I have successfully used the Seagull #REC2 camera shutter device with a Sony RX0ii on drones equipped with ArduPilot and an Orange Cube. The #REC2 both provided power to the the RX0ii and operated the shutter.
I’m presently having difficulty in a couple of places with the #REC2 – and I’m seeking assistance in troubleshooting. Here’s what I’m observing now:
- When the #REC2 has the Power Supply setting “enabled” – my Sony RX0ii receives charge normally – as indicated by the “power” icon on the camera’s screen. (see photo)
- The #REC2 will operate the RX0ii shutter when the PWM signal is provided by my ToolkitRC WM150 signal generator. (see video)
- The #REC2 is receiving PWM from the autopilot (Orange Cube with ArduCopter) it will not operate the shutter on any of my three Sony cameras. (RX0ii, RX100ii, a6000) This used to work with the RX0ii when I last used this configuration about a year ago.
- When the #REC2 has the Power Supply setting “enabled” – my Sony RX100ii camera presents a warning screen about the power on the Multi-Port connection, and the #REC2 does not charge the RX100ii. With the WM150 PWM signal generator, the @REC2 does operate the RX100ii’s shutter OK with this warning screen. (see video)
- When the #REC2 has the Power Supply setting “enabled” – my Sony a6000 camera presents a warning screen about the USB connected device – and does not respond to the #REC2 shutter commands. (see video)
Here are photo and videos of what I’ve described when using a ToolkitRC WM150 as a PWM signal generator:
With the Seagull #REC2 configured to power to the camera, the Sony RX0ii shows that it’s receiving power properly with the “charging” icon on the screen.
Here the Sony RX0ii shutter responds normally to the #REC2 command.
Connecting the #REC2 to my Sony RX100ii, a warning screen is presented, and the camera is does not receive power from the #REC2 and is not being charged.
The #REC2 does still operate the shutter of the Sony RX100ii – even with the warning screen present.
The Sony a6000 also receives a warning message about the power from the Seagull #REC2 Multi-Port cable – but unlike the RX100ii, it does not respond to shutter commands.
The Sony a6000 does not respond to camera shutter commands when the #REC2 is supplying power.
Here are some photos and videos that demonstrate that the #REC2 does not operate the camera shutter when it receives it’s PWM signal from the autopilot.
My bench test is an Orange Cube on an ADSB carrier board, powered by a Mauch BEC, and a 5V BEC powering the servo rail.
The #REC2 is connected to MAIN-7 – and it’s plugged into CH-3 on the #REC2 to control manual shutter operation.
This video shows a test where the camera trigger function is commanded in Mission Planner, and the PWM signal goes between 1175 (neutral) and 1800 (shutter release) on RC-Out CH7. (Main-7) The video also shows that the camera does not receive the command to trigger the shutter from the #REC2.
The diagnostic LED on the #REC2 fades from “on” to “dim” about ever 2-3 seconds when it’s in the “neutral” state. It goes to solid “on” when the #REC2 is in a “function” such as triggering the camera shutter.
I set the parameter so that the shutter would stay open for 5 seconds – so it’s easy to see that the diagnostic LED goes between the “on” to “dim” when in “neutral” state – and solid “on” for 5 seconds when in the “function” mode. This demonstrates that the #REC2 is receiving a PWM signal from the autopilot.
The problem at hand is why the #REC2 does not command the camera shutter when it receives the PWM signal for it to do so.