AMC-1
AMC-1
Active Motor Controller
Active Motor Controller
User Manual
User Manual
10.08.2015
10.08.2015
2 Imprint
Imprint
Copyright
Copyright © 2015 ARRI Cine + Video Geräte
Gesellschaft m.b.H. (ARRI). All rights reserved. No
portions of this document may be reproduced without
prior written consent of ARRI Cine + Video Geräte
Gesellschaft m.b.H. Specifications are subject to
change without notice. Errors, ommissions, and
modifications excepted.
ARRI, ALEXA, LDS and LENS DATA SYSTEM are
trademarks or registered trademarks of Arnold &
Richter Cine Technik GmbH & Co. Betriebs KG. All
other brands or products are trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective holders and should be
treated as such.
Original version.
For further assistance
ARRI Cine + Video Geräte Gesellschaft m.b.H.
Pottendorferstraße 23-25/3/2/1
1120 Vienna, Austria
E-mail: service@arri.com
www.arri.com
Scope
This instruction manual applies to the following
product: Active Motor Controller AMC-1 with Software
Update Package (SUP) 1.23 onwards.
Imprint 3
Revision history
Version ID Release Date
1.0 10001153 F05821 10.08.2015
4 Disclaimer
Disclaimer
Before using the products described in this manual be
sure to read and understand all respective instruction.
The ARRI Active Motor Controller AMC-1 is
only available to commercial customers. The
customer grants by utilization that the AMC-1 or
other components of the system are deployed for
commercial use. Otherwise the customer has the
obligation to contact ARRI preceding the utilization.
While ARRI endeavors to enhance the quality,
reliability and safety of their products, customers
agree and acknowledge that the possibility of defects
thereof cannot be eliminated entirely. To minimize
risk of damage to property or injury (including death)
to persons arising from defects in the products,
customers must incorporate sufficient safety measures
in their work with the system and have to heed the
stated canonic use.
ARRI or its subsidiaries do not assume any
responsibility for incurred losses due to improper
handling or configuration of the cforce mini lens motor
or other system components.
ARRI assumes no responsibility for any errors that
may appear in this document. The information is
subject to change without notice.
For product specification changes since this manual
was published, refer to the latest publications of ARRI
data sheets or data books, etc., for the most up-todate specifications. Not all products and/or types are
available in every country. Please check with an ARRI
sales representative for availability and additional
information.
Disclaimer 5
Neither ARRI nor its subsidiaries assume any liability
for infringement of patents, copyrights or other
intellectual property rights of third parties by or arising
from the use of ARRI products or any other liability
arising from the use of such products. No license,
express, implied or otherwise, is granted under any
patents, copyrights or other intellectual property right
of ARRI or others.
ARRI or its subsidiaries expressly exclude any
liability, warranty, demand or other obligation for
any claim, representation, or cause, or action, or
whatsoever, express or implied, whether in contract
or tort, including negligence, or incorporated in terms
and conditions, whether by statue, law or otherwise.
In no event shall ARRI or its subsidiaries be liable
for or have a remedy for recovery of any special,
direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages,
including, but not limited to lost profits, lost savings,
lost revenues or economic loss of any kind or for any
claim by third party, downtime, good-will, damage to
or replacement of equipment or property, any cost or
recovering of any material or goods associated with
the assembly or use of our products, or any other
damages or injury of the persons and so on or under
any other legal theory.
In the case one or all of the foregoing clauses are
not allowed by applicable law, the fullest extent
permissible clauses by applicable law are validated.
6 Contents
Contents
1 For your safety...................................................... 8
2 Audience and intended use............................... 11
3 Scope of delivery and warranty......................... 12
4 Introduction..........................................................13
5 Getting started.....................................................14
6 Layout...................................................................16
7 Control panel....................................................... 18
8 Home screen........................................................20
9 Main menu........................................................... 22
10 Radio menu..........................................................23
11 Motor menu..........................................................24
12 Compatibility........................................................25
12.1 Sample configuration................................ 26
Contents 7
13 Appendix.............................................................. 28
13.1 Antenna connector................................... 28
13.2 Specifications............................................28
13.3 Dimensions and weight............................ 30
13.4 Pinouts......................................................32
13.5 Software update....................................... 34
13.6 Cables and Accessories...........................37
13.7 Service contacts....................................... 38
13.8 International declarations......................... 40
8 For your safety
1 For your safety
Before use, please ensure that all users
comprehensively read, understand, and follow the
instructions in this document.
