Can a Nikon D40 shutter be triggered electronically through the battery-compartment contacts?

Question

I want to trigger a Nikon D40 shutter from external circuitry over a wire, rather than using the camera’s IR remote, because other infrared sources in the area would interfere. I’ve seen add-on grips that fit into the battery compartment and noticed a row of contacts there, so I wondered whether those pins carry shutter-release signals such as half-press and full-press.

Does the D40 support wired shutter triggering through those battery-compartment contacts, or are they for some other purpose?

LightBender · Answer

I can find no battery grip or accessory for the D40 that connects to those pins. (The pictured grip is for the D80) All of the D40 grips I've found use IR to communicate button presses to the camera.

If even the Nikon battery grip chose not to use those pins and use IR (considering a little wire and a trio of pins is rather cheaper than a little wire, a microcontroller, a custom board, an IR diode, and a lens assembly), it is more likely that those pins are used for programming and automated testing of the camera. If so, any attempt to send arbitrary voltage through those pins might fry the extremely delicate electronics in the camera.

Assuming you absolutely want to use your D40* and are willing to accept the risk of experimenting, I recommend you ask a question over on the electronic stack exchange on the best procedures for diagnosing an unknown interface.

*A used D70s or higher will have one of the standard wired remote ports. Their respective pin outs are freely available and people have been hacking together electronic controls for them for decades. I'd recommend going new enough to get a CMOS sensor though. So D90, D300 or D3100 (or newer).

Can a Nikon D40 shutter be triggered electronically through the battery-compartment contacts?

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