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Lightning detector for photography

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strongheart
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Photos of Zuse's wonder amaze me, but my trigger finger is way too slow - the Instamatic timing of the camera and electronics may also be slow.  How long the flash, how many fps one might catch the best of the event. 
With summer storms coming up Dronebot Workshop may wish to cover this topic.

 

 

 

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Ron
 Ron
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That is an interesting project as I am a photographer but I wonder if it is of wide enough interest. Now if it worked with an iPhone or Android then maybe. I have a Pluto for my DSLR, it does lightening plus a host of other triggers. 

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strongheart
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Wow! thanks for turning me on to Pluto!
I love it!!!
for anyone who wants to know...

My phone may have many of those features; my Canon - not so much.

My phone is a Ulephone Thermal Imaging camera.
I figured that it would be handy in electronics to see which component is overheated and about to burn my building down.

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Ron
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@strongheart I never heard of that brand of phone. I use one of those 'laser' tire temp gauges to detect hot spots on a board.

First computer 1959. Retired from my own computer company 2004.
Hardware - Expert in 1401, and 360, fairly knowledge in PC plus numerous MPU's and MCU's
Major Languages - Machine language, 360 Macro Assembler, Intel Assembler, PL/I and PL1, Pascal, Basic, C plus numerous job control and scripting languages.
Sure you can learn to be a programmer, it will take the same amount of time for me to learn to be a Doctor.


   
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Inq
 Inq
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On the subject of Lightning - I'd be interested in a product/project that could trigger a smart phone from lightning.  I would think the DSLR versions are direct logic pin triggering.  Although a smart phone can be triggered by a Bluetooth connection, my gut feeling is the time it would take to go from sensor/pin trigger on say... a ESP32 through the communication stacks on both devices and finally trigger the phone app would be way to long for a Lightning strike.  I hope to be wrong, but I've never played with connecting an ESP32 via Bluetooth to a phone.

 

3 lines of code = InqPortal = Complete IoT, App, Web Server w/ GUI Admin Client, WiFi Manager, Drag & Drop File Manager, OTA, Performance Metrics, Web Socket Comms, Easy App API, All running on ESP8266...
Even usable on ESP-01S - Quickest Start Guide


   
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Ron
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@inq I own a Pluto and can tell you it can handle several different kinds of Camera trigger inputs. TBH, I just assumed they were all variations on a simple switch but with today's modern electronic cameras maybe not. When you order a Pluto you specify the interface used, mine is a Canon 7DII and N3.

For a smartphone the earphone jack is typically used to trigger the camera remotely IIRC or Bluetooth. My old iPhone 6S has both. I have a BT remote for an old selfie stick. I don't use the earphones since I wear hearing aids but understand that there is a button on the earphone leads to trigger the camera. I think I even have an adapter from lightning to earphone as well for my wife's iPhone 7S.

The bottom line is there is likely a way to 'trigger' the camera of any smart phone as long as the required adapter is in place, Bluetooth might be universal but of course does introduce another layer. Since I am looking for info on Bluetooth transmitters so I can send a music stream to an Alexa I am quite interested 2 ways. I am not having a great deal of luck locating example code for a BT transmitter. I think they call it A2DP not Bluetooth but not 100% sure.

First computer 1959. Retired from my own computer company 2004.
Hardware - Expert in 1401, and 360, fairly knowledge in PC plus numerous MPU's and MCU's
Major Languages - Machine language, 360 Macro Assembler, Intel Assembler, PL/I and PL1, Pascal, Basic, C plus numerous job control and scripting languages.
Sure you can learn to be a programmer, it will take the same amount of time for me to learn to be a Doctor.


   
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Ron
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@inq Here is the wiring instructions for 3 types of switch for the Canon N3 connector. No fancy electronics, just a simple switch. You may be confusing the X-Sync connector with the remote, the X-Sync connector has to be properly electrically isolated otherwise high power add-on flash packs (350V?) would have fried the old style simple switches used prior to that. No doubt that the N3 simple switch is grounding a gate or trigger of a transistor or similar, but from the implementers point of view we only need to connect G to the pin that triggers the shutter, nothing special at all, same for the focus pin.

Screen Shot 2022 06 03 at 07.55.33

 

First computer 1959. Retired from my own computer company 2004.
Hardware - Expert in 1401, and 360, fairly knowledge in PC plus numerous MPU's and MCU's
Major Languages - Machine language, 360 Macro Assembler, Intel Assembler, PL/I and PL1, Pascal, Basic, C plus numerous job control and scripting languages.
Sure you can learn to be a programmer, it will take the same amount of time for me to learn to be a Doctor.


   
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Inq
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Way to go @zander!  👍 👍  - Just for S&G, I tried the wired headphone on an Android and sure enough... tapping the volume control up/down takes a photo.  I wasn't aware that was built-in to the OS.

Can someone more hardware oriented help design a circuit?

I'm taking a WAG that just a simple transistor triggered by an Arduino logic pin could act a momentary switch causing a photo to be taken.  I'd bet that would be far faster than having to deal with Bluetooth latency.  

