Cmotion Compactlcs User manual

V 1.03 | Nov 30th, 2015

Software Release Package: 2015_03

compactLCS

User Guide

Imprint & Disclaimer

cmotion GmbH

Wiedner Hauptstraße 135/B3

1050 Wien

Fbnr.: FN220240H – HG Wien

UID-Nr.: ATU 54026806

http://www.cmotion.eu

[email protected]

+43 1 7891096

Technical speciﬁcations are

subject to change without notice!

Table of Contents

1. Component Overview.......................................................................................... 3

1.1. compact hand unit............................................................................................... 3

1.2. compact camin .................................................................................................... 6

1.3. cforce motor ........................................................................................................ 8

2. compact system Accessories.............................................................................. 9

2.1. Battery................................................................................................................. 9

2.2. Battery Charger................................................................................................... 9

2.3. cstrap .................................................................................................................. 9

2.4. rod connector .................................................................................................... 10

2.5. Marker Ring....................................................................................................... 10

3. System Setup.................................................................................................... 11

3.1. Mounting cforce Motors..................................................................................... 11

3.2. Mounting the camin........................................................................................... 12

3.3. Connecting the Motors to the camin ................................................................. 12

3.4. Power Supply .................................................................................................... 12

4. System Operation ............................................................................................. 13

4.1. Powering up the System ................................................................................... 13

4.2. hand unit Main Display...................................................................................... 13

4.3. Entering the Menu............................................................................................. 13

4.4. hand unit Menu Guide....................................................................................... 14

4.5. Motor Calibration............................................................................................... 17

4.6. Setting Controller Speed ................................................................................... 18

4.7. Setting Lens Limits............................................................................................ 18

4.8. Starting and Stopping the Camera.................................................................... 19

4.9. Turning the System off ...................................................................................... 19

5. Updating System Components ......................................................................... 20

Before Use

Dear Customer, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for purchasing the compact

Lens & Camera Control System. Please read these Operating Instructions carefully and keep

them handy for future reference.

Information for Your Safety

■Danger of operational error!

■Danger of injury!

■Damage to equipment possible!

General Safety Precautions

■In order to ensure optimal performance, please read the instructions!

■Do not put your ﬁngers near the motors while motors are moving!

■Make sure all components (camin, lens motors, etc.) are securely mounted!

■Remove batteries from components before transport or storage!

■Repairs should only be made only by authorized service centers!

■Use only original cmotion replacement parts!

■In the case of wet weather, routine safety precautions for handling electrical

equipment in wet weather should be taken!

■Do not remove any screws that are secured with paint!

■Do not remove any warranty seals!

Important

■If you have questions, or you need to order parts, please note the components‘

model and serial number.

■For support requests, also supply the installed ﬁrmware number of all system

components.

■WARNING: cmotion can only guarantee operation if original cmotion products are

used.

Using this Guide

This manual is split in three parts. The ﬁrst introduces you to the compact lens control system,

explaining components and concepts. The second takes you step by step through the setup of

the system. The third part guides you through operation and menu options. The table of contents

on page 3 provides a reference guide to speciﬁc sections of this user guide for quick information.

Note: Notes indicate important information related to the respective sec-

tions of this user’s guide.

Warning: Warnings indicate important safety information. Ignoring these

could lead to equipment damage or injury.

All cmotion components are written in italics throughout this manual.

Cables

When a cable is referred to in this user’s manual, it will be referred to by its connectors.

E.g. Le 10p, Fi 3p. Connectors are manufactured by W. W. Fisher, Lemo or Hirose and are

referred to as Fi, Le and Hi respectively. The cable identiﬁcation begins with the connector that

is attached to the camin unit followed by the connector which is attached to non-cmotion unit or

cmotion accessory. Each connector also takes reference from the number of pins it has. E.g. Le

10p, Fi 3p means that the cmotion connector is a 10pin Lemo and the other end is a 3pin Fischer.

Cables may also be referred to by their commonly used names e.g. LBUS (Le 4p, Le 4p).

Occasionally, cable connectors are referred to as ‘m’ or ‘f’ to identify whether the connector is

male or female. For a full overview of cables, please download the cmotion cable guide available

from www.cmotion.eu.

