RoboSHOOT X Series USER MANUAL +©
Revision Sheet Revision Sheet Rev 2.0.1 Date 2/18/2017 2.1.0 4/21/17 RoboSHOOT +© Revision Description Initial Production Release For Version 2.0.x firmware and App. Feature addition: RX Remote Shutter Release. Various MX-15+ and other corrections. Version 2.1 firmware update.
Basic Operation TABLE OF CONTENTS Before You Begin .................................................... 4 FCC Compliance ................................................ 5 EC Declaration ................................................... 6 Industry Canada (ISED) Declaration .................. 6 Disposal recommendations .............................. 6 RoHS Declaration .............................................. 7 System Overview ................................................... 8 Features ...........
Basic Operation Enabling or Disabling Flashes quickly .............. 23 Flash Exposure Lock ........................................ 24 Button Lockout................................................ 24 Selecting a Profile............................................ 25 Profile Bracketing ............................................ 27 Mult-Angle Photography................................. 27 Multi-Master Mode ........................................ 28 In-Camera Control .....................................
Basic Operation BEFORE YOU BEGIN - SAFETY Follow the Safety Guidelines provided as a separate document carefully. The guidelines are provided for your safety, safety of those around you, and for maximum enjoyment of your product. If you cannot find the Safety Guidelines document, don’t understand it, or otherwise decide not to read it do NOT use the RoboSHOOT© devices. The guidelines may be available on the Serene Automation website ‘www.sereneautomation.
Basic Operation FCC Compliance © The RoboSHOOT units including MX-20, MX-15, RX-20, ad RX-15 comply with FCC standards for Home and Office use. This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: 1. This device may not cause harmful interference, and 2. This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
Basic Operation EC Declaration We, Name: Address: Serene Automation LLC 100 Whelan Ct Folsom, California 95630 USA © Declare that the products: RoboSHOOT X-series Flash triggers (MX-20, MX15, RX-20, and RX-15) Manufactured under provision of Serene Automation LLC, Meet the following provisions of the EMC Directive (2004/108/EC) and Low Voltage Directive (206/95/EC), and comply with the essential requirements and other relevant provisions of Directive 1999/5/EC.
Basic Operation RoHS Declaration Date: May 30, 2015 We hereby declare that products manufactured for Serene Automation of © Folsom California USA, namely, the RoboSHOOT family of products (MX20, MX-15, RX-20 and RX-15) are compliant to RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU of the European Parliament and the Council from 08/06/2011 on restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic appliances.
Basic Operation System Overview © Congratulations on your purchase of RoboSHOOT ! These devices facilitate fully automatic off camera flash and will greatly enhance your flash experience with your Fujifilm Cameras. © The RoboSHOOT X-series TTL trigger and timing modules enhance your Fujifilm X-Series camera with TTL off-camera flash. The modules are plug-and-play and can be used directly without configuration.
Basic Operation Features ** Nikon i-TTL compatibility AutoFP/HSS (High Speed Sync) both TTL and Manual (with Flashes in TTL mode) ** Advanced In-Camera Flash / Group Control ** Fujifilm-X series compatible with 4 flash groups Fully automatic plug-and-play operation Flash Group Profile selection and edit Flash Exposure Lock ** Focus Beam / Catch Light support + Plus, for the X-20 series: App Group Settings including: Man/TTL flash power, Man/Auto Head Zoom, and TTL Offset
Basic Operation Specifications (Blue denotes X-20+ only) Supported Cameras Supported Speedlights Supported Nikon speedlights Sync Speed Most Fujifilm X-Series cameras. See compatibility table on www.sereneautomation.com See compatibility table on www.sereneautomation.
