Using AUX pins as relays for CHDK

I'm confused and a bit frustrated, would appreciate any help as I'm not sure how to proceed.

Setup: I have a pixhawk autopilot running Arduplane 2.77, using Mission Planner 1.2.95

I've been following this guide to get my CHDK enabled camera working with my pixhawk. I'm interested in getting the camera triggering based on distance traveled.

Obviously the guide was written with APM in mind, so it needs to be adapted a bit for pixhawk; specifically the setting for RELAY_PIN. I've kept the rest of the settings the same as in the tutorial.

Pixhawk has 6 AUX ports according to the quick start guide, I am assuming that the numbers above the pins correspond to the AUX port numbering. When you mouse over the RELAY_PIN parameter, it says that pin 54 corresponds to Pixhawk FMU AUX1.

Tried setting RELAY_PIN to 54, no joy. Did a bit more looking, discovered in the release notes for 2.77: 

"Improved relay code
The relay and servo set code has had a major overhaul, with up to 4 relays now supported for MAVLink control and much better support for the DO_SET_SERVO, DO_SET_RELAY, DO_REPEAT_SERVO and DO_REPEAT_RELAY MAVLink commands. Along with these changes is a new parameter BRD_PWM_COUNT which allows you to specify how many auxillary PWM outputs to enable, with the remaining outputs being available as digital relays. This allows you to re-assign some of the aux servo outputs on Pixhawk for use as relays, by setting the RELAY_PIN, RELAY_PIN2, RELAY_PIN3 and RELAY_PIN4 parameters. The pin numbers for these pins start at 50 for the first aux servo pin, and go to 55 on Pixhawk."

Additionally,I found this github issue about this same problem that states that the Pixhawk can't trigger CHDK because its relay pins operate at 3.3V instead of 5V.

So i suppose my specific questions are:

1) Is AUX1 pin 50 or 54?

2) Can anyone confirm that the relays, when working properly, won't be able to trigger CHDK?

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                • Phill,

                  Thanks so much for your clarifications. They are very useful indeed. And sorry for asking these basic questions. You are right about the answer being just a few posts above! I had a big mess in my head that only now starts to make sense.

                  I'll post my results here.

                  Cheers!

      • iskess, thanks so much!!

        I'm purchasing one straight away and will post here how it goes with it. Hope I can finally solve this headache to distance-trigger the SX260.

        Cheers!

  • Just want to let you guys know that I've succeed triggering canon 's chdk using Marco's circuit. It's very easy and robust.

    Will continue on Reuben's circuit for sony camera next time, still figuring out which pin goes to the sony usb plug.

  • Reuben, i'm very interested on the sony version. Do you have the real picture. I have successfully created the cable for canon CHDK version, but now i'm moving to sony camera.

    What do you mean by the sony S2 plug? Is it the usb plug?

    • Hi Arga

      The S2 plug is a special micro b usb plug which has more pins that the Standard plug 

      Remote Control for Sony cameras with \\\\\\\"Multi Terminal\\\\\\\" (since 2012)

      Sony abandoned the classical 3-pin remote release port (which was found on almost all Minolta, Konica Minolta and Sony Alpha cameras since 1985 so far) in 2012. The cameras can still be released per IR remote release and be controlled via USB (tethered shooting).

      Since 2012 all new Sony cameras feature a USB 2.0 HighSpeed micro B connector rather than a USB mini B or a proprietary USB connector.

      On most of these new cameras, however, the USB micro B connector is not labelled \\\\\\\"USB\\\\\\\" but \\\\\\\"Multi\\\\\\\" in order to indicate that it is a special Multi Terminal connector.

      This Multi Terminal connector is compatible with a standard USB micro B connector but features 10 hidden contacts carrying additional signals for:

      - power
      - USB
      - LANC
      - composite video out
      - stereo audio out
      - remote release





      New Sony Multi Terminal:

      M1 VBUS (+5V in, max. 2A)
      M2 USBD-
      M3 USBD+
      M4 USB_ID
      M5 GND
      --
      M6 +3.1V (for LANC_DC etc.)
      M7 reserved
      M8 LANC_SIG
      M9 reserved
      M10 SELECT (resistor against M6 or M14)
      M11 Audio R out / activate camera / focussing
      M12 Audio L out / release shutter
      M13 Composite video out
      M14 GND
      M15 reserved

      Not all functions may be provided by all camera models.

      3-pin to Multi Terminal adapter cable based on a hacked VCM-AVM1:

      M11 -- middle ring (\\\\\\\"F\\\\\\\") -- R2
      M12 -- center pin (\\\\\\\"S\\\\\\\") -- R3
      M14 -- outer ring (\\\\\\\"GND\\\\\\\") -- R1
      3702876482?profile=original
      3702876544?profile=original3702876282?profile=original
      https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3702876519?profile=original
      • That's beautiful, so we can connect this s2 plug with the circuit that you create on previous page? Will that be work just for sony nex or we can use them for all sony cameras including the point and shoot?

        When using the camera trigger on canon, we have to use the CHDK as well instead of the cable triggered from pixhawk. For the sony version, what sort of application has to be run on the camera and how to do it since sony didn't give any room to apply additional application as canon did on CHDK.

        • If its a sony multiport plug then the pinout should be like this.  Note: sometimes you don't have to use focus pin .. if you set the camera to manual focus.3702923114?profile=original

          • Sony DSC-W830, very small less than 120grams but has 20.1 Mpixel although the sensor size is small as well

          • What model camera is it ? 

          • try to google got this:

            Pin

            1. USB Vcc

            2. USB Data -

            3. Audio Out R

            4. USB Data +

            5. GND

            6. Audio Out L

            7. Video Out

            8. GND

            Which pin should i connect to the 5v signal from pixhawk?

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