Radian Shutter Activation

You could use Strato Snapper or the MK IR Trigger (I think there's a Gentled also, but I've not used it). Both accept input from two servos to control various camera functions.

Use the Aux ports on two Radian servos as the source for the two servo outputs -- you have to program them up using the Radian software to designate which channel they'll respond to.

Adam/Tabb: Does this work with PWM and PPM? I know it works with S.Bus.

Andy.

 

Hi Andy,

Aux option will work with Sbus, PPM, Spektrum Satellite. PWM does not send multiple channel information like the others do.

Tabb

 

Port 2. Check out the pinout diagram on page 1 of the Radian documentation.

Then set the Aux port in the Radian software -- Step 4 shows screen shots where you can see the Aux port -- set the value to the channel on the radio transmitter that you want that Aux port to respond to. For example, channel 6, then configure your transmitter so that a switch controls channel 6.

The paragraph on the page BEFORE Step 5: (sorry, there are no page numbers), describes the Aux port in more detail.

Then connect up the Aux port (now acting as channel 6) to the Strato Snapper or MK IR.

In summary, then the chain of events will be:

1. The switch/potentiometer/stick on transmitter you selected will waggle (technical term) the signal on channel 6 of the transmitter.
2. The receiver will receive the control input for channel 6 and forward to the Radian sensors.
3. The Radian sensor that is programmed appropriately above will emit the servo control for channel 6 on port 2.
4. The Strato Snapper or MK IR Trigger will receive the servo command from port 2 on the Radian sensor.

So, in effect, the three Radians can provide "access" to up to three separate transmitter channels -- you have to "map" switches/sticks to control those channels in the Transmitter, program up the Radian sensors, and connector servo cables from the Radians out to whatever you want to control via the transmitter. You may be able to control three separate servos all on the same switch/poti/stick by assigning all three Radian sensors' Aux values to the same channel -- I've not tried it but, as we say in the software business, "it should work."

Hope that helps.
Andy.

 

No sweat Dave. You're only confused because it's confusing! There's a quite a lot of stuff that you need to have clear in your mental model of what's going on before it will snap into clarity.

I had to learn all this stuff too -- and my day job is analyzing computer software and systems, so I have no excuse...

But, given the hour of day it is over your way, mine's a pint and bag of crisps please....


Andy.

 

I'll settle for my left ear burning, then....

 

Hi Andrew,

Did you set the tilt radian Aux output to channel 6? Are you using the spektrum satellite connector plugged into the Pan (or roll if you have a 2-axis Radian)

It sounds like you have the wiring correct but maybe need to tell the tilt Radian which channel to 'listen' to for the aux output.

Tabb

 

Hi Andrew:
I'm afraid I don't recognize that trigger. It's not like the MK IR Trigger I have which is very differently shaped. See http://www.quadrocopter.com/MK-IR-Ctrl-Camera-Remote-Control_p_569.html, nor is the the Strato Snapper, see http://quadcopters.co.uk/stratosnapper-configurable-device-367-p.asp. Sorry -- don't recognize it.

The "two prong" lead that you're holding in your right hand is just supplying ground (black) and +v (red -- I presume 5v). Where were you getting the servo control signal from when you had it plugged into the MK Navi Board?

That's the first question to answer. If you can find that out and deal with the next question "it should work."

I don't have a Dx6i in front of me, but I have the paper manual.

As I understand it (or misunderstand it), the DX6i doesn't allow assignment of transmitter controls to channels -- you get what you get from the factory. Look at page 11 of the Dx6i paper manual -- the MONITOR screen -- channel 6 is the Flap control for Acro models -- so that's the switch that's going to control channel 6 whether you like it or not. You can reverse the sense of it or mix it with other controls, but the Flap switch is only ever going to be channel 6, I think.

I suspect I haven't fully answered your main question, but I'll let you respond to the above first...

Andy.

 

OK. That's officially weird.
Just out of curiosity, from where did you purchase the camera trigger? Perhaps there's some documentation out on the web?

Hey, wait a minute -- that two conductor lead might go to an IR LED. I can just see what I think are three wires in your left hand: red, black and white. That's the end that should go into the Radian port 2 that's been set to respond to channel 6.

I'm not convinced that the DX6i is really sending out a signal on channel 6 yet.... Can you verify on your Dx6i that waggling the Flap control really does causes the Dx6i to emit a signal on channel 6? There may be something else that you need to change on the Dx6i to make that happen. The Monitor screen on the Dx6i shows what controls are doing what. The channels are number from top to bottom, 1 - 6.

Andy.

 

I think it is this one http://www.quadrocopter.com/Shuttercable_p_309.html which is setup to be used on the MK flight control. I am not sure if it can only work with the MK transistor outputs or a normal RC signal.

 

Good find Tabb.
That web page does state: The Shuttercable is simply connected to one of the transistor outputs of the FlightCtrl -- thus, a reasonable inference is that this is NOT usable with a servo control -- which is NOT a transistor output.

Andy.

 

I also figured out that on the Dx6i, the default might well be the that Flap switch doesn't actually do anything (it's a "feechur?") so your transmitter is not sending anything out on channel 6!

You can verify whether this is the case or not:
1. Click the thumbwheel to select the Adjust List.
2. Scroll to the last entry, select Setup List and click the thumb wheel.
3. Scroll down to Monitor and click the thumb wheel.
4. Toggle the Flap switch on and off and look at the arrow head on the very last line, marked AUX. If it's moving left and right as you toggle the flaps switch all is well. If it is not moving then that's why the Flap switch is not doing anything on channel 6.

Here's what to do to fix it:
6. Navigate back to the Adjust List.
7. Scroll down to the Flaps entry.
8. Note that there are two lines and a horizontal arrow pointing to either NORM or LAND depending on the position of the switch.
9. The odds are that to the right of the that you'll see NORM is set to up arrow 100, and LAND is set to up arrow 100 -- effectively saying that the channel 6 is permanently set to a value of 100 regardless of the switch setting.
10. Toggle the flap switch to select LAND.
11. Use the thumbwheel to select the LAND value of up arrow 100.
12. Crank the thumbwheel to the right like a madman and the value will still be up arrow, but diminishing towards zero. When you get to zero, the arrow will now point down. Keep going until you have down arrow 100.
13. Click and hold the thumbwheel for a couple of seconds and release -- you'll go back to top screen display.
14. If you know repeat steps 1-4 above you should see that the flaps switch is moving the arrow head on the Aux line of the MONITOR screen.

If you need to reverse the polarity, do it using the same principle in steps 6 - 13 but change NORM to down arrow 100 and LAND to up arrow 100.

Let me know if that fixes anything. (Note to self: This default for the Flaps switch seems a bit odd, but I'm sure there's a reason.)

Andy