Thursday, January 26, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012
Sony, listen!
Your are providing such delicious cameras! And then this: Only tiny mini flashes, tied to the camera like a swimwear preventing to wear the winter coat.
What can YOU do ?
Very easy - provide one additional item within the menu system, to enable the choice between the current modes versus elimination of the "E-TTL" preflash. The most obvious place would be to extend the current flash selections for this function.
In addition, to combine this with lowering the flash output would be nice, but no prerquisite.
Aim: Permit hassle-free use of master-slave flash arrangements with NEX-3, -5, and 5N.
Don't be shy! You are certainly reading forums. You know, that this is an item coming up again and again! Just a tiny update to the firmware. Come on!
What can YOU do ?
Very easy - provide one additional item within the menu system, to enable the choice between the current modes versus elimination of the "E-TTL" preflash. The most obvious place would be to extend the current flash selections for this function.
In addition, to combine this with lowering the flash output would be nice, but no prerquisite.
Aim: Permit hassle-free use of master-slave flash arrangements with NEX-3, -5, and 5N.
Don't be shy! You are certainly reading forums. You know, that this is an item coming up again and again! Just a tiny update to the firmware. Come on!
Friday, January 6, 2012
DANGER! HIGH VOLTAGE!
SAFETY PRECAUTION - http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/safety.htm
The Main Capacitor in any Flash bears high voltage of a few hundred volts, even when disconnected already for a while ! An even higher voltage will be present inside the flash, when the flash gets ignited. If you do not know, how to discharge the main capacitor correctly, please do NOT open up a photo flash !
The Main Capacitor in any Flash bears high voltage of a few hundred volts, even when disconnected already for a while ! An even higher voltage will be present inside the flash, when the flash gets ignited. If you do not know, how to discharge the main capacitor correctly, please do NOT open up a photo flash !
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Lack of flash for - Macro, Studio, wireless, distance, natural lighting, experimental...
We can find an awful lot of forums within the internet, dealing with photos and cameras. When it comes to the Sony NEX camera, for all models but the NEX-7, we find in every forum, and in each several entries, again and again complaints about the restrictions of the flash, caused by purpose in its design. Such a great camera, with such a poor design! Maybe Mr. Braun can put an end to this misfortune, by following his own sample, as shown here. Mr. Braun, listen, please.
Please read also the next entry "Purpose".
Purpose
The language.
As you can read, my native language is not English. Sorry for the English natives, but your language is the only other one I know a bit, and it is understood all over the world. Hopefully.
The aim
is to bring people and information to one place, together we are very strong and can solve any problem. I have tried this on a forum, but there you have always at least one person destroying any effort.
Your support.
Please use the comment button and tell me what you know (in English or German), what link you know about either English or German pages. Actually it is not a button, but the written word "comments" at the end of each entry. Alternately, if you prefer you can send me an eMail, use the address given on this page, up and to the right.
My role.
Trying to document and coordinate.
What kind of people - some know technical details, some know practical use, some know howto....
One solution, two marketing methods:
The solution can look similar to the "Polaroid with Braun-Flash" as shown here, the (marketing-)method can be either standard route by manufacturing/dealer or by DIY not excluding the kitchen table, or a combination of both.
Possible scenario.
You are taking pictures with your NEX at a marriage, you need to use the flash, and you are not the only person taking photos. That's just to prevent you from telling some of the many workarounds which are flooding the net, and are of no help in this case. One possible workaround is to encapsulate the existing flash with a slave sensor, this works on an experimental level, the reliability too low.
Status of knowledge to me:
I'm willing to learn that I'm wrong, when I get corrected. The following is not my invention but what I read on the internet.
The firmware has not been disassembled till now, there are no third party firmware modifications available.
Every solution needs to be based purely on hardware.
Beside the offerings from NEX, there is no third party solution available.
Currently there are two versions of a flash available for the NEX cameras:
HVL-F7S Standard with the NEX
HVL-F20S Additional Option
The guidenumbers are a bit misleading, but this is not my subject here. Both need to be mounted directly to the camera, fastened by a thumb screw with a thread of standard M2.5 (x 0.45, or 3-56 ISO), contact is made by a proprietary tiny 14pin connector. Logical ground is on pin 4 and 12, pin 5 is the "SYNC" signal, coming directly from the CPU, and needs to be amplified before representing F1.
Sony uses Rohm 2SC4505T100 (400V, 0.1A), SYNC>R10k>Base, Base>R47k>LGND, Emitter>LGND and Collector>F1.
Processor: Toshiba TMP19A44FDAXBG. According to Toshiba:
The TX19 is a family of Toshiba-original 32-bit RISC processors featuring the speed of MIPS32ISA with the added advantage of a significantly reduced code size of the MIPS16eISA.
