DIY wired remote control for Canon EOS cameras

The EOS series of cameras from Canon offer a nice feature which is of particular interest for DIYers and technically oriented photographers. It is possible to trigger these cameras externally using an electrical signal. To the hobbyist's delight Canon used no special protocol to trigger the camera - you just have to short-circuit two wires.
Knowing this, building a homebrew Canon RS-60E3 wired remote control clone is a snap! Or maybe an interval trigger, or a microcontroller based...

Pinout 350D, 400D, 450D, 500D

The external trigger can be accessed with a stereo (3 pole) 2.5 mm jack plug. It is not the standard plug used in mp3-players etc. which has a diameter of 3.5 mm! But don't worry, you can buy the smaller plug in any bigger electronics store. The pinout is shown in the picture below.

Connecting the focus-wire (ring) with ground (sleeve) corresponds to pressing the shutter button halfway down and results in focusing the camera. Accordingly, connecting the shutter-wire (tip) to ground (sleeve) corresponds to pressing the shutter button all the way down. In this case the camera is first focused and then triggered if the focusing was successful. In manual-focus mode the camera is triggered instantly.

Pinout 20D, 30D, 40D, 50D, 5D...

The double and single digit Canon cameras have a different connector (for whatever reason). Canon calls it the N3-connector. The only way to get the connector is to cannibalise a cheap wired remote control. The electrical circuit behind the connector equivalent to the xxxD types.

Electrical characteristics

I measured the electrical characteristics of the wired remote control connector on a Canon EOS 400D and 40D. The values are equal for both modells. They are listed in the following table

Voltage (no load)	3.3 V
Threshold voltage	1.8 V
Short circuit current	68 µA
Current at threshold voltage	30 µA

The shutter and focus inputs have the same electrical characteristics and work independently. The remote control port and the shutter button seem to share the same wires. Pushing the shutter button results in a voltage drop to 0 V at the external shutter or focus wire. A possible equivalent circuit for the trigger circuitry might look like this

If the camera is in stand-by mode, there is a voltage present at the focus wire. The camera can be waken up from stand-by by connecting the focus wire to ground.
The trigger inputs can serve as power supply for circuits with a supply current of less than 30 µA like the HDR-Jack.

Comments

re. Schematic incorrect for 'some' models using N3 connector

Hi,
My 10d has the same voltages. I got a $11 timer for a 40d from oeverstock thinking I could just make an adapter but no luck. The focus pin reads -3.3 till it is pressed than it goes to 0 v and than it stays that way until the stutter is released (as long as you keep pressing it). I think I need to add some sort of latch circuit because the cheap switch I cut the plug from is a reed switch which makes the focus first and holds it where this one puts out one quick pulse.
Karl

#28 - karl - 03/13/2013 - 17:20

350d remote stopped working

I used a 2.5mm jack from some cell phone (it comes with two rings). It worked fine - i was able to focus and shoot by connectings the wires, but after 30 minutes playing with it, it stopped working. I did not use any voltage (just connecting the wires) so I can't imagine burning something inside the canon. It looks like other people on thus thread had similar experience. Any ideas?

#27 - Alex - 11/23/2012 - 06:30

Remote wiring and homebrew connectors

Going to wire up a 2.5mm jack to fit the plug. I have a relay output from a controller that I plan to interface to. SHould be a simple wire of the shutter to ground and hopeully do not need to wire in focus. I plan to have it setup in manual mode and never sleep mode. That way if the trigger activates I will capture what in a consistent way. For a starting line of a race so I need consistent firing.

BTW - All you hackers who are sourcing power to these pin be careful. The logic is pulled up by resistors internally in the camera. By sourcing a high on the ground wire your shorting voltage to the ground and this is a good way to damage items. You can source a high to the gate of a NMOS transistor. The source would be hooked to ground and the drain side would be hooked to the focus or shutter output pins. When you drive a high voltage on the gate of the transistor it will turn on and essentially pull the focus or shutter pins low. Relays can be used as well but don't drive voltage directly as it could interfere with the internal pull resistors and the sense nodes internally.

