Rotolight AEOS User manual

USER MANUAL
Version 7.33

BOX CONTENTS
Functions & Operation Flowchart
Basic Operation
Advanced Operation and Flash Mode
F-stop table
Setting up the HSS transmitter section
Designer Fade™
CineSFX™
Strobe, Lightning
Throb, Cycle
Fire
Police, TV
True Aperture Dimming™
Control Menu
Technical Utilities Menu
Filter Information
Technical Specification
TLCI Test Result
Mounting and Batteries
Manufacturer’s Limited Warranty
Limitation of Liability
Additional Accessories
Thank you for purchasing Rotolight AEOS! We hope you enjoy
using it as much as we enjoyed making it!
Please register to activate your warranty at
www.rotolight.com/register
1 x Rotolight AEOS
1 x Professional aluminium ball head (supports 5kg load)
1 x Rotolight universal power adapter with regional mains cable
1 x Filter holder
1 x AEOS filter pack:
1 x 216 Full Diffuser (1.5 stops)
1 x 250 Medium, Half White Diffuser (3/4 stops)
1 x 184 “Cosmetic Peach” Diffusion
1 x 279 1/8th Minus Green (magenta)
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PAGE CONTENTS

KNOBS
LEFT KNOB = BRI
RIGHT KNOB = COL (KELVIN)
CLICK BOTH KNOBS TO ENTER
/ EXIT MENU MODE
MENU
BRI COL
OPERATION FLOWCHART
POWER
SWITCH ON/OFF
FLASH SYNC
3.5MM MONO JACK
SOCKET TO CONNECT
THIRD PARTY FLASH
TRIGGER. USE HSS
TRIGGER FOR BEST
RESULTS (E.G. Rotolight
Elinchrom HSS Transmitter)
DISPLAY
DISPLAYS MENU ITEM OR
SELECTED ITEM
V-LOCK BATTERY PLATE
CONNECT ROTOLIGHT V-LOCK
BATTERY OR GOLD MOUNT MODEL USING
QR-A200 ADAPTER PLATE
* BATTERY NOT INCLUDED
USB PORT
FOR FUTURE
FIRMWARE
UPDATES
DC INPUT SOCKET
15V 60W DC - ONLY USE
PROVIDED PSU OR
ROTOLIGHT ADAPTERS
DMX IN/THRU
CONNECT TO THIRD
PARTY DMX
DEVICES OR
LIGHTING CONSOLES
PRO BALL HEAD
PROFESSIONAL ALUMINIUM BALL HEAD WITH
360º SWIVEL WITH 1/4 - 20 & 3/8 MOUNTS
ALUMINIUM HANDLES
INTEGRATED HANDLES FOR HANDHELD
SHOOTING AND PORTABILITY
FLSH FADE SFX FDIM
ISO
EXP
FEET
CTRL DEMOTECH
STRB
LTNG
THRB
CYCL
FIRE
PLCE
To exit menu click
both red knobs TV
ADDR
LOCK
VOLT
CAL
TEMP
SRNO
03
DN
UP
MODE
FREQ
SKYP
GRP
VERS
DISP
SCRL
To enter menu click
both red knobs
FINE

“The ultimate light for portrait / location photographers. Powerful
yet portable, AEOS enables you to get shots no-one else can”
Jason Lanier - Rotolight Master of Light
04 Photo by Jason Lanier www.jasonlanier.com

Photo by Jason Lanier www.jasonlanier.com

AEOS BASIC OPERATION
To operate AEOS you will find two red control
knobs, which also act as switches, and a DC on/off
switch, these are all located on the rear of AEOS.
POWER
AEOS can be powered by 1 x V-Lock battery, DC
from the supplied AC mains adapter or from a DC
source in the range of 7V -15V (e.g. optional car
12V socket, or D-Tap from a broadcast battery).
When connecting a power source to the DC input
socket, for instance mains adapter or an optional
D-Tap to DC connection, the V-Lock battery is
automatically disconnected to save battery power.
If you are connecting an external DC source make
sure the power is the correct polarity to avoid
damaging your AEOS. We recommend using
Rotolight 95Wh V-Lock batteries (available from
rotolight.com) which will run your AEOS for up to 2
hours at full power.
To power up AEOS click the power switch (located
above the flash input jack)
On power up, you will see ‘ROTOLIGHT AEOS’
scroll across the screen. You can interrupt this
anytime by operating one of the control knobs.
To power AEOS down, click the power switch
again. AEOS stores all the user settings in non-
volatile memory so it will remember your last used
settings.
RESET
You can reset all the user parameters in AEOS’
non-volatile memory by holding down the left
red control knob whilst simultaneously powering
AEOS on.
The word ‘ZERO’ will be displayed, select YES
(reset all data) or NO.
ZERO
06

