RoboSHOOT X Series USER’S MANUAL ©
Revision Sheet Revision Sheet Rev 1.18 1.19 1.20 Date 10/20/2015 11/19/2015 3/3/2016 Revision Description Initial Production Release FW Version 1.1.0 Updates FW V1.2.
Basic Operation TABLE OF CONTENTS Before You Begin .................................................... 4 FCC Compliance............................................... 5 EC Declaration ................................................. 6 Disposal recommendations.............................. 6 RoHS Declaration............................................. 7 System Overview ................................................. 8 Features ..........................................................
Basic Operation Enabling or Disabling Flashes quickly ............. 23 Flash Exposure Lock ....................................... 23 Selecting a Profile .......................................... 24 Profile Bracketing .......................................... 25 Button Lockout.............................................. 25 App Control ....................................................... 26 App Start-up .................................................. 27 Overview.....................................
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 Fujifilm-X series compatible TTL off-camera flash trigger with up to four flash groups Fully automatic plug-and-play operation Flash Group Profiles Flash Exposure Lock Plus, for the X-20 series: Manual and TTL flash power under App control Manual and automatic speedlight zoom under App control Nikon i-TTL compatibility ** Built-in Intervalometer and Timer via App Remote shutter control via App Editable Profile Bracketing via App Flash sync output for exte
Basic Operation Specifications (Blue denotes X-20 only) Supported Cameras Supported Fuji speedlights Supported Nikon speedlights Other Speedlights Flash Groups TTL Override* Master Flash Timer Config* Intervalometer Config* High-Speed Flash Config* Trigger Module Settings* Batteries Battery Life Size (LxWxH) Weight (without batteries) Master-Slave Range Radio Conformance Designed for current generation Fujifilm XSeries cameras.
Basic Operation Master (MX) Devices 1) Top Function Button Flash Exposure Lock Profile Bracketing* (½) Profile Select (½) Flash Test 4) Main Indicators 5) Group Indicators 8) Camera Port* 9) Sensor/Trigger Port* 2) Side Function Button Return to Normal Flash Enable/Disable 3) Power Switch 7) Camera Shoe (beneath) * - MX-20 Only 6) Flash Shoe 1) Top function button - Full Click to activate Flash Exposure Lock – p23 Full Hold to activate Profile Bracketing – p25 Half Click for Selecting Profile – p24
Basic Operation Slave (RX) Devices 4) Main Indicators 5) Group Indicators 1) Top Function Button Group Select (½) Flash Test 10) PC Sync Port (RX-20 Only) 2) Side Function Button Unused 3) Power Switch 6) Flash Shoe 1) Top function button - Full Hold to Change Group Assignment – p21 - Half Hold or Click to Test Flash - p22 2) Side Function Button - Presently Unused 3) Power Switch 4) Main Indicators – p17 5) Group Indicators – p18 6) Flash Shoe 10) External Sync Port (RX-20 only) – p19 To trigger ext
Basic Operation Getting Started Connecting the modules Note: Be sure all batteries are fresh! 1) Attach MX-15 or MX20 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 MX-15 or MX-20 Retractor Pin shows when aligned 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. Don’t start with multiple fps shooting, bracketing, panorama, and video modes as they 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 (available via MX-20 only). For supported manual or supported TTLincompatible speedlights set the speedlight to manual. Consult www.sereneautomation.com for current information about compatible speedlights.
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.
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-15 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.
Basic Operation 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). Clear Currently active functions can be cancelled by pressing the side button (see page 11). This causes operations such as Flash Disabled, Flash Exposure Lock, and Profile Bracketing to deactivate and return-to-normal.
Basic Operation Enabling or Disabling Flashes quickly Push-and-hold the side button to enable/disable flash (see page 11). The Main LEDs will strobe when the command is accepted and the Group LEDs will indicate current status. To re-enable the flashes, just repeat the push-and-hold or click the button to clear. Turning on the camera or engaging another device function will also re-enable all groups. Flash Exposure Lock Flash Exposure Lock (FEL) is engaged by fully clicking the top button (see page 11).
Basic Operation Selecting a Profile Profiles are a snapshot of the four Flash Group settings. There are four independent profiles. Each stores the four Group settings and Master TTL offset. Profiles selection is activated by a ½ click of the top button (see page 11). Then a full click will select the next profile. The Group Green LEDs indicate which profile is active (A is profile 1, D is profile 4). The group Red LED brightness indicates the relative power levels of the current profile.
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 until the LEDs strobe (see page 11).
Smartphone App Operation 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 Android, first pair with the RoboSHOOT device to connect to it. This only needs to be done once. To do this, turn on the MX-20 (Master) and go to Settings->Bluetooth and select ‘Search (or Scan) for devices’. After a few moments, select ‘RoboSHOOT’ from the list of discovered devices.
Smartphone App Operation 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. They can be dismissed by pressing the box.
Smartphone App Operation 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).
Smartphone App Operation 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.
Smartphone App Operation Flash groups are controlled by simply adjusting the group knobs and buttons. To set relative power from one group to the next you can adjust the power knobs. Exposure is still set according to TTL levels, thus, the relative group power settings will not affect the overall exposure. So, setting all levels to -2 EV, for example, is the same as setting all to 0, or whatever number you choose.
Smartphone App Operation 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. At the bottom third of the page you find controls for Flash Enable, Overall TTL Power Offset, Flash Exposure Lock, TTL Flash Test, and Shutter Release.
Smartphone App Operation 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.
Smartphone App Operation 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.
Smartphone App Operation 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.
Smartphone App Operation 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.
Smartphone App Operation 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.
Admin and Troubleshooting System Reset To Reset the unit to factory defaults, press-and-hold the top button fully, the side button, and turn the unit on. Hold these buttons for about five seconds until the Red LEDs blink five times rapidly. The unit is reset to factory defaults. Firmware Upload To initiate a firmware upload on an MX-20 device first, remove it from the camera and turn it off: press-and-hold the side button with the top button ½ way and turn the unit on.
Admin and Troubleshooting 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 Red Pulse MX Main LED flashing? Orange Medium Check Camera Alignment and Power Green Slow Slow Pulse Red LED blink speed Fast Blink Check Flash Settings (TTL Mode) Red RX Main LED flashing? Orange Medium No sync with Master. Check MX Unit.
