MRMC TRIGGER BOX User manual

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Trigger Box
Product Code: MRMC-1066-00
Quick Start Guide
Product Code: MRMC-1282-01

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Trigger Box Quick Start Guide
Product Code: MRMC-1282-01
© 2020 Mark Roberts Motion Control Ltd. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, or translated
by any means — graphical, electronic, or mechanical — including
photocopying, recording, taping, or storage in an information retrieval
system, without the express written permission of Mark Roberts Motion
Control.
Although every care has been taken to ensure that the information in this
document is accurate and up to date, Mark Roberts Motion Control
continuously strives to improve their products and may make changes to
the hardware, firmware, and software described in this document. Mark
Roberts Motion Control therefore cannot be held responsible for any
error or omission in this document.
All product names mentioned herein are the trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective owners.
Contact information
Mark Roberts Motion Control Ltd.
Unit 3, South East Studios
Blindley Heath
Surrey
RH7 6JP
United Kingdom
Telephone: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected]m (sales and general enquiries)
[email protected]m (customer support)
Web: www.mrmoco.com
www.mrmocorentals.com

Trigger Box Quick Start Guide
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Trigger Box Quick Start GuideTrigger BoxQuick Start Guide
Contents
Chapter 1 Quick start ..................................................................... 1
Safety........................................................................................1
Overview ................................................................................. 1
Connecting the cables ...........................................................2
Configuration A ..................................................3
Configuration B...................................................3
Configuration C...................................................3
Trigger Box control summary ..............................................4
Using the trigger outputs ......................................................5
Testing the trigger outputs...........................................6
Using the trigger inputs.........................................................7
Testing the trigger inputs.............................................7
Using the Camera On/Off trigger output ...........................8
Using the Sync input from a camera .................................10
Testing the Sync input and Camera On/Off trigger
output.....................................................................................12
Sync and camera controls..........................................12
Testing the Sync signal input only............................14
Testing the Sync signal input and External
Camera trigger output together................................15
Returning the Trigger Box to normal working
mode.............................................................................17
Appendix 1 Troubleshooting........................................................... 18
Typical symptoms, causes, and actions .............................18
Appendix 2 Trigger Box panels ....................................................... 22
Panel and connector summary...........................................22
Connector pin-out information.........................................24
Triggers connector......................................................24
Appendix 3 Specifications............................................................... 26
Circuit diagram ....................................................................27

Trigger Box Quick Start Guide
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Trigger Box Quick Start Guide
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Trigger Box Quick Start GuideTrigger BoxQuick Start Guide
Chapter 1 Quick start
Safety
•Do not use around flammable gas. All electrical equipment can
generate sparks that can ignite flammable gas.
•Keep the equipment dry. The system has not been made
weatherproof. Do not use with wet hands.
•Keep cables tidy. Use cable ties to keep them out of harm’s way.
If you have a head with slip rings then make use of them; avoid
running any cables between the base and the rotating head or
camera.
Overview
Thank you for using the Trigger Box from Mark Roberts Motion Control
(MRMC). You use the Trigger Box to send and receive trigger and
synchronisation signals between external devices and an RT-14 interface
box. The RT-14 unit itself is, in turn, attached to the motion controlled
robotic camera rig and a Windows computer running Flair Motion
Control Software. You can also use an RT-12 interface box instead of an
RT-14, as these units have similar connectors and features.
The Trigger Box has the following main features:
•Five trigger outputs that you can activate from Flair, either
manually or by pre-programmed camera moves.
•Three trigger inputs that you can use to activate events in Flair,
such as playing a pre-recorded camera move.
•Synchronisation (sync) input for receiving a sync signal from a
video camera and passing it on to Flair and the rig.
•Camera trigger on/off output, for triggering a camera on and
off from Flair.
•Built-in facilities for generating and checking input and output
signals to test components of the system, without needing to
connect all of the system.
The Trigger Box is a robust unit designed for day-in, day-out use in a
professional studio environment.

Trigger Box Quick Start Guide
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Connecting the cables
The ribbon cable supplied with the Trigger Box has specially cut wires
that give the SYNC, BLOOP, and TRIGGER connectors different
capabilities. This allows three possible connection configurations:
External Camera
Trigger Out wires cut
External Camera Trigger Out and
Trigger 1 Output (Bloop) wires cut
SYNC BLOOP TRIGGER
To the RT-14
RT-14 interface box
TRIGGERS
connector
To camera:
Trigger Out
and Sync In
To camera:
Trigger Out
and Sync In
Trigger 1
Output
to Bloop
light
SYNC SYNC SYNC
BLOOP not used BLOOP BLOOP
TRIGGER not used TRIGGER not used
TRIGGER
ABC