BASIC OPERATION MODE (BRI / COL)
(‘BRI’) Brightness
You can adjust the brightness output of AEOS by
rotating the left control knob.
If you rotate the knob quickly it will speed up the
data input. You can press and rotate to adjust the
brightness in steps of 10% (fast mode).
AEOS has a dimming range of 0-100% and is
completely flicker-free at any brightness level,
shutter speed or frame rate.
There is a special mode called ‘True Aperture Dimming’™
(FDIM) , available in the MENU section, which will display
the brightness as an F-stop, based on your camera
exposure settings – see ‘True Aperture Dimming’™.
(page 24)
(‘COL’) Colour
You can adjust and accurately display the colour
temperature (CCT) of AEOS by rotating the right
control knob.
If you rotate the knob quickly it will speed up the
data input. You can press and rotate to deliberately
adjust the colour in steps of 200 kelvin (fast mode).
Simply rotating the knob will adjust the brightness
in steps of 20 kelvin.
AEOS has a colour temperature range of 3150 kelvin
(tungsten) up to 6300 kelvin (reflected daylight sky).
As a bi-colour light, AEOS will be brightest at the
‘mid point; colour, around 4200 kelvin, where both
sets of LEDs are at full power. This also applies in
Flash mode.
Please note that as all LEDs are individually hand
calibrated, the mid point on your unit will vary but
should be around the 4200K. The display will show
a red dot in the right hand corner to indicate the
mid point.
COL
BRI
07

AEOS has a special technology called ‘Dynamic
Drift Stabilisation’ which maintains the colour
temperature through the entire dimming range.
(‘MENU’) Advanced Operation
You can enter the MENU by pressing both red
control knobs simultaneously or clicking and
holding down the left knob followed by the
right. If you wish to leave MENU at any time, you
can return to the basic operation (BRI / COL) by
pressing both red control knobs together again.
In ‘MENU’, rotating the right knob navigates
through the available submenus, whilst pressing
it takes you back one level. Rotating the right
knob adjusts a setting, and pressing it acts as
enter / trigger / activate depending on the menu
position.
In the MENU there are seven submenus through
which you navigate by rotating the left knob:
‘FLSH’, ‘FADE’, ‘SFX’, ‘FDIM’, ‘CTRL’, ‘TECH’ and
‘DEMO’.
You can enter your desired submenu by clicking
the right knob. And you can leave the selected
function by clicking the left knob. Alternatively you
can return to the basic operation mode (BRI /COL)
at any time by pressing both knobs together at
the same time.
(‘FLSH’) Flash mode
Scroll to ‘FLSH’ click the right knob to enter ‘FLSH’
mode.
In order to use the flash, you must be in Flash
mode indicated by flash duration on the display.
If you see word ‘FLSH’; you are not in Flash mode
and must right click to enter Flash mode.
Set your camera to manual flash mode.
AEOS is not a TTL flash, it is a manual flash with
adjustable flash power, modelling light, colour
temperature and duration settings. Set your
MENU
FLSH
08

