch when it was supposed to be open and my Canon T2i wouldn't reset for the next picture. Your camera might not be that sensitive but there's a better solution than using the output channels.
A company called Dimension Engineering makes a relay based switch for any low voltage circuit that needs to be turned on and off remotely. The switch is called a PicoSwitch
http://www.dimensionengineering.com/PicoSwitch.htm
and it works off of one of the MK flight control's servo output channels. This little thing is about as close to plug and play as it gets. You simply plug it into an open servo output on the FC, configure the servo output in MK Tool by assigning a Poti and channel number and then configure your radio so the channel is on a switch that is convenient for you to flip on and off when you're flying.
For the camera release, the PicoSwitch has two wire clamps where you put the wires from your remote shutter release plug (the ones that make the camera shutter release). Clamp the wires into the switch, plug the plug into the side of the camera, and flip the switch on your transmitter; the camera should take a picture.
This all probably sounds confusing but it isn't that bad. Give it a try and feel free to ask lots of questions. If you're not sure what to do, ask for help so you don't fry your camera.
Regards,
Bart
The Mikrokopter has output channels that can be used for this but when I had trouble making it work I discovered a very small voltage across the switch when it was supposed to be open and my Canon T2i wouldn't reset for the next picture. Your camera might not be that sensitive but there's a better solution than using the output channels.
A company called Dimension Engineering makes a relay based switch for any low voltage circuit that needs to be turned on and off remotely. The switch is called a PicoSwitch
http://www.dimensionengineering.com/PicoSwitch.htm
and it works off of one of the MK flight control's servo output channels. This little thing is about as close to plug and play as it gets. You simply plug it into an open servo output on the FC, configure the servo output in MK Tool by assigning a Poti and channel number and then configure your radio so the channel is on a switch that is convenient for you to flip on and off when you're flying.
For the camera release, the PicoSwitch has two wire clamps where you put the wires from your remote shutter release plug (the ones that make the camera shutter release). Clamp the wires into the switch, plug the plug into the side of the camera, and flip the switch on your transmitter; the camera should take a picture.
This all probably sounds confusing but it isn't that bad. Give it a try and feel free to ask lots of questions. If you're not sure what to do, ask for help so you don't fry your camera.
Regards,
Bart
Nice one Bart.. I am up at 6am this morning.. her indoors is off bike riding so I got the whole day on my ADX. I started to move my workshop into the kitchen last night for the day with no mither! 