Building A Professional Grade Shutter Tester

ic-racer · Oct 26, 2024

Oh yes, a closed loop system would be great, but the main drawback for any modification of this project is the lack of open source code.

I was hoping someone might offer up some open source code for the device, but from this thread and the on on GitHub, everyone is using the Hex code firmware (that probably won't ever get any updates or changes).

The Kyoritsu testers, on which this project is based, use a series of trimmer pots for the intensity calibration; so it is not closed loop either.

BTW When I analyzed the X-rite sensitometer, it appeared to me to have a closed loop system for monitoring the brightness.

X-Rite 334 Sensitometer: Inspection and Analysis

With the demise of film medical radiography, sensitometers have hit the used market. Currently on ebay there are about 80 sensitometers and about 80 transmission densitometers. But the sensitometers are about ten times less expensive. I found a seller with six working X-Rite 334 sensitometers...

www.photrio.com

bernard_L · Oct 26, 2024

ic-racer said:
but the main drawback for any modification of this project is the lack of open source code.

That is if you close the loop in software. With my background, I just assumed that the loop would be closed in hardware. The PWM output from the µC (properly filtered) would just provide the reference value that the loop strives to match. With proper scaling (in hardware, again) that voltage might just be the exact same one used to drive the LED in the base version.
In my previous post, among the issues that a closed-loop circuit addresses, besides thermal drift after turn-on I should have mentioned device ageing. Power LEDs have a finite lifetime (though a shutter tester logs fewer hours than a street lamp). The sensor photodiode can more safely be assumed not to age.

ic-racer · Oct 26, 2024

bernard_L said:
That is if you close the loop in software. With my background, I just assumed that the loop would be closed in hardware. The PWM output from the µC (properly filtered) would just provide the reference value that the loop strives to match. With proper scaling (in hardware, again) that voltage might just be the exact same one used to drive the LED in the base version.
In my previous post, among the issues that a closed-loop circuit addresses, besides thermal drift after turn-on I should have mentioned device ageing. Power LEDs have a finite lifetime (though a shutter tester logs fewer hours than a street lamp). The sensor photodiode can more safely be assumed not to age.

Clever idea! Do you think you will build one of these testers?

After re-reading my X-Rite 334 thread above I thinking out loud about pros and cons of using an electroluminescent lamp as a testing light source since they have constant color temperature when dimmed and a near perfect even illumination.

RMN · Oct 26, 2024

Assembled the tester but still need some cable management and the sensors. Luckily the darker yellow LED does have linear output! My rough calibration needed 12.9 V to get there. Hopefully I installed the fresnel lens the correct way because it was hard to tell which way the ribs and smooth sides are. Not sure if it matters but light is bleeding through the reflector.

bernard_L · Oct 27, 2024

ic-racer said:
Clever idea! Do you think you will build one of these testers?

It's a nice instrument, fit for a professional repair person. I get by with a quick-and-dirty circuit and a 30-year old Tek TDS320. For meter calibration, I found that the limitation is often the difference in wavelength response more than the global sensitivity.

aconbere · Dec 8, 2024

Have a camera that needs curtain tension adjustment so I'm back at the tester.

First a quick question: What button caps are folks buying? I've just been poking my finger through the hole like a scrub.

Second: Some advice on assembling the sensor units. I had enough trouble getting the diode aligned with sensor #1 that I took a different approach for sensor #2. I bent the legs and drilled the holes using the template on the PCB like usual. But then positioned and tacked the diode to the countersunk bit with a small dot of hot glue. The hot glue holds the diode well, but is viscous enough that it doesn't flow into the hole (and can be removed easily in the future if needed).

Then it was just a matter of getting everything all lined up (hot tip cut the legs at an angle from one end of the sensor to the other so you can do one at a time).

This made assembly an absolute breeze, can't recommend it enough.

vandergus · Dec 9, 2024

aconbere said:
Have a camera that needs curtain tension adjustment so I'm back at the tester.

First a quick question: What button caps are folks buying? I've just been poking my finger through the hole like a scrub.

Second: Some advice on assembling the sensor units. I had enough trouble getting the diode aligned with sensor #1 that I took a different approach for sensor #2. I bent the legs and drilled the holes using the template on the PCB like usual. But then positioned and tacked the diode to the countersunk bit with a small dot of hot glue. The hot glue holds the diode well, but is viscous enough that it doesn't flow into the hole (and can be removed easily in the future if needed).

Then it was just a matter of getting everything all lined up (hot tip cut the legs at an angle from one end of the sensor to the other so you can do one at a time).

This made assembly an absolute breeze, can't recommend it enough.

I ended up doing a similar type of assembly for the sensor. I glued the diodes in place to make sure that the silicon sensors were centered in the holes. But instead of trying to line up the leads with the holes in the PCB, I just snipped them then connected them with jumper wires.

aconbere · Dec 9, 2024

vandergus said:
I ended up doing a similar type of assembly for the sensor. I glued the diodes in place to make sure that the silicon sensors were centered in the holes. But instead of trying to line up the leads with the holes in the PCB, I just snipped them then connected them with jumper wires.

That would have been my next attempt if this hadn’t worked. I had considered it and then figured I’d at least try just fitting the leads. Save me a lot of soldering and wires. Happy that I’m not alone in considering the blind alignment to be a cursed procedure.

ic-racer · Dec 9, 2024

I finally finished the flash synch tester cable. First thing I had to do was to redraw the schematic to match the connectors that I'm using:

ic-racer · Dec 9, 2024

This synch cord was one of the cheapest I could find. I guess because the odd connector on the other end and the length (everyone is wireless these days? No one wants a 33ft cable).

ic-racer · Dec 9, 2024

That cable contained a white and black wire.

ic-racer · Dec 9, 2024

I bent the resistors like this so they would fit on the multi-connector:

ic-racer · Dec 9, 2024

Then solder the leads to the correct terminals. Make sure the Vcc goes to the correct side of the resistor. When the synch terminals in the camera are closed, it is shorting the 5v Vcc to ground. Without the 10k limiting resistor the Arduino can fry.

ic-racer · Dec 9, 2024

Works great!

ic-racer · Dec 9, 2024

Of note, when using it with leaf shutters, the measurement needs to be at the rim of the blades. You want to know the synchronization with respect to when the blades are fully open.

