Introduction: Intervalometer

I decided to make a quality DIY intervalometer for my DSLR Pentax camera so that I could do sentence-elapse picture taking. This intervalometer should work with most major brands of DSLR cameras such as Nikons and Canons. It works by triggering the shutter victimization the camera's remote trigger port. It lav also auto-focus before from each one shot if indeed desired (or toggle this on or off at any time). The brains of this intervalometer is an Arduino chip. IT English hawthorn look real complex at the start glance, but is actually a simple circuit and not that hard to make.

Step 1: Go Get Stuff

You will need:

(x1) Small wood box
(x1) 1/8" acrylic panel (see next step)
(x1) black acrylic paint
(x1) paintbrush
(x1) Arduino Uno
(x1) PCB
(x1) 1K resistor
(x1) 100 ohm resistor
(x1) LM7805 5V governor
(x1) 2-color LED
(x1) 16MHz quartz
(x2) 22pf capacitors
(x1) 10K potentiometer
(x1) 28 pin socket
(x1) DPDT toggle switch
(x1) SPST push-button switch
(x1) DC power socket
(x2) SPST 5V beating-reed instrument relay race
(x1) protected stereo cable
(x1) 3/32" (2.5mm) male plug
(x1) 9VDC power adapter
(x1) knob
(x1) toggle switch substitution cut through (facultative)
(x4) 1" woodwind screws
(x1) red, black and green conducting wire
(x1) soldering setup
(x1) multimeter
(x1) drill press (or hand recitation) and misc. tools.

Several of the links on this page contain Amazon affiliate links. This does not change the price of any of the items for cut-rate sale. However, I earn a tiny commission if you flick on any of those links and buy up anything. I reinvest this money into materials and tools for future projects. If you would like-minded an alternate suggestion for a supplier of any of the parts, delight Lashkar-e-Taiba me know.

Step 2: Make the Front Control board

If you happen to have a 70 W Epilogue optical maser tender, make the following...

Download the attached template file. Put your 1/8" white acrylic in the machine (exercise non remove the protective coating). Set the moulding of the template appropriately to match the borders of your box.

Laser etch the design with the following settings:
power: 70
pep pill: 100
passes: 2

Cut into out the template per se:
major power: 100
speed: 9
oftenness: 5000

When you are done make 2 - 3 thin coats of black paint and wait for them to dry ahead you peel off the protective coating from the acrylic. Use a foxiness knife to carefully pick soured the bits of natural covering that remain.

All right, okay... I have a go at it all but of you wear't rich person a laser cutter. Present are around alternatives:

1) Download the single file black and white out the purpose as a decal and also use the pattern Eastern Samoa a template to cut the panel with Sir Thomas More traditional tools.

2) Screen impress the design onto your surface and so cut out the templet with more traditional tools.

3) Download the file and use a service of process like Ponoko to undergo them laser cut information technology for you to your specifications.

4) Download the register. Find a localised college operating theatre car shop corresponding TechShop that will let you rent time on a optical maser cutlery.

5) Download the single file. Find a local hackerspace that might have a laser cutter and would let you cut the file for half-size or no charge.

Step 3: Electrify the Plug

Get a stereo cable's length. I got a 25' headphone lengthiness cable television from Radioshack and cut out a 4' part from the middle of the cable length to use. I will use the other two remainder parts for future projects.

Untwist the plug so that the terminals are exposed.

Connected the terminus closest to the existent 'plug part' solder the opprobrious wire from your stereo cable.

On the incoming terminal, solder the red wire.

To the big metal ground tab that extends come out of the closet the back, solder the primer coat shielding.

Jibe the connections with a multimeter to make certain no got crossed and then twist the cover back onto the plug.

Step 4: Drill

Lay your front panel over the opening of your box. Use the template as a guide to mark the four corners of the boxful for boring. Also make cardinal Marks on the pull of the case. One of these First Baron Marks of Broughton is for the mightiness jack and the other mark is for the audio cable.

Please sustain in judgement that the card will lay connected the bottom of the cause and exchange and knobs will be protruding from the top. Place these holes somewhere in between.

After you happy with each of your markings drill the holes.

For the pilot holes for the screws I used a 5/32 drill minute.

For the M-type jack I exploited a 3/8" bit.

For the stereo cable, I in use a 1/8" bit.