Necessary Tools

4mm Allen keys may be required to complete steps laid out in the manual.

Frequently Used Terms

To Power Cycle: Turn your unit off and on again

1. Component Overview

This section of the User Guide deals with the description of the components and their respective

functions, LEDs and buttons.

1.1. compact hand unit

The compact hand unit is an ergonomic, lightweight and intuitive 3 axis controller for compact

LCS. It is available for either right or left handed operators.

The integrated 2.3” colour screen clearly displays important data and menu options, even in

direct sunlight. Thoughtfully laid out function buttons make it quick and convenient to conﬁgure

settings.

The compact hand unit is equipped with three controllers:

■a focus knob similar to the basic knob on the cvolutionLCS

■a pressure sensitive joystick

■a rocker switch

The compact hand unit can control up to 3 motors in either wireless or cabled conﬁgurations.

1.1.1. Connectors and Buttons on the compact

hand unit

Connectors

LBUS port The compact hand unit has an LBUS port under-

neath. This allows you to connect the hand unit

directly to a cforce motor (or camin for ﬁrmware

updates) using an LCB-x cable. („x“ denotes

the length of cable).

cmotion locking disc The compact hand unit features a standard 27mm

locking disc to attach various accessories and

fastening tools.

Battery port Insert the cmotion battery in the battery port to

power the hand unit.

cmotion locking disc

pressure sensitive joystick

knob

rocker switch

battery release

LBUS connector

display

battery

USB connector

Buttons

The buttons on the compact hand unit are laid out as follows:

ON/OFF and MENU Button

CALIBRATE ButtonRECORD Button

UP Button

DOWN Button

LENS Button

UP Button

DOWN Button

LENS Button

1.2. compact camin

The compact camin is a small and lightweight box which offers wireless control for up to 3

motors plus a universal interface for camera start/stop control. Having parts of the electronics in

the motor enables us to keep this unit compact, simple and ﬂexible.

Note: When mounting a camin, make sure that all cables can be

connected without strain

1.2.1. compact camin wireless system

The compact camin uses a 2.4 Ghz wireless radio module to communicate with the compact

hand unit. Most important technical specs are:

■Selectable RF channels: 0-7

■Wireless frequency: 2.4 Ghz

■Max active wireless operators: 1

■Wireless range: up to 150m (495 feet) outdoor and 30m (98 feet) indoor

■Transmission delay: <10ms

RFchannel selection

LBUS Le 4p

1/4 20 screw

thred

RS Fi 3p

cmotion locking

disc

EXT LE 10p

on/off switch

LED lamp

1.2.2. Connectors of the compact camin

Le f10p The Le f10p connector provides a run/stop interface

for various cameras using optional cmotion cables

Fi m3p The Fi m3p connector is used to supply power to

the camin and motors from either a battery or cam-

era where applicable. Note: Also provides run/stop

control for ARRI cameras.

LBUS port The Le f4p ‘LBUS’ connector allows you to connect

the cforce / cforce mini motors to the camin or the

camin to the hand unit for ﬁrmware updates.

cmotion locking disc The 27mm locking disc allows the camin to be

mounted on any 19mm or 15mm rod using the cfast

rod connector.

1/4“ threaded hole A standard 1/4“ threaded hole is positioned on one

side of the camin for optional mounting solutions.

1.3. cforce motor

cforce are intelligent/active motors with built-in driver electronics and offer a daisy-chain style

connection through their twin LBUS connectors. And, whilst being virtually silent, can run as fast

as any top end motor in the market. Developed in collaboration with ARRI, cforce motors offer 3

ﬂexible mounting options: rod-to-rod, Hill bracket locking disc and the “standard” 15mm/19mm

rod brackets, which itself offers 2 clamp versions.

cforce motors can be connected in a daisy-chain fashion, i.e. an LBUS cable connects the ﬁrst

motor to the camin, the second motor is connected to the ﬁrst, and the third connected to the

second. This allows a less cluttered and expedite set up.

cforce motors can also be used with the cvolution system, the knob solo and cmotion’s broad-

cast solutions.

Standard clamp for 19mm

rods. 15mm rod adapter is

included in the sets

LBUS Le4p connectors.

