Canon S3 IS - Now with Remote Cable Release Via USB Cable!

One of the people working on CHDK has managed to port the code from an A710
build, where someone found a way to apply 3V to the USB's normal 5V cable pins
to trigger a CHDK script command. Something that they thought nobody would ever
be able to do since Canon started to cripple all their P&S cameras from having a
cable-release option. Part of Canon's "let's find ways to force people to buy
DSLRs" marketing campaign.


See these pages for photos on how to build a super simple USB remote-cable
release: http://ewavr.nm.ru/chdk/remote.htm

It can be fitted into any USB cable plug and attached to the end of any USB
extension cable when needed. One small switch, one little button battery, it
doesn't get simpler than that.

Here's the link for the binaries and source code for the A710 IS version if
needed http://ewavr.nm.ru/chdk/


Here's the page for the new S3 IS version!

http://hem.passagen.se/fsmmal/chdk2.html

Now you are able to remote trigger your S3 IS camera by any device you can think
of. Just apply a small 3volt button battery current to the normal 5volt pins on
the USB cable. The same signal that tells the camera to switch to download mode
has now been rerouted to a CHDK script command. Use any devices you can think
of, IR remote controls, RF remote controls, light-triggers, any simple
electronic switching circuit in existence!

Just run this simple CHDK script, or insert this simple routine in any of your
own more elaborate specialized scripts to detect whenever 3volts are applied to
the USB cable pins. Just plugging your camera into your computer will trigger
your camera to take a photo, as that applies 5V to the pins, a simple way to
test if it's working.

@title Remote button
:loop
wait_click 1
is_key k "remote"
if k=1 then shoot
goto "loop"
end



S3 IS + CHDK =
Remote Control (w/o computer tether)
Motion Detection, fast enough to take lightning photos.
Extensive Intervalometer Events, with 0.1 second or greater accuracy.
User Written Scripts, HDR bracketing, automated Focus Bracketing, etc.
User Written Cropping & Framing Grids
Hi-compression Video Mode
(long list of features available at CHDK Wiki pages
http://scratchpad.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK )

Just when you thought it couldn't get better it happens again!

This is like getting a new camera every week, for FREE!

 

?! I thought this was one thing it couldn't do....

Could you post a link to the information please as this is something that
would be very useful to me. I did look on the scratchpad but I couldn't
find any info on this subject.

Thanks in advance,

John

 

Toward the bottom of the Misc section in the firmware usage page with a short
list of some of the sampling rate combos, files sizes, and recording times
allowed.

http://scratchpad.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK/HDK_firmware_usage#Misc


There's quite a bit of artifacts that this hi-compression video mode causes,
many people wishing there was something halfway between this and the normal
compression. But the people studying the firmware only found one bit in the code
that could flag a different compression ratio. This is it. Hi-compression mode
is still very usable but don't expect the nice clean quality of the original
video. It's interesting that Canon included it in the original firmware but
never allowed access to it from their own menu options. Maybe it was just for
in-house testing purposes, or a hold-over from some other model's code. I
noticed that the original firmware in all these NO-RAW cameras show
file-extension support for CRW and CR2 types, but that's not a normal option
either. Left-over code in the firmware from other camera models. (Those file
extensions are just being recalled by CHDK from the original firmware. Under
certain conditions the normal "Erase All" option will also delete CR2 RAW files
that it finds, files that shouldn't be there, the ones made by CHDK. Otherwise
my camera doesn't recognize them in any other manner.)


I just tested the USB remote cable-release version. Works GREAT!!!!!

There won't be any limit to how far you can run a remote cable either, since
it's only having to detect a slight voltage change. Even on an extremely long
run of wire the only thing you'll have to overcome is the resistance of the wire
in that much distance. Since it triggers on just 3v and the USB port has a
standard 5v level on it, this means you only need to increase the voltage a bit
and be able to stay well within specs. Getting remote triggering from hundreds
of yards away if needed with just a simple twin-lead wire. I daresay that not
even remote releases on dslrs can do that. I know from experience with another
camera I have that has a remote release, that switch produces and sends a
required digital code, most likely limiting how far you can send it by wire.

Now it's just a matter of what remote-shutter release method is best for the
situation. Use a laser-pointer from 1/4th mile away to trigger a
motion-detection script? Or a wire-run with a button battery to trigger picture
taking. I think all bases are covered, no matter which way you look at it.

This is SO F'N COOL!

 

Thanks Keven,

Much appreciated. I bought my S3 for taking on a year backpacking.
As I am not sure how often I will be able to download my pics and vids I was
disapointed at the size of the videos. Hopefully this will allow me to
still shoot
video without the bloated file sizes. The pics will always be the most
important element for me though.

 

More cameras that Canon originally crippled by not including a cable-release
option have been made available to the USB Remote Cable-Release function of
CHDK.

