Instruction/ maintenance manual of the product Pocket Wizard Multimax PocketWizard
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Po ck et Wi za rd .c om Ow n e r ’s M a nu a l A d d e n d um Includ ing : Mult iMA X F irm ware Up gra de v 7.5 (for USB-en abled FCC/C E Mul tiMAX radio s only ) Spec ial No te f or CE Mul tiMA X O wne rs Mul ti MA X Fi rmw ar e Up gr ade v 7. 5 Mul tiM AX 7.
PocketWizard.com Ra ng e Me nu - /M EN U L A A:R ANG E M ODE Lon g Ra ng e Mod e - /ME NU L A A A:L ONG -L T/L R Long range mode increases the usable distance, up to double, between two MultiMAX radios.
PocketWizard.com Clo se R an ge Mo de - /MEN U L A C (T r an sm itt er O nl y) C:C LOS E-C T Close range mode reduces the transmit power of your MultiMAX wh en it is i n TR ANS MIT mo de . Th is mod e is use fu l i f y ou ha ve a r ec eiv er ve ry clo se to you r t ran smi tt er (wi thi n a fe w fee t).
PocketWizard.com Cu st om I D M en u - /M EN U L C C:C UST OM ID Thi s m enu on ly ap pe ars if yo u h av e a Cu sto m ID and yo u h av e a US /FC C rad io.
PocketWizard.com Whe n t he dis pl ay sa ys SA ME AS CHA N 2 1 a nd th e f req uen cy di spl aye d i s 348 500 tha t m ea ns tha t y ou r C ust om ID wil l use the s ame freq uency tha t is in u se o .
PocketWizard.com Si gn al S tr e ng th I nd ic a to r (R ec ei v e On ly ) The Signal Indicator (antenna level bars like on a cell phone) now performs two functions: 1. Noise Meter: If your radio has NOT been triggered, the Signal Indicator will show steady noise in the area.
PocketWizard.com • FAST No ise – dis pla ys no ise re ad ing s a s f ast as t he Mul tiM AX ca n s amp le. If thi s n umb er is co nsi ste ntl y hig h, the re is a s tro ng in ter fer enc e sou rce in th e a re a. It sam ple s s o q ui ckl y , howe ver , that br ie f t ran sie nt noi se is ha rd to not e.
PocketWizard.com Ra di o Re la y ( Re pe at er ) M od e (R ec e iv e On ly ) Thi s m ode le ts yo u d epl oy ano th er Mul tiM AX to inc rea se you r ra nge .
PocketWizard.com Sug ge st io ns fo r re mo te ca me ra t ri gge ri ng : Eli min ate as m an y R F i nte rfe ren ce is sue s a s p os sib le. • M ain tai n a l ine of si ght be tw een th e u nit s. • K eep th e a nt enn as par all el an d a t l eas t 12” ap art .
PocketWizard.com Fo r r em o te “f in i sh li n e” c a me ra s o r a n y r e mo te ca m er a w h er e a l o ng mo t or dr iv e b u rs t i s d es i re d , co n si d er th e f ol l ow i ng : • S et a l ong c ont act ti me (f or exa mpl e, 1.5 0 s eco nd s) on the re mo te rec eiv ing un it .
PocketWizard.com xi Pock et Wi za rd Ut il it y Y our Mu lti MAX ha s a U SB por t w hi ch all ows it to b e e asi ly up dat ed to th e l ate st rm war e u sin g the Po cke tWi zar d Uti lit y . The Po ck etW iza rd Uti lit y can be do wnl oa ded on our we bsi te at ht tp: // www.
PocketWizard.com © 2010 LPA Design, Inc. All rights reserved. Product features and specications are subject to change without notice. PocketWizard, ControlTL, MiniTT1, FlexTT5, HyperSync, Plus II and MultiMAX are either trademarks or registered trademarks of LPA Design, Inc.
www .PocketWizard.com Owner’ s Manual.
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3 Cong ratulat ions on the purchas e of your new Po cke t Wiz ar d Mult iM A X dig i t al r a dio t r igg er in g sy s te m . The Po cke t Wiz ar d MultiM A X is a microproce ss or-bas ed radio slave syst em tha t uses adv anc e d dig it al signaling to incre as e triggering ran ge, reliability and rejec t radio noise from other sourc es.
4 T able of ConTenTs “The FCC Wants Y ou T o Know” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Icons Used in this Manual. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Features .
5 T rue Confirmation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Optional Flash Confirmation Cable .
6 T o f in d t he c orr ect Poc ket Wi za rd bran d c abl es f or y our fl as h a nd c ame ras , an d t o ex per ien ce o the r pr odu cts l ik e th e Plu s II , p lea se v isi t ww w. Poc ket Wi za rd. com or yo ur lo cal pho tog ra ph y d eale r . Other Features .
