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DIY
DVX100 Zoom Control modification
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Caution - As with any DIY project,
there is a chance to screw your camera up and burn down the house
at the same time. If you feel at all uncomfortable doing this project,
there are many professional Zoom Controllers available to purchase
already made. This modification would not have been possible without Jarred's magnificent efforts at discovering the secret formula and publishing the original plans. Many people will be satisfied with the original. This variation was made to suit my own quirks. I felt the need for hard stops at the zero zoom position. This added feature may be a hinderance to someone wanting to quickly reverse zoom. I was able to use non-slip rubber rollers for these knobs, so that I can easily roll the flat of my hand across first one, then the other in order to do fancy reversals if I wish. It requires more dexterity than the single control, but can be done. These controls are so cheap to manufacture, you can have one of each style if you want! |
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The picture above shows the symmetrical layout. I chose to separate the potentiometers as much as possible, giving plenty of finger room for gentle twisting action. Having the poles facing each other is not just for aesthetics, it allows room for soldering. Keep in mind also that there is a small metal prong that sticks up beside each shaft, requiring a second small hole in the case. These prongs lock the potentiometers in position and keep them from moving around. If you look at the very first image in this article, you can see the uppermost potentiometer and its little prong. The lower one is hidden under the shaft (rotated 90 degrees).
If you put a multimeter across the terminals with the red and white wires (on the left above) you will read 10k ohms, the one on the right should read zero (when at their resting stops). Do not try these readings while the unit is plugged into the camera. I don't think you will hurt the camera, but you won't read correctly. Rotate the potentiometer shafts to their stops and measure at both stops, this will help you get your bearings. The ideal situation is that the two units will rotate away from each other, to enhance the "ergonomics".
The fancy cable is very nice, but will require that you cut off the end that does not fit into the camera. This provides you with a red and white wire, each one surrounded by a shield. Don't be fooled, what appears to be two shields actually is linked together at the other end and is effectively a single shield. I twisted the two shields together and soldered them to one pole of the momentary switch. This became the common ground. I verified with the meter that the white conductor went to the tip of the jack. Since the tip goes to the Record on/off function, I soldered the white lead to the other side of the switch. The red lead goes to one pole of the two pots, the other pole connects to the neighboring pot whose second pole goes to the shared ground. All parts from Radio Shack
Many thanks again to Jarred for discovering the
secret formula and publishing his excellent article! |
