Ambient ACN-CL User Manual

TheLockit

ACN-CL

ACN

SYNC

Lockit

14:49:32:22

50P

18

Handbook

Safety Instructions

- READ CAREFULLY -

For your own safety and trouble-free use please observe the instructions below.
Always keep a copy and hand them out with the unit to other users.

This unit is exclusively intended for indoor use. Keep it safe and away from water, rain,

humidity and dry under all circumstances also when powered off . Never let water,

detergents or liquids of any kind get into the unit as this will cause risk of short circuits
and electrical hazard.

Keep distant from sources of heat and never expose to direct sunlight. Admissible
ambience temperature is from +5° to +50° Celsius.

Do not throw or expose to mechanical impact and keep it safe from hard vibrations.

Only use genuine accessories supplied by an authorized dealer. Always observe
integrity and the pertinent compatibility with all units connected to.

Do not perform software updates in situations the integrity of power supply cannot
be granted such as thunderstorms and remove connections to all devices directly or
indirectly connected to mains.

Only use certifi ed power sources compliant with Battery Charging 1.2 of the USB
standard to charge or power. On mains adapter, pay attention to the use of LPS
sources only in compliance to EN 62368-1. Disregard may cause battery damage and
risk of fi re.

When using the wireless connection place it centrally and keep it distant from sources
of possible interference such as microwaves or electrical devices with large metal
surfaces.

Never open the unit. Inappropriate and unauthorized access will void the warranty

and imply possible risk of harm to the user.

Dispose the unit following the legal requirements for recycling electronic equipment.

Knowing Your Lockit

1. ACN antenna, SMA RP 2.4GHz, keep attached to unit

2. RGB Status LED

3. OLED Display

4. TC & ACN Socket

5. TC & Sync Socket

6. Power Button

7. Red Button

8. Green Button

9. Battery Door, NP-50 Li-Ion type batteries only

10. USB-C socket

Powering Your Lockit

Only use certifi ed NP-50 compatible Li-Ion batteries
and power sources in compliance with USB BC1.2 and
EN 62368-1 for external power and charging.

Insert battery with key on lower side.

Connected to a USB source the internal NP-50 battery will
be charged in the unit while switched off and in operation.

Socket on Your Lockit

ACN

SYNC (yellow cable)

1

GND

GND

2

TC In

TC In

3

ACN TX

PPF Out

4

ACN RX

Sync Out

5

TC Out

TC Out

Connectors carry TC in and out as per industry standard,

plus sync on one and ACN metadata on the

other.

Accept Lemo FGG.0B.305 and compatible

push-pull plugs

Getting Started with Your Lockit

Although not necessary, it is recommended to download

LockitToolbox from ambient.de/en/downloads for Mac or

PC and make initial adjustments. Connect via the supplied

USB-C to A cable and click on “connect”.
Select the desired project frame rate, set the internal
RTC* to local time and load current date formatted either
DD.MM.YY.ED or MM/DD/YY.AD into userbits.

LNA** enhances reception at the cost of battery life.
You can also select to Auto Power on the unit with USB

power applied. Once on, you must power down manually.

Adjust LED brightness and TC Level (ACN port only).

* Real Time Clock, keeps approximate time of day (ToD) and date
** Low Noise Amplifi er

Operating Your Lockit

POWER BUTTON

Press and hold until LED lights green to start unit in

Standard Mode.

Hold 10s until LED

lights red to reset
unit to default.

In operation brief

press toggles

display on/off .

Press long to initiate
power down sequence.

RED AND GREEN BUTTONS

Press and hold green to start Master Mode, red to start
TRX Mode.

In operation: Hold green for 3 seconds to jam the genera-
tor and send out a jam signal over ACN (single jam in Stan­dard, repetitive in Master Mode).

Press both simultaneously to enter menu. Red decre-

ments, green increments parameter value. Press simulta-

neous again to confi rm and proceed.

Hold green and tap red to dim the LEDs.
Hold red and tap green to increase brightness. This can be

changed to altering TC level within LockitToolbox.

Operating Your Lockit

1. STANDARD MODE

Press & hold power

Regular setting for syncing

cameras and recorders.

The Lockit will start with muted

TC and Sync. To enable the generator with time of day,
press the green button on one unit for 3 seconds until the

green LED lights up twice. This will also jam other Lockits
and thanks to the unrivaled accuracy, this single jam will

suffi ce to run all of them frame sync over days. Additionally
you can select to shift the TC reference by 12 hours or start

at zero via the local menu.

2. MASTER MODE

Press & hold green, tap power

Same as Standard but the

jamming unit will repeat
the signal every couple of
seconds. This increases accuracy
to video line level and lets you add Lockits at any time or
replace batteries with automatic re-jam.

Note that only one Master must be active. If an active
Master is detected, the unit will fall back to Standard mode
and slave to the existing Master before you can set the

generator.