#26 - JN - 09/05/2012 - 07:18

problem

Hi. I've have got canon 500d and I've tried to build this kind of remote wired shutter and it warks perfectly. But I connect only shutter wire, because I'm using manual focusing. But after a while the remote contron stop working. The camera does not react on the buttom. Did you ever encounter such a problem?

#25 - Geo - 08/03/2012 - 01:22

Canon 450D shutter controled by microcontroller

I want to make my camera to shoot a single picture controlled by an IR LED when i push a button on my pic16f690 microcontroller.
Does anyone know what is the protocol to make this?
I wrote the code in C. I measured my RC-6 remote control. I measured 2 years ago the ON period of the LED IR and i think it was 60us.
I wrote something like this in C:
LED_IR = ON;
Delay_Us(60);
LED_IR = OFF;
but it doesn't work.

I will be glad hearing from you. Thank you

#24 - dany - 05/23/2012 - 21:28

@Elijah Lucian:

You should use two transistor in emitter circuit or better two optical coupler.

The last solution is better cause it's hard to damage the camera. May you create an adapter which already includes the optical couplers - so you can't damage the IC in your camera.

#23 - joph - 03/21/2012 - 17:00

trigger from arduino

hello. is it possible to trigger from the digital output (5v) of the arduino?

I was thinking i could just set up a simple circuit and use it to trigger the shutter... so if i sent a 3v into the ground it should work right?

#22 - Elijah Lucian - 03/14/2012 - 04:00

Schematic incorrect for 'some' models using N3 connector

Ran into the strangest thing today - not sure which Canon models have this change, but definitely the EOS 7D. Voltage from camera ground to shutter is 3.3VDC, but from ground to focus is -3.3VDC. Not a big deal for mechanical switches, but a HUGE deal for FET's. Eg, the PocketWizard electronic release holds the focus at all times when attached. I've only seen this on the 7D, but why in world would Canon have made such a change???? Perplexing - any thoughts?

#21 - Dave - 02/18/2012 - 18:13

Preventing Camera from Sleeping

If I ground the focus wire in manual focus mode will that prevent the camera from sleeping? I really need to figure out how to stop if from sleeping for an indefinite amount of time.
Thanks!

#20 - Dave - 12/27/2011 - 05:19

IR trigger

I manufacture an "Intervalometer" that can be triggered by sound/light or in fact anything that can be used to trigger the shutter - IR beam included.

#19 - Graham Gillett - 10/04/2011 - 11:16

Look at the post below yours. Using a light (or IR) sensor and a laser pointer (or IR LED) you can use the schematics presented there.
The same remote (as functions) but based on TouchShield Slide is presented here http://www.grozeaion.com/electronics/high-speed-photography/125-gvi-dslr-rc-with-touch-shield-slide.html but this one is more expensive (see http://www.liquidware.com/shop/show/TSL/TouchShield+Slide and you will understand why)

#18 - Grozea Ion - 05/30/2011 - 18:03

building a remote trigger

Hi,

Does anyone know of method of building/buying a remote trigger for Canon SLR that can be triggered by breaking infra-red beam or other remote method? National Geographic photographers have turned Canon 350Ds into camera traps, by engineering a remote release (triggered by passing animals). I can't find how to do this though. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Jason

#17 - Jason - 05/26/2011 - 14:59

Other example of remote

Hello,
Long time has passed since i came here. In the mean wile i started to learn about micro controllers and i made myself a remote control for my Canon EOS 450D. You can have a look at it here
http://www.grozeaion.com/electronics/high-speed-photography/134-wired-remote-control-for-digital-camera.html

#16 - Grozea Ion - 05/09/2011 - 21:06

Connect two Canon 400D

Hi, I would like to build a shutter that can be connected to two Canon 400D. So when i press the shoot button both shoot a photo, but I'm not sure what to do with the voltages. I don't want to sum it and crash my cameras. How can I build this?
Thanks a lot.

#15 - Eduard Bosch Bertran - 04/30/2011 - 09:33

Thanks

I've had a quick scan on Ebay and could only see IR or wired remotes. The IR remote only work from the front of the camera are very limited in range and are of course single shot only. The wired remotes can do continous but you are limited by the length of cable.

You can make up a wired remote in a few mins using a switch and 2.5m stereo plug. Cost about £2.