camera into manual flash mode, refer to the F-stop
table (page 11) for exposure guide, take a test shot
and either adjust flash power, or distance to the
subject to achieve optimal exposure.
Rotate the left knob to adjust the brightness of
the modelling light (in %, 0-100%). You can use
the modelling light to compose your photograph,
or set different levels for multiple AEOS lights, and
have them flash together, retaining the relative set
levels in ‘X8’ or ‘X16’ mode
Note: AEOS is intentionally less bright whilst in
modelling light mode than regular continuous
light mode, in order to make the light more
comfortable for the subject and to conserve
battery power.
Press, hold and rotate the left knob to set the
desired colour temperature for your flash (in
kelvin, from 3150-6300K.)
As a bi-colour light, the flash will be at its brightest
at it’s mid point colour, see page 7.
Rotate the right knob to set the desired duration
for the flash, in shutter intervals, i.e. 1/50s, 1/60s,
1/80s, 1/100s…up to 1/2500s (‘1/2K5s’).
Press, hold and rotate the right hand knob to
set the flash output power, ‘MAX’ (=250% of max
continuous output), ‘1/2’ (=125%), ‘1/4’ (=62%), ‘X8’
(=modelling light level x 8), and ‘X16’ (= modelling
light level x 16).
Finally connect a flash receiver or transceiver which
has a PC sync output, with a PC sync cable to the
3.5mm mono flash trigger input jack located on
the rear of AEOS below the DC switch or use the
optional Rotolight/Elinchrom HSS transmitter
which will sync with the Skyport receiver built into
AEOS. Place the trigger on top of your camera
shoe.
Alternatively for wired operation, connect a long
PC sync cable from your camera’s PC sync port to
the 3.5mm mono jack on the AEOS.
09

Recommended settings for simple one-light setup:
1. Set flash power to MAX
2. Set flash duration to 1/50th (any faster shutter speed
(e.g. 1/100th) will be automatically captured)
3. Set colour temperature (kelvin) to mid point
colour, see page 7.
Shooting in High Speed Sync
AEOS is capable of High Speed Sync flash (HSS).
HSS allows you to utilise the flash of AEOS, at speeds
faster than your camera’s native internal sync speed
(typically 1/125th or 1/250th).
Rotolight HSS trigger by Elinchrom:
To shoot in High Speed Sync, you will need an
HSS wireless transmitter, such as the Rotolight or
Elinchrom HSS transmitter (both are compatible
with the internal receiver inside the AEOS). Currently
Rotolight HSS triggers by Elinchrom are available
for Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, Olympus/Panasonic and
Sony cameras.
See page 14 for transmitter set up instructions.
Using third party Triggers :
Alternatively, you can connect third party flash
receivers which have a PC sync or 3.5mm flash output,
with a PC sync/3.5mm cable to the 3.5mm mono jack
trigger input located on the rear of AEOS.
PLEASE CHECK THAT YOUR CAMERA AND TRIGGER
EQUIPMENT IS CAPABLE OF HIGH SPEED SYNC.
Recommended triggers :
Rotolight by Elinchrom (HSS and full remote control)
- Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, Olympus/Panasonic, Sony
Phottix ODIN II (HSS) – Canon, Nikon, Sony
PocketWizard (HSS) : FlexTT5, and FlexTT6 support High
Speed Sync (HSS) for Canon and FP Sync for Nikon.
Cactus VI II (HSS) : Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Olympus, Panasonic.
Cactus VI IIS (HSS) : Sony
Phottix ARES (not HSS) – Canon, Nikon, Sony.
Pocketwizard (not HSS) : Other models.
10

11
Distance (ft) 3ft 6ft 9ft 12ft
ISO F-stop
Continuous
mode
F-stop
Flash
mode
Guide
Number
(GN)
F-stop
Continuous
mode
F-stop
Flash
mode
Guide
Number
(GN)
F-stop
Continuous
mode
F-stop
Flash
mode
Guide
Number
(GN)
F-stop
Continuous
mode
F-stop
Flash
mode
Guide
Number
(GN)
100 5.6 824 2.8 4.0 24 22.8 25.2 1.4 224
200 8 11 33 45.6 33.6 2.8 436 22.8 33.6
400 11 15 45 5.6 8.0 48 45.6 50.4 2.8 448
800 15 22 66 8 11.0 66 5.6 872 45.6 67.2
1600 5.6 30 90 11 16.0 96 8 11 99 5.6 896
2500 5.6 38 114 14 20.0 120 10 14 126 8 10 120
Shutter speed = 1/60th
Measured at midpoint colour temperature around 4100K with Sekonic flash meter, no modifiers or intensifiers
AEOS F-stop table in FLASH MODE (measured at midpoint colour around 4100K)

