The HiViz WorkShop
Product Guide
For more specific information, see these pages: Comparative guide on when and how to use the various triggers |
This product guide is designed to help you select which of our trigger kits and components to buy, based on your photography needs. There are just two easy steps to follow.
Step 1: Select your photography need
Click on a link below to view a list of products we recommend for your application. Then be sure to return to Step 2 to find out ways of connecting your trigger to your flash unit or camera.
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Sound Events - for example, balloon pops, loud collisions, bursts
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Movement Events - for example, drops, splashes, sports, animals
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Sound and Movement - provides the option to switch between triggers
- Specialty Application - crossed-beam photogate for insects in flight
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Simple Triggers - great for science fairs and beginners' projects
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Assembled Products - the fastest way to start taking photos
Step 2: Trigger connection options
All our triggers come with three feet of 2-conductor output cable that can be spliced to a PC cord for connection to a flash unit or to a remote shutter cable for connection to your camera. While you can always hardwire this connection yourself, we also offer several options below that will make connection easier.
Connecting to a flash unit (the most common method)
Select one of the Flash-to-PC Adapter versions if you want to connect your trigger to any flash unit with a standard flash foot. Select the PC Cord Adapter if you wish to connect your trigger to a standard PC cord jack on flash units. The last two options are specific to Vivitar 283/285HV flash units. Select the Quick Disconnect Option if you would like an easy way of disconnecting your flash unit from your trigger without pulling out wires.
Connecting to a camera
Many customers ask about connecting our triggers directly to their cameras. This is possible, although connection to a flash unit is more common and is the choice to make when you want the most rapid response. If, for example, you want to photograph a balloon burst, you would connect a sound trigger directly to a flash unit. If you connected to your camera instead, the inherent shutter lag (camera makers may advertise this lag as being very small but for high-speed photography, shutter lag is always significant) would mean that the burst would be over by the time your shutter opened. One reason to connect a trigger to your camera shutter is if you're shooting in daylight and have to keep the exposure time to a minimum. Another application is for splash photography. The immediate output of a delay unit actuates the camera, and the delayed output actuates the flash. If you do want to connect your trigger to a camera shutter, you can use the Camera Opto-Switch listed below or this DIY method.
| Connections to Flash | Model | Price |
| Flash-to-PC Adapter (DIY version) | FA | $15.00 |
| Flash-to-PC Adapter (basic assembled version) | FB | $20.00 |
| Flash-to-PC Adapter (quick disconnect version) | FQ | $30.00 |
| PC Cord Adapter, assembled |
PC-A |
$10.00 |
| PC Cord Adapter, unassembled | PC | $1.95 |
| Vivitar 283/285HV PC Cord | VPC | $9.95 |
| Vivitar 283/285HV PC Cord
with Quick Disconnect Option |
VPCQ |
$24.95 |
| Trigger cord for Vivitar 283/285, assembled | VPC-A | $14.95 |
| Connections to Camera | ||
| Camera Opto-Switch Kit (The price depends on the cable option selected.) | COS | $15.45 - $24.90 |
| Camera Opto-Switch, assembled | COSa | $35.45 |
Choices for Step 1
Sound Events - balloon pops, loud collisions, bursts
Our SK2 sound trigger is one of our easiest circuits to build on a breadboard. The trigger uses a piezoelectric element that detects loud, sharp, sudden sounds like a hand clap or snap. That makes this trigger ideal for capturng balloon bursts, glass breakage, and bullets. If you need a more sensitive trigger that will respond well to thuds like those in collisions of tennis balls and footballs, try the SK3 model. The SK3 comes with a dedicated PC board and enclosure for durability and convenience of use.
Our most sensitive sound trigger is the Amplified Sound Trigger (AST). This trigger can respond to the sound of a drop of water falling onto a solid surface. We have different options that include purchasing a complete kit or just the parts that you need. The AST may be connected to a delay unit (DU) or to the external input of a Multi-Trigger.
We offer sound triggers with or without a delay unit. The delay unit isn't needed in many situations, because delays can be adjusted by placing the microphone at different distances from the source of sound. A delay unit is useful if you need particularly long delays for which the microphone would otherwise have to be moved a long distance away.
| Trigger Only | Trigger + Delay Unit | |||
| Click for description | Model | Price | Model | Price |
| Parts only |
SK2 | $7.25 |
SK2-DU |
$14.00 |
| Parts and breadboard | SK2-BB |
$12.50 | SK2-DU-BB |
$19.25 |
| Assembled circuit (breadboard) | SK2-A |
$19.50 | SK2-DU-A |
$37.50 |
| Sound trigger (with PCB and enclosure) | SK3 | $35.95 | ||
Amplified Sound Trigger, complete |
AST1 | $34.95 | ||
on to Step 2: Trigger Connection Options
Movement Events - drops, splashes, sports, animals
We offer two kinds of photogate sensors with our triggers. The first kind (SPG1) has a maximum separation of about 8" (20 cm) between emitter and detector and is useful for photographing events like water balloon collisions and ball deformations. The second kind (SPG2) is an integrated photogate called an interrupter with a fixed separation of 5/8" (1.6 cm) and is convenient for photographing liquid drops and splashes.
