The smoking solder iron - DIY group

[stormpetrel]

Just a quick post to let you know the existence of a new APUG group dedicated to electronic and software DIY projects for the film photographer.
(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

 

[cliveh]

This sounds an interesting group and can I ask if it is possible to make an electronic kit to connect 3 or 4 or more standard flashguns together, to act as a strobe? With perhaps a variable timer between each flash, that allows each gun to reach its recycling time for full power between being fired. Such a bit of kit would be very useful and for all I know it may already exist. My students would find this useful.

 

[stormpetrel]

yes sure!

 

[cliveh]

yes sure!

This would be great, as you can buy flash guns dirt cheap from charity shops.

 

[ArtO]

Looks interesting. While I have nothing to add at this time, I signed up.

 

[micwag2]

I just joined and left a post at the group. I am a soldering/test technician for a living so I'd like to participate and see where this goes.

 

[AgX]

This sounds an interesting group and can I ask if it is possible to make an electronic kit to connect 3 or 4 or more standard flashguns together, to act as a strobe? With perhaps a variable timer between each flash, that allows each gun to reach its recycling time for full power between being fired. Such a bit of kit would be very useful and for all I know it may already exist. My students would find this useful.

There once was marketed a hot-shoe delay device that after a first flash triggered staggered flashing with a choice between 1, 3 or 5 flashes in total. However it does not trigger several flash lights apart.

 

[stormpetrel]

This sounds an interesting group and can I ask if it is possible to make an electronic kit to connect 3 or 4 or more standard flashguns together, to act as a strobe? With perhaps a variable timer between each flash, that allows each gun to reach its recycling time for full power between being fired. Such a bit of kit would be very useful and for all I know it may already exist. My students would find this useful.

There are many ways to do that. The cheapest way would involve a PC-laptop, a $10 USB/parallel port (most of the parallel port can be used as TTL I/O port), a home brewed software and some extra components depending on the flashguns you want to use.

If you don't want to use a PC-laptop, the next option would involve the use of a multipurpose commercial micro-controller board (e.g. adruino).
Third option, make a dedicated board (micro-controller based).
You might also do it in an analog way with monostable (NE555 circuits) but I don't recommend this solution

If you have no experience with software programming and electronic it won't be an easy project , however if you are happy with the first solution I might help you with writing a piece of code to control your flashguns through the parallel port.

Dom

 

[tkamiya]

It only requires an optical trigger for each flash to fire multiple guns simultaneously. I bought some Metz potato masher type flash for this purpose. I know there is a specially made PC connector with one male port and 4 female port. I'm not sure how that'll work as all flash trigger will be connected in parallel with no isolation between them.

I can think of an easy way to do TWO flash alternating with latching relays but more than one, I am not sure.... We probably don't want to over-complicate it for it will have to work reliably every time - and in less than optimal conditions. I can't think of how timer'ed approach is useful.... is that going to be like an intergovernmental type installation??

 

[cliveh]

There are many ways to do that. The cheapest way would involve a PC-laptop, a $10 USB/parallel port (most of the parallel port can be used as TTL I/O port), a home brewed software and some extra components depending on the flashguns you want to use.

If you don't want to use a PC-laptop, the next option would involve the use of a multipurpose commercial micro-controller board (e.g. adruino).
Third option, make a dedicated board (micro-controller based).
You might also do it in an analog way with monostable (NE555 circuits) but I don't recommend this solution

If you have no experience with software programming and electronic it won't be an easy project , however if you are happy with the first solution I might help you with writing a piece of code to control your flashguns through the parallel port.

Dom

I don't understand electronics or what you describe, but are you saying with a lap top this could be done for about $10 with multiple flash guns?

 

[stormpetrel]

I don't understand electronics or what you describe, but are you saying with a lap top this could be done for about $10 with multiple flash guns?

My parallel port solution might have been a good solution with a real parallel port (not USB a adapter) during the windows XP era, but forget it as I have just discovered it would be not as straightforward to implement with new windows.

The good news it can be easily done with a Arduino Board Nano! The board cost less than Dead Link Removed but you will have to add extra components (relays to protect your computer and a darlington transistor network chip to drive those relays). The final board would be less than $60.
Any piece of software which can access to the serial ports can communicate with this arduino board so it is very easy to write a software as it does not require to implement special driver!
I will have a close look this weekend and let you know.