Rotolight accepts no responsibility for the operation or
functionality of third party transmitters.
NOTE: AEOS will flash once for the selected flash
duration when syncing in HSS, ensuring that the
complete frame is illuminated.
If AEOS detects a flash re-trigger event during a set
interval, it will automatically adjust the duration of
the flash to a shorter interval if required to avoid
damage occurring to the LEDs.
AEOS supports flash at any frame rate. Flash
output can be up to 250% of the nominal
maximum continuous light output (>14,250 lux at 3
feet or guide number 27).
To exit Flash mode
Click the left knob to return to MENU, alternatively
you can return to the basic operation (BRI / COL) by
pressing both control knobs together.
Lit with 1 x Rotolight
AEOS, Sony A6300,
Sony 10-18mm,
ISO 100, F4.0,
1/15th(tripod)
12
Photo by Rod Aaron Gammons

13
Photo by Rod Aaron Gammons

Setting up your HSS Transmitter
The below setup instructions are based on the HSS
transmitter firmware 3.0 and AEOS firmware V732. To
check the firmware version on your HSS transmitter,
this is shown on the screen when you turn the device
on. To check the AEOS firmware version, press both
knobs to enter MENU, navigate to ‘VERS’ in the TECH
menu, press the right knob to enter, and the firmware
version will scroll across the display (for a full menu
flowchart, see page 3).
If your HSS transmitter has a version earlier than 3.0,
please visit the Elinchrom website to update manually,
which should only take a few minutes. If you are
operating from an older firmware on your AEOS than
v732, please contact us on [e-mail] or +44
1753 422750.
First, turn on your AEOS then after a few seconds,
turn on your Rotolight or Elinchrom HSS Transmitter.
If you are operating from the correct firmware, the
transmitter should automatically find the AEOS and
display this on screen. We automatically set the units
to default to channel 1, frequency 1 out of the box.
However, if it does not automatically find it or if you
want to change settings:
Firstly, ensure the bottom left text on the transmitter
says… ‘TTL’ not ‘Manual’. If you can see ‘Manual’, this
means you are in TTL mode which is not compatible
with AEOS. Press the button underneath ‘Manual’ to
enter the Manual mode.
If the AEOS is still not visible on your HSS transmitter,
try the following:
Ensure that Skyport receiver mode is set to ‘SPED’
on the AEOS by turning AEOS on, pushing both red
control knobs together to access the MENU options,
turn the right red knob clockwise until the display
shows ‘CTRL’, click the right-hand knob once and
then turn it clockwise again until ‘SKYP’ is displayed.
Click the right knob once more and turn it again until
14

‘SPED’ is displayed. This ensures that Skyport receiving
is active and is in HSS mode. Click the left knob twice to
return to the main menu.
Press the setup button on the right-hand side of the HSS
transmitter.
Scroll using the rotary wheel to ‘Frequency’, and ensure it
is on the desired frequency – we recommend defaulting to
channel 1, however if you happen to encounter interference
from other signals, try changing to a lesser used frequency,
such as channel 20.
To then adjust the frequency, press the button in the
centre of the rotary wheel and scroll to change the
number. Press the centre button to confirm, which also
navigates you back to the main setup menu on the
transmitter.
For users wishing to operate both Elinchrom and Rotolight
units simultaneously using the HSS Transmitter, scroll
using the rotary wheel to ‘ELSP mode’, use the centre
button to enter the mode and scroll to adjust to ‘NORMAL’.
Press the button in the centre of the rotary wheel centre
to confirm. The screen will change to a green background
colour to confirm you are in Normal mode.
If you are only operating Rotolight units via the HSS
transmitter, we recommend using SPEED mode, which
will turn the background colour red.
Then, use the rotary wheel to scroll to ‘SC Setup’ (Second
Curtain). The SC Setup should automatically to default to
the ‘By Camera’ setting. However, for Nikon compatible
HSS transmitters only, ensure the Second Curtain is set to
OFF.
Scroll to Auto MOD and ensure this is set to ‘No Use.’
However, for Nikon compatible HSS transmitters only,
ensure this is set to ‘OFF’.
Scroll to ‘Iden.’ at the bottom of the Setup menu and
ensure this is set to ‘Type’ to display the Rotolight units
correctly during control.
Then scroll to the top of the menu and click Scan, this will
now re-scan for devices and will find the AEOS and display
it in the control menu.
15