Basic Operation Master (MX) Devices 1) Top Function Button Flash Exposure Lock Profile Select / Bracketing* (½) Flash Test (½) Modeling Light 2) Side Function Button Return to Normal Flash Enable/Disable 4) Main Indicators 5) Group Indicators 6) Camera Port* 7) Sensor/Trigger Port* 8) Camera Shoe 3) Power Switch (beneath) + * - MX-20 Only 9) Flash Shoe 1) Top function button (defaults) - Full Click to activate Flash Exposure Lock – p23 - Full Hold to activate Profile Select / Bracketing – p24 (Profi
Basic Operation Slave (RX) Devices 4) Main Indicators 1) Top Function Button Group Select (½) Flash Test 5) Group Indicators 6) PC Sync Port (RX-20 Only) 2) Side Function Button Unused 3) Power Switch 7) Flash Shoe 1) Top function button - Full Hold to Change Group Assignment – p22 - Half Hold or Click to Test Flash - p22 2) Side Function Button - Presently Unused 3) Power Switch 4) Main Indicators – p17 5) Assigned Group Indicators – p18 6) External Sync Port (RX-20 only) – p19 To trigger external L
Basic Operation Getting Started Connecting the modules Note: Be sure all batteries are fresh! 1) Attach MX-15 or MX-20 Master to Camera. MX-15 or MX-20 Alignment Pin MX-15 or MX-20 Extends when knob is tight Must engage with this alignment hole Retractor Pin shows when aligned MX-15 or MX-20 2) Attach Speedlights to RoboSHOOT© Flash Shoe. Make sure alignment pin is engaged if present. 3) Turn on RoboSHOOT© devices. 4) Turn on Speedlights. 5) Turn on Camera.
Basic Operation Camera Settings Any camera setting that works with an external speedlight will be a good place to start. Consult the owner’s manual for your camera when in doubt. Typically, settings similar to below should be used: Start with Single Frame Modes - Single, multipleexposure, or special effects. Panorama, Video modes, and others may disable flash. nd Use Standard Flash Modes - Forced, 2 Curtain, or Slow Synchro.
Basic Operation Speedlight Settings To utilize TTL be sure to use Speedlights fully TTL © compatible with RoboSHOOT . These should be set to TTL mode normally with compensation set to +/- 0. In addition, set Zoom to Auto if you want the camera or App to control zoom. For supported manual or supported TTL-incompatible speedlights set the speedlight to manual. Consult www.sereneautomation.com for current information about compatible speedlights. Unsupported speedlights should not be used.
Basic Operation Tips Always start a shoot with fresh batteries and carry spares. Speedlights may have different recycle times. You will be more satisfied using similar and faster recycle times. Speedlight types may have different color temperatures. Many times the color temperature variation and color gels can be used to your creative advantage. For consistency use the same type of speedlight in all groups. Metering type (Spot, Center-Weighted, etc) is more reactive when using flash.
Basic Operation Main Indicators The main indicator color and blink rate indicate specific conditions. Typically, Blue indicates radio activity, Yellow indicates timing activity, Orange is a warning, Red indicates flash control, activity and status, and Green indicates ready status.
Basic Operation RX-20 / RX-15 Slave Units Color / Pattern Indication Pulsing Ready / Connected to Master Blinking Not Connected to Master Blinking Check Flash Settings Slow Pulsing Low Power Standby Pulse PC-Sync Group Indicators These provide status for the group or attached speedlight. On the slave they also indicate which group the slave is assigned to.
Basic Operation External Ports MX-20 External Ports appear on the X-20 devices only. On + the MX-20 a Camera Port and Trigger/Sensor port is present, while on the RX-20 a flash sync port is present. Use only approved connections on these ports. If an overvoltage is connected it is not only unsafe, but it also voids all manufacturer warranties. Consult Safety guidelines before using external ports. When using any port Read and follow all related Safety guidelines carefully.
The Trigger/Sensor port is used to initiate a timing function (Timer / Intervalometer), Profile Bracketing, or High Speed Capture sequence. A sensor or switch contact can be used to act as trigger. A detailed specification for this port is available for those who wish to provide a custom sensor or trigger device. RX-20 Port The External Flash Sync port on the RX-20 provides an optically isolated interface for low voltage sync inputs.
