Creating my own Pixel VM-801 and VS-802 system

[Marijn]

Hi Jeff and others,

I've been using the Pixel Componer system to connect camera and flashes for quite some time now and find it very reliable and easy to work with. I have two, and would like to buy a third one for a third trap in the making. A Canon camera with Nikon flashes, like the other two sets. However, Pixel discontinued these items and there are none left in stock wherever I look.

Then it dawned on me that these should be not too difficult to create myself. In essence, it is just another way of connecting three signals from one device (camera) to another (flash). A CAT6 cable has 8 wires in it, so only three are used (and possibly a 4th and 5th for TTL or PC-sync which I do not need). Since I stocked up on VS-802s (the receiver end for the flash), I would only need to transform a TF-321 Canon hotshoe adapter into a VM-801. I thought of removing the PC-sync socket and use the hole to let the RJ45 wire of a 3-way UTP splitter through and solder the three needed wires to the printboard of the TF-321. Three connectors at the other end for three flashes. Not that hard I would think. I have made a Canon to Nikon adapter from combined TF-321 (underside) and TF-322 (upperside) items before, to be able to use a full 802 (Nikon) set on my Canon camera.

To do it right at the camera end, obviously I first need to know which three of the eight wires are used at the VS-802 end, so I opened one. And that's when I got lost.

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Here's the top view of the VS-802 with the three important positions marked, as they are for every Nikon hotshoe adapter.

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And here's the view inside. Again with the three important positions marked (but upside down). But how do I find out which of the eight RJ45 connectors lead to these positions?

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Here's the inside from the upper view, just to show that there are no clear clues on the wiring on the print board.

Does anybody know, or can anyone see from these images, which three of the connectors are used? I know I could use a voltage meter to check connections, but my meter is way too big to do this with such small connectors.

Any help is much appreciated!

Marijn Heuts
Netherlands

[Marijn]

A very quick update: the voltage meter did the trick and I found the connections. Will work from here and keep you updated. I think this might be of interest to many of you who are using or want to start using the CAT cables!

[Marijn]

Here's an update, a bit late because AliExpress took a long time to ship my Pixel TF-321's. They cost less than half the price we pay over here, so well worth the wait.

When you open up the TF-321, first remove the pc-sync port and the two connecting cables to create some space. No need for the pc-sync port and the hole in the enclosure later perfectly fits the wire of the ftp-splitter. The three wires you need are in the photo below. Remove the other wires, and disconnect these three from the upper side, since we are only using the underside which connects to the camera. You can see in the photo what remains after these steps.

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Now cut the fpt connector from an ftp-splitter, which I also got from AliExpress. You'll see the typical 8 colored RJ45 wires and an extra white one. We only need three. From opening the VS-802 and checking the connectors, I found out that Solid Blue is for Fire, Solid Orange is for Wake, White-Brown is for Ground. Cut the others short so they are out of the way. Solder the three wires to their respective counterparts in the TF-321 (again Solid Blue to Fire, Solid Orange to Wake and White-Brown to Ground). You might check the connections with a multimeter before cutting and soldering ;-)

Use the now empty pc-sync hole to lead the splitter cable through and you are done. Tested it and it worked perfectly!

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One of the nice things about this construction is that it fits perfectly in a vey small Peli Case (or similar). My smallest one does not have a lot of space above the camera. The regular VM-801 sits on top of a Canon-to-Nikon adapter to make it work. That won't fit, I needed a Canon TTL cable from the hotshoe, so the other end, the adapter and the VM-801 fit somewhere to the side of the camera. The thing I Frankensteined together fits in the hotshoe and only the long and thin splitter sits to the side of the camera.

That's it!