Set includes 0.4,

0.5, 0.6, 0.8mm

gears and one

gear holder.

Status LED

Red Voltage below 10 Volts, motor won’t function

Flashing Red No LBUS data, i.e. no camin or no other LBUS

device present

Flashing Red/Green No controller assigned to motor

Flashing Yellow/Green Motor Calibration Request

Flashing Yellow Motor Calibration in progress

Flashing Green Motor in manual mode, i.e. for manual calibration

Green Everything normal

1.4. cforce mini

cforce mini are intelligent/active motors with built-in driver electronics and offer daisy-

chain style connection through their twin LBUS connectors. And, whilst being virtually

silent, can run as fast as any top end motor in the market. Developed in collaboration with ARRI,

the cforce mini motor features the “standard” 15mm/19mm rod bracket.

cforce mini motors can be connected in a daisy-chain fashion, i.e. an LBUS cable connects the

ﬁrst motor to the camin, the second motor is connected to the ﬁrst, and the third connected to

the second. This allows a less cluttered and expedite set up.

cforce mini motors can also be used with the cvolution system, the knob solo and cmotion’s

broadcast solutions.

Status LED

Red Voltage below 10 Volts, motor won’t function

Flashing Red No LBUS data, i.e. no camin or no other LBUS

device present

Flashing Red/Green No controller assigned to motor

Flashing Yellow/Green Motor Calibration Request

Flashing Yellow Motor Calibration in progress

Yellow Motor is in calibration timeout state

Flashing Green Motor in manual mode, i.e. for manual calibration

Green Motor is ready and calibrated, no warnings

Setup Button and

Status LED

Focus, Iris, Zoom

indicator

LBUS Connectors 1 and 2

2. compact system Accessories

2.1. Battery

Battery 2400mAh 7.2V for all cmotion controllers and the cdisplay II.

2.2. Battery Charger

Battery charger for all cmotion batteries. Optional worldwide socket adapters available.

2.3. cstrap

The cstrap allows the hand unit to be carried around the neck or over a shoulder between takes.

The locking mechanism allows the unit to turn freely without the risk of coming loose.

2.4. rod connector

The cfast rod connector is compatible with all cmotion products ﬁtted with standard cmotion

locking disc. This simple and lightweight clamp allows you to mount the camin or hand unit

securely to any 19mm rod or 15 mm rod when using the adapter ring. For more mounting

options, please visit www.cmotion.eu or contact: [email protected]

2.5. Marker Ring

Marker ring for compactLCS and cvolutionLCS focus knobs.

3. System Setup

This section will guide you through the compactLCS system setup. Starting with a quick setup,

then proceeding with the compact hand units to compact camin and cforce motors.

3.1. Mounting cforce and cforce mini

Motors

The cforce mini motor is supplied with a height adjustable 19mm butterﬂy rod clamp. A 15mm

adapter is also included which can be clipped directly onto any 15mm rod before mounting and

securing the motor in position.

The regular cforce motor has 3 mounting options:

3.1.1. Rod bracket

The cforce can be mounted to 15 and19 mm diameter rods.

■Slide the motor onto the rod.

■Align the motor gear with the gear ring on the lens.

■Connect the teeth on both rings and hold the motor in place while tightening the

clamp. Be careful not to over tighten the screw.

3.1.2. Rod-to-rod

To mount cforce on a secondary rod, use the cmotion Rod-to-Rod adapter.

3.1.3. Hill Bracket

cforce can be mounted to a Hill bracket via the cmotion Hill bracket adapter.

Note: When mounting motors make sure the lens scale isn’t set to either

limit before engaging the lens gear and calibrating.

3.2. Mounting the camin

The camin can be mounted on any 15mm or 19mm rod using the cfast rod connector supplied

with the system. Alternatively, the 1/4“ threaded hole can be used with other industry standard

fastening tools.

3.3. Connecting the Motors to the camin

■Using the LCB cables supplied with the system, connect the ﬁrst cforce/cforce mini

motor to the camin. If using two or three motors, connect the second motor to the

ﬁrst, and the third motor to the second.