Basic Operation Stand Alone Operation + + Using the MX-15 or MX-20 (without using smartphone) Fully automatic TTL off-camera flash is supported without a user interface. No cables are required unless you wish to activate the shutter from the + device (MX-20 only). Just connect the units as indicated in ‘Getting Started’, set the camera and flash modes, and you are ready to begin shooting. With the new Fujifilm cameras with EF-X500 control, nearly all functions are available even without the App.
Basic Operation Group Assignment on Slaves The slave group defaults to Group A. To change a slave to a specific group, push-and-hold the top button fully on that slave (see page 12). The group LEDs will indicate assignment. Customization (MX-20+ Only) Note: Several Features, Defaults, and Button functions can be customized via App settings and may function differently than described here. (see ‘Settings’ info on the in-App info pages for more details).
Basic Operation Flash Test / Modeling Light To Test fire each TTL speedlight ½ click (½ hold on + MX-15 ) the top button to perform a Flash Test. On + the MX-20 you ½ hold the button to briefly activate the Modeling Light if your compatible flash is so equipped. (see page 11). + Top Button configuration for the MX-20 can be changed via Flash Group Settings while connected to the unit. The unit will respond according to last programmed settings.
Basic Operation Flash Exposure Lock Flash Exposure Lock (FEL) is engaged by fully clicking the top button (see page 11). If an exposure was previously taken, the reference power may be already available for use. Otherwise, the next exposure will be used for the reference. If a camera mode change occurs (exposure mode, aperture, ISO, etc), the reference will remain active and set using prior exposure values. This allows for more creativity.
Basic Operation Selecting a Profile With profiles, you can quickly set all group levels, the Master Offset, Zoom, and Angle to previously defined values. Briefly, a profile is just a snapshot of values used to setup the flashes. RoboSHOOT has space for four profile snapshots. This is useful, for example, to: Quickly Access a set of favorite values Provide repeatability – for example, when taking several shots of multiple subjects, you can quickly apply the same settings to each subject.
Basic Operation When Profile Select is activated the Button functions are reconfigured: Full Hold – Exit profile Select mode, and optionally enter Profile Bracketing Mode + (MX-20 , per setting option). Full click – Select the next profile. ½ hold – Save the Current Profile values. ½ click – Restore Profile values that were present before profile selection was activated. Thereby allowing you to save the prior settings to the selected profile. Default Profile TTL Power values (blank is zero).
Basic Operation Profile Bracketing MX-20+ + Profiles Bracketing (MX-20 only) takes four exposures sequentially, one for each profile. To use profile bracketing, a shutter release cable must be connected between RoboSHOOT© and your Camera. The camera shutter release button is configured by default to start the bracketing sequence. Profile Bracketing is engaged by a full push-and-hold of the top button twice until the LEDs strobe.
Basic Operation Multi-Master Mode Multi-Master mode allows you to share flashes with additional cameras. Each MX unit configured in multi-master mode will take control of shared RX units when its camera is turned on. This is all done automatically. The flash Group settings are retained for each MX independently, so, the flashes will respond to each camera as if they are not shared. In this way, your settings can be customized according to the use of the camera.
In-Camera Control In-Camera Control Cameras that support In-Camera control of the + Fujifilm EF-X500 flash also can control the MX-20 or + MX-15 . There are two menus within these cameras for this purpose: Basic and Commander. We recommend setting a function button to ‘Flash Function Setting’ to quickly access these menus. RoboSHOOT makes use of both menus.
In-Camera Control Basic Menu Mode Basic Flash Function Menu The Basic menu provides the following controls: Flash Enable or Disable: M/Off with no TTL flash present, TTL/Off otherwise. MultiStrobe not supported. TTL Offset: Master offset for all TTL groups. Manual Power – Not supported (cannot set manual power for all groups at once, use commander menu instead). TTL Mode: All modes available per camera settings.
In-Camera Control Sync: All modes available with TTL flash present. Zoom: Usual usage: lets you manually set zoom head focal length. Angle: Usual usage: lets you modify zoom head focal length to be wider or narrower than lens or set value. LED: Enables Catch Light and/or Focus beam on assigned group.