3 lines of code = InqPortal = Complete IoT, App, Web Server w/ GUI Admin Client, WiFi Manager, Drag & Drop File Manager, OTA, Performance Metrics, Web Socket Comms, Easy App API, All running on ESP8266...
Even usable on ESP-01S - Quickest Start Guide


   
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Ron
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@inq According to the diagram I just posted there isn't even a transistor involved (at least in the external switch), just a simple SPST across the 2 correct pins for focus, and another set for shutter trip. 

First computer 1959. Retired from my own computer company 2004.
Hardware - Expert in 1401, and 360, fairly knowledge in PC plus numerous MPU's and MCU's
Major Languages - Machine language, 360 Macro Assembler, Intel Assembler, PL/I and PL1, Pascal, Basic, C plus numerous job control and scripting languages.
Sure you can learn to be a programmer, it will take the same amount of time for me to learn to be a Doctor.


   
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Inq
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Posted by: @zander

@inq According to the diagram I just posted there isn't even a transistor involved (at least in the external switch), just a simple SPST across the 2 correct pins for focus, and another set for shutter trip. 

Yes... but your drawing has switches and this thread is about automatically triggering the shutter based on a lightning strike.  The Arduino/ESP8266 will be doing the triggering and needs to "act" like a switch.  I wouldn't think we can run pin logic voltage down the phone jack... but I'm guessing a transistor controlled by a logic pin could "make" the connection and thus trigger the camera.

 

3 lines of code = InqPortal = Complete IoT, App, Web Server w/ GUI Admin Client, WiFi Manager, Drag & Drop File Manager, OTA, Performance Metrics, Web Socket Comms, Easy App API, All running on ESP8266...
Even usable on ESP-01S - Quickest Start Guide


   
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Ron
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@inq Yes, of course, I was focusing on what was needed from the smart phone side. My apologies for the confusion.

This might be a project for one of the newer very small boards like a RasPi Pico or Arduino Nano. I agree, BT is not my favourite way to communicate so a direct connection is needed and that needs to be free of voltage. I actually don't know how to do that, so is somebody going to produce a diagram? I understand from the PLUTO site a sensitivity control is needed for the lightning detector as well.

First computer 1959. Retired from my own computer company 2004.
Hardware - Expert in 1401, and 360, fairly knowledge in PC plus numerous MPU's and MCU's
Major Languages - Machine language, 360 Macro Assembler, Intel Assembler, PL/I and PL1, Pascal, Basic, C plus numerous job control and scripting languages.
Sure you can learn to be a programmer, it will take the same amount of time for me to learn to be a Doctor.


   
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Ron
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I just went to the Pluto site to see if they support the most common camera in existence today, the 'smart phone'. They do not. Is it because it is technically not possible to be both app controller and app subject at the same time, or is it just their opinion that the average smart phone photog is not a serious enough photographer to be interested in this device? In any case, some of us here (I will be switching to an iPhone 14 or 15 in lieu of a DSLR for impromptu photography next year, I will still use my 7DII for 'serious' work) are interested in having this capability on a smart phone.

What I don't understand is how will we 'control' the app? Getting an app approved for an iPhone is darn near impossible for a first time individual developer, can we do it from a 2x16 LED display?

First computer 1959. Retired from my own computer company 2004.
Hardware - Expert in 1401, and 360, fairly knowledge in PC plus numerous MPU's and MCU's
Major Languages - Machine language, 360 Macro Assembler, Intel Assembler, PL/I and PL1, Pascal, Basic, C plus numerous job control and scripting languages.
Sure you can learn to be a programmer, it will take the same amount of time for me to learn to be a Doctor.


   
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strongheart
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I think that a microcomputer or even a microprocessor is overkill for the job.  No matter that, the key component would be the LDD or photoDiode to trigger a transistor switch.
Would it need lenses?
Lightning season is coming up

 

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Taking someone else, seriously, it's a federal offense.


   
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strongheart
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@zander I will post about this phone eventually.
It is remarkable, but I have yet to test most of its features.
It claims military grade toughness, but I haven't even dropped it on carpet (yet - nor wish to - just in case).

Taking yourself seriously is no laughing matter.
Taking someone else, seriously, it's a federal offense.


   
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Ron
 Ron
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@strongheart I don't see any need for a lens, it isn't taking the picture, just triggering the camera so all it cares about is the transition from ambient lighting to intense lighting, no need to be in focus, besides do you really want to be that close? Infinity sounds so much safer for a focusing distance.

First computer 1959. Retired from my own computer company 2004.
Hardware - Expert in 1401, and 360, fairly knowledge in PC plus numerous MPU's and MCU's
Major Languages - Machine language, 360 Macro Assembler, Intel Assembler, PL/I and PL1, Pascal, Basic, C plus numerous job control and scripting languages.
Sure you can learn to be a programmer, it will take the same amount of time for me to learn to be a Doctor.


   
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