Risk levels and alert symbols
Safety warnings, safety alert symbols, and signal
words in these instructions indicate different risk
levels:
DANGER!
DANGER indicates an imminent hazardous
situation which, if not avoided, will result in death
or serious injury.
WARNING!
WARNING indicates a potentially hazardous
situation which, if not avoided, may result in
death or serious injury.
CAUTION!
CAUTION indicates a potentially hazardous
situation which, if not avoided, may result in
minor or moderate injury.
For your safety 9
NOTICE
NOTICE explains practices not related to physical
injury. No safety alert symbol appears with this
signal word.
Note: Provides additional information to clarify or
simplify a procedure.
Vital precautions
DANGER!
Risk of electric shock and fire!
Short-circuits may entail lethal damage!
Before use, read and follow all valid instructions.
Use solely and exclusively as described in the
instructions.
Never open. Never insert objects.
For operation, always use a power source as
indicated in the instructions.
Always unplug the cable by gripping the plug, not
the cable.
Never try to repair. All repair work should be done
by a qualified ARRI Service Center.
Never remove or deactivate any safety equipment
(incl. warning stickers or paintmarked screws).
Always protect from moisture, cold, heat, dirt,
vibration, shock, or aggressive substances.
10 For your safety
DANGER!
Risk of fire!
Short-circuits and back currents to power supplies/
batteries may entail lethal damage!
Always use original ARRI/cmotion LBUS cables
to external power sources (D-Tap, XLR)! ARRI/
cmotion LBUS cables to external power sources
provide a protection circuit to prevent back
currents to power supplies/batteries.
Audience and intended use 11
2 Audience and intended use
NOTICE
The product is solely and exclusively available for
commercial costumers and shall be used by skilled
personnel only. Every user should be trained
according to ARRI guidelines. Use the product
only for the purpose described in this document.
Always follow the valid instructions and system
requirements for all equipment involved.
The Active Motor Controller AMC-1 is solely and
exclusively for use on professional camera setups.
12 Scope of delivery and warranty
3 Scope of delivery and
warranty
NOTICE
Product and packaging contain recyclable
materials. Always store, ship, and dispose of
according to local regulations. ARRI is not liable
for consequences from inadequate storage,
shipment or disposal.
Delivery
On delivery, please check if package and content are
intact. Never accept a damaged/ incomplete delivery.
A complete delivery includes:
Active Motor Controller AMC-1
User manual
Original packaging
Warranty
For scope of warranty, please ask your local ARRI
Service Partner. ARRI is not liable for consequences
from inadequate shipment, improper use, or third-party
products.
Introduction 13
4 Introduction
The ARRI Active Motor Controller AMC-1 is a compact
motor controller with an LBUS interface that can
connect with up to three daisy-chained cforce motors.
It is designed for weight and size-critical setups such
as Steadicam or aerial camera drones.
14 Getting started
5 Getting started
This quick start guide walks you through setting up
the AMC-1 with one hand unit and three cforce mini
motors for wireless lens control.
Mounting on camera
Mount the AMC-1 on the camera, preferably in a
vertical position by using the L-Bracket, with the
antenna pointing upwards and the LBUS connector
pointing towards the lens. Such a position makes the
AMC-1 user interface easily accessable.
Powering up
Connect the AMC-1 to a power source with one of
the power cables listed on page 37. The AMC-1 will
power-up automatically when connected to the power
source.
Setting up motors
Attach a cforce mini motor for focus, iris and zoom to
the lens. Make sure the motor is properly mounted to
the respective lens axis and will not loosen up when
operated.
Use an LBUS cable to connect the AMC-1 (LBUS
connector) with the cforce mini motor next to it. Use a
second LBUS cable to connect a second cforce mini
motor with the first one in a daisy-chain manner. Do
the same for the third cforce mini motor.
Getting started 15
Assign the cforce mini motor to the lens scale it is
attached to (see the cforce mini user manual for
further instructions).
Press the CAL button of the AMC-1 Home screen or
hold the cforce mini setup button for three seconds to
calibrate the motors. You can also trigger calibration
from the hand unit.
Press the MOTOR button of the AMC-1 Home screen
to access the motor setup menu page. Set up the
motor mounting side and torque for the respective lens
axis. Side refers to the side of the lens the motor is
mounted to (on support rods underneath the lens).
Torque refers to the motor torque; a higher value
means higher torque.
Connecting to hand unit
Set the radio channel on the AMC-1. Press the RADIO
soft button on the Home screen and select a channel.