7 Th is US f re q ue n cy M ul t iM A X is com p a tib le wi t h all US fr e qu e nc y P oc k e t W iz a r d pro d uc t s . It i s no t fre qu e nc y c o mp a tib le w i th C E or J A PA N P oc k e t W iz a r d p ro du c t s. Ve ri f y f r e qu en c y co m pa t ibili t y b e fo re pur c ha si ng .
8 ICons used In ThIs Manual N Read the information following this icon. It shows important notes about the subject being discussed. ☞ Follow this icon for more detailed information on the subject in another section. Î Find valuable tips and techniques with this icon.
9 fea Tures Communication T echnology Full Digital Radio Communication Microprocessor controlled 32 digitally coded channels Complex 16 or 24 bit coded signal Selective Quad-T riggering Basic Features.
10 Mul TIMax P arT referenCe Lanyard Loop Status Light PORT 2 Output PORT 1 Input / Output LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) Power / TRANSMIT / RECEIVE Mode Switch Hot Shoe Input MENU Key Channel / Numeric.
11 lCd InforMa TIon.
12 ConTrols Power Switch TRANSMIT = Unit is powered on in TRANSMITTER (TX) mode RECEIVE = Unit is powered on in RECEIVER (RX) mode OFF = Unit is powered OFF Keypad A B C D L = S elec ts Qu ad-T rigge ring Zone s and Loca l. A lso u sed in me nu na viga tion and numer ic en try TE ST = T rig ge rs Mu ltiM AX.
13 GeTTInG sT arTed Please pay attention to the following safety warnings: Operating temperature: above -15° C (5° F) and below 50° C (120° F) St or ag e te mp er atu re , wi th ou t bat te ri es : ab ov e - 30 ° C (- 22 ° F) an d be lo w 85 ° C ( 18 5° F ) Remove batteries during storage.
14 Battery Life The MultiMAX displays remaining battery life with a 3 segment batter y icon in the upper left corner of the LCD: 3 segments displayed = batteries are fresh/new 2 segments displayed = b.
15 QuICk seTuP - basIC radIo sla ve oPera TIon Basic Setup for Remote Flash T urn off all equipment before installing batteries or making connections! 1. Install 2 AA batteries in each MultiMAX 2. Connect camera to first MultiMAX: Slide unit into camera hot shoe - or - Use sync cable to connect camera’ s PC terminal to CAMERA / PORT 1 3.
16 T riggering Multiple Flashes With Multiple RECEIVE Units Multiple remote flash units may be triggered in sync with each other . 1. Install batteries in each additional MultiMAX unit 2. U se f lash cabl e to conne ct e ach a ddit ional flas h un it’ s sy nc te rmin al to FLA SH / POR T 2 3.
17 sT andard radIo oPera TIon T ransceiver Control The MultiMAX operates as either a transmitter or a receiver . T o use the MultiMAX as a T ransmitter (sending device) set the power switch to TRANSMIT . T o use the MultiMAX as a Receiver set the power switch to RECEIVE.
18 Compatibility Mu lt iM AX c ha nn els a re c om pa ti ble w it h al l Po cke tW iz ar d ra di o s la ve p ro du ct s p er t he t ab le be lo w: Digital Radio Model MultiMAX Compatible Channels Olde.
19 Selective Quad-T riggering ( A B C D keys) This pow erful f eatu re is used to indiv idua lly c ontro l up to 4 se ts o f Mul tiMA X uni ts (s et f or RE CEIV E mod e) on the same cha nnel. Eac h key pad l ette r , A B C D ref ers t o an indi vidu al zo ne.
20 Classic Channels Classic channels are compatible with early PocketWizard models and the PocketWizard Plus. Selective Quad- T riggering is only available in channels 17 through 32. In channels 1 through 16 the display will show CLASSIC CHANNEL and zones A B C D do not appear .
21 T rue Confirmation Because the MultiMAX is a true transceiver it automatically confirms triggering. It can perform this on two levels: it confirms the round trip radio signal and can confirm actual flash sync with an optional flash confirmation cable.
22 N Confirmation can only be performed using MultiMAX units on channels 17 and higher . PocketWizard Plus, Classic, and the original MAX do not perform confirmation. N T rue Confirmation is designed to work with one MultiMAX (set for RECEIVE mode) per zone.
23 Menu sysTeM Navigation Many functions of the MultiMAX are accessed through easy-to-navigate menus. Pres s /MENU to en ter th e me nu sys tem. Me nu item s a re sel ecte d b y u sing th e A B C D L keys . You ca n al so use the ▲▼ ke ys to h igh lig ht t he men u it em you wa nt, then pr ess /MENU to sel ect.
24 Numeric Entry Several menu items require a number or value to be entered. Numeric entry is per formed with A B C D and ▲▼ keys. The A B C D keys each select and add 1 to a specific digit as fol.
