Overview

These instructions are kept brief and concise to help you build one in the minimal time. The pictures should have enough information for you to understand the instructions. Please go through the instruction before starting, it will really help.  

• Cables Unlimited Wireless USB Kit 
• Battery box - 4AA capacity with SPDT switch (You purchase this from RadioShack or DigiKey if you live in the US)
• Brush-on or dippable insulating coating for electronics/PCB. (such as silicon conformal coating from MG Chemicals. Try 422/422A)
• 5 min epoxy. (such as the one from Loctite)
• Heat shrink tube to insulate wires
• 1 carabiner clip to attach to camera body or strap. (Nite-Ize offers a good one called S-Biner)
• String/Cord for the carabiner clip to attach to. (About 2 inches is needed, to make a loop and knot. Michael's has a vast selection )
• 1 USB extension cable Male A -to- Female A  (The Female A connector with a bit of cable length will be used. The other end is cut off and ignored)
• 1 Male A to Male mini-B cable  (This is for connecting camera to PUB)

• Small Screwdrivers (Both + Philips and -- flat head)
• Soldering iron and small diameter solder 
• Copper solder wick
• Drill or Dremel with drill bits that have a similar diameter to USB cable that enters battery box. 
• Wire cutters (you need a small fine tip cutter to remove a board mounted USB connector)
• Wire strippers (Best with fixed 22 and 24 gauge diameter)  
• Vice (Optional)
• X-Acto knife 
• Small brush for applying the silicone coating or use a cotton swap to dab it on. 
• Digital Volt Meter (You can get away without one, but it is high risk. Any undetected short-circuits could lead to permanent damage)

Step1: Unboxing and Testing

With the Cables unlimited kit, all you require is the two USB dongles and the CD that contains the driver. Their website also offers the latest drivers, which is recommended.  

Before you start, check everything is working:

• Install the driver on the machine(s) that you will be using this with. 
• Plug the PC host USB dongle into the computer
• Plug in the client dongle into the hub and give it power by plugging AC/DC power supply in
• Connect with a USB device such as a USB flash drive, and/or PC mouse to confirm it works. Even better, makes sure you can do tethered shooting with you camera and the data rates are reasonable. 

Fig 1. 

Power down if you have yet to so and remove the client USB dongle from the docking hub.
Use a small screwdriver and pry the plastic housing apart on the client USB dongle to gain access to the wireless PCB.

Fig 5. Pry plastic enclosure open with a screwdriver.

Fig 6. 

Where the USB connector use to reside, use some copper wick with the soldering iron and clean up the cut off pins and excessive solder off the PCB. 

WARNING: Do not overheat the board and be careful it is very fragile from experience.  In my first attempt handling the board, some surface components fell off . It seems the quality of manufacturing is not the best. Apply minimal force and a vise is recommended if you cannot handle it gently. If something falls off you may not be able to get it back on. Also, have a clean working area to catch anything that flies off. 

Fig 8.  Wire mapping (from the top: Red, White, Green, Black). 

Fig 8 is for illustration purposes and you do not need every short wire; you can solder some directly with the USB cable (such as White and Green).  

Step 4: Merging PCB board with AA Battery Box 

Fig 9. Schematic. 

Please see the above schematic in Fig 9 to help wire everything together..

• Match up the white wires and green wires between the correct pad on the PCB and the USB cable. These are the USB signals. 
•  The red wire from both the wireless PCB board and Female A USB connector need to connect to the switch’s outer pin that is connected with the middle pin, when in the ‘ON’ state.
•  The other red wire comes from the battery +ve end, and it goes to the middle pin on the switch.
•  The black wire from the USB cable needs to connect with –ve end from the batteries and GND pad on the wireless PCB.
•  For better performance against noise, the shield of USB cable connects with the GND network too. This is not shown in the schematic. 

Fig 11.


The soldering is done. Now you should test if it works. Make sure there are no unintentional shorts (short circuits). Check visually and conductively with your digital volt meter. Make sure the switch is OFF. Insert three batteries with the correct polarity. Power it on and look if the LED on the board lights up. If so, you are good. If not, power off IMMEDIATELY and debug.  With the light on, you can try it out with either your camera or a low power consumption device such as a mouse or USB flash memory stick. If you have connectivity from your PC, and it works as if there is a plain USB cable in place, then go onto the last step. 

Fig 12. Testing.

Step 5: Finishing Up

• Epoxy the bare wireless PCB into the battery box as shown in the photo. You want to angle the PCB facing out with the gold triangle antenna facing up. 
• Use scotch tape to hold the dongle in place to allow the 5min epoxy to set. Again, wait at least 1 hour for a strong cure for the epoxy.
• In the battery box I used gold colored string to create a loop as shown in the photo. Just tie a knot with a short loop and push it through. (Before this step, in earlier figures/photos, the loop is already there). 
• With the loop add a clip. Now it can clip onto the Camera. 
• Screw the plastic cover back over the STDP switch and you may want to add some epoxy to the contact points to keep it from curing up.

 That’s it you are done! You can add the USB adapter cable between this and your camera, three AA batteries and start tethered shooting. 

Fig 14 & 15.