In-Camera Control Commander Menu Mode Commander Menu The Commander Menu provides the following controls: Group Mode, Enable or Disable: TTL, %TTL, M, or Off. Multi-strobe not supported. Group TTL Offset or Group Manual Power o %TTL enables setting of overall TTL offset for all groups and Group A/Group B balance. TTL Mode: All modes available per camera settings.
In-Camera Control Sync: All modes available with TTL flash present. Zoom: Usual usage: lets you manually set zoom head focal length. Angle: Usual usage: lets you modify zoom head focal length to be wider or narrower than lens or set value. Master (Group Assignments): this lets you determine the On-Camera group assignment. + And for the MX-20 it can control which group the Auxiliary (Catch/Focus) Light emits from. App settings specify how this is done.
In-Camera Control ability to modify stored group values to a profile (profile editing) when used in conjunction with the device Top button. In-Camera Control Considerations Please check out the In-App help pages for more information on each individual control and note these items to be aware of: When shooting using M exposure mode, the focus beam is not provided by the camera. Unsupported modes will be skipped if selected. o Multi-Strobe flash (strobe effect) is not supported at the present time.
In-Camera Control (group control) is active. If a misfire does happen, simply take another shot. However, this is an unusual circumstance and easily avoided by any of the following: o Exit the menu before shooting. o Slowly pressing the shutter to take an exposure rather than ‘mash’ it. o Half press the shutter. o Exit commander mode (side button). Focus Beam / Catch Light This utilizes the auxiliary beam of selected + compatible speedlights.
App Control Using a Smartphone unleashes the power of your + © MX-20 RoboSHOOT . To obtain your app, just download it from the Apple App Store or Google Play. Search for ‘RoboSHOOT’. On iOS, there is no need to pair. Just make sure Bluetooth is on. If you do attempt to pair, you may get a ‘unsupported’ message which can be ignored. © On Android, first pair with the RoboSHOOT before use. This only needs to be done once.
App Control App Start-up MX-20+ You will be presented a connect screen after the App starts much like this: From here, you can set App and Device level settings or just connect. Any settings changes you make will be saved for the next time you run the App. If no device is available, Demo Mode will run. In Demo Mode, connection is simulated and an info view with text bubbles will show how to navigate. In this mode, no device interactions will take place and the screens will be somewhat static.
App Control At the top of each function page or view is a bar with two icons on it: Info settings The App Icon (left side) accesses a quick guide. Use it © to get quick information about RoboSHOOT it is a good reference for experienced users and also great place to start to get more detail. The Function Settings (right side) provides access to all the settings for this view (in this case, Flash Groups).
App Control MX-20+ The previously mentioned Navigation menu provides access to information about the current function and lets you go to any primary function page: Flash Groups, Timer, Intervalometer, High Speed Capture, or External Trigger (respectively, sweeping from left to right on this image of the Navigation Menu). Notice the far left icon on this Navigation menu is an ‘information’ icon. This takes place of the Flash Groups icon here because we are currently on the Flash Groups function page.
App Control Flash groups are controlled by simply adjusting the group knobs and buttons. To set relative power from one group to the next you adjust the power knobs. This balances power between groups and will minimally affect the overall exposure. So, setting all levels to -2 EV, for example, is the same as setting all to 0. But, setting Group A to -2 and Group B to +2 will result in a 4EV difference in requested power from the speedlights in those groups.
App Control MX-20+ TTL requested power can be overridden by adjusting the Master knob. This always affects overall flash exposure when any knobs are in TTL mode and a ready speedlight is assigned to that group. The left side indicators are similar to the flash ready on your speedlight, except they indicate ready for the entire group.
App Control The timer lets you take time delayed exposures with a delay of your choosing. Useful, if you need to trigger a timed exposure remotely, such as a shot with you in the picture and since it is triggered with your App there is no need to rush to get into position! The timer mode also allows you to take a sequence of triggered shots, one exposure for each trigger, with or without delay. This is ideal for stop-motion photography.
App Control Intervalometer MX-20+ The intervalometer lets you take bracketed, time-lapse, or multi-shot sequences. You can optionally include flash in these sequences. By clicking the Frames icon, you toggle between Intervalometer and Profile Bracketing modes. Bracketing is great for many types of photography including macro, portraits, and even street scenes. It assures repeatable results using a variety of settings.