Source Code: Sony Global - Source Code Distribution Service
My idea is to modify the little HVL-F7S to change its behavier (controllable by a switch if possible) to
emitting no light
Faster repeat cycle
providing a PC-output connector
good luck!
As you can read, my native language is not English. Sorry for the English natives, but your language is the only other one I know a bit, and it is understood all over the world. Hopefully.
The aim
is to bring people and information to one place, together we are very strong and can solve any problem. I have tried this on a forum, but there you have always at least one person destroying any effort.
Your support.
Please use the comment button and tell me what you know (in English or German), what link you know about either English or German pages. Actually it is not a button, but the written word "comments" at the end of each entry. Alternately, if you prefer you can send me an eMail, use the address given on this page, up and to the right.
My role.
Trying to document and coordinate.
What kind of people - some know technical details, some know practical use, some know howto....
One solution, two marketing methods:
The solution can look similar to the "Polaroid with Braun-Flash" as shown here, the (marketing-)method can be either standard route by manufacturing/dealer or by DIY not excluding the kitchen table, or a combination of both.
Possible scenario.
You are taking pictures with your NEX at a marriage, you need to use the flash, and you are not the only person taking photos. That's just to prevent you from telling some of the many workarounds which are flooding the net, and are of no help in this case. One possible workaround is to encapsulate the existing flash with a slave sensor, this works on an experimental level, the reliability too low.
Status of knowledge to me:
I'm willing to learn that I'm wrong, when I get corrected. The following is not my invention but what I read on the internet.
The firmware has not been disassembled till now, there are no third party firmware modifications available.
Every solution needs to be based purely on hardware.
Beside the offerings from NEX, there is no third party solution available.
Currently there are two versions of a flash available for the NEX cameras:
HVL-F7S Standard with the NEX
HVL-F20S Additional Option
The guidenumbers are a bit misleading, but this is not my subject here. Both need to be mounted directly to the camera, fastened by a thumb screw with a thread of standard M2.5 (x 0.45, or 3-56 ISO), contact is made by a proprietary tiny 14pin connector. Logical ground is on pin 4 and 12, pin 5 is the "SYNC" signal, coming directly from the CPU, and needs to be amplified before representing F1.
Sony uses Rohm 2SC4505T100 (400V, 0.1A), SYNC>R10k>Base, Base>R47k>LGND, Emitter>LGND and Collector>F1.
Processor: Toshiba TMP19A44FDAXBG. According to Toshiba:
The TX19 is a family of Toshiba-original 32-bit RISC processors featuring the speed of MIPS32ISA with the added advantage of a significantly reduced code size of the MIPS16eISA.
Source Code: Sony Global - Source Code Distribution Service
My idea is to modify the little HVL-F7S to change its behavier (controllable by a switch if possible) to
emitting no light
Faster repeat cycle
providing a PC-output connector
good luck!
Links
Information, discussion
Inside NEX-5Inside HVL-F7S
Hotshoe 1
How stuff works
BasicsSample Wirings
more links
http://www.next.gr/uploads/133-f49a7a0394.gif
http://www.discovercircuits.com/DJ-Circuits/airmon2.htm
http://www.next.gr/video/photo-flash/
*** http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/strbfaq.htm
http://www.mikrocontroller.net/attachment/47666/studioblitz.gif
http://www.restautron.de/home/s_pl1.jpg
http://www.mikrocontroller.net/topic/157227
Technical data
from (http://www.mi-fo.de/forum/index.php?s=11f571ba51cf957e6cbadd66c8144f59&act=Post&CODE=02&f=272&t=28004&qpid=274992)http://www.mi-fo.de/forum/index.php?showtopic=28004
Pin layout
Sources
RShttp://uk.farnell.com/
http://cpc.farnell.com/
Workaround
RubberbandHow to use remote flash with Sony NEX-5 (& 5n and 3 and c3)
http://karaatanasov.info/index.php?entry=entry111229-221046
http://www.dyxum.com/dforum/hotshoe-adapter_topic82538.html
http://karaatanasov.info/index.php?entry=entry111229-221046
_
About
This pages are purely for private use and hobby, there are no commercial intentions. Most information found here is just copied or provided through a link, that means I have no rights for it, and is provided for private use only. My own ideas may be used freely by anybody, within any further documentation this statement must be attached clearly readable.
When providing a link I take care not to harm or to hurt anybody by any means, but cannot guarantee that content to stay unchanged or to overlook another part at this site, hence I declare that I do not support contents which does not conform to my ethical conscience not to harm or hurt anybody.
When providing a link I take care not to harm or to hurt anybody by any means, but cannot guarantee that content to stay unchanged or to overlook another part at this site, hence I declare that I do not support contents which does not conform to my ethical conscience not to harm or hurt anybody.
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