For a KAP project I'm working on I need to be able to control a compact camera with an Arduino processor. Because I didn't want to risk damaging one of my 'good' compacts, I bought a second hand Canon DIGITAL IXUS v² for just €15,- (including the battery charger and a 16 MB CF card). This camera is known as  Canon S200 DIGITAL ELPH, in some parts of the world.

Initially I didn't feel much like modding the camera itself: the scale of integration inside that body is so large that I was afraid to break it while working on it. So I went with mechanical solution: I made a bracket on top of the aluminium frame that holds the camera, and mounted a mini servo onto it. The servo horn I modified with a piece of plastic from an old toothbrush (see photo at the end of this article).

This would have worked, if it wasn't for the fact that the frame construction wasn't stiff enough: while pressing the shutter button, reaction forces pushed the servo upwards and away from the shutter. Using ty wraps and a piece of metal wire stabilized it a little bit, but it was not a satisfying solution.

So I decided to take the plunge and try wiring the shutter release instead. This turned out to work well, and is not too hard to do.