3.4. Power Supply

Connect the RRS-7 cable to the RS 3pin connector on the camin and the Anton Bauer

P-Tap/D-Tap connector to a P-Tap/D-Tap battery. Optional cables are also available for XLR

batteries, ARRI standard RS 3pin connectors and stabilizing systems such as Steadicam and

gimbals.

4. System Operation

4.1. Powering up the System

■Make sure the camin is powered via the RS port and a fully charged battery is

inserted into the hand unit.

■Power up the camin by switching the ON/OFF switch to on.

■Power up the hand unit by pressing the Menu button.

4.2. hand unit Main Display

The compact hand unit clearly displays important operating information. On the top left, the hand

units battery status is displayed. In the middle „Standby“ is displayed if the camera is not running.

This will change to „Record“ or “Record Simul” when the camera is running. In the right corner

the selected RF channel is displayed along with the signal strength. If the hand unit is connected

via an LCB cable, the RF module is automatically deactivated and the RF channel is replaced

by the letter “C”.

4.3. Entering the Menu

To enter the menu press the Home Menu button (top left side button). For detailed information

refer to the Menu Section.

4.4. Numeric Entry

When using some of the advanced features available on compactLCS, you will need to select

and enter numbers and values:

■Similar to an alphanumeric keypad, press the corresponding button once or twice to

select the number associated with that button.

■To delete the last entered number, simply press the lower right side button twice.

■Press “OK” to save the entered value, or “Cancel” to clear.

4.5. hand unit Menu Guide

Note: When you select a menu item you will automatically return to the

sub menu one level higher.

Use the menu buttons to the left and right of the display to navigate. “Back” will return to a higher

menu level, “Exit” will return to the main screen.

4.5.1. Main

RF Channel

To select or change the hand unit’s RF channel, select Main, then RF Channel followed by

the corresponding number. Although the RF will turn off automatically when the hand unit is

connected using a cable, you can also switch the RF channel “OFF” manually. *Make sure the

camin and the hand unit are set to the same channel for RF operation.

Brightness

Select the desired brightness by pressing the corresponding side buttons.

Note: When you enter the menu the brightness is automatically set to

maximum.

Color Theme

Select the desired color theme by pressing the corresponding side buttons. There are 5 color

themes to choose from. Each has been created to suit speciﬁc shooting situations such as low

light or bright conditions.

Run Simulation

Run Simulation (displayed as “Run Simul”) provides a visual feedback on the hand unit to

conﬁrm the ‘Record’ button has been pressed when triggering cameras that do not provide a

real-time run/stop feedback.This feature is used for cameras that do not offer record feedback

■To activate Run Simul, ensure the camera in NOT recording. Select Run Simul and

turn ON. When you press the “Record” button once, please check the camera is

recording. Press again to stop recording.

Note: If the camera stops recording while “Run Simul” is being displayed,

turn Run Simul OFF, ensure the camera is not recording and re-activate

“Run Simul”

CoC (Circle of Confusion)

To set the appropriate CoC for accurate Depth of Field calculations, use the numeric entry

process as explained in section 4.4 on page 15.

Note: CoC can be created and displayed in either metric or imperial units.

This can be changed through LENS > SYSTEM UNIT.

Note: CoC will only be displayed if the optional ‘Lens Data License Key’ is

installed and a lens ﬁle is active.

4.5.2. Control Units

This sub menu allows you to assign the knob, pressure sensitive joystick and rocker switch to

control motors assigned to Focus, Iris and Zoom. First, select the controller, then select the

required scale.

Note: When changing the function of a control unit, the original scale will

automatically swap to the control unit assigned with the newly selected

scale.

Note: It is also possible to turn each control unit OFF.

4.5.3. Motors

In the motors menu, each cforce / cforce mini motor is identiﬁed by it’s serial number. By select-

ing individual motors, you can change the following settings; scale, direction, torque, ramp and

speed limiter. Each setting is stored within the individual memory of each motor.

Note: The menu shows the motor name (only cforce and cforce mini

motors can be used at the time of writing) and the serial number of the

motor in blue.

Scale

Select the desired scale from the menu by pressing the corresponding side button. You can

assign a motor to Focus, Iris or Zoom.

Direction

To change motor direction select the Direction side button. Select left or right by pressing the

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