SFX
‘FADE’ Designer Fade™
Designer Fade ™ creates fade up / fade down
effects for practical in-camera production fade
effects. Scroll to ‘FADE’ and click the right knob to
enter Fade mode.
Rotate the right knob to adjust the fade duration
(up to 12 seconds up or down).
The AEOS will display DN (=fade down) followed by
a numerical value ‘Xs’ where X = seconds
Please note, the fade will be to zero from the
current brightness level the AEOS is set to (i.e. if
brightness is currently 80%, then fade will be 80-
0% over custom time duration).
Both the last used brightness setting and fade
duration parameter are stored in non volatile
memory.
Once you have selected the length of the fade,
click the right knob to perform it (you can also
trigger the fade using an external flash trigger via
via Skyport or the flash sync port). You will notice
the display now shows UP Xs and it will now fade
up to your previous brightness setting over ‘X’
seconds.
If you only want to fade down use the left knob to
click out of FADE and click back in.
Click the left knob to return to MENU, alternatively
you can return to the basic operation menu
(BRI / COL) by pressing both control knobs
simultaneously.
(‘SFX’) CineSFX™
In collaboration with Stefan Lange, DOP and
visual FX veteran, we have created an arsenal of
special FX (CineSFX™). These production tools are
designed to complement your feature/short film or
music video.
Please note, the current brightness level and
16
FADE

colour temperature setting of AEOS is used by
SFX mode to represent the level of each effect,
enabling accurate metering (i.e. if AEOS is set
to 75% brightness and 5600 kelvin, then the
lightning effect peak brightness level shall be 75%
brightness at 5600 kelvin).
Therefore set AEOS to 100% brightness and
midpoint colour for maximum brightness in SFX
mode.
To adjust the colour temperature of the light to
better match your desired effect once you have
selected your desired SFX (i.e Fire), press and
rotate the right knob to set the desired colour
temperature (in kelvin, from 3150-6300K).
To similarly adjust the peak brightness level of your
desired effect, once you have selected your desired
effect press, hold and rotate the left knob.
WARNING - HEALTH HAZARD – USE STROBE WITH
CAUTION: CineSFX™ mode uses strobe lighting
effects that may pose a risk to those at risk of
photosensitive seizures/ epilepsy. Manufacturer
accepts no liability or responsibility for misuse of
this product. You should take all precautions to
pre-warn and ensure the safety of those who may
come into contact with the product. If you or
any of your relatives have a history of seizures or
epilepsy, consult a doctor before using.
If you feel unwell from using these effects,
immediately discontinue use and consult a doctor.
If strobe lighting is to be used in a production,
warnings should be posted at the front of house
or entrance doors to the set/theater as well as in
a video or program, if distributed. ‘e.g. “WARNING:
Strobe lights are used during this performance”.
This product is not suitable for use by children of
any age and is designed for professional use only.
Click the right knob to enter ‘SFX’. Rotating the
left knob cycles through the available effects:
-strb-ltng-thrb-cycl-fire-plce-tv.
17

