Remote RM-CB1: Possible to shorten cable?

My first film cable release was about 12 inches long. You know, the ones covered with cloth that allowed (eventually) the spiral metal cable to blow out the side. Then I got a higher quality plastic covered model that was, say, 20 inches long. Just about right.

The E-3 (et al) RM-CB1 is 50 inches long! I can just about activate it with my toe. Way too long for my needs. Looks like it would be easy to shorten the cable; three screws and maybe some soldering. I just got it this morning, so maybe later this evening I'll open her up, but was wondering if anyone else here has experimented with cable-cutting?
--
Chris Anderson
Nature, Cave, and Celestial Imagery
http://www.darklightimagery.net
Pbase Olympus Digital Gallery
http://www.pbase.com/darklightimagery

'Let us be thankful we have commerce. Buy more. Buy more now. Buy, and be happy.'

No I haven't but as it costs over £50 in the UK I think that I would avoid it. I would only attempt it if I had one of the 'el cheap' Far East ones that are expendable. Maybe one of those could be a test-bed for someone.
50" is rather long!
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Dave
http://www.pbase.com/benvendetta
pbase supporter

Why not just coil it up an put a couple of tie wraps around it?

Dave Bennett said:

No I haven't but as it costs over £50 in the UK I think that I would
avoid it. I would only attempt it if I had one of the 'el cheap' Far
East ones that are expendable. Maybe one of those could be a test-bed
for someone.
50" is rather long!

Click to expand...

For that model, I would be careful. I think a forum user here said that his Chinese replacement for RM-CB1 tends to push in the pins on the camera. That jack apparently couldn't take it.

JeffDM said:

For that model, I would be careful. I think a forum user here said
that his Chinese replacement for RM-CB1 tends to push in the pins on
the camera. That jack apparently couldn't take it.

Click to expand...

Yes I remember that recent thread but the price does seen very attractive as £50+ is stupid money! I think that I would coil the cable up as you suggest. Goodness knows why it is 50" although in film days you could buy short cable releases and much longer air releases and these seemed to be miles long!
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Dave
http://www.pbase.com/benvendetta
pbase supporter

Just make a few loops and tie off w a bit of electrical tape, wire tie, or velcro.

Just do it near one end or the other- if you do it in the middle, it will hang akwardly or possibly snag.
--
Art P



Select images may be seen here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8131242@N04/

JeffDM said:

Dave Bennett said:

No I haven't but as it costs over £50 in the UK I think that I would
avoid it. I would only attempt it if I had one of the 'el cheap' Far
East ones that are expendable. Maybe one of those could be a test-bed
for someone.
50" is rather long!

Click to expand...

For that model, I would be careful. I think a forum user here said
that his Chinese replacement for RM-CB1 tends to push in the pins on
the camera. That jack apparently couldn't take it.

Click to expand...

that was me:





I had to swap my e3 for another after the pins got pushed IN too far from this cheap DANGEROUS chinese ebay rm-cb1 clone.

--
Bryan
(pic stream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/linux-works ) ~

I thought about cutting mine, basically to create a small wireless adapter cable for a DIY project of mine:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1022&message=26313325



that's actually the 'bad' ebay cable that I was able to drill out a bit and 'make it work' as long as you don't wiggle it the wrong way..

I ordered 2 from china and they both were in pretty bad shape but one was a bit easier to work with than the other. I didn't have to cut a real oly remote (I have 2 now) but I was quite willing to.

if you do cut it, you will want to insert a more standard plug in the middle, if for no other reason than to have a more proper strain relief and a break-away style connector that pulls out if tugged on, rather than ruining the camera host, itself!

its just 3 wires - you can use a stereo walkman jack if you want. soldering is not critical for this but I would slip some heat shrink tubing over the wires before you solder (like my photo has over the doctored cable).

--
Bryan
(pic stream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/linux-works ) ~

Where's the spirit of adventure?

This is what I'm talking about:



I cut the cable down to the length I wanted. Opened up the body of the remote, and trimmed the excess cable from both ends of the molded stress reliever. Then, after pulling the bare wires out, I carefully drilled down through the middle of the stress plug to get the left-over wire covering out. I was originally hoping it wasn't one-piece. It appears to have been Vulcanized to the plug. However, after a bit of "bit" persuasion, it came out. Then it was an easy process of threading the cable back in, soldering it up, and placing a wire tie at the inside base of the cable to keep it from being pulled out. Works great and is much more manageable.

PS: I tried coiling it up but very bulky and ugly...

--
Chris Anderson
Nature, Cave, and Celestial Imagery
http://www.darklightimagery.net
Pbase Olympus Digital Gallery
http://www.pbase.com/darklightimagery

'Let us be thankful we have commerce. Buy more. Buy more now. Buy, and be happy.'

Hey Chris, stick a standard mini-stereo jack/plug in line. Then you can make it as short as you want, and simply patch in a headphone extension cord if you want it longer.

I did this years ago for my E-20, because I wanted to do remote triggering. I got the parts from Radio Shack.



--
Bytesmiths -- http://www.bytesmiths.com

Aha! I've been toying with doing this. But mainly so I can make the cable longer rather than shorter.

Another reason is that I really like the idea of carrying out the same modification to my Canon TC-80 timer remote. I'd really like to be able to use all the timer control functions with my Oly and Mamiya cameras.

Wouldn't it be nice if all the companies could just agree on one socket standard ?

--
http://www.v11.com
Olympus and Canon digital cameras. Mamiya film cameras.

Darren_Birkin said:

Wouldn't it be nice if all the companies could just agree on one
socket standard ?

Click to expand...

That'll be the day after someone invents a working, practical perpetual motion machine, I expect...

--
Hugh of Bardfield
Essex, UK
My Flickr stream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hughofbardfield/

Jan Steinman said:

Hey Chris, stick a standard mini-stereo jack/plug in line. Then you
can make it as short as you want, and simply patch in a headphone
extension cord if you want it longer.

I did this years ago for my E-20, because I wanted to do remote
triggering. I got the parts from Radio Shack.

Click to expand...

Brilliant idea!!!!!

Must say that I think that if I was to get one it would be the 'proper' one but £50+ is an awful lot of dosh! Think I will stick with the Oly IR remote that came with the C8080WZ as I don't remotes that often.

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Dave
http://www.pbase.com/benvendetta
pbase supporter

one thing to be said about the walkman round jacks and plugs.

they spin around, and that can cause 'noise'. no not picture noise! but electrical contact noise. its not a clean mechanical stable connection is what I'm saying. it can come loose or have only 2 pins touching even when it looks like its all the way in. quality varies a LOT in these things.

if you are in a 'must have' situation for a photo, you would not want a mechanical connection like a spinning plug/socket in your electrical path. ever hear static on those walkman players when you twist your headphones cord? that's the electrical 'bounce' or noise that I'm talking about and I would not really want that in my path.

I'd like to find a low-force (easy pull-out so nothing on the camera gets damaged) connector that is keyed and semi-lockable (via a threshold) and doesn't spin, by design.

they make min-DIN connectors (look at your ps2 keyboard and mouse, for examples). this meets the pro standard more. quality design and pins and no spinning in an axis, not ever

--
Bryan
(pic stream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/linux-works ) ~