Hi everyone!
I'm new in this forum, and this is my first post ever, so... let me know if there is any mistake.
The IDEA!After reading a lot the WIKI and the forums, i noticed that there was only a few types of remote controllers, with just one button. I also read about a couple of commercial remotes, but no so different from the DIY ones.
I first came to the CHDK Wiki and Forums finding a solution to my problem of taking photos with a lot of zoom without moving the camera. I thought in a remote shutter, but for my SX30IS wasn't supported. Only trough CHDK was able to do it.
That's how i started learning the scripting capabilities of CHDK (With some kickstarter help from waterwingz) and i got to this idea (Now is a prototype if you want to know)
First, i wanted a commercial look controller, so after searching for options, i saw a Wii Nunchuck in my old stuff and thought that was perfect.
How to use it?My first attempt was a complete hack of the controller. That should been the easiest approach, but it lacks of the word "Universal". Way too much customization to get a good final product. Then, i started to think about the way that the controller comunicates with the WiiMote. Was some kind of encrypted i2c comunication. With that final approach i started the design. Hard programming, easy wiring.
Again...How to use it?I like microcontrollers. They are easy to program, small, versatile and powerful. I picked a Attiny85 and that was all that i needed. This device is capable of run a "software type" serial bus, more than enough for this application.
With this little bug i can read and decode the i2c messages of the Wii Nunchuck with just a few lines of code. That makes the things easier to everyone who wants to use a wireless nunchuck in his project. Just adapt the connector and lets shoot!... But...
And the camera? Where is it?Well, thanks to the help of waterwingz i was able to find a few examples of programming that gives the camera some kind of PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation) decoding capabilities. With this in mind, i started to make a button-to-pulse program in the Attiny and a pulse decoder in the camera (Until now, just a BAS script).
With all this, the features of my project are:- Direct WiiNunchuck support (Testing Wireless possibility)
- 4 Customizable Hardware Buttons (For those who don't want a Nunchuck)
- 7 Pre-programmed functions for WiiNunchuck (Only 5 to HW Buttons)
Fuctions:- Shoot_Half Press
- Shoot_Half Release
- Shoot_Full Click
- Zoom-In
- Fast Zoom-In (Only Nunchuck)
- Zoom-Out
- Fast Zoom-Out (Only Nunchuck)
Zoom Description:
Zoom Control with Analog joystick for normal and fast zooming.
So.... where is the code, the schematics and the pictures?Well... this is a work in progress. I'm testing a lot the response of the camera and the controller, and also making some improvements in the PWM routine to add maybe a few more functions. With more testing and with your feedback in the early stage, i hope can release the full project in a few weeks.
As a starting point, i want to know what you think about this, and maybe if you have some other ideas to make this a better project for all of us.
My Stats Untill Now:i2c Comm: 95%
PWM decoding: 70%
Easy-To-Build considerations: 60% (Not everyone can program a microcontroller i think)
Shoot control: 98%
Zoom Control: 80%
Thanks for reading all this, and if you have any question, please let me know. You can also find me in the irc channel.
Bye!
PD: Look at the awesome project name... xD
