Thursday 19 April, 2012   David A. Selby   Analysis, New releases, Triggers   5 Comments

eBay triggers: goodbye to PC ports, hello to Mini-USB

In the photographic lighting world, Prontor/Compur (PC) connectors are much maligned for their expense, temperament and fallibility in flash synchronisation. Some manufacturers have got rid of them in favour of 2.5mm and 3.5mm mono or stereo jacks. But DSLRkit, a Chinese maker of budget flash triggers, have taken a different path.

The RC-08 series radio remotes have fairly standard features: 8 channels, AAA batteries, 433MHz signal and a hotshoe. Nice bonuses include full backwards compatibility with nearly all of their previous triggers, optional umbrella holder on the receiver, and a safe sync voltage up to 230 Volts.

DSLRKIT RC-08H flash trigger kit

Where they stand out, though, is that the radio receivers have mini-USB ports for when you want to connect a flash by cable. A mini-USB to 3.5mm mono cord is included.

DSLRKIT RC-08H flash trigger receiver

A smart idea, allowing extra functionality to be added in future? A silly move? Couldn’t care less about cables and want us to write about something more interesting? Let us know in the comments below.

Where to buy

DSLRKIT RC-08A and RC-08H trigger kits start at around US$20 on eBay. The “A” series have conventional receivers while the “H” models have umbrella holders built in. You can also order directly from the company web site.

  • http://ranger9.net Ranger 9

    I’m fine with this if they are respecting the USB standard’s pinouts and signal specifications — but I’ll bet they’re not. I’m guessing they’re just using it because it’s an easy-to-obtain connector, and are wiring it up however is handy.

    I wonder what’s going to happen when somebody says, “Hey, this thing has USB! I’ll just plug it into my laptop!”…

  • bawol

    If I lose or damage the cable, I could pick up a 1/8″ to 1/8″ cable anywhere in an emergency. Mini-USB to 1/8″ cables are not as readily available.

    Can anyone think of some additional functionality in utilizing a mini-USB connector that I am not aware of?

    • David A. Selby

      The Pixel Opas can be powered via the Mini-USB port and the PocketWizard FlexTT5 updates its firmware this way.

  • http://www.imagemelbourne.com.au Image Melbourne

    Bad idea, try finding a USB – 6.5mm or USB – PC cable… let alone anything more exotic

    Powering the triggers by USB could be handy (though I don’t think this model offers that) however even if this did work there is only 1 port you can’t provide power and sync simultaneously.

    3.5 mm jacks are the way to go, much more reliable than PC.

  • markdphoto2000

    What I want is an industry solution to the PC socket. I have nothing but pain from using the PC socket on my camera.

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