RMN · Jun 16, 2025

@ic-racer

I bought a synch cord and will build a flash sensor soon for my tester. Can you school me in how to test flash synch? That is, how do i use it to make sure a camera with TTL flash is correctly adjusted?

ic-racer · Jun 16, 2025

With this tester, only the timing of the flash can be measured. The exposure produced by a TTL flash system cannot be measured. Good old fashioned film testing would be needed for that.

The timing of focal plane shutter and the x-synch is measured as follows (from the user's manual):

bottlegardener · Jun 18, 2025

ic-racer said:
Of note, when using it with leaf shutters, the measurement needs to be at the rim of the blades. You want to know the synchronization with respect to when the blades are fully open.View attachment 385101

Excellent work on your build! I sent you a DM asking if you had any spares for 'Sensor 3' that you might want to sell. I attached some images from an amateur spectrometer (which has OK accuracy in terms of bandwidth but less accuracy for amplitude) showing the Epileds XHP7070.2 in the BOM vs some other standard lights.

ic-racer · Jun 19, 2025

Let me see what I have in my spare box.

bto · Jun 29, 2025

Hello,

for testing a Hasselblad 501 Camera I would have to use a Laser light source (1 or 2?)? Where should I place this for best results. The same Question for the light sensors?

Thank you
Branko

bto · Jul 8, 2025

OK,
after further reading this thread I have realized where I have to place the Laser "Dots" and the sensors.
As the shutter is build into my Lens (Zeiss Planar 80 CB) it is difficult to place the Laser at the maximum outer edge of the shutter. How important is it to be at the max?
Would it be much of an error if I am 1mm of? The Tech Specification says the shutter max diameter is 26,8 mm.

Thank you
Branko

ic-racer · Jul 8, 2025

If one stops a lens down two stop, the aperture goes to the mathematical half-way point. Turns out that would be a good place to measure. If one measures in the center and at the edge and averages them, the results would usually be the same as the half-way point.

jfk · Aug 3, 2025

Hi! I made an account specifically to ask about this topic as I'm trying to put everything together myself and I feel like some things are a bit unclear.
By no means am I a specialist regarding any of these so I apologize if any of the questions seems a bit noobish.

On the BOM wiki page there are some parts I don't understand. Like the JST 2P Female connector, is this part supposed to replace the JST 3P on the BOM csv from the assets folder?
I also saw that @ic-racer didn't put (e.g.) the 4pin connector for the LCD and instead soldered straight to the board. Is there any reason to still get the 4P connector or is soldering to the board just as good?

I'm also thinking about creating a pick and place file for the shield pcb and the light unit pcb. Is there any reason that I shouldn't or couldn't do that? From what I can see if I just manually find the correct positions while cross referencing the board from the gerber file that should work no problem right? And then just solder the parts that I can't get through JLCPCB/LCSC myself.

Thanks in advance
Jesse

RMN · Monday at 10:10 AM

jfk said:
Hi! I made an account specifically to ask about this topic as I'm trying to put everything together myself and I feel like some things are a bit unclear.
By no means am I a specialist regarding any of these so I apologize if any of the questions seems a bit noobish.

On the BOM wiki page there are some parts I don't understand. Like the JST 2P Female connector, is this part supposed to replace the JST 3P on the BOM csv from the assets folder?
I also saw that @ic-racer didn't put (e.g.) the 4pin connector for the LCD and instead soldered straight to the board. Is there any reason to still get the 4P connector or is soldering to the board just as good?

I'm also thinking about creating a pick and place file for the shield pcb and the light unit pcb. Is there any reason that I shouldn't or couldn't do that? From what I can see if I just manually find the correct positions while cross referencing the board from the gerber file that should work no problem right? And then just solder the parts that I can't get through JLCPCB/LCSC myself.

Thanks in advance
Jesse

2 pin connectors are used to connect the power supply to the main board (with the arduino) and on the light unit to connect the fan and LED to the pcb. The ones on the light unit are not the same size. I would go by the BOM in the wiki instead of the csv file.

I used connectors everywhere instead of soldering any wires to the boards because wires will break off unless you have some way to secure them. For the light unit, id suggest you order a male-to-male cable. Its gonna make it so much easier to connect/disconnect when troubleshooting.

There's not much reason to make additional pick and place files because all the things you'd need to solder are through hole which is pretty easy to do.

jfk · Monday at 10:57 AM

RMN said:
2 pin connectors are used to connect the power supply to the main board (with the arduino) and on the light unit to connect the fan and LED to the pcb. The ones on the light unit are not the same size. I would go by the BOM in the wiki instead of the csv file.

I used connectors everywhere instead of soldering any wires to the boards because wires will break off unless you have some way to secure them. For the light unit, id suggest you order a male-to-male cable. Its gonna make it so much easier to connect/disconnect when troubleshooting.

There's not much reason to make additional pick and place files because all the things you'd need to solder are through hole which is pretty easy to do.

Great answer, thanks! I will follow the items on the wiki then.

I'll do as you suggested and just use connectors everywhere.

I was more thinking that it would just be convenient to make the pick and place and just have as much pre-made as I could to save myself the extra work (though I suppose making it is also extra work).

Building A Professional Grade Shutter Tester

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