Tentacle Sync E User manual

TENTACLE SYNC E
OPERATING MANUAL V 1.0

GETTING STARTED 4
OPERATING MODES
SETUP APP FOR IOS & ANDROID
BLUETOOTH &CABLE SYNC 7
WIRELESS SYNC
WIRELESS MASTER SYNC
SYNCHRONIZATION VIA CABLE
MONITORING LIST
DEVICE WARNINGS
TENTACLE SETTINGS 12
TIMECODE DISPLAY
CUSTOM TIMECODE / SET TO PHONE TIME
CUSTOMIZE ICON AND NAME
OUTPUT VOLUME LINE / MIC / AUTO
SET FRAME RATE
AUTO POWER OFF TIME
GENERAL INFORMATION
USER BITS
CONNECTION TO RECORDING DEVICES 17
ADAPTER CABLE
TENTACLE CLAMP - LOCK YOUR CABLE
RECHARGEABLE BATTERY 20
BUILT-IN MICROPHONE 21
PERFORMING A FIRMWARE UPDATE
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS 23

OVE RV I E W :
TIMECODE INPUT / OUTPUT
Tentacle will automatically switch o
after 2 hours if no cable is connected.
SWITCH ON
MICROPHONE
BLUETOOTH LED
USB-C CONNECTOR
Your Tentacles can be charged
using any USB power source. A full
charge takes 1.5 hrs for up to 35 hrs
operation time.
For Firmware updates connect it
to your Mac or PC using our Setup
Software.
LOCK YOUR CABLE
Slide the clamp into the recess of
your Tentacle.
SWITCH OFF
Long hold will switch off your
Tentacle. Timecode will be lost.
STATUS LED
Flashing RED - Waiting to be syncronized
Flashing GREEN - Outputting timecode
Flashing several times RED - Battery is low
CHARGING STATE LED
Charging Full
Short hold
Tentacle will start in
Red Mode. Now it waits
to jam-sync to external
timecode.
Long hold > 3 seconds
Tentacle will start in Green
Mode. It generates and outputs
timecode. The time will be the
„time of day“ fetched from the
internal clock (RTC).
GET STARTED
● Download the Tentacle Setup App for your mobile device
● Switch on your Tentacles
● Start the Setup App and +Add New Tentacle to the monitoring list
SYNC VIA BLUETOOTH
● Tap on WIRELESS SYNC
● Set your frame rate and starting time
● Press START and all Tentacles in your list
will synchronize within a few seconds
SYNC VIA CABLE
● Connect your Tentacles in Red Mode to any
external timecode source
►Frame rate (fps) will be adopted
● On success your Tentacles will start flashing
green and outputting timecode
DEDICATED TIMECODE INPUT
● TC IN usually requires LINE level
● Most timecode inputs have BNC or LEMO
connectors
● Timecode is written into the file as
meta data
MICROPHONE INPUT
● Audio inputs usually require MIC level
● Timecode is recorded as an audio signal
on one audio track
● Please check the level meter of your camera
and audio recorder
NOTE: We recommend a test shoot to check timecode compatibility of
the entire workflow for a smooth production process. Happy shooting!
CONNECT TO DEVICES
IMPORTANT: Before connecting your synced Tentacles to each device with a suitable adapter cable, make sure
to set them to the correct output volume with the Setup App. Depending on the inputs of your recording devices,
you can set it to LINE or MIC level. If you are unsure, the AUTO level is the best setting in most cases. Check
the menu settings of your recording devices as well.

GETTING STARTED
OPERATING MODES
Tentacles can be started in two operating modes:
Red Mode: During switch-on, just slide the power button down
shortly (approx. 1 sec.). The status LED is flashing
red now. In this mode your Tentacle is waiting to be
jam-synced by an external timecode source
through the 3.5 mm jack. The Sync E is not
outputting timecode.
Green Mode: In this mode your Tentacle is outputting timecode.
During switch-on, slide the power button down
until the Status LED is flashing green (> 3 sec.).
The Tentacle fetches the „Time of Day“ from
the build-in RTC (Real Time Clock), loads it into
the timecode generator and starts generating
timecode.
SETUP APP FOR IOS &ANDROID
The Tentacle Setup App for mobile devices allows you to
synchronize, monitor, setup and change basic parameters of
your Tentacle device. This includes settings such as timecode,
frame rate, device name & icon, output volume, battery status,
user bits and more. You can download the Setup App here:
www.tentaclesync.com/download
4