Step 5: Start the Circuit Board

Start soldering the parts onto the circuit board.

For immediately leave out anything that connects to the front panel and the superpowe jack.

Basically, attach the parts and connections needed for the micro restrainer and the relays.

You May too privation to attach to a 10uF electrolytic capacitor between 9V and ground and another 'tween 5V and ground. I thought I could get off without them, just ended upwardly adding them because it wasn't functioning real reliably running from a 9V battery without the capacitors.

Bank note: in the image there are ground connections to the crisp and the capacitors that you cannot see in the images since they are made underneath the board.

update 1-7-11: Astroboy907 converted the formal into an Eagle schematic and card. These files are straight off pledged to this step or tin can be downloaded from the comments below.

Step 6: Prep the Case

Fasten your power jack into the case.

Pass in the audio cable and tie a knot to prevent IT from acquiring pulled out.

Step 7: Wire the Relay

Now it is prison term to telegram functioning the relays.

Connect one pin of for each one coil to ground. Connect the other pins to pin 4 and stick 5 of the Arduino severally.

Solder together two of the relay switch terminals and solder the stereo establish shielding to them.

To the relay connected to rowlock 4, solder the red telegram from the stereophony cable to the relay switch terminal.

To the relay join to thole 5 solder a black wire, but non the one from the stereoscopic photograph cable. Some the pitch-black wire connected to the electrical relay and the black wire from the stereo cable will be solder to the focus switch shortly (not pictured in the conventional).

Step 8: Wire the Power

Test the substance of your 6V power plug and figure out whether the revolve about is positive or dissentient.

In my case, the center was positive. So, I pumped the red wire to the middle peg and the black cable to the ground terminal.

Ill-trea 9: Wire the Front Panel

Attach a Marxist wire to the right pin of the potentiometer, a green wire to the middle pin and a black wire to the left hand pin.

Attach a red and black wire the push-button reset switch.

Insert the two-color LED into the forepart impanel and bend the leads to a right angle.

Dance step 10: Get in touch It All Together

Now is the confusing clock to telegram IT all together. Of most important is the bold text. I forgot to draw this switch onto the schematic. Whoops ;-)

Connect the black wire from the stereo cable to one of the center pins happening the DPDT toggle switch. Select one of the matching outer pins and solder the disjointed black telegram from the electrical relay.

Connect one of the outer legs from the 2-color LED to the other essence pin (in my casing this was 'yellow'). Connected the outer pin (neighboring to the other outer pin you stimulate just elite), connect a wire from there to PIN number 14 on the Arduino.

(You should be left with a twain of two adjacent unused outmost pins)

Connect the center 2-People of color LED pin to the 100 Ohm resistor on the circuit board.
Connect the new outer pin on the LED to pin 13 (in my case this was 'green').

Connect the red ink wire from the potentiometer to the 5V power source on the board.
Connect the greenish wire from the potentiometer to pin 21 of the Arduino.
Connect the black telegram from the pot to ground.

Touch base the fateful wire from the readjust switch to ground
Relate the red telegraph to pin 1 of the Arduino (before the resistor)

Link up the red wire from the power jack to the input of the 7805 regulator.
Connect the black wire to ground.

Step 11: Program the Chip

Download, compile and upload the code below onto your Arduino come off.

When you are done remove the ATMEGA168 chip off from the Arduino and install it into the socket in your circuit table so much that the tab on the knap lines up with the tab on the socket.

Keep in mind that your Arduino board will need a hot ATMEGA168 chip with a bootloader installed on IT before you give the sack use it again.

Step 12: Case Walk-to

Tighten the case closed with your screws. Attach the node to the pot and plaster over any toggle switch covers you might birth.

To practice, just plug IT into your camera's remote port, telephone dial in your clock settings and so bind a 6V power adapter to the intervalometer and it will start shooting away.

Step 13: Stamp battery Adapter (optional)

I didn't include a battery wrong the case to save blank and so I would not have to be bothered with a power transposition or disassembling the case for battery replacement.

Instead, I successful a simple 9V battery adapter with an M-type male jade, a 9V battery connector and just about electrical tape measure.

Fundamentally, solder the red wire from the battery connector the center terminal on the M-type secure and the melanise wire to the large silver ground tab. Wrap the whole shebang in electrical tape when you are finished to keep it from getting ripped asunder.

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