To download the files needed see: http://hem.passagen.se/fsmmal/chdk2.html

(Note that S2 IS camera files are available there but at this time I don't think
they support the USB cable-release function. The author included them for the
extended features he created, like the LED and other enhanced uBASIC commands
for CHDK scripts.)

To learn how to use these files see: http://scratchpad.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK

You can now do anything with just your P&S camera that could only be done before
by tethering your camera to a laptop or desktop computer running remote-capture
software. Just build a simple button-battery+switch to plug into any USB
extension cable. CHDK also includes elaborate intervalometer sequences (and
more) and also includes motion detection triggering for still-frame AND video
modes--which isn't even an option in Canon's remote-capture software.
Motion-detection triggering for still-frames is only available in the better
3rd-party "Cam4You Remote" software.

CHDK's motion-detection routine is even fast enough for lightning photographs
using just your unattended camera (see links on main CHDK page about lightning
photography). The lightning's pre-strike leader triggering the camera's shutter
in time to capture the main lightning-bolt. No need to buy many-hundred-dollar
bulky lightning-detection devices that were once only available to D/SLRs. It's
already built into your compact, portable, and inexpensive P&S camera, with
CHDK.

Previous announcement regarding the USB Cable-Release function included below:

 

CHDK has now grown to deserving its own dedicated Wikia. Please refer any
newcomers to the new homepage:

http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page

 

Due to the bogus email addresses used by the hordes of sock
puppets (examples: , ,
, , etc.) one might
have assumed that you wouldn't attempt to spam this newsgroup with
notices relating to your software. Might. But we know better,
Biddy.

 

Usenet Trolls with no lives, no valuable information, nor informative opinions
about anything often invent a purpose for themselves. Some do it by comparing
ASCII strings in post headers because that's something they can do. It's a
challenge for them, one they know they can do. Even though it often taxes the
very limits of their abilities. Like playing with their favorite "Where's Waldo"
book which still leaves them befuddled at times. No doubt ripping out and
throwing away any pages that reveal their limitations to themselves. They can
tell the difference between an A or an E in post headers as they sing along to
the tune of "One of these things in not like the other, one of these things just
doesn't belong," while Sesame Street on PBS is playing in the background.

Unfortunately, this being the limits of their ability to reason and think leaves
Usenet trolls like Assaar erroneously ass-uming that everyone online is a
sock-puppet. Anyone posting from the same news-feed is a potential member of
that group in their minds. If all of those posters disagree with Assaar's
blatant stupidity then they must all be the same person posting as sock-puppets.
He has proof from that. That's all the proof he needs. This is all that he has
going for him in life so nobody mentions it, out of pity for him. That's as
creative and intelligent as he'll ever be. If Usenet was the Special Olympics
Assaar would be sure to be awarded a bright shiny honorable-mention like every
other participant. Then he could feel good about his asstounding, but wrong,
accomplishments. A good thing that news readers have a kill-filter in them. He
can rip out pages/participants from his "Where's Waldo" level of mental activity
while reading posts. He won't have to be faced with the ego-shattering proof
that he's wrong, again, and again, and again.

Trolls like Assaar never once stop to realize that the brighter people on Usenet
change their names continuously to evade the resident trolls in any newsgroup.
It's the only way to avoid them. Once you get one stuck to the bottom of your
shoe just change your name again. Just like changing email addresses to dump the
useless spam. It's that simple. The only drawback is that this leaves the few,
much more stupid resident trolls now thinking they are all sock-puppets of each
other.

They're not even bright enough to figure that out, even when you tell them.

 

Ah, the power of the written word. Being able to self-filter out those that
don't deserve something as nice as CHDK. It's wonderful how much power that
written words can have over others stupidity! LOL!

 

OH LOOK! A usenet troll that can't get attention any other way! How rare!

LOL

 

Funny, I didn't read it like that (well yes some of the statements are a
wank, but I ignored that to get to the real meat of the matter). I read it
as someone offering something FREE that will be of benefit to owners of the
relevant cameras. Admittedly it is off-topic in r.p.d.slr-systems, since the
cameras in question are all P&S but it is a useful tool none-the-less. I
didn't know of it's existence prior to this post, and when I investigated, I
discovered that CHDK would breath new life into my S2IS. Doesn't look like I
can use the remote release, but I can benefit from RAW (my main gripe with
the S2IS is it's propensity to clip highlights - yesterday's play revealed
there is a lot in the RAW that doesn't make it to JPG). I will also benefit
from things like improvements to timed exposures. I don't use the S2IS much
anymore - mainly use my DSLR, but the S2IS is handy because of it's small
size, and it does very good video, so I occasionally take it instead of the
SLR. Having improved capabilities is a big plus, so I'm saying thankyou to
the OP, not sledging him.