External Pushbuttons for Photobooth
This page describes how to connect pushbuttons to a PC and use them to control the photobooth mode in PSRemote, DSLR Remote Pro or NKRemote. Please also see the "Input Options" section from the series of articles on photobooth shooting for more options.
Arcade style pushbuttons can be connected to the PC via a serial port and separate utility can be run which detects the button presses and forwards them to PSRemote/DSLR Remote Pro/NKRemote. This method works well but can be a little tricky to setup. The new StealthSwitch II (described here) provides a simpler method to use external arcade style pushbuttons.
The photobooth mode in PSRemote can accept the following key presses:
Ctrl+B - select B&W mode (but don't start the photobooth sequence)
Ctrl+C - switch to color mode (but don't start the photobooth sequence)
F2 - switch to B&W mode and start the photobooth sequence
F3 - switch to color mode and start the photobooth sequence
F4 - start the photobooth sequence using the current B&W or color setting
Cursor up - zoom lens in one step
Cursor down - zoom lens out one step
This means you could have a single button setup which always takes photos in B&W or color depending on the photobooth settings in PSRemote or have two buttons and let the user decide whether they would like B&W or color photos.
The photobooth mode in DSLR Remote Pro can accept the following key presses:
Ctrl+B - select B&W mode (but don't start the photobooth sequence)
Ctrl+K - switch to color mode (but don't start the photobooth sequence)
F2 - switch to B&W mode and start the photobooth sequence
F3 - switch to color mode and start the photobooth sequence
F4 - start the photobooth sequence using the current settings
What you need
- Unless the PC has a serial port you will need a USB to RS-232 adaptor such as the StarTech.com USB to RS-232 Serial DB9 Adaptor. This is not the cheapest adaptor available, but it does work on Windows XP and Windows Vista.
- DB9 socket and wires or an old RS-232 cable with a DB9 socket
- A suitable "push to make" button. The arcade style button below was purchased from Gremlin Solutions in the UK. This site in the US has a good selection of buttons: www.happcontrols.com
- The photobooth push button utility which can be found in the installation folder for PSRemote/DSLR Remote Pro/NKRemote
Connecting it up
First install the driver software that comes with the USB to serial to RS-232 adaptor and connect it to a USB port on your PC. Then run the Photobooth Pushbutton utility:
Next identify the correct COM port for the serial port. This can be done by using a small piece of wire and connecting pins 1 and 4 on the DB9 connector (shown below). If the correct COM port is selected the "Pin 1" checkbox in the Photobooth Pushbutton utility should be checked when pins 1 and 4 are connected. If nothing happens try selecting a different COM port from the drop down list.
Now wire up the button or buttons to the appropriate pins on the DB9 socket e.g. if you're using two buttons pin 4 should be connected to the "common" connections of the two buttons and pin 1 should be connected to the "push to make" connection of one button and pin 6 to the "push to make" connection of the other button. Normally the connections would be made by soldering the wires to the DB9 connector but if you're not happy with soldering you can use an RS-232 cable instead and simply cut off one end, identify which wires to use and then connect them to the spade connections on the buttons using crimp connectors.
Once the buttons are connected they can be tested by observing whether the appropriate checkboxes are checked in the pushbutton utility app when each button is pressed.
Finally, select the required action for each button using the drop down lists in the pushbutton utility e.g. for a two button setup with PSRemote where the user can select B&W or color prints you would use settings similar to those below:
In operation
Connect the USB to RS-232 adaptor to a USB port on the PC and, making sure no buttons are pressed, run the Photobooth Pushbutton utility. Before running PSRemote/DSLR Remote Pro check that the buttons are working properly by pressing them and making sure the correct checkbox in the pushbutton utility is checked. It may be necessary to select a different COM port if the buttons don't work. Normally the same COM port is assigned provided the USB to RS-232 adaptor is connected to the same USB port each time.
Next run PSRemote/DSLR Remote Pro, select fullscreen photobooth mode and you should be able to use the buttons to trigger the photobooth sequence. The Photobooth Button utility needs to running at all times during photobooth operation so that it can detect the button presses and forward them to PSRemote/DSLR Remote Pro.
