208 CHAPTER 7 The Stereo Data Maker (SDM)
readily executed. This feature and the excellent remote features (including
support for the Ricoh CA1 remote control) are the reasons why the SDM has
so many users in the KAP community. However, recent versions of the
CHDK have adopted the SDM remote functions and offer almost the same
functionality.
A specialty of the SDM is the use of the blue LED as a serial interface to
hook up external devices, such as motorized camera rigs or robotic pan-
orama heads. Finally, a recently introduced feature of the SDM is the sup-
port of Digiscoping, i.e., connecting a camera to a telescope.
7.4 Operation
Using the camera under the SDM is quite similar to using it under the
CHDK. There is an <Alt> mode which you can enable via the
ALT button
(chapter 4). Pressing the
MENU button in <Alt> mode leads to the SDM
menu.
The various indicators are also organized differently. There is an SDM
header line showing several entries, such as shooting mode, zoom value,
and focal distance. You can configure this line under
ALT > MENU > Stereo >
SDM Header.
Many functions are invoked through key shortcuts instead of menu
entries. For example, enabling or disabling Overrides is performed by half-
pressing the shutter button and pressing
FUNC/SET. An indicator at the left
side of the display shows MAN when Overrides are enabled, and OFF when
Overrides are disabled.
Here are some more key shortcuts. They are worth remembering be-
cause they can make life easy. However, you can always look them up with
the Text File Reader (
ALT > MENU > Advanced Menu > Text file reader > Open
new file…). File CHDK/TEXTS/SHORTCUT.TXT lists all of these shortcuts.
In Record mode, the following key shortcuts are available:
f
ALT-MENU: Invokes the SDM menu.
f
ALT > FUNC/SET: Switches the OSD on/off with a short click on FUNC/
SET
. A longer press switches the Edge Overlay on/off.
Note: This key combination is used in standard CHDK for loading a
script. Under the SDM, you must use the menu function
ALT > MENU >
Scripting > Load script from file…, instead.
f
ALT > LEFT: Browses OSD information screens backwards. These screens
display vital data for different purposes such as digiscoping or stereo
set-up organized in multiple pages.
f
ALT > RIGHT: Browses OSD information screens forwards.
Figure 7-2
The SDM main menu looks different
compared to the CHDK menu because
the already well-known functions are
grouped differently.
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