3. TRX MODE

Press & hold red, tap power

The Lockit follows an external
timecode source incl. frame
rate and transmits to other

units in TRX. This can be linear timecode on either 5-pin
input or MIDI timecode over USB-C. This mode is exclusive-

ly intended for playback applications or to remote roll a
suited recorder from e.g. a camera in record run.

As the source camera is not synced to the Lockit this is

NOT recommended for regular use.

Confi guring Your Lockit

Once started you can make all adjustments necessary

Tap red and green simultaneously: enter, confi rm, proceed.

in the fi eld via the graphical menu.

Red or green: decrease or increase parameter.

Parameters

1. Project Frame Rate (FPS). Options: 23.976, 24, 25,

29.97, 29.97 Drop, 30, 47.95, 48, 50, 59.94, 59.94 Drop,
and 60. Adjust to match your cameras setting, press

red and green simultaneously to accept and proceed.

Note: SMPTE TC only supports single rates, so a project rate of e.g.
50 will result in a 50 FPS sync but 25 FPS TC.

2. Sync Format. Options: off , i/PsF, P.*

3. ACN Channel. Options: 11 through 26, “off ”.

* more options through LockitToolbox

4. Generator Reference. Options: RTC, 12hrs off set, 00.

5. Apply Settings. Review changes to confi rm or discard.

Leave menu by tapping red and green simultaneously.

Sync and ACN channel will be persistent over a reboot
until reset or changed. The unit will always start with RTC
as reference. To check the current reference, briefl y tap

the green button. To set the generator, press and hold for

3 seconds. The Led will go from alternating blinking red/

green to green and TC will be running on the display.

Jamming the Generator

You can jam the generator either via cable, over ACN, or

using the internal reference.

Jam via cable: simply plug in a cable carrying timecode on
pin 2. The LED will light on green and start fl ashing after-

wards.

Jam from ACN: if a jam is received on the set ACN channel,

the unit will automatically jam to the source.

Jam to internal reference and send out ACN jams: press
and hold the green button for approx. 3 seconds until the
LED lights up green 2 times.

In standard mode, a single jam broadcast will be sent out,

so to jam other units these must be already switched on.

In Master, the jam will be repeated every couple of seconds
indicated by a green double blink. Slaves powered on later

will sync to the next jam broadcast.

A jammed generator will be indicated with LED fl ashing
green every second. Re-jamming via cable is prevented
until confi rmation, and when slaved to a master, units will
reject also ACN jams form other units than the Master.

Display

Toggle screen on/off with power button

1. Generator Timecode (dashes on output mute)

2. Project Frame Rate (FPS)

3. Video Sync Format (shows only when applied)

4. Local TC Output Off set (shows only when applied

5. TC output level (shows only when applied)

6. Unit ID (shows only when applied)

7. Active Mode. Blank: Standard, unslaved,

S: Standard, slaved to master, (S): Standard, Master lost
(M): Master, generator unset, M: Master, active

8. ACN Channel, dotted with active LowNoiseAmplifi er

9. Battery Level, alternates “Ext” with power over USB

ACN Channels

Specifi cation including channel assignment follows
IEEE 802.15.4 LR-WPAN Standard on 2.4GHz band.

The standard allows for friendly coexistence of

diff erent systems on the same channel.

Still, equivalent ARRI remote focus channels listed

to further help avoiding interference.

LED Blink Codes

Keeping Your Lockit up to Date (and Time)

Check ambient.de/en/downloads for fi rmware updates.

Your Lockit has an internal buff er battery for the RTC. It will
only deplete when the unit is off with no NP-50 loaded and

last you a long time. Once the Lockit doesn’t hold time it’s
time to replace.

First, get a CR2016 type battery. Remove NP-50 battery,

slightly losen the nut of the antenna socket by a half turn,

and remove the 4 Torx 6 screws on the back. Take off back
cover, and slide out the covering lid as per print. Replace

battery and reassemble in reverse order.

Warranty

Ambient Recording GmbH warrants against defects in materials and workmanship for
a period of ONE (1) year from date of original retail purchase. This is a non-transfer­able warranty that extends only to the original purchaser. Ambient Recording GmbH

will repair or replace the product at its discretion at no charge. Warranty claims due

to severe service conditions will be addressed on an individual basis. THE WARRANTY
AND REMEDIES SET FORTH ABOVE ARE EXCLUSIVE. AMBIENT RECORDING GMBH DIS­CLAIMS ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. AMBIENT RECORD­ING GMBH IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL
DAMAGES ARISING FROM ANY BREACH OF WARRANTY OR UNDER ANY OTHER LEGAL
THEORY. Because some jurisdictions do not permit the exclusion or limitations set

forth above, they may not apply in all cases.

For all service, including warranty repair, please refer to your original retailer. If not

applicable obtain a return authorization through the contact form on our website to
be included with the unit when sending in to the address next page.

Ambient Recording GmbH

Schleissheimer Str. 181c

DE - 80797 Munich

GERMANY

[phone] - 0

[e-mail]

www.ambient.de

rev. 1.0 © 2019, Ambient Recording GmbH