Why? No real good reason. It's easy, and allows for customization. But if you need it to be justified, this page isn't for you. The Canon RS-60E3 isn't an expensive unit, but you can make one even cheaper, if you don't mind the time and effort.

How it works: You will have three 'controls'. Two momentary pushbuttons, and by this I mean like a videogame button, not a 'push-on/push-off' like a ballpoint pen. For short exposures, you would press one button to activate the meter and AF, just like a 'half-press' of the shutter release on the camera, and BOTH buttons to release the shutter.

You will also have a slide or rocker switch strictly for Bulb exposures, to open the shutter and go away if you want. It does not operate the meter, it simply locks open the shutter.

• Some form of housing. Radio Shack sells plastic project boxes, or just rig up your own.
• (2) Momentary Pushbutton switches.
• (1) DPDT Slide or Rocker Switch
• (1) 2.5mm 'Micro' Stereo Plug (or 3.5mm, see below)
• As much 3-conductor (stereo) wire as you like. Get extra to cannibalize for internal wiring
• Soldering gun and solder.
• Something to test continuity. You should do this every step of the way.

The photo at top, and to the right, is of my own unit, which I custom-made since I'm good with plastic. This allowed for two things: The first, I was able to make a shape comfortable for my hand, that I could tell, even blindfolded, how to trip the shutter; The second, I needed a rocker switch to fit the housing, and nobody made one, so I created one from a slide switch.

I don't necessarily recommend this. It can take a bit of work. I'm happy with the results, but I also enjoyed the project. Don't tackle it unless you enjoy the challenge. But if you do, there's instructions further down.

You'll notice two things: The rocker switch sits flush in the housing when it's Off, making it easy to tell by feel that it isn't switched on before I plug it in (thus no wasted shots). Plus it's harder to trip accidentally. The second thing is that the wire exits the housing at a distinct angle. This was on purpose - I know top from bottom this way, and it rolls up much neater. Just a couple tricks from doing this once previously.

The cameras that take the RS-60E3 provide all the power and work very simply. The jack on the camera body is a standard 2.5mm stereo, so a 2.5mm stereo plug (male) is a perfect fit. Close the base and middle contacts of the stereo plug to meter, and all three to close the shutter. Closing the base and tip alone will accomplish nothing, and neither will closing the middle and tip. 

Your materials are a matter of preference. I used microswitches for the momentary pushbuttons, for the low profile and the tactile 'clicks' they provide. Also, some designs suggest toggles for the big 'Bulb' switch, but I found that you want something smaller and less likely to snag on things, and that is also readily apparent that it is 'Off'. If you don't want to make your own like I did, I suggest a marked slide switch or a marked rocker switch. BUT, either of these have to be DPDT, because you have three leads to close at once, and won't be able to wire the assembly correctly if the switch isn't DPDT.

For those of you who don't like schematic layouts, I did a wiring example photo. Naturally there will be a lot more wire between the plug and controls, but this shows you the layout.

My photo isn't perfectly clear in one respect - on the "Bulb" switch, the red wire goes across both contacts on the one end, while the black and green wires only connect to the leads on their sides (top and bottom respectively, in this photo). There is no connection between green and black on the switch leads.

A word about your materials: Don't feel obligated to use what I use, if there's something you like better. Any momentary pushbutton will work, and microswitches are very sensitive to heat. If you use them, always use a heatsink between the button and the lead you're soldering, and solder very quickly. Best to apply a little flux to wire and lead and hold them together, then get a small drop of hot solder on the tip of the soldering iron and merely touch it to the lead. The flux will draw the solder onto the wire and lead and allow it to cool very quickly, so there's little chance of damaging the microswitch. If you hold the iron against the lead for any length of time, you're liable to ruin it. And always check it for continuity every step of the way - it's a real pain to disassemble everything if one item doesn't work.

I have not yet found any 'two-position' pushbuttons like Canon uses on both their cameras and the RS-60E3 remote - that is, a half-press to meter, and a full-press to trip the shutter. So we have to use two pushbuttons, and one becomes the 'half-press' to meter, and both are the 'full-press' to trip the shutter. If anyone comes across such a two-position pushbutton, or has a simple way to make one, please don't hesitate to e-mail me, and I'll incorporate it into a new page.