Our photogates are available with or without a delay unit, although a delay unit is almost always needed. The delay unit allows you to photograph different stages of a repeatable event, such as a splash.
Click on the descriptions within your choice of Variable-width or Interrupter Photogate to learn more about the trigger.
Variable-width Photogate (max 8" or 20 cm)
There are two types of photogate in this category. Select the Schmitt-trigger photogate as a general-purpose photogate useful for nearly all applications. Select the transistor photogate when you need the fastest response as, for example, in triggering on the passage of a bullet. The transistor photogate is also simple to build (without the delay unit) and makes a good beginning DIY project.
| Schmitt-Trigger Photogate | Trigger Only | Trigger + Delay Unit | ||
| Click for description | Model | Price | Model | Price |
| Parts only |
SPG1 | $7.25 |
SPG1-DU |
$14.00 |
| Parts and breadboard | SPG1-BB |
$12.50 | SPG1-DU-BB |
$19.25 |
| Assembled circuit | SPG1-A |
$30.00 |
SPG1-DU-A |
$47.00 |
| Transistor Photogate | Trigger Only | Trigger + Delay Unit | ||
| Click for description | Model | Price | Model | Price |
| Parts only |
TPG | $6.75 |
TPG-DU |
$13.50 |
| Parts and breadboard | TPG-BB |
$12.00 | TPG-DU-BB |
$18.75 |
| Assembled circuit | TPG-A |
$28.00 |
TPG-DU-A |
$45.00 |
Interrupter Photogate (fixed 5/8" or 1.6 cm)
| Trigger Only | Trigger + Delay Unit | |||
| Click for description | Model | Price | Model | Price |
| Parts only |
SPG2 | $7.25 |
SPG2-DU |
$14.00 |
| Parts and breadboard | SPG2-BB |
$12.50 | SPG2-DU-BB |
$19.25 |
| Assembled circuit | SPG2-A |
$30.00 | SPG2-DU-A |
$47.00 |
on to Step 2: Trigger Connection Options
Specialty application - Crossed-beam photogate
The Crossed-Beam Photogate kit ($16.95 for the circuitry kit and $12.95 for the framework kit) is a specialty photogate used to capture photos of flying birds and insects. The crossed-beam application uses two intersecting infrared beams. Both of these must be broken by the subject in order for the circuit to trigger. This requires that the subject be at the intersection of the beams, thereby allowing the photographer to prefocus on the specific location where the event will occur.
Sound and Movement
- with the option to switch between triggers
The HiViz Multi-Trigger is our most popular item. It includes the equivalent of the SK2, SPG1-DU, and SPG2-DU triggers on a single breadboard.
We also have a PC board for the Multi-Trigger if you prefer a hard-wired option. Enclosure kits are available for both the breadboard and PCB versions.
| Click for description | Model | Price |
| Parts only |
MT | $20.25 |
| Parts and breadboard | MT-BB |
$25.50 |
| Assembled circuit | MT-A |
$75.50 |
| Multi-Trigger Enclosure Kit | MTE | $37.95 |
| PC Board for Multi-Trigger Kit | MT-PCB2 | $29.95 |
| Multi-Trigger with PCB and Enclosure | MTE-PCB | $66.95 |
on to Step 2: Trigger Connection Options
Simple Triggers -
great for science fairs and beginners' projects
These are a selection of our simplest triggers to build. They do not include a delay unit, but much can be done without one. Move the sound trigger closer to or farther from a sound event to adjust the delay time. The photogate trigger will set off a flash when its invisible beam is broken. The light-activated trigger will set off a flash when a bright light source is directed at its sensor. A common application for the light-activated trigger is as a light slave. You can use the light from one flash unit to set off another flash unit simultaneously.
| Click for description | Model | Price |
| Sound trigger with breadboard |
SK2-BB | $12.50 |
| Transistor photogate trigger with breadboard | TPG-BB |
$12.50 |
| Light-activated trigger with breadboard | LAT-BB | $12.50 |
on to Step 2: Trigger Connection Options
Assembled Products
- the fastest way to start taking photos
These circuits are fully assembled and ready to work out of the box, with the exception of connecting them to your flash unit or camera. For connection options, please click here.
| Trigger Only | Trigger + Delay Unit | |||
| Click for description | Model | Price | Model | Price |
| Sound trigger |
SK2-A |
$19.50 | SK2-DU-A |
$37.50 |
| Wide photogate, Schmitt | SPG1-A |
$30.00 |
SPG1-DU-A |
$47.00 |
| Wide photogate, transistor | TPG-A |
$28.00 |
TPG-DU-A |
$45.00 |
| Narrow photogate | SPG2-A |
$30.00 | SPG2-DU-A |
$47.00 |
| The Multi-Trigger (breadboard) | MT-A |
$75.50 | ||
| Multi-Trigger with PCB and Enclosure, assembled | MTS-A | $275.00 | ||
on to Step 2: Trigger Connection Options
