The HiViz WorkShop
OPT. Optoisolator Output Kit
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Click on the photo to see connections to a trigger circuit. |
This kit has been discontinued.
An optoisolator can be used in place of an SCR to provide complete electrical isolation between a trigger circuit and your flash or camera. The Optoisolator Output Kit provides a way to add an optoisolator output stage to an existing delay circuit. The output stage is built on a PC board, which is supplied. Soldering is required. The delay circuit is not included.
A typical application is to use the delay unit to control both a camera and a flash unit to photograph splashes. The immediate output would be connected to an optoisolator which in turn is connected to the camera. The delayed output would be connected to the flash unit and the time delay set to capture the drop or splash at the appropriate instant. The shutter speed of the camera would be set long enough for the drop to pass from the photogate to the spot on which the camera is focused. In operation, when a drop passes through the photogate, it would do two things: 1) open the camera shutter and 2) start the delay timer. At the end of the delay interval, the flash would discharge, and the camera would capture an image. The shutter of the camera would then close a fraction of a second later. In order to prevent the camera shutter from actuating repeatedly as drops continue to fall, the optoisolator output latches closed after the first triggering event. The camera must then be reset to ready it for the next triggering event.
Instructions for building the kit are given here.
You can also purchase this kit assembled. You would only need to make the connections to your delay unit and your camera or flash.
