Button Control

Button Control

This page describes options for connecting push buttons to a PC to trigger the photo booth shooting sequence.

For a simple setup, use the PC’s mouse by selecting Use mouse left button to start and right button to toggle between B&W and color in Photobooth Settings.

U-HID Nano

The U-HID Nano is a small USB board made by Ultimarc that acts as a programmable keyboard/mouse/joystick interface. Arcade buttons are wired directly to the board’s input pins, and the U-HID software is used to map each input to any key press — for example, F4 to start the shooting sequence or Ctrl+B to toggle black and white mode.

Setup:

1. Download and install the U-HID utility from ultimarc.com
2. Connect the U-HID Nano to a USB port — it will appear as a standard HID keyboard device
3. Wire each button between an input pin and the ground pin on the board
4. Open the U-HID utility and assign a key press to each input pin
5. Test by pressing each button and confirming the correct key is sent

The board requires no additional drivers and works reliably across Windows versions.

iPac2

The iPac2, also made by Ultimarc, is a larger USB interface board with 28 inputs, designed for arcade cabinet builds. It is a good choice where multiple buttons are needed — for example, separate buttons for start, B&W/colour toggle, copy count selection, and sharing options.

The iPac2 ships with a default key mapping that can be reprogrammed using the WinIPac or IPac utilities. Connect buttons between the labelled input terminals and the ground rail, then map each input to the required Remote Pro keyboard shortcut.

Common key mappings for Remote Pro:

Both the U-HID Nano and iPac2 are available from ultimarc.com. The Nano suits simple single-button setups; the iPac2 is better for booths with a full button panel.

Serial Port Method

This method uses an RS-232 serial adapter and the Photobooth Pushbutton Utility (PhotoboothBtn_DSLR.exe) to connect arcade-style buttons. It is an older approach but remains fully supported.

Requirements:

• USB to RS-232 serial adapter (e.g. StarTech.com USB to RS-232 DB9)
• DB9 socket and wires
• Push-to-make button(s)
• PhotoboothBtn_DSLR.exe from the Remote Pro installation folder

Setup:

1. Install the serial adapter driver and connect to a USB port
2. Run PhotoboothBtn_DSLR.exe
3. Identify the correct COM port by shorting pins 1 and 4 on the DB9 connector — the correct port shows the Pin 1 checkbox checked

1. Wire the buttons to the DB9: pin 4 to the common connection of all buttons; pin 1, 6 etc. to each button’s signal connection
2. Test by pressing each button and observing the checkboxes in the utility
3. Set the action for each button using the dropdown lists

In operation: Connect the adapter, run the Photobooth Pushbutton Utility (ensuring no buttons are pressed at startup), verify the buttons work, then run Remote Pro and enter full screen mode. The utility must remain running throughout booth operation.