Unable to trigger Sony alpha 6000 with pixhawk using foxtech camera trigger cable and mission planner!

ArduPlane
1

Hello!
I have a sony alpha 6000 with 16-50 mm lens and foxtech camera trigger cable to trigger the camera using pixhawk. I want to install this camera on skywaker X8.

I am stuck in the process as I am unable to trigger the camera using pixhawk. I cannot understand if the problem is with camera settings, parameters of mission planner or with the cable.

  1. What parameters should I change?
  2. To which pin of pixhawk should I connect the trigger cable?
  3. What settings should I change in Sony a6000?
  4. Is there anything that I am missing?

Please help me solve this issue.
Thank You in advance

Cheers!
Shubham Thakur

2

Hi there,

You most probably followed the manual and connected the trigger cable to outputs 9 and above.this means you don’t have power to these outputs like in the main rail from BEC or something that powers your servos. So use a free main output or connect red and black cables with a BEC or feed the aux rail with a 5v BEC.

If you have already done that, then you have to fix the pushed not pushed pwm values as suggested by foxtech

3

I have connected the cable to ch 7 of main output pin. I have set the shutter in camera and gimbals to servo 7 and push and not pushed as 1700 & 800 respectively. I have also changed servo7_function to 10 (camera trigger) and RC7_option to 9(camera trigger).

Even after doing all this I am still unable to trigger the camera.

please help

4

Super! Then you probably fall to the classic foxtech “figure it yourself or by photos manual” :slight_smile:

If not all, most camera triggers use the following combos for triggering:
A. Low pwm not pushed / high pwm not pushed (you’ve done that)
B. 1500 not pushed / high pushed /low video
C. 1500 not pushed/ high video / low pushed
D. Low pushed /not pushed.

Also you have to adjust the pushed time. Usually sony cams work well with the default 10.

Finally ensure the following:
1.Your camera should be set to anything other than Auto.
2. Cap lens removed and your camera have enough focus distance.
3. Enable airplane mode and remote control
4. Test the on/off button in foxtech so that it can actually send a command to the cam.
5. Some A series Sony’s don’t take photo without an SD card.

Always test with the right click command trigger camera now function and then proceed to assign it to a switch.
Switches if not momentary have to go back to normal position immediately to trigger. If they stack to trigger command your can want accept triggers.

5

I hope they reply back to my mail. Or else I will make a diy cable for the camera.

Anyways, Thanks for your time.
much appreciated.

Cheers!
Shubham Thakur

6

You might find Sony A600 cable helpful for making your own cable. I found the instructions worked fine.

7

Thanks @darrell. I will try it and post an update of how it turned out for me.

Cheers!

Shubham Thakur

8

At last I got it right. I ordered the wrong cable from foxtech. Anyways I made a shutter cable and it worked.

NOTE: You will have to connect your cable in GPIO(General Purpose Input Output) pins. If your BRD_PWM_COUNT is 4 then you have AUX5 and AUX6 pin as GPIOs. Only 1st GPIO pin can be used to Camera control. In my case it was AUX 5 pin.

Visit here for more info on GPIOs.

In short,

  1. Check BRD_PWM_COUNT, it shoould be 4 as default. If not change it to 4.
  2. Connect your trigger cable in 1st GPIO pin. In this case AUX 5.
  3. Change shutter in Camera and Gimbal to relay.
9

I can’t find 15 pin micro usb connecter in my region for triggering the camera. Can I use other usb connecter to trigger my sony 6000?