Brett.

#14 - Legendarydevils - 03/13/2011 - 18:49

I made a wired remote controller for my 400D with a motorola cable, but I added a 2 phase button, just like the shutter button: half way down for focus, all the way down for shutter. On One Shot takes one shot, on Continuous takes pictures until i let go of the button, and on Self-timer/Remote Control, the timer counts down.
The Bulb function works good as well.
The only problem is that i need to put it in a little box or something, and find a way to lock the button for Bulb.

#13 - Ovidiu - 12/06/2010 - 10:47

I think it's just a N3 version of the RS-80E3 trigger as used for the 400D and other three-digit EOS cams.

#12 - engraved dog tags - 10/14/2010 - 11:10

Really useful

Thanks for writing this, I've been looking for something like this for so long!

#11 - peter otoole - 09/03/2010 - 23:00

Motorola Handsfree

Used a Motorola Handsfree - the one with the 2.5mm socket, and it works like a charm.

Thanks so much for sharing.

BTW, have used it on a Canon 500D

#10 - Hrishikesh Deshpande - 04/09/2010 - 06:53

jack plug

The standard 2.5-mm plug shaft has a length of about 11 mm (0.43 inch). Is you jack connectror blocked?

#9 - luk - 03/25/2010 - 12:10

I used this and other sites in hopes of making my own cable release for my canon rebel xs (1000D). All sites mention using a 3/32 (2.5mm) stereo plug. However this jack is too long and does not fit my camera. Is there a shorter one available?

#8 - bob - 03/21/2010 - 23:05

Wired remote control

Thank you for this interesting information about the EOS. I would be grateful to know whether other brands have it on any of their cameras.
Many thanks
Brian Wilkins

#7 - Brian Wilkins - 12/21/2009 - 03:35

opinion

Thanks for the post! It is sure to be very helpful, I was just looking for this info.

#6 - rapid4me - 11/16/2009 - 09:59

The connector for Eos 40D is different

I suppose the circuitry using the 555 timer switch should be the same as per the one you shown for your 400D? I am wondering where I would be able to get the socket to connect to my camera?

#5 - Edwin Poh - 10/26/2009 - 11:38

voltage really needed and

is the 3.3v really needed? I had a simple remote for my 450 and 1000d and they didnt use batteries.
Second can you also use a transistor to switch? I was thinking about making a kind of slave (flash) for lightning fotography.

#4 - SMAD - 06/11/2009 - 18:45

If you hold down the shutter-button only: The camera focuses first and than shoots if the focusing was successful. If the camera can't find the focus (too dark, object out of focal range...) no image will be taken. You have to hold down the button until the focus has been found, it may take a second for bad light conditions.

You can also focus first using the focus button and than additionally press the shutter button to release. This way you can control on what the cam has focused and refocus if necessary.

If you are in manual focus mode, the cam will trigger immediately when the shutter button is pressed.

Luk

#3 - luk - 11/27/2008 - 10:36

RS-60E3 remote controller

Hi!

I would like to know how do I use the DIY remote controller. First focus and then prss the shutter(both pressed) or focus and then press the shutter(only single button pressed)?

Thanks
Rohan Rayakar

#2 - Rohan Rayakar - 11/26/2008 - 13:01

Both the 20D and 1D3 have an N3 connector. I guess the characteristics of both cameras are the same because both use the RS-80N3 trigger. I think it's just a N3 version of the RS-80E3 trigger as used for the 400D and other three-digit EOS cams.

#1 - luk - 11/10/2008 - 15:10

Voltage characteristics 1D3

I liked your article on remote release. I was going to make a dual verision that would trigger a 20D and a 1D3. Do you know if the voltage characteristics of the cameras are the same?

Alan

#0 - Alan - 11/07/2008 - 10:17


Name

E-mail (Will not appear online)

Title

Comment


To prevent automated Bots form spamming, please enter the text you see in the image below in the appropriate input box. Your comment will only be submitted if the strings match. Please ensure that your browser supports and accepts cookies, or your comment cannot be verified correctly.

This comment form is powered by GentleSource Comment Script. It can be included in PHP or HTML files and allows visitors to leave comments on the website.