Oh, snap: make a wired remote switch for your Canon camera, no soldering required – just plug and click

The days when shutter release buttons had a threaded socket for receiving a cable release are long gone. Until the advent of the self-timer, whether pneumatic or mechanical, the cable release was the de facto accessory for enabling vibration-free exposures.

Today, from Bluetooth® to smartphones, these surrogate shutter releases rein supreme. Dedicated cable release aficionados shouldn’t fret, however, as the former threaded shutter release socket has now been replaced by the 2.5mm jack.

Serving as a receiver for the modern incarnation of the cable release, now dubbed the remote switch, this jack enables electrically controlled, vibration-free exposures, but at a cost. That cost is generally around $20 – $30 for a brand new Canon remote switch–Remote Switch RS-60E3. Yikes! That’s way too much money for such a trivial design. Trivial, you ask? Yes, the remote switch is nothing more than a trigger that shorts or connects a ring on the plug to the circuit’s ground. Gee, that sounds so easy. Yes, it is, and here’s how to do it without a degree in electrical engineering.

You will need two very simple components to enable remote switching on your digital camera:

[Please note: this project only works for Canon cameras. Other digital cameras have a different triggering procedure. Although untested, this project “might” work on digital Pentax cameras, too. Absolutely no guarantee or promise of success with Pentax cameras, however, is made by this article.]

• a 2.5mm stereo extension cable with a jack and plug (commonly called “male-to-female”) $7.99 for two cables
• one 2.5mm audio stereo DIY solderable plug $7.99 for two plugs

This is a simple two-step project.

1. Unscrew the cover and connect the long, lower prong of the 2.5mm solderable plug to the small nub at the center of the plug. A simple bending and folding contact will work. You just need to make a good, solid physical connection between the prong and the nub. Reattach the cover.

2. Plug the extension cable into your camera, prepare to take a photograph, and insert the previously prepared 2.5mm solderable plug into the cable’s jack. CLICK!

You are now a bonafide camera hardware hacker. Please take a bow.

It might be prudent to make some 2.5mm solderable plug triggers for carrying in your various camera bags. Furthermore, if you should notice that your trigger fails to work or the shutter fires intermittently, check the physical connection inside the 2.5mm solderable plug. You might need to reinforce/strengthen the contact with some pliers. In the end, your properly constructed remote switch will become a simple plug-and-click accessory.

Enjoy.

---