You can activate your selected SFX function by
pressing the right knob.
You can leave the selected function by clicking the
left knob, alternatively you can return to the basic
operation mode (BRI /COL) at any time by pressing
both knobs together at the same time.
(‘STRB’) Strobe
The Strobe effect produces a regular flashing light.
Pressing the right knob will activate the strobe
effect, and rotating it will adjust the speed of
the strobe. (It will display XX Hz , where= ‘XX’ =
number of strobe cycles per second). The strobe
range is from 0.3 Hz up to 70 Hz.
Note: the last used strobe parameters are stored in
non-volatile memory.
Rotate the left knob to adjust the maximum
brightness of the strobe effect. Hold and rotate the
left knob to adjust the minimum brightness of the
strobe. Press and hold the right knob to adjust the
colour temperature of the strobe. Click the left knob
to exit the strobe menu and return to SFX menu.
(‘LTNG’) Lightning
The Lightning effect simulates lightning strikes.
You can control the speed at which the lightning
bursts re-occur, and because this is a stroboscopic
effect you can also adjust the Rolling Shutter
Compensation This effect is also triggerable
either locally or using a transmitter. For best
results, set the brightness to 100% and the colour
temperature to 6000K.
Click the right knob to activate the Lightning
effect, and rotate the right knob to adjust the
lightning cluster re-occurance speed.
It will display XX Hz which is an indication of the
effect frequency. The lightning range is from 1Hz
up to 50Hz.
Click the right knob to arm the effect and fade
to black, ‘Trig’ will be displayed - re-click the right
STRB
LTNG
18

knob to trigger the effect. Rotate the left knob to
adjust the maximum brightness of the lightning
effect. Hold and rotate the left knob to adjust
the minimum brightness of the lightning. Press
and hold the right knob to adjust the colour
temperature of the lightning.
The last used Lightning parameters are stored in
non-volatile memory.
Click the left control knob to exit the lightning
effect and return to SFX menu.
Note: the duration of the lightning flashes is
20ms, which is the recommended duration for
cinematography. The lightning strikes come in
bursts of between 2 and 8 random length pulses).
(‘THRB’) Throb
Rotate the left knob to adjust the duration
between each throb from 0.1s-9.0s. Rotating
the right knob adjusts the speed of each throb
from 1 Hz to 50 Hz. Hold and rotate the right
knob to adjust the output of the minimum light
level. Hold and rotate the left knob to adjust the
maximum light level of the throb. To adjust the
colour temperature of the throb, press both knobs
together to exit, adjust the kelvin by rotating the
right knob and re-enter the SFX mode.
Note: the Throb parameters are stored in non-
volatile memory. Click the left knob to exit the
Throb effect and return to SFX menu.
(‘CYCL’) Cycle
Cycle is a regular smoothly pulsing light which
fades between the tungsten and blue LEDs.
Click the right knob to activate the effect.
Rotate either the left or right knob to adjust the
cycle effect frequency (it will display XX Hz. The
cycle range is from 1 Hz up to 50 Hz.
Note: the Cycle parameters are stored in non-
volatile memory. Click the left knob to exit the
cycle effect and return to SFX menu.
Thrb
19
Cycl

(‘FIRE’) Fire
Fire is a complex emulation of a burning fire
and it can be tuned to your requirements.
Some VFX artists like to use multiple lights
with slightly different settings/gels to achieve
a fire with ‘dancing shadows’ and stereoscopic
characteristics.
Note: For best results, we recommend setting the
colour temperature to 3150 kelvin.
Click the right knob to activate the fire effect.
Rotate the right knob to adjust the fire effect
frequency indicated in Hz - around 45 Hz is
standard for a campfire).
Rotate the left knob to adjust the fire effect depth
threshold (residual glow) about 35% is nice for a
campfire.
(It will display XX % which is an indication of the
effect depth).
Inside the Fire effect there is a toggleable parameter
called ‘Colour Swing BLUE’ which emulates the
colour transition of flames going up the chimney (i.e.
from yellow to blue). To activate this parameter click
the right button and the AEOS will display ‘BLUE’. To
deactivate ‘Colour Swing BLUE’ click the right knob
again and ‘MONO’ (monochrome) will be displayed.
Note: the Fire parameters are stored in non-volatile
memory.
The Fire effect can be enhanced with a warm filter
included within the optional add on Colour FX Pack
(RL-AEOS-CFP) available from your dealer or www.
rotolight.com (‘205’ LED CTO is recommended for
best impact, ‘182’ Light Red also works well, or an
Amber, CT Straw or other CTO filter).
(‘PLCE’) Police
This effect is an emulation of an emergency
services light – it works best by adding the 712
Bedford Blue or 182 Light Red Filter Gel included
in the optional Add On Colour FX Pack.
PLCE
20
FIRE