Creating a Shutter Button. |
Anyone who has used a program like iStopMotion from Boinx or Stop Motion Pro are familiar with the headache of clicking the mouse or keypad button after each frame. Every time we make an adjustment we must return to our computer and push the button again, and again, and again…
This may sound like no more of an annoyance to most people, but animators know that the closer they remain to their subject the faster they can film. After bouncing back between your object and the laptop more then 14,000 times for a ten minute short can take it’s toll on your back, not to mention your clicker finger.
Before I made this clicker I tried using the mouse to click the capture button for each frame. I became frustrated quickly, because every time I put the mouse down to adjust my object the mouse pointer would move off the button. Every 10-20 frames I had to mess with the mouse to get the pointer back on the capture button. The second disadvantage was the length of the mouse cord. I had to be at most 6 feet away from my laptop in order to press the button. Sometimes when filming Læfan I would be stuck behind the set with no way to get to the mouse to capture the frame.
My solution. A hand held clicker made from a discarded USB mouse, some network cable, and copper tube. The clicker is small enough to hold onto without being cumbersome like a mouse. Since I cabled the clicker I was able to put a fifteen foot cord on it, long enough to reach anywhere in my meager 10×12 studio.
What you will need:
- Recycled USB Mouse.
- A length of thin flexible cable.
- 6″ of 1/2 ” copper tubing.
- (2x) copper end caps.
- One momentary on push button switch. (make sure it will fit in the tube.)
- Ability to perform basic soldering.
Assembly:
Depending on the size the neck on your switch. Drill a hold in the top of one of your copper caps. Mine needed a 1/4″ hole which is a pretty common size.- If you drilled the correct size hole drill a hole in the other cap the same size.
Feed the cable through one of the caps and through the tube.
Solder two of the leads to the normally open and common terminals on the switch.
Put the switch through the cap and screw the nut on to hold it in place.
Knot the cable as to leave some slack in the tube.
Snap the caps in place.
Break your mouse open. (preferable with a screwdriver 
- Determine which button is the left button of the mouse.
Turn the mouse circuit board over. Most mouse switches have three poles to them. (C)common, (NO)Normal-Open, and (NC)Normal-Closed. The contact in the center is usually the Common pole, but you might have to guess on the NO pole. If you plug in the mouse and you can’t click then you’ve got the wrong one.
That’s it! now just add some insulation and find it a classy cover. You can always use the old mouse cover, but I prefer my High Gloss Panelboard Nail package.
To use your new clicker, position the pointer over the capture button on the screen and click away.