As for slide or rocker switches, it's important to use DPDT. These are two-sided designs, so that one side is isolated from the other, and the only way to close the three leads from the camera at once. Any other method, you're liable to trip the shutter when you only intended to meter, and the remote won't work correctly. So be careful about this and wire it exactly as shown, and note the caption above where I clarified something not distinct in the photo.

First off, handle the housing you're going to use before beginning. Figure out where you want the buttons for easy use. For me, I made my own housing out of sheet polystyrene, and placed the meter button on the top, under my thumb, and the shutter button on the underside under my index finger. Very easy to press one, then both buttons. From experience, I have to say that it's much easier on you if you lay out the project so you can tell which button is which by feel, and whether the Bulb switch is on or off. This is especially handy when doing long exposures in the dark, such as the night sky.

I would place your switches in the housing before soldering them, if you can get away with it. If not, allow plenty of slack wire. By looking at the schematic, you'll notice that each lead from the 2.5mm plug splits in two directions, for the two ways of releasing the shutter, and how you accomplish this is up to you.

How much wire to use between remote housing and plug? That's a matter of personal preference. Remember that you have to coil it all up neatly in your camera bag, plus have a decent working length for whatever you might use it for (unless you use an extension - more just below). Mine has slightly more than a meter, and I have a Velcro strap that holds it all together neatly. At my normal working height on a tripod, it doesn't touch the ground if I let it drop. But you might also want to be able to grab it easily in the dark, so you may want it very short, or able to clip onto itself near the jack, or someplace onto the camera. Now's the time to think about it.

A bonus from having done this before: I rigged mine slightly differently. Instead of a 2.5mm Micro stereo plug, I used a 3.5mm Mini stereo plug. Why? Because I made a small right-angle adapter which puts less strain on the plug and camera, and now I can extend the cord indefinitely with any extension cord suitable for the more-common 3.5mm connections, used on all portable stereos. Plus, I can also rig in my infrared motion-detector camera trip (another project, coming soon) or anything else I might make.

  So, I bought a 2.5mm Micro male plug from Radio Shack, a right-angle wire-it-yourself version. 3.5mm female sockets in cord form were almost impossible to find when I did this (I've since found them at Radio Shack, which seems very sporadic about what components it decides to keep in stock). So I bought a headphone volume control addition that Radio Shack sells, and cannibalized it for the 3.5mm inline socket, wiring it to the 2.5mm right-angle male plug to go into the camera (about 5-6 cms in wire length) . Instead of the plug sticking straight out of the camera with the weight of the cord pulling it downwards, it sets much closer and has more stability, plus it won't pull out with the weight of the cord when you turn the camera for a vertical composition.

Okay, so you're crazy and want to try the custom rocker-switch design: I warn you, it takes a bit of fooling around. But here goes:

The diagram at right shows the custom switch from the side, with the two positions. Decide what size you want it (I would suggest thinking about the size of your fingers) and how high you want it to stick up from the housing when 'On'. These are measurements A and B. Mine is 12mm X 25mm, top surface, and protrudes 4mm when 'On'.

Next, measure your slide switch to determine the distance it moves between 'Off' and 'On'. This is measurement C, and is crucial. If your rocker switch design doesn't allow the slide switch to move all the way, it will not work properly and frustrate you no end, and you'll just try to blame me. So be accurate.

Now, measurements A, B, and C will determine D, which is the distance the slide switch has to be from the pivot point. You can figure this out with geometry, but there really isn't any need, it's a bit simpler. Stay with me.

Divide measurement B by measurement C. Then, multiply measurement A by that figure, and divide by two. And that gives you measurement D, your precise distance from the pivot point to the top face of the switch, not the top of the slide itself. Notice how the custom rocker switch goes down to the top face of the slide switch, bracketing the moving part of the slide.

"What?" you say, "How'd you get that figure?" It's easy, really. The pivot point falls exactly halfway along measurement A, so 1/2 A makes up the long sides of an isosceles triangle, with B being the base. This triangle represents the movement of the rocker switch, the exact same movement that will move the slide switch, so the exact same angle to the triangle. So C is simply a smaller percentage of B, and forms the base of another isosceles triangle. When you know what percentage C is of B, then you know what percentage D is of 1/2 A.

Still with me? Good! Skip further down below the next diagram and I'll give even more detail.