25 MaIn Menu From the main screen press /MENU to enter the Main Menu. The ▲▼ arrow keys can be used to highlight a menu function. Press /MENU to select that function. You can also press the corresponding letter as listed below . A: Advanced Menu – /MENU A Press A to enter the Advanced Menu.
26 basIC seTTInGs Press /MENU B to enter the Basic Settings menu. Press the corresponding letter for the setting you wish to adjust. A: Contact Time – /MENU B A Contact time is the length of time that CAMERA / PORT 1 or FLASH /PORT 2 outputs remain contacted.
27 For triggering remote cameras, a longer contact time allows for continuous repeatable motor drive triggering (example: 5 frame bursts every trigger).
28 B: Beep Menu – /MENU B B This menu controls the beep functions of a MultiMAX. Press the corresponding letter to set the desired function of the built-in speaker . A: Beep on All – /MENU B B A Mu lt iMA X wi ll bee p on al l tr igg eri ng , con firm ati on er ro rs, and ze ro co unts as in di ca ted bel ow as we ll as on any ke y pr ess ed.
29 C: LCD Contrast Adjustment – /MENU B C Enters the LCD Contrast Adjustment screen. Use ▲▼ to adjust the contrast. Contrast can be affected by temperature. Setting the contrast to a middle setting is recommended for most situations. D: RESET - /MENU B D Resets the unit to factory defaults.
30 CounTer Menu Press /MENU C enter the Counter Menu. This menu controls the counter functions of the MultiMAX. The counter can show the total number of triggers. Count is incremented on every trigger from any source: PORT 1, TEST button, Hot Shoe, or Radio T rigger .
31 adv anCed Menu Press /MENU A to enter the Advanced Menu. This menu contains the advanced functions of the MultiMAX. Precision timing and sequencing operations are available in this menu. ☞ Press /MENU D to cancel advanced functions and return to normal mode.
32 B: Remotes Only – /MENU A A B Enters the numeric entry screen. Delays the Radio remote units only . PORT 2 will trigger immediately . Remote units will trigger after the displayed delay .
33 A: Delay Menu - RECEIVER – /MENU A A En te rs the del ay me nu fo r a Mul tiM AX ( set for RE CEI VE mo de ). Each RE CEI VE u nit can ha ve it s own del ay for se qu enc es o r f or sy nc hro niza tio n. T o e as ily del ay a ll REC EIVE un it s t he s ame am ou nt , u se t he T ra ns mit ter ’ s d el ay .
34 C: Equalize – /MENU A A C Equalize Mode is a specialized delay mode for synchronizing multiple cameras to one flash. This mode is designed to work with shutter speeds up to 1/125 on some cameras, but there are many factors that could affect operation.
35 B: Intervalometer (Time Lapse Photography) – /MENU A B En te rs the Int erva lome ter in te rva l s ett ing s cr een . In te rval ome ter c an be use d t o t ri gg er a fl ash or a c ame ra a t a se t int erva l ( ti me ga p be twe en tr ig ger s) f or a s et n umb er o f tr ig ger s.
36 Î Fo r de la ys l on ger t ha n 9. 99 99 se co nd s (maximum available in delay modes) use Intervalometer or Multipop mode. Set the inter val to the desired delay . Set the count to 1. Attach your camera to PORT 1 and trigger the MultiMAX . The camera will trigger after the set interval.
37 The following chart is a starting point for calculating how the number of flashes or pops affects F-stops. Since every flash unit is different, use a light meter or other method for more precise calculations. Number of Pops Stops Number of Pops Stops 1 Add 0 stops 6 Add 2.
38 D: Fast Mode - RECEIVER – /MENU A D T h e M u l ti M A X i s d e s ig n e d t o s y n c c a m er a s a n d f l a sh u n i t s a t s h u t t e r s s p ee d s u p to 1 / 2 5 0 t h f o r m o st f oc a l p l a ne s h u t t e r s ( 35 m m ) a n d 1 / 5 00 t h f o r m o s t l e a f s h u t t e rs .
39 Relay Mode (RECEIVE Mode Only) – L In this mode a remote camera’ s motor drive is triggered by a MultiMAX (set for RECEIVE mode). The MultiMAX then switches to TRANSMIT mode and waits for a sync pulse from the camera.
40 aPPlICa TIons of adv anCed funCTIons The applications below are unique ways to use the advanced functions of the MultiMAX. Many of them require fine-tuning or adjustment to work with different camera equipment. Always perform test exposures to insure reliable results.
41 Use the formula below to help calculate your maximum safe shutter speed based on your flash durations. ☞ Refer to the Time Conversion Charts section, Page 54, to convert fractions into decimals for the formula. 1. Add your maximum (longest) flash durations together (decimals, not fractions) 2.