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Configuration A
The External Camera Trigger Out, Sync In, and all other triggers are
going through the Trigger Box.
Configuration B
The External Camera Trigger Out and Sync In are directly connected to
the camera.
The other trigger signals are going through the Trigger Box.
The External Camera Trigger Out signal wires to the BLOOP connector
are cut on the ribbon cable, so the Camera Trigger Out signal cannot
reach the Trigger Box in this configuration.
Configuration C
The External Camera Trigger Out and Sync In are directly connected to
the camera.
The Bloop light also has a direct connection. The Bloop light plug itself
(black in the photograph) is wired for two inputs:
•If you plug the Bloop light into the BLOOP connector on the
ribbon cable, you can trigger it with the Trigger 1 Output
signal.
•If you plug the Bloop light into the SYNC connector on the
ribbon cable, you can trigger it with either the Trigger 1 Out or
Camera Trigger Out signal, and thus use it to test the External
Camera Trigger Out.
The External Camera Trigger Out and Trigger 1 Output (Bloop) signal
wires to the TRIGGER connector are cut on the ribbon cable, so neither of
these signals can reach the Trigger Box in this configuration.
Note
In all cable configurations, the Sync signal that can be produced by
the internal simulated camera in the Trigger Box can reach the RT-14
unit and Flair. When you are shooting make sure the Trigger Box is
not generating a test Sync signal which will interfere with the real
Sync signal coming from the camera. That is, make sure the INT
CAM CONTROL ON/OFF and the CAM TEST ON/OFF switches on
the Trigger Box are Off. See Sync and camera controls on page 12.

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To connect the Trigger Box to your external devices you connect wires to
the terminals in pairs. For example:
Trigger Box control summary
Trigger output 2 (OUT 2)
12 V DC power output for general use
Trigger input 2 (IN 2); short these two
External Camera On/Off trigger output
Sync signal input from camera
wires to activate
Buttons for testing
trigger inputs (page 7)
Sync generator speed controls
— coarse and fine adjustment
knobs (page 12)
Controls for testing Flair’s Sync
signal input and External
Camera trigger output (page 12)

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Using the trigger outputs
Each trigger output
consists of a pair of
connectors, a
corresponding LED on the
panel, and an internal relay.
When a trigger is activated
from Flair software, the
relay for that pair closes,
completing the external
circuit and triggering the
external device. The
corresponding LED (also
numbered OUT 1 to OUT 5) is lit during activation.
The external device that is being triggered must provide its own power for
the trigger circuit, up to 250 Volts AC or 30 volts DC, 10 Amp maximum
resistive current or 3 Amp maximum inductive current. Contact MRMC
for further advice on maximum current for triggering external devices.
In Flair, the button for trigger OUT 1 is labelled Bloop by default unless
you have changed it, as it is usually used to trigger the Bloop light. The
other buttons in Flair use label numbers that match the trigger outputs on
the Trigger Box; that is, Flair button Trigger 2 corresponds to OUT 2,
button Trigger 3 corresponds to OUT 3, etc. Again, you can change these
names in Flair by using the same menu options that you use to add
triggers to a move: Setups >Outputs >#1 - Bloop, #2, #3, etc. See the
Flair documentation for details.
Hint
The LED is powered by the circuit that closes the relay — not by the
external circuit that is completed when the relay closes. Therefore a
lit LED only indicates that Flair has activated the trigger; it is not a
check to see if the external circuit now has current flowing through
it.
Trigger Output 1 (Bloop) is a special case due to the way the ribbon
cable is cut (see page 2). The Trigger 1 Output signal will only reach
the Trigger Box if the Trigger Box is plugged into the SYNC or
BLOOP connectors.

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Testing the trigger outputs
You can test that the Trigger Box is
receiving trigger signals from Flair,
without needing to attach anything to
the OUT connectors on the Trigger
Box:
1. In Flair, use menu option
Setups >Outputs >Test
Outputs.
2. In the pop-up, click on one of
the Trig buttons.
When you press the button, the
corresponding numbered OUT LED
should light up in on the Trigger Box
panel. For example pressing Trig 3
makes the OUT 3 LED light up.
To test the External Camera (Ext. Cam) trigger output, see Testing the
Sync input and Camera On/Off trigger output on page 12.
Hint
Trigger Output 1 (Bloop) is a special case due to the way in which
the ribbon cable is cut (see page 2). The Trigger 1 Output signal will
only reach the Trigger Box if the Trigger Box is plugged into the
SYNC or BLOOP connectors. The OUT 1 LED will not light if you
have attached the Trigger Box to the TRIGGER connector on the
RT-14 ribbon cable, although in this case the Bloop light that you
have attached to the BLOOP connector on the same ribbon cable
should light up.