These notes apply to the Gibson kits and to the Firefly 3 units. For the full version of the notes, see newsletter
As well as operating as a conventional slave unit, this unit can be programmed by the user to count the number of pluses from a flashgun and to fire a slave unit only after the required number of pulses has been detected. This means that it will work with digital cameras, whose internal flashguns often fire a double pulse, and with cameras that have a red-eye reduction facility that fires the built-in multiple times.
When the battery is first inserted, the unit powers up in the two pulse mode. It will fire the slave unit after the second flash pulse is detected.
To change the operating mode, press the Restart/Fire button, then the Mode button. This causes the slave unit to enter its Learning Mode.
In detail, this is what happens: Pressing Restart/Fire fires the slaved flashgun (useful as a test) and activates the slave unit. (There is no on/off switch, but pressing Restart/Fire has, essentially, switched the unit on. The red LED then blinks a number of times to report how many pulses the slave unit is currently programmed to receive. Next, the green LED lights for 8s to indicate that the unit has fired. During this period, if you press the Mode button, the unit will enter its Learning mode and the red LED will light to indicate this.
In Learning Mode, you now have three options:
The unit will count how many times you subsequently press the Mode button, and store this number in its memory, to use as the number of flash pulses it should count. If you pause for 3s, the unit will revert to standby and the red LED will go off.
Whilst the red LED is lit, fire your camera or flashgun. The unit will count the number of pulses - including any red-eye reduction pulses - and store this number. The unit stops counting pulses 1s after the last pulse has been received. It will then flash the red LED for 8s with the code that means 'flash pulses received but slave wad not fired'. The unit then reverts to standby.
If you do nothing when the unit is in Learning Mode then, after 15s, it will time out and set a Permanent Learning Mode. The green LED will flicker rapidly for 8s to indicate this mode and the unit will then revert to standby. In Permanent Learning Mode the unit counts the pulses from the flashgun on each shot and updates its internal memory so that it expects this number of pulses next time. It does this every time it receives a train of pulses - i.e. it learns from its past mistake each time it is used. To cancel Permanent Learning Mode, re-enter the Programming Mode and program the unit by one of the other methods.
When the slave unit has received some flash pulses, it reports whether there was the correct number to fire the slave unit (steady or rapidly flickering green), too few (flashing red) or too many (flashing green). In Permanent Learning Mode, the steady green is replaced by a rapidly flickering green. During the period of 8s whilst the status LEDs are lit, the mode button can be pressed to enter Learning Mode. After 8s the Leds go out and the unit reverts to standby. The slave unit cannot be re-triggered by a flashgun whilst the status LEDs are lit.
When the Restart/Fire button is pressed the red LED blinks a number of times to report how many pulses the slave unit is currently programmed to receive. Next, the green LED lights for 8s to indicate that the unit has fired. If the unit is is Permanent Learning Mode the steady green is replaced by a rapid flickering.
If, during the steady (or rapidly flickering) green that means 'unit fired', there is a short double red pulse repeated every 2s, this indicates that the battery is low and should be replaced. This warning also occurs when a new battery is first inserted - see the information sheet, which is part of the document Digital Slave Unit: Operating Notes for Version 4, see newsletter.
If the Mode button is held down whilst Restart is pressed and released, the unit enters a Delayed Fire mode. If this mode should be entered by accident, it can easily be cleared by pressing the Restart button. This will re-set the unit to the two pulse mode of detection. The delay is set from the number of flash pulses that the unit has been programmed to count. If the unit has previously been programmed to fire after N pulses then, when it is set to Delayed Fire mode, the delay will be 2^N ms.
Setting delays longer than N=8 (256ms) may causes unexpected results. Because the default setting for N is 2, the default delay is 4ms. Setting Delayed Fire Mode clears Permanent Learning Mode. Delayed Fire mode is cancelled by pressing the Restart/fire button. This will clear Delayed Fire mode and set the number of flash pulses to be counted to two.
When Delayed Fire mode is set, the status LEDs will give N double-flashes. To verify the delay, you should re-specify Delayed Fire mode by holding Mode whilst Restart is pressed and released. Simply pressing Restart does not allow you to verify the operating mode, because this action resets the mode to two pulse. See Digital Slave Unit: Operating Notes for Version 4, in newsletter.
See additional notes in Digital Slave Unit: Operating Notes for Version 4, see newsletter.