App Control High Speed Capture enables you to take elusive high speed events such as a projectile in mid-air, a balloon popping, a glass shattering, suspended water drops, or similar subjects. This type of exposure usually requires a sensor (optional), bulb mode, and a dark environment. Other than © that, RoboSHOOT takes care of the complexity. To use this capability, set up your darkened environment and get ready to take the shot.
App Control MX-20+ Fixed Delay fires the flash a fixed time after the trigger event. For example, a time of 0 can be used to fire the flash as soon as possible after a noise is heard by an audio sensor connected to the MX-20. You can use this to capture events such as a balloon bursting. Proportional mode fires the flash a multiple of the time between two trigger events. In the following example, two sensors 1m apart are 3.5m from the subject. 1m 3.5 m The proportional delay factor is 3.5m / 1m = 3.5.
App Control The External Trigger lets you set up a sensor to trigger an action. This is used in any situation where you wish to autonomously trigger the flash, start the intervalometer, or take an exposure caused by some sensed event. The sensor will be detected when you plug it into the External Trigger Port (ECP) on the Master. Sensor modules such as an Audio Detector, Optical Detector, or Digital Trigger are available on a per request basis subject to availability.
Device Admin Special Power-up Button Functions Several button combinations can be used at power up to select various functions on the MX unit. These are intended as one-time or seldom used configurations. You may repeat the operation if it was not successful (for example if you accidentally moved while holding buttons). + MX-20 Firmware Update: At power up hold Side + ½ Top buttons until LEDs complete cycling one-byone. + To initiate a firmware upload on an MX-20 device: + 1.
Device Admin You can cancel an upload if it hasn’t yet begun by restarting the MX device while pressing-and-holding the side button. If successful, update will halt and normal operation resume the next time you restart. RX unit Update: RX devices are uploaded automatically when the Master (MX) device gets new firmware and you sync the RX devices with the MX device. To do this, place the MX and RX units near each other, turn on all RX units then turn on the MX unit. The RX update takes about 3 minutes.
Device Admin Reset to Factory Defaults (All unit types): At power up hold Side plus Full Top buttons until LEDs complete cycling one-by-one. If successful, the main LEDs will indicate Yellow with rapid Red flashing. Wait 5 seconds and continue use or turn off unit. + Profile Select Enable (MX-15 only): Continue to hold Side plus Full Top buttons after Reset to Defaults until main LEDs flash Green three times in succession. This disables profile selection/editing capability.
Device Admin Firmware Version Display: At power up fully hold the Top button until the LEDs complete cycling oneby-one. Then observe the Group LEDs to indicate the version number as a Green-Red-Green pattern corresponding to the Major.Minor.Revision firmware version. The individual Major.Minor.
Device Admin All MX units must have Multi-Master mode active if the wish to participate in RX sharing. When this mode is active, turning on a camera will cause the flashes to associate with it and disassociate with any other camera. Any profiles and settings are taken from the newly associated camera/MX unit. Thus, you are able to set up the flashes according to the needs of that camera without affecting a different camera’s settings.
Device Admin + Multi-Angle Photography: The MX-20 /RX-20 supports Multi-Angle photography by taking simultaneous exposures from different locations. To enable this mode the RX-20 X-sync port must be reconfigured as a shutter release port. This is done on each RX unit individually and you can have multiple RX-20s configured either way as you wish. To Toggle the RX-20 port between X-sync and shutter release, turn off the RX-20 and fully hold the Top button while turning it back on.
Device Admin Troubleshooting Make sure batteries are fresh and devices are powered. Otherwise, turn off devices and follow this procedure. Turn on units then Camera off/on Unit asleep, Cycle power Orange Medium Red Pulse MX Main LED flashing? Check Camera Alignment and Power Green Slow Slow Pulse Orange Medium Red RX Main LED flashing? Red LED blink speed Fast Blink Check Flash Settings (TTL Mode) No sync with Master. Check MX Unit.
Notes
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