42 Camera Equalization Equalization, or synchronizing multiple cameras to the same flash, requires precision timing. Even though we perceive camera triggering activity as instantaneous, it is not.
43 Multiple mechanical systems – cameras that have many changeable mechanically interacting parts (film backs, motor drives, lens shutters) are likely to have different lag times with different hardware combinations. A leaf shutter is in the lens so changing lenses on a leaf shutter camera will change lag time.
44 Î Speed is not the most important factor in camera equalization, consistency is. If a slow camera has extremely consistent lag times it will be a better equalization candidate than a faster but inconsistent camera.
45 N If your camera’ s maximum sync speed is slower than the number listed then you must use the slower sync speed. Camera equalization does not give a camera faster sync speeds than the camera is designed to handle.
46 One Unit Equalization T o equalize two cameras and one flash at 1/125 with one MultiMAX, follow these steps: 1. Set the MultiMAX to RECEIVE mode 2. Measure lag times of cameras as described and record the fastest lag for each 3. Determine which camera is faster and which is slower overall 4.
47 If using both MultiMAX units as RECEIVE units being triggered by any PocketWizard T ransmitter follow these steps: 1. Set both units to RECEIVE mode 2. Me as ure lag ti mes o f cam eras as pr ev io usl y de scr ibe d an d r ecor d t he fast est lag fo r ea ch 3.
48 Equalization Adjustments With all the variable factors above it may seem that performing the math necessar y for equalization is daunting. Here are some techniques for fine- tuning or adjusting equalization times without using specific math: On some 35mm cameras you can gauge timing without using film.
49 TeChnICal InforMa TIon Specifications Weight: 5.4 ounces with alkaline batteries Dimensions: 1.4 inches deep x 2.1 inches wide x 4.0 inches tall (body only) Flexible antenna = 2.
50 Radio Information T ransmit Output Power: 0.001 watt (1/1000 of a watt or 1 milliwatt) T ypi ca l T r an smi tt er O ut pu t Dur at io n: 0 .0 00 5 s ec on ds ( 1/ 20 00 se co nd o r 50 mi cr os ec on ds ) Bandwidth: Narrowband, 70KHz TRANSMIT , 230KHz RECEIVE PocketWizard Radio Frequencies: Channel Frequency Unit Digital Code 1 through 16 344.
51 Maximum and Minimum Settings The following table details the maximum and minimum values allowed for each numeric entry setting available in the MultiMAX. Setting Maximum Minimum Contact Time 999.99 seconds or 16 minutes, 39.99 seconds .01 seconds Delay Time 9.
52 TroubleshooTInG When in doubt ! Many issues can be resolved by powering the unit off and then back on again or by resetting to factory default settings. Before proceeding to any other troubleshooting procedure follow these steps: 1. Set power to OFF 2.
53 susT aInInG hIGh PerforManCe Long distance performance from your MultiMAX depends on the orientation and position of the units. Whenever possible, try to maintain a line of sight between the units and keep the antennas parallel. Make sure they are not near any large metal, concrete, or high water -content objects.
54 TIMe ConversIon CharTs Fractions to Decimal: Here are some common photographic fractions in decimal values. All numbers are rounded to the nearest .0001 or 1/10,000th. ☞ These times are not Rear Curtain Sync times. These are precision numbers. Rear Curtain Sync numbers are always less than the exact conversions.
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For more information about using your PocketWizard product visit: www .PocketWizard.com MultiMAX, USB version, Manual Change Revision 1.4 (LPF100).
An important point after buying a device PocketWizard Pocket Wizard Multimax (or even before the purchase) is to read its user manual. We should do this for several simple reasons:
If you have not bought PocketWizard Pocket Wizard Multimax yet, this is a good time to familiarize yourself with the basic data on the product. First of all view first pages of the manual, you can find above. You should find there the most important technical data PocketWizard Pocket Wizard Multimax - thus you can check whether the hardware meets your expectations. When delving into next pages of the user manual, PocketWizard Pocket Wizard Multimax you will learn all the available features of the product, as well as information on its operation. The information that you get PocketWizard Pocket Wizard Multimax will certainly help you make a decision on the purchase.
If you already are a holder of PocketWizard Pocket Wizard Multimax, but have not read the manual yet, you should do it for the reasons described above. You will learn then if you properly used the available features, and whether you have not made any mistakes, which can shorten the lifetime PocketWizard Pocket Wizard Multimax.
However, one of the most important roles played by the user manual is to help in solving problems with PocketWizard Pocket Wizard Multimax. Almost always you will find there Troubleshooting, which are the most frequently occurring failures and malfunctions of the device PocketWizard Pocket Wizard Multimax along with tips on how to solve them. Even if you fail to solve the problem, the manual will show you a further procedure – contact to the customer service center or the nearest service center
