PixController - Automated Camera Control Systems

PixController RF
Copyright © PixController Inc., All rights reserved.
Specs

Introduction

Specs

X10 PIR

How it works

Connecting Cameras

Building Systems

Antennas

PixController RF Specifications

Board Operating Conditions
Operating Voltage: 5V - 14V DC
Recommended Operating Temperatures: 120°F to -10°F
Recommend Board Mounting: (4) #6-23 machine screws
Small board size: 3.50" X 2.70"
Battery Life: 1 month with a 4 AA alkaline battery supply. Actual times depend on operating temperature.

User Interfaces
8 Position DIP Switch: Adjust board operating settings
Single Turn Day/Nigh Sensitivity POT: Adjusts light detection levels

User Feedback
Piazzo sound buzzer

Sensors
X10 Wireless PIR Sensor: Passive Infrared motion sensor. Detection range out to 20-40 feet depending on temperature and sensor used.
CDS Photo Sensor: Detects light/dark for day/night operation.

Interface Ports
2.5mm Port: 2.5mm Stereo Connector
Sony/Canon LANC Port
Sony ACC Terminal Port
RS-232 Camera Connection
Camera Port: Camera/Device connector
Phone Jack Port: 4 position - 4 conductor Phone Style Connector
DC Power Port: Connect 5V to 14V DC board power supply
External Light Port: External lights, IR lights, device power port
Antenna Port: Connect antenna
External Trigger Port: Future use to trigger other devices such as the CellularEye™ and DVREye™.

PixController RF Board Overview

Interfacing Ports Descriptions and Wiring Information

Port

Photo

Description

2.5mm Port:
Solder Jumpers:

Above photo shows solder jumpers J10 and J4 bridged. This is for a LANC configuration of the 2.5mm port

The PixController RF board has an on-board 2.5mm stereo connector, which can be configured for a LANC port, RS-232 port, or RSS port with the solder jumpers J4 - J12. By using your soldering iron you can build a solder bridge over the desired jumper. Below is a list of the jumpers and what control each jumper performs.

2.5mm Cable Position	Configure Type (make one of the following jumpers)
Base Ring	J4: Ground J5: Shutter J6: RS-232 Tx
Mid Ring	J7: Power On/Off J8: Ground J9: RS-232 Tx
Tip Ring	J10: LANC J11: Refresh J12: RS-232 Rx

Typical Connections:

LANC and ACC Terminal Configuration
(Sony/Canon LANC camcorders, Sony ACC digital camera)
Solder Jumper: J10, and J4

RS-232 Configuration
(Olympus cameras such as the D-340R and D-360L)
Solder Jumpers: J6, J8, J12

How to make a solder jumper
When soldering a jumper you must connect both pads with solder to make a good connection. This is known as a solder bridge. To do this heat up the pad with the tip of your soldering iron and then apply solder. Simply drag the tip of your iron to the other pad and adding solder at the same time. You will get a small bubble of solder connecting the pads. See photo to the left.

Camera Port:

Camera Port
The Camera Port connector can be used for all of the camera control features of the PixController RF board. Functions include Camera Shutter, Camera Refresh (auto focus), Camera Power On/Off, LANC camcorder functions J-LIP, RS-232 Rx and RS-232 Tx, 5V output controls, and Common/Ground.

The 5V Output 1 and 2 controls can be use to interface the PixController Opto Board.

Phone Jack Port:

Phone Jack Port
Another useful camera connector is the "Camera Phone Jack Port". This is a "4 position - 4 conductor" phone style jack used in phone head sets. This connector has the following camera control functions: Camera Shutter, Camera Refresh (auto focus), Camera Power On/Off, and Ground/Common. This is a great connector for the RSS, RSP, RSP3i and RSP4i camera wiring methods.

Note: The included phone cable for the phone jack can come in 2 different types of configurations: Please make note if you have the Standard or Reverse Cable.

If the wiring for the phone line you have is BRGY
(Standard Cable)
     Black -> Shutter
     Red -> Refresh
     Green -> Power on/off
     Yellow -> Common or Ground

If the wiring for the phone line you have is YGRB
(Reverse Cable)
     Yellow -> Shutter
     Green-> Refresh
     Red -> Power on/off
     Black -> Common or Ground

DC Power Port:

This is the connector where the control board is powered. Connect between a 5V to 14V DC battery supply. A 4-AA Cell battery supply (6V) is recommended. Be sure to use Alkaline batteries, and not rechargeable NiMH batteries. NiMH rechargeable batteries will only be a 4.8V supply since they are lower in voltage than Alkaline batteries. Never use a rechargeable NiMH 9V battery! Be sure to add a main power switch so you can turn the unit on/off. Add the main power switch on the “red wire” of the supplied (red-black) power cable.

External Light Port:

With the External Light connector you can connect any external light source to your PixController RF board. This connector will be active when a photo is shuttered, and only during low light conditions. Any light source can be used if it draws less than 4.2A, and is under 60V. You can connect any light source such as a floodlight, which is great for filming MPEG movies, or an IR LED Array for taking IR Photos. Use the supplied (white-black) external light cable.

Antenna Port:

Form a simple antenna wire directly to the antenna port (J15) on the PixController RF board. Keep the wire as straight as possible. The ground pin of J15 can be left open. For more information please see the Antenna RF Page.