Summary of Flash trigger using arduino
This project is inspired by Glaciar Wanderer's idea to control a camera flash using Arduino. It uses a transistor to drive a laser, allowing for higher current than the Arduino pin can supply, and employs a 4N26 optocoupler to safely trigger a Vivitar 285HV flash via a hotshoe-to-PC sync adapter. The optocoupler isolates the Arduino from the flash trigger voltage, protecting the circuit and user. Users must verify their flash's trigger voltage and pin configuration to avoid damage.
Parts used in the Flash trigger project:
- Arduino board
- Transistor (for laser control)
- Laser diode(s)
- 4N26 optocoupler
- Vivitar 285HV flash unit
- Hotshoe-to-PC sync adapter
- Camera and flash trigger module (for pin verification)
his project is mainly based in this one from Glaciar Wanderer. I just liked his idea and worked it on my own. (I think this guy and me would be friends, as the projects he has in his photography category are things I’ve been wanting to do since I got my Arduino.
I will not be using a microphone as sensor, at least not right now. On the other side I am using a transistor to control the laser instead of using a digital output of the arduino board directly, as I pretend to use more than one laser, and using a transistor will allow me to draw more milliamps than the Atmel chip can provide.
I used a 4N26 optocoupler to trigger the flash, connected to a hotshoe-to-pc-sync adaptor in my Vivitar 285HV. Using an optocoupler you get sure that no current from the arduino will go to the flash, and no current from the flash will go to the arduino. Anyway, you should check the trigger voltage of your flash, as if it has a high voltage (even hundreds of volts) it could damage the optocoupler and everything that is connected to it (arduino, computer, you…).
In the 285HV the center pin is the “live” one, thus it is connected to pin 5 of the 4N26, you should check this in your flash, as I think some brands have this “swapped”. For this I used my camera and flash trigger module
For more detail: Flash trigger
