AEO Photo Micro Pro 4.0 User Manual

Photo

AEO

NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY TRIGGERS™

Professional Lightning & Motion Activated Camera Shutter Triggers

AEO Lightning Strike! Pro Lithium Version 4.0

The AEO Lighting Strike! Pro is a Lightning Shutter Trigger. Enhancements in our “Pro” series triggers
include both a sensitivity over ride adjustment, as well as a locking hot shoe / tripod mount, rechargeable
Li-Ion battery usage and a built-in USB charging system.

BEFORE TESTING YOUR DEVICE READ THIS ENTIRE MANUAL, ESPECIALLY THE SECTION ON

“IMPORTANT BATTERY INFORMATION”.

IF YOUR TRIGGER SHIPPED FROM A DISTRIBUTOR AND YOU DID NOT RECEIVE A CABLE, OR YOU WERE
NOT OFFERED TO SELECT A CABLE AT TIME OF PURCHASE, PLEASE CONTACT AEO PHOTO AT

[e-mail]. WE WILL ASSIST YOU IN OBTAINING THE CORRECT CABLE FOR OUR CAMERA.

Lightning Mode:

Test your new device right out of the box: Set the mode switch to “Lightning”. Turn the power on. The

red LED will flash every time the device triggers. It’s normal for it to trigger once on power up. If it

continues to trigger, check for light sources leaking into the room. (If you cover the window of the

device with your hand, it should not trigger). Set off a camera flash (using another camera or a flash

attachment). The flash should trigger the device.

Manual adjustment of the sensitivity is accomplished by adjusting the “trim screw” accessible on the left

side of the device (looking from above). The port in the aft position is the sensitivity adjustment. (The

“forward port” is your cable connection). The Sensitivity Trim is a SINGLE TURN adjustment. CAUTION:

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FORCE THE ADJUSTMENT BEYOND IT’S MECHANICAL STOPS. DOING SO MAY

DAMAGE THE SENSITIVITY ADJUSTMENT. Use a small jewelers screwdriver standard or Phillips) to

make the adjustments. Full CLOCKWISE sets the sensitivity at 120% of the factory set point. Full

COUNTER CLOCKWISE sets the sensitivity at 20% of the factory set point. We recommend for most

situations to use the normal set point which is approximately ¼ turn CCW from the full sensitivity point.

Other photography scenarios may dictate different settings at the professional photographer’s

discretion.

Photographic Capture of Lightning: The device triggers on the first bolt it detects. Your camera shutter

mechanism is not fast enough to catch that first bolt, but fortunately, most bolts are followed by many
more. Thus, you want to have the camera shutter open for a fairly long time to capture those subsequent
bolts (we’ve used 10 seconds with good results).
Photographing Lightning is as much Art as it is Science. Getting the right conditions and settings can be

challenging, and some folks have a better knack for it than others. But to get you started, here are some
basic “recommendations”:

1. The camera should be mounted on a tripod. You want it stable during the exposure.

2. Mount the device in your camera’s hot shoe mount with the red semi-clear window facing the
direction you are photographing. Insert the supplied plug into your camera remote shutter
interface.

3. Point the camera at the storm or in the direction you see lightning activity.

4. Set your Auto Focus feature to OFF or Disable.

5. Set the focus to infinity. (If the lightning is closer than that, you’re too close to it!!!)

6. We’ve found that when photographing lightning at night, an f-stop of 5.6 works well.

7. Shutter speed should be long, example around 10 seconds. (This won’t work during the day. For
daytime shots, don’t exceed 1 second and you’ll need a smaller aperture/ larger f-stop as well).

8. Turn the lightning trigger device power on FIRST before you power up the camera. (When the

POSITIVE POLARITY SIDE

NEGATIVE POLARITY SIDE

trigger is first tuned on, it will trigger once on power up . . . not a big deal for digital photography,
but if you use film, you’ll lose one frame.)

9. Avoid using your cell phone near the device while it’s operating. Your lightning shutter trigger is
a sensitive device and can be triggered inadvertently by strong, nearby RF transmissions.

IMPORTANT BATTERY INFORMATION: The LS 4.0 Lithium Series Triggers are designed to operate with a

single Li-Ion 14500 3.7V rechargeable battery ONLY. Using any other type of battery may cause damage

to the charging system (PRO Models) and the battery itself.

In accordance with postal regulations regarding the shipment of Li-Ion batteries, your AEO LS 4.0 Trigger

is shipped with a partially depleted rechargeable Li-Ion 14500 battery. Before using your device, ensure

the battery has been completely charged. Once charged, the device is designed to operate for over 180

hours continuously on a single charge.

Pro Models are equipped with a built in Li-Ion battery charger that derives power from any USB source

via a Micro-B USB connector on the RIGHT side of the device. When powered via USB, the USB LED

indicator is ORANGE during a charge cycle, GREEN when the charge cycle is complete. Additionally, the

unit can be operated while USB power is connected, even if there is no battery present or the battery is

completely depleted.

INSTALLING NEW BATTERY: AEO RECOMMENDS THAT YOU NEVER OPEN THE BATTERY

COMPARTMENT ON OUR PRO MODELS. THE BUILT-IN CHARGER NEGATES THE NEED TO REMOVE THE

CELL FOR CHARGING. IF THE CELL IS REMOVED AND RE-INSERTED REVERSE POLARITY, THE DEVICE

WILL BE DAMAGED AND NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY.

IF YOU BELIEVE THE BATTERY HAS BECOME DAMAGED OR IS NO LONGER CHARGEABLE, YOU CAN SEND

YOUR UNIT BACK TO AEO FOR BATTERY REPLACEMENT, OR YOU CAN ATTEMPT TO CHANGE THE

BATTERY YOURSELF, BY FOLLOWING THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW, MAKING SURE THAT THE POLARITY IS

CORRECT BEFORE PLUGGING IN A USB POWER SOURCE.

INSTALLING NEW BATTERY: The Li-Ion 14500 battery is accessible via a slide out battery compartment

cover on the bottom of the device as shown below:

Take note of the polarity of the battery, and ensure that the replacement battery is inserted correctly.