"Hacking" the remote control

 

Below is how the remote control for this camera (Nikon D700/D800) works. I have no idea how common this design is, so you'll have to open yours to see how it works. There are three metal plates which can be bended by pressing the button.

Situation I: The control is at rest and none of the metal plates make contact with each other.

Situation II: The button is pressed down halfway and the first two contacts touch each other; the camera measures the exposure and focuses.

Situation III: The button is pressed down completely and all three plates make contact with each other; the camera takes the picture.

Situation IV: This is what my "hacked" remote control looks like. I soldered wires to all three plates and the connections will be activated electronically by using a relay (see below).

 

The sensors

 

This system is based on two active IR detectors. The sensors have a high output when they detect the light from the IR-source, and low output when the beam is blocked. The signals from both detectors are connected to a NOR-gate, which in turn will give a high output when both detectors are blocked simultaneously. This high signal from the NOR-gate then activates the relay which will make the camera take a picture. There are also two separate control LEDs for each sensor attached in my system, but they are not included in this scheme.

 

 

The breadboard with the main electronics

 

The separate parts and the little box in which they are stored

 

The lock with two switches, one main switch to the right and one switch to the left to activate the control LEDs. When the control LEDs are switched on, if nothing blocks the sensors both LEDs are on (left), and when both beams are blocked the LEDs are off (right).

 

The set-up

 

Below is how the trap is build.

All parts are mounted on a metal piece, with the sensors mounted on an aluminum frame. The perpendicular wooden part is to make sure the set-up doesn't tip when it is on the ground or when I am hand-holding the set-up. Also, the box with the electronics is mounted on the wooden part. The camera is mounted on a modified Velbon Super Mag Slider. I made this modification to allow for very small steps when doing focus stacks with microscope lenses (10x enlargement). It is not needed for this purpose though, it's just there because, once attached, it is hard to remove and I can sometimes be a lazy guy. The flash is mounted on a Tether Tools articulating arm, and it is equipped with a diffusor for better lighting.

 

Front view. The sensors are the black rectangular pieces on the aluminum frame, with the upper ones being the IR-LEDs and the lower ones the detectors. I mounted black tubes on them to shield them from as much light as possible. However, they are sensitive enough that this set-up doesn't really work in direct sunlight. In the shadow or during overcast weather it is no problem though.

 

The set-up handheld, ready to hunt bugs!