Enable Bluetooth on your mobile device
The Setup App will need to communicate with your SYNC E
devices via Bluetooth. Make sure Bluetooth is activated on
your mobile device. You must grant the app the necessary
permissions as well. The Android version also asks for a ‚location
permission‘. This is only needed to receive Bluetooth data from
your Tentacle. The App does not use or store your current
location data in any way.
Switch on your SYNC E devices
Before starting the app it is recommended to switch on your
SYNC E devices first. During operation, the Tentacles constantly
transmit timecode and status information via Bluetooth.
Please note: SYNC E devices can only be connected via
Bluetooth or USB (macOS/Windows/Android).
The iOS Setup App is operated solely via Bluetooth, the
4-pin mini jack cable won’t work with them, like it did with
the Original Tentacles (1st generation 2015-2017).
5

Add a new Tentacle
If you open the Setup App for the first time, the monitoring list
will be empty. You can add new SYNC E devices by tapping on
+ Add New Tentacle. This will show a list of available Tentacles
nearby. Select the one, you would like to add to the list. Hold
your Tentacle close to your phone to finish the procedure.
SUCCESS! will appear when the SYNC E is added. This ensures
that only you have access to your Tentacles and not someone
else nearby. You can now add all of your Tentacles to that list as
well. Once a Tentacle is added to the list, it will appear automati-
cally in the monitoring list, next time the app is opened.
Please note: Tentacles can be linked to up to 10 mobile
devices at the same time. If you link it to the 11th mobile
device, the first (or oldest) one will be dropped and has no
longer access to this Tentacle. In this case you will need to
add it again.
6

BLUETOOTH &CABLE SYNC
The Setup Software for Tentacle SYNC E allows you to
wirelessly sync a number of Tentacle SYNC Es with each other
via Bluetooth (tested with up to 44 units).
WIRELESS SYNC
To perform the Wireless Sync, just open the Setup App on a
mobile device and add all Tentacle SYNC Es to the monitoring
list. In that list you will find the button WIRELESS SYNC.
• Tap on WIRELESS SYNC and a small window will pop up
• Click on the frame rate and select the desired frame rate
from the drop down menu
• Set a starting time for the timecode. If no time is set, it will
start with Time of Day
• Press START and all Tentacles will synchronize one after
another within a few seconds
During the synchronization process the status information of
each Tentacle is highlighted and displays Sync In Process. Once
the Tentacle is synchronized, the information is highlighted in
green and it says Sync Done.
7

WIRELESS MASTER SYNC
If you want to use your audio recorder with a built-in timecode
generator as master or another timecode source, please
proceed as follows:
• Start one Tentacle in Red Mode and connect it with the
suitable adapter cable to your timecode source and
jam-sync the Tentacle to it until it runs in Green Mode.
• Select this „master“ Tentacle you just created in the
monitoring list, tap on it and go into its settings menu
• Scroll all the way down and tap on WIRELESS MASTER
SYNC
• A window will pop up and you can choose between Sync
All and Sync only Red Mode. All other Tentacles will now
synchronize to this „master“ Tentacle
8

SYNCHRONIZATION VIA CABLE
If you don’t have a mobile device at hand, you can synchronize
Sync E units with each other via the included 3.5 mm cable
through the mini jack port as well.
• Start one Tentacle in Green Mode (master) and all other
Tentacles in Red Mode (JamSync).
• Consecutively, connect all Tentacles in Red Mode to the one
Tentacle in Green Mode with the mini jack cable enclosed
in the Set. Each Tentacle connected to the „master“ will
change from Red into Green Mode. Now all Tentacles are in
sync and flashing green simultaneously on the first frame.
Additional information: You can use an external timecode
source to define a master and then follow from step 2. To
synchronize all your Tentacles to an external timecode.
Please note: We recommend to feed every recording device
with the timecode from a Tentacle to ensure frame accuracy
for the entire shoot.
9

MONITORING LIST
Once your devices have been added
to the list, you can check the most
important status information of each
unit at a glance. You will be able to
monitor the timecode with frame
accuracy, battery status, output level,
frame rate, Bluetooth range, name and
icon in this view.
If a Tentacle is out of Bluetooth range for a less than a minute,
the status and timecode of it will be maintained. If the app hasn’t
received any updates for more than 1 minute, the message will
be Last seen x minutes ago.
Depending on the physical distance of a Tentacle to your mobile
device, the unit information in the list will be highlighted. The
closer the Sync E gets to your mobile device the more saturated
the color will be.
Remove a Tentacle from the monitoring list
You can remove a Tentacle from the monitoring list by swiping
to the left (iOS) or long-pressing (more than 2 sec.) on the
Tentacle status information (Android).
10