Replacing S3 internal flash with S5 for hot shoe feature - Hotwire! Hardware Mods, Accessories and Insights - CHDK Forum supplierdeeply
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Replacing S3 internal flash with S5 for hot shoe feature

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Offline cantain

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Replacing S3 internal flash with S5 for hot shoe feature
« on: 14 / December / 2010, 18:22:54 »
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it occurred to me that the S3 pop-up flash could probably be directly replaced with the S5 hot shoe/pop-up flash unit - at least electronically. the lens units and other parts are exactly the same, so many of the signals and voltage levels are the same. however i have never seen an S5 and don't have access to any and am wondering if anyone else has thought of this or has both cameras to compare. looking at my S3, i see that there are some screws allowing removal of the bottom plastic plate that the flash rests on when closed. i can see the wires running up one leg of the flash unit. it may be possible to remove all of the screws and pop out the actual flash bulb assembly without removing more than the flash plate and maybe the back of the camera housing. however the S5 hot shoe/pop-up flash would have to fit exactly in place of the S3s for this to be workable. if it does fit it would be worth ordering that part or finding a non-working S5.

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Offline colinbm

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Re: Replacing S3 internal flash with S5 for hot shoe feature
« Reply #1 on: 14 / December / 2010, 18:48:02 »
You would be better to upgrade & buy a secondhand S5IS they are a nice camera :-)
Col
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Offline cantain

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Re: Replacing S3 internal flash with S5 for hot shoe feature
« Reply #2 on: 14 / December / 2010, 19:32:42 »
of course i have thought about it and know all the differences in specs. however i already own an S3 that i like very much and this is a DIY board on a site dedicated to squeezing the most out of what we already have.

have you looked at prices of S5s lately? they've gone up! cost is always a factor which is why we have CHDK and 1000 other hacks and mods. otherwise we can already get cameras that save RAW.

do you have an S5? if so i have some questions for you

1) do you think the 8mp 1/2.33 sensor does any better than the 6mp 1/2.33 sensor on the S3?
2) can you measure around the area of the pop-up flash? specifically the width of the bottom plate.



Quote from: colinbm on 14 / December / 2010, 18:48:02
You would be better to upgrade & buy a secondhand S5IS they are a nice camera :-)
Col
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Offline thepanoguy

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Re: Replacing S3 internal flash with S5 for hot shoe feature
« Reply #3 on: 14 / December / 2010, 22:25:07 »
I have an S3IS. If you read through all the posts on the CHDK site carefully you will find that most of the guys on this site are software guys not hardware guys.

There was a guy about a year ago who posted photographs of the internals of a defective S3IS. If you search the internet the photos of the S3IS may be still available.

If you desire to modify your S3IS you are welcome to dismantle your S3IS and post the details on this forum.

Something to consider.

Do you have the industrial electronics competence to undertake the task because there are no service manuals or schematics for Canon cameras?

Do you have a dust free laboratory?

Dismantling any camera is not a job you can undertake on a kitchen table or in a spare room of a house. We are talking about dust free specifications close to hard drive manufacture because one particle of dust will brick you camera.

Do you possess the correct tools?

You will need specialised tools to carry out the job. Let's say you manage to open the camera, there is not much room inside the camera to carry out the modifications. You will need to make a printed circuit board using surface mount components and mount the board using miniature screws. Do you have the required tools and the hand to eye coordination to undertake the task?

For certain applications the S3IS is a good camera; in low light levels it is useless. Even if you manage to carry out the modifications competently you may be disappointed with the final results.

Frankly; if you work out the time required to carry out the modifications to an accredited level, you would be better off finding a second job, earn the money and using the money to purchase a DSLR. 

Don't let me talk you out of undertaking the task. I am merely pointing out the difficulties involved.

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Offline colinbm

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Re: Replacing S3 internal flash with S5 for hot shoe feature
« Reply #4 on: 15 / December / 2010, 10:34:23 »
The width of the flash unit on the S5is is 35 mm.
The length from front of flip up flash to the back of hot shoe is 54.5 mm.
The join is 28 mm from back of hotshoe.
But it is integral with the EVF & the cameras casing. It doesn't lift out separately !
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Offline ahull

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Re: Replacing S3 internal flash with S5 for hot shoe feature
« Reply #5 on: 03 / January / 2011, 16:15:34 »
... or you could get yourself a slave flash unit... something like

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SYK-3-SYK3-Flash-Remote-Slave-Trigger-Canon-nikon-/400110795303?pt=UK_CamerasPhoto_CameraAccessories_CameraFlashUnits_JN&hash=item5d28763a27

... and an inexpensive external flash gun. No surgery required. I know you don't like slaves (http://chdk.setepontos.com/index.php?topic=5906.0) but try and  trigger it with the same trigger as your camera trigger, leaving the on camera flash switched off... or bounce the camera internal flash off a mirror to the slave and use the slave to do the real work. This i very easy to set up and works surprisingly well.
 
« Last Edit: 03 / January / 2011, 16:22:12 by ahull »
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