Press SET to activate the selected channel. Make sure
that the selected radio channel is not already in use
by another motor controller. Set the hand unit to the
same radio channel (see the hand unit’s user manual
for further instructions).
Once connected, the number of connected hand units
will change from 0 to 1 on the AMC-1 Home screen.
You are now ready to shoot.
16 Layout
6 Layout
1 Upper soft buttons
2 Setup display
3 Lower soft buttons
4 Swivel antenna
5 LBUS connector to cforce motors
6 LCS connector to hand units for hard-wired
operation
Layout 17
7 CAM connector to camera for REC start/
stop, tally and power supply
8 3/8-16 UNC mounting point
9 Micro SD card slot
18 Control panel
7 Control panel
The AMC-1 features a user interface enabling the user
to quickly configure the system. The 1.2” transflective
LCD display shows vital status information and is
easily readable in any ambient light conditions.
Soft buttons
Four soft buttons are located above and below the
display. They change their behavior depending on the
screen content. Two rows at the top and the bottom of
the screen show the function related to each button.
Buttons without a label have no function in that screen.
Control panel 19
Menu navigation
Use the UP and DOWN soft buttons to navigate
through the menu.
To access a new menu level, press the ENTER soft
button. To go back, press the BACK or the HOME soft
button.
Press SET to activate a setting.
20 Home screen
8 Home screen
The Home screen is the default screen. It shows the
current radio and motor status.
The Home screen provides four soft buttons:
CAL Press to calibrate cforce lens
MENU Press to enter main menu.
RADIO Press to select radio channel.
MOTOR Press to enter motor setup
The Home screen left side indicates the current radio
status. The first line on the left indicates the current
radio status as follows:
Off Radio modem is switched off.
Initial. Radio modem is initializing.
Ready Radio modem is initialized and
Blocked Another motor controller is al-
motors.
menu.
ready to connect.
ready using the currently selected channel. Select another radio
channel!
Home screen 21
The second line on the left indicates the currently
selected radio channel (0 - 7).
The third line on the left indicates the number of
currently connected handsets (0 - 3).
The Home screen right side indicates the current
status of the focus (F), iris (I) and zoom (Z) motors as
follows:
None No motor attached.
Idle Motor is not assigned to a control
Ready Motor is ready to use.
L, R Indicates to which side of the lens
device.
the motor is set (Left/Right).
NOTICE
A cforce motor must be calibrated under the
following conditions:
After connecting a cforce motor to the lens
After changing lenses
After a change of motor position while
powered down
22 Main menu
9 Main menu
The main menu contains parameters for the basic
AMC-1 and motor setup.
Backlight
Lets you set the backlight brightness of the LCD
screen. The brightness can be set from 0 (backlight is
off) to 10 (maximum brightness).
Firmware
Lets you perform a software update for the AMC-1.
Please read the update instructions on page 34.
cforce update
Lets you perform a software update for cforce motors.
Please read the update instructions on page 35.
System info
Select the System Info menu page to identify the
currently installed firmware version.
Radio menu 23
10 Radio menu
Press the RADIO button to enter the Radio menu
page. Use the UP and DOWN soft buttons to select
the radio channel or to switch the radio on and off.
Select the same channel both on the hand unit and the
AMC-1.
24 Motor menu
11 Motor menu
The motor menu lets you set up the cforce mini motors
connected to the AMC-1.
Axis
Use the AXIS button to select the motor (Focus, Iris or
Zoom) you want to set up for torque and side.
NOTICE
The axis assingment is done through the setup
button on the cforce mini motor itself.
Torque
Press TORQUE to set the torque level from 1 (lowest
torque) to 4 (highest torque).
Side
Press SIDE to select the side on which the motor is
mounted to the lens.
Compatibility 25
12 Compatibility
The AMC-1 is directly compatible with the following
ARRI products:
cforce mini lens motor
Wireless Compact Unit WCU-4
Single Axis Unit SXU-1
Zoom Main Unit ZMU-3A
Wireless Zoom Extension WZE-3 (white
radio)
Wireless Compact Unit WCU-3 (white radio)
Wireless Main Unit WMU-3 (white radio)
The AMC-1 is directly compatible with the following
cmotion products:
cforce (classic) lens motor
NOTICE
Setting the motor axis of a cmotion cforce (classic)
lens motor is not possible via AMC-1.
26 Compatibility
12.1 Sample configuration
Compatibility 27
NOTICE
Some cameras do not supply the AMC-1 with
enough power to drive three cforce motors at
the same time. In this case, you may supply
power from an additional power source through
the unused cforce motor LBUS connector (e.g.
