rseery
You had to know this was coming... Can you tell us how you built the "unembarrassing" remote? Perhaps post a pic and parts list? I am currently noodling on building one myself. Sorry if this is off-topic for this thread...
Basically, the cable is the same as the schematic on the wiki page (
http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/File:Remoterelease1rastercy6.gif). Electronically, the only modification I made to that is adding a 47nF capacitor between the legs of the switch to debounce the button. I bought a battery holder for three AAA batteries and also bought a plastic case to house them in. With a drill I made two holes on the case, one for the USB cable and one for the two-conductor cable which goes to the button. After soldering the legs of the push button I applied a heat shrink to each leg separately to prevent short contact. After that, I put a common heat shrink over both legs to make it look nice. And as a last step, I used a hot glue gun to glue the cables at their holes to the plastic case. This prevents wackling and seals water/dust out.
Here is the result, I think it is pretty OK:
http://drop.io/ultimaa/asset/remote-cable-jpg
I can just put 3xAAA batteries into the remote shutter and I can use it anywhere outside the house. Since the
SX20 (and many other cameras too) recognize a valid voltage between 3.4V and 5V, you can use both alkaline or rechargable batteries (I really can recommend the Eneloop from Sanyo, they do make a difference). Since I designed for AAA instead of AA batteries, the cable is still small and light in total.
I bought most of the parts at Radio Shack. I hate that store because they are very expensive although their selection is small, so every time I visit them I have to make a relatively large compromise of what I want and what I can get. But I do not know any other electronics store within reach to me so I had no other choice. Parts list:
- Heat-shrink tubes
- A piece of two-conductor wire
- 47nF ceramic capacitor
- Plastic "hobby" case (76.2mm X 50.8mm X 25.4mm)
- A 'normally open' push button
- A-male to mini-B USB cable
- Some duct tape for electrical isolation inside the case
Although the outer mechanical dimensions of the case are more than large enough to house the battery holder, the case I got at Radio Shack has a silly design. Initially I couldn't fit the battery holder in because of the crazy placement of the case's screw holes. So I had to cut pieces of it away but now it fits nicely. This is just a small warning if you are buying the same case. The USB cable is a "AmazonBasics USB 2.0 A-Male to Mini-B Cable" I ordered from Amazon. I am really fond of it, it is a real high-quality cable. It was actually a shame to cut it up. But it is a cable that I can recommend for anybody for any purpose.
As you can see, it is really nothing special, but I hope I could give you some useful tips. I wish you a lot of fun for building your own cable!
