wireless, no moving parts - take pictures
automatically!
devices to remotely control camera
shutters for remote photography.
:: CHDK Scripts ::
Unlike our other products,
gentled-chdk,
gentled-chdk2,
and gent360-chdk
requires a firmware enhancement called CHDK or SDM to be installed in your Canon camera.
Once installed a small "script" adds remote control functionality:
The Remoteshutter.bas Script
is used with CHDK products, and allows a simple shutter release functionality to
be added to your camera. Note that the latest builds of CHDK and SDM have this
functionality built in - i.e. You dont need a script to take a picture with
gentled-chdk.
The MoviePhoto.bas Script
demonstrates the power of CHDK and SDM products, allowing a CHDK2 to take stills
or video depending on the command from the remote.
The SimpleZoomNShoot.bas Script
is used with CHDK2 products, making joystick 1 click the shutter and joystick 2 control the camera's zoom. This script will work fine on A-series or
SD/IXUS-series cameras which have 3* or 4* zooms with 8 or 14 zoom steps. Each joystick movement will move the zoom to the next step. However, S-series cameras such as the S3 IS have more powerful 12* zooms with 128 steps, so although this script will work on such cameras, it will take a lot of joystick movements to do any useful zooming.
The ZoomNShoot.bas Script
This script should work on all CHDK-cameras that have zooms. It provides a run-time parameter, c, which if set to 0 (the default) will provide zooming for A- and
SD/IXUS- cameras, while if it's set to 1 will work on S-series cameras. In either case moving the joystick will move the zoom a reasonable distance. The script uses the set_zoom_rel function to move the zoom by a number of steps, 2 steps for A and
SD/IXUS cameras and 25 for the S-series.
The CHDK2Tester.bas Script
This simple script is designed to let you test that your Gentled CHDK2 is working correctly. When you run the script by clicking the shutter button it will run until you click the shutter button again, and while it's running you should see the camera's LCD display appropriate messages as the transmitter joysticks are moved.
Writing your own Scripts
CHDK lets you connect one RC channel to the USB port of a CHDK-enabled camera.
Either a 400mS long pulse, or a continuous pulse is sent as long as a single
joystick is held over.
CHDK2 lets you connect two servo channels to the USB port of a CHDK-enabled Canon camera. Scripts running in the camera can detect joystick movements on the two channels and carry out a variety of actions in response.
A CHDK script can detect when power is applied to the USB port and for how long that power is applied. The CHDK2 uses this to send
USB power signals of six different durations:
-
30 mS signal when joystick 1 is moved up
-
60mS signal when joystick 1 is centered
-
90mS signal when joystick 1 is moved down
-
120 mS signal when joystick 2 is moved up
-
150mS signal when joystick 2 is centered
-
180mS signal when joystick 2 is moved down
The get_usb_power CHDK script function returns the time power was applied in 10ms units, so an "up" movement of joystick 2 will return a value of 12 (or possibly 13 since it's not possible for the
system to be exactly precise). By using this function a script can determine which joystick was moved and in which direction and use this to carry out an appropriate action.
The essence of the script is an if statement which passes control to one of six subroutines depending on the value returned by get_usb_power. It's relatively simple to modify the script by inserting camera actions in the appropriate subroutines.
Important Note
When assigning an action to the joystick middle position, bear in mind that it's not possible to move a joystick from the up position to the down position without going through the middle position.
Thanks to Dave Mitchell (see
his helpful tutorial here and here) for his scripting expertise and development of the example scripts provided above.
NOTE: Gentles Limited cannot accept
responsibility for the 3rd party firmware enhancements required to use this product.
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