K2.0006758 Cable LBUS to D-Tap 0.8m/2.5ft).
DANGER!
Risk of fire!
Short-circuits and back currents to power supplies/
batteries may entail lethal damage!
Always use original ARRI/cmotion LBUS cables
to external power sources (D-Tap, XLR)! ARRI/
cmotion LBUS cables to external power sources
provide a protection circuit to prevent back
currents to power supplies/batteries.
28 Appendix
13 Appendix
13.1 Antenna connector
The radio connection is established via the antenna
connected to the antenna connector. Do not leave
the connector open during operation or transport. The
radio module inside could be damaged by electrostatic
discharge via the open connector. We recommend
using the originally supplied antenna only.
13.2 Specifications
Electrical data
Supply Voltage: 12 V to 34 V
Current Consumption: 135 mA@12 V
Operating Temperature: -20 to +50 °C
DC (full motor
speed)
(radio on/ready)
70 mA@24 V
(radio on/ready)
(-4 to +122 °F)
Appendix 29
Radio system
The AMC-1 contains a radio unit that enables wireless
lens control and lens data communication with a white
coded radio module. A white ring at the base of the
antenna mount point identifies it. It offers 8 channels to
choose from:
Channel Frequency
0 2.410 GHz
1 2.415 GHz
2 2.430 GHz
3 2.435 GHz
4 2.450 GHz
5 2.455 GHz
6 2.470 GHz
7 2.475 GHz
White radio and legacy yellow radio cannot be mixed
in the same radio network of camera and hand units.
It is possible to use both systems in parallel within
different radio networks.
30 Appendix
13.3 Dimensions and weight
Dimensions
Appendix 31
Weight
Weight of Active Motor Controller AMC-1 (including
antenna): 173g/6oz
32 Appendix
13.4 Pinouts
LBUS connector
1 GND
2 CAN-L
3 V-BAT
4 CAN-H
LCS connector
1 GND
2 n.c.
3 CAN-L
4 CAN-H
5 V-BAT
Appendix 33
CAM connector
1 GND
2 V-BAT
3 RxD RS-232
4 TxD RS-232
5 ARRI R/S
6 RUN-SW2
7 ACAM
8 RUN-SW1
9 DAC-CAM
10 D-CAM
34 Appendix
13.5 Software update
AMC-1 software update
To keep your AMC-1 up-to-date, you may need to
update its firmware. Please check ARRI’s website for
the latest firmware packages. To update the device,
proceed as follows:
1 Go to the download area at www.arri.com/
ecs/amc-1.
2 Download the zip file containing
amc1_xxx.upd, with xxx being the release
version number.
3 Unzip the file.
4 Copy amc1_xxx.upd to the root directory of
a Micro SD card.
5 Insert the Micro SD card in the Micro SD
card slot of the AMC-1.
6 Select MENU>FIRMWARE. Update
information appears.
7 Press both UPDATE keys simultaneously to
start the update.
8 The AMC-1 will reboot after the update is
completed.
Appendix 35
WARNING!
Do not switch power off and do not remove the
Micro SD card during the update as this may
damage the AMC-1!
cforce mini software update
To keep cforce motors up-to-date, you may need to
update their firmware. The Active Motor Controller
AMC-1 offers cforce motor update functionality.
Please check ARRI’s website for the latest firmware
packages. To update a cforce mini motor via AMC-1,
proceed as follows:
1 Go to the download area at www.arri.com/
ecs/cforce_mini.
2 Download the zip file containing
cforce_xxx.cmf, with xxx being the release
version number.
3 Unzip the file.
4 Copy cforce_xxx.cmf to the root directory of
a Micro SD card.
5 Connect one cforce motor to the AMC-1
LBUS connector.
6 Insert the Micro SD card in the Micro SD
card slot of the AMC-1.
36 Appendix
7 Select MENU>CFORCE UPDATE. Update
information appears.
8 Select MAIN (DEFAULT) update mode.
9 Press UPDATE to start the update. The
cforce mini status LED will light blue during
the update. Wait until the message "Update
completed" appears on the AMC-1 screen.
10 Press HOME to return to the Home screen.
NOTICE
You can only update one cforce motor at a time.
WARNING!
Do not switch power off and do not remove the
Micro SD card during the update as this may
damage the cforce motor!