The pivot is simple: A straight pin across the housing from side to side. A hole goes through all your rocker switch pieces (nice and straight, now), and the pin gets held in place tight to the housing body by two pivot supports, 'E' in the diagram. By making the pin go all the way across the housing, there's no need for preventing it from sliding out to either side - the sides of the housing hold it in place. Therefore, it's easiest, if you're making your own housing, to leave one side open until the end. I also found it easiest to put the pivot perfectly even with the underside of the rocker plate, sitting flush with the inside of both the housing and the rocker. One less measurement to be inaccurate.

You know what measurement 'D' is, so that's the height you make the center piece of the rocker switch, the part that actually moves the slide switch. Shape isn't important, but you do want the bottom slightly rounded, since it will be pivoting above the slide switch and you don't want it to bind. Measure the exposed portion of the actual slider on the slide switch, the part that moves - you need to know height, and front-to-back size (i.e., the size of the switch in the direction that it moves - don't confuse this with the movement measurement we got earlier). You will need to notch your center piece to accommodate the slide. Make the notch just slightly deeper, a millimeter or two, and slightly broader at the opening than at the deepest part of the notch. Remember, the rocker switch will be pivoting, but the slide switch will be firmly fixed in the housing, so allow a small amount of room for play. A small amount - too much will prevent the rocker switch from moving the slide switch all the way, and may stop the switch from working properly.

* If you really want to be accurate, mark the depth of your notch (with the added millimeter over the height of the slide) on the center piece, then at that depth, make a mark that's as wide (front-to-back) as the slide part of the slider switch. Draw lines from the pivot point to connect to either end of that mark, all the way to the bottom of the center piece. That marks the exact edges of your notch. When I made mine, however, I didn't bother with this, and simply widened the notch at the opening slightly. Works fine, so it's your call.

You'll notice, in the diagram, I have some odd-shaped side pieces to the rocker switch, which I labeled 'Skirt'. This makes a cleaner look to the rocker, and helps prevent dust and grit from getting into the housing, and also prevents anything from getting under the rocker while it's open and stopping you from closing your shutter. Shape isn't important, as long as you take it down below the level of the housing when the rocker is open. I also showed some rocker stops in the diagram, which prevents the rocker from moving too far, but if you did the measurements well the slide switch will perform the same duty. I opted not to put the stops on my version.

So, assemble all parts of the rocker portion (green), and fit it to the housing. Go ahead and put the pivot supports 'E' in place and glue them fast - just make sure your rocker is fit exactly where you want it in the housing and won't bind.

Once you know how your parts fit, now you can figure out how to anchor the slide switch in precise position.

* NOTE: The slide switch is shown at a slight angle within the housing, and this is best. The angle should be 1/2 of the angle the rocker switch shows when open. In other words, perfectly parallel if both the rocker and the slide switch are at the halfway point.

* VERY IMPORTANT: It's real easy the screw this up, so be warned. Make sure, as you're figuring out how to mount the slide switch, it is in an appropriate position. If you're doing this with the rocker portion in the 'Off' position, then make sure the slide switch is also in the 'Off' position, and moreover, moves the correct way when the rocker moves to 'On'. Mark the switch however you need to so you don't mix this up as you cut the pieces to mount it. You'll hate yourself if you put it in backwards.

When you mount the slide switch, you want a snug fit with no play, so the rocker switch will move it cleanly. However, switches can always fail, so keep this in mind as you mount it - someday, you may have to yank it out and replace it.

And before you pack it all together in your nice, neat little package, TEST IT! Test all connections, and make sure it works on the camera for both methods of opening the shutter. It's really annoying to crack open your housing to replace a part or resolder a connection. And try to keep this in mind all through assembly - there's a reason there are no photos of the interior of my remote: A solder joint failed sometime during assembly, and had to be resoldered after I had already glued the microswitches in place. I ended up having to install jumper wires, and the soldering iron was too large to use in the tight confines of the housing, so there's a mess of wires in mine, as well as some melted areas. The image would have been of no use to anyone wanting to see how to build their own, and might well have been very discouraging ;-).

So that's it, and I hope it's clear enough, but if not, drop me a line and I'll explain it differently or in better detail. Also, let me know if there's anything I misstated or didn't illustrate well.

And I'd love to see your own, once you have it working - I'll feature it on this site if you like. I'm always up to see what others have done, and variations you might have tried out. While I know mine works, there are undoubtedly many ways to improve it.

Cheers!

- Al.