Appendix 37
13.6 Cables and Accessories
The following accessories are compatible with the
AMC-1:
K2.0001996 Swivel antenna for SMC-1 and
K2.0001606 Cable SMC/EMC/AMC to RS
K2.0002682 Cable SMC/EMC/AMC to D-Tap
K2.0001999 Cable SMC/EMC/AMC to LANC/D-
K2.0001997 Cable SMC/EMC/AMC to Sony
K2.0001998 Cable SMC/EMC/AMC to RED
K2.0002727 Cable SMC/EMC/AMC to PSC
K2.0002725 Cable SMC/EMC/AMC to open end
K2.0001967 L-Bracket
K2.0001758 V-Plate
EMC-1 Motor Controllers
Tap
F5/55
EPIC/D-Tap
38 Appendix
13.7 Service contacts
Munich, Germany
Arnold & Richter Cine
Technik
+49 89 3809 2121
service@arri.de
Business hours:
Mo. - Fr. 9:00 - 17:00
(CET)
London, Great
Britain
ARRI CT Limited
+44 1895 457 051
service@arri-ct.com
Business hours:
Mo. - Thu. 9:00 17:30
Fr. 9:00 - 17:00
(GMT)
Burbank, USA
ARRI Inc. West Coast
+1 877 565 2774
service@arri.com
Business hours:
Mo. - Fr. 8:15 - 17:00
(PST)
Vienna, Austria
ARRI Cine + Video
Geräte Ges.m.b.H.
+43 1 8920107 30
service@arri.at
Business hours:
Mo. - Fr. 9:00 - 17:00
(CET)
Milan, Italy
ARRI Italia S.r.l.
+39 (02)262 271 75
info@arri.it
Business hours:
Mo. - Fr. 9:00 - 18:00
(CET)
New York, USA
ARRI Inc. East Coast
+1 877 565 2774
service@arri.com
Business hours:
Mo. - Fr. 8:00 - 17:30
(EST)
Appendix 39
Mississauga, Canada
ARRI Canada Limited
+1 416 255 3335
service@arri.com
Business hours:
Mo. - Fr. 8:30 - 17:00
(EDT)
Beijing, China
ARRI China Co. Limited
+86 10 5900 9680
service@arrichina.com
Business hours:
Mo. - Fr. 9:00 - 18:00
(CST)
Hong Kong, China
ARRI Asia Limited
+852 2537 4266
service@arriasia.hk
Business hours:
Mo. - Fr. 10:00 18:30 (HKT)
Sydney, Australia
ARRI Australia Pty
Ltd
+61 2 9855 4305
service@arri.com.au
Business hours:
Mo. - Fr. 8:00 - 18:00
(AEST)
40 Appendix
13.8 International declarations
EC Declaration of Conformity
The product Active Motor Controller AMC-1 conforms
with the specifications of the following European
directives:
Directive 2014/30/EU of the European
Parliament and the Council of 26 February
2014 on the harmonization of the laws of the
Member States relating to electromagnetic
compatibility
Directive 1999/5/EU of the European
Parliament and the Council of 9 March 1999
on radio equipment and telecommunications
terminal equipment and the mutual
recognition of their conformity
Directive 2011/65/EU of the European
Parliament and the Council of 8 June 2011
on the restriction of the use of certain
hazardous substances in electrical and
electronic equipment
The compliance with the requirements of the European
Directives was proved by the application of the
relevant harmonized standards.
Appendix 41
FCC Class A Statement
Note: This equipment has been tested and found to
comply with the limits for a Class A digital device,
pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits
are designed to provide reasonable protection against
harmful interference when the equipment is operated
in a commercial environment. This equipment
generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency
energy and, if not installed and used in accordance
with the instruction manual, may cause harmful
interference to radio communications. Operation
of this equipment in a residential area is likely to
cause harmful interference in which case the user
will be required to correct the interference at his own
expense.
Industry Canada Compliance Statement
Complies with the Canadian ICES-003 Class A
specifications. Cet appareil numérique de la Classe A
est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada. This
device complies with RSS 210 of Industry Canada. Cet
appareil est conforme à CNR-210 d' Industrie Canada.
This Class A device meets all the requirements of the
Canadian interference-causing equipment regulations.
Cet appareil numérique de la Classe A respecte toutes
les exigences du Réglement sur le matériel brouilleur
du Canada.
Japan MIC Statement
Complies with Ministry of Internal Affairs and
Communications notification Article 88, Annex 43.
42 Appendix
Radio Module
The Active Motor Controller contains the following
radio module:
FCC ID: Y7N-EMIP300
IC ID: 9482A-EMIP300
MIC ID: 011-150023
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