Cactus DICFLAWFTV6 User manual

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User Ma nual

Wireless Flash Transceiver V6

Table of Contents

1. Getting to K now the Cactus V6 4

2. Cautions a nd Warni ngs 7

3. Major Specif icatio ns 8

4. Package Contents 9

5. Nomenclature 10

6. L CD Panel 12

7. Co mp atibi lity 13

8. TTL Pass-through 17

9. Getting Started 19

10. Flas h Prof ile: 29 Choosin g, Learni ng, and Copying

11. Flash Tr iggerin g 37

12. Re mote Manual Power Control 39

13. Camer a Shutter Release 49

14. Advanced Operations 54

15. Personalizing the V6 59

16. Working with Cactus Gear 63

17. LED Sign al Guide 68

18. USB Connection 69

19. Optional Accessories 71

20. Troubleshooting 72

21. Notices 78

22. Wa rra nty 81

1. Getting to Know the Cactus V6

Tha nk you for purch asing the Cactus Wireless Flash Tra nsceiver V6. The Cactus V6 i s a m u lt if u n c ti o n a l w ir e l ess  a s h transceiver that allows yo u to comm and

different bra nds’ ashes off ca mera with

remote p ower control. You can p osition your lights at an y angle, direction, and distance — the p ossibilities are endless!

1.1

Special Features

1. Wireless manual po wer control of a list of current a nd previous Ca non, Nikon,

a n d Pen t a x  a s hes .

2. Fla sh prof ile lea rni ng for a nalogue-TTL

a sh es.

3. Fu ll manipulation of power levels to

1/10, 1/3, 1/2 and 1EV steps.

4. Lo Power mo de f ires the ash for extrem ely short length s of time.

5. Abs olute Power Mode bench marks th e power

output of different  ash models to the

same light intensity.

6. TTL pass-through with Can on, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax, and Fujif ilm via one single unit.

7. Built-i n optical trigger ena bles

pre-ash triggeri ng.

8. Gr oup control allows you to control up to four groups.

9. Relay mode triggers the ca mera shutter

a n d  a sh i n sy nc .

10. Delay tim er is conf igura ble from 1 millisecond to 10 seconds.

11. Mi ni- US B port for optional power supply and f irmware up dates.

1.2

Cactus V6 Core

Each ash model has its in dividual power

level characteristics. We have prof iled more

than 30 popular ash models across a wide

ran ge of brands so that the V6 can precisely control their output levels. With this unique featu re, photographer s can rem otely control the  ash power of various  ash models, even of different brands!

F or  a s h m o d el s t h at h a v e n ot b e e n i n cl u d e d

in the prof ile list, the V6 can still work

with it by learning its a sh prof ile. Check S e ct io n 7.1.3 for d e t ai l s of w h i c h  a s he s are eligible for the ash prof ile learning

pro gr am.

Whether built-in or obtained fr om the

learni ng prog ram, the ash prof ile stored i n the V 6 c a n v irt u a l l y c o m m a n d t he  a s h t o

produce A NY power level within the m aximu m

o ut p u t, a n d e v en e xc e e d s w h at t h e  a s h m enu

allows you to do:

1. Finer increment scales: The V6 can

adjust the power level of ash to 1/10 EV

step, a much f i ner increment level than t he  a s h m e n u it s el f a l lo w s (s e e Section 12.3 for setting up the EV step).

2. Extre mely short f irin g time: In Lo Power

mode, the V6 can f ire  ashes for ver y

short leng ths of time at extremely low

power levels (rou ghly e qual to 1/256), which is beyond the sta ndard ash power r a n g e (s e e S ect io n 1 2.4 f o r e n a bl i n g t he

Lo Power output).

3. Unif ied power level scale for different

 a s h m o d el s: T h e V 6 b enc h m a r k s t he lig ht intensity output of different ash

models in your set up and co mmands them to f ire at the same power scale (see Section 12.2 for ad justing absolute p o w er).

Ready to g o? Let’s get on boa rd and see what the V6 can do!

2. Cautions and Warnings

Before using your V6, read th e following safety precautions to en sure correct and sa fe u se:

1. T urn OFF all your equipment (e.g., Cactus units, ash u nits, ca meras, etc.) before

chan ging batteries or ma king conne ctions. Observe the correct polarity when cha ngin g batteries. There is a dan ger of explosion if the batteries are installed incorrectly.

2. Switch off the transceiver and r emove batteries durin g storage.

3. Do not per manently store the product in

a hig h temper ature environment (i.e.,

under strong direct sunlight, near cooking stoves/oven).

4. The Cactus V6 sh ould never be submer ged in liquid or exposed to heav y rain u nless it is properly protected.

5. Do not operate the device in the prese nce

of  a m m a bl e g a s es o r f u m e s.

6. Do not disse mble.

7. Do not cru sh and do not ex pose the V6 to any shock or force such as ha mmering, dropping, or stepping on it.

3. Major Speciﬁcations

• Working radio fr equency: 2.4 GHz

• Num ber of channels: 16

• Num ber of groups: 4

• Support sync speed up to 1/1,000 second (subject to camera’s sync spe ed

limitation)

• Maximum effective distance: 100 meters

• Operatin g temper ature: -20°C to +50°C

• Camera voltage ha ndling: up to 6V

• Flash voltage h andlin g: up to 300V

• Dimensions: 72m m (L ) x 72m m (W ) x 42 m m ( H)

• Weight: 68g

• Power input: 2 x A A battery, 3V, 50mA,

0.15W; mini USB 2.0, DC input 5V, 500mA~1A

• Estimated battery life:

Batter y life

(h ou rs)

LCD Backlight Off 40 21 67 34

LCD Backlight On 25 17 36 25

Alkaline AA Batterie s 1000mAh

TX RX TX RX

Rechargeable

Ni M H A A

Batterie s 2500m Ah

4. Package Contents

Flash Stand FS-2V6 Transceiver

Album &

User Ma nual

TEST BUTTON/

SHUTTER RELEASE

BUTTON

OPT ICAL

SENSOR

GROUP BUT TONS

5. Nomenclature

MU LT I-S YST EM

SHOE (FEMA LE)

M OD E S W I TC H

LCD DISPLAY

X-SYNC PORT

MINI USB PORT

LANYARD LOOP

TRIPOD MOUNT

BATTERY DOOR

MU LT I-S YST EM

SHOE (MAL E)

LED STAT US INDICATOR

HOT SHOE

LOCK LEV ER

OK BUTTON

MENU BU TTON

SEL ECTIO N DIAL

6.1

TX mode

6. LCD Panel

BATTERY

IN DICATOR

GROUP

6.2

RX mode

CHANNEL

BATTERY

IN DICATOR

CHANNEL

POWER LE VEL

GROUP

DELAY T IMER REL AY MODE

POWER LE VEL INCREM ENT

IN DICATOR

SELECTE D FLASH PROFILE

WIRELES S

SENSITIVITY

SL AVE M ODE IN DICATOR

7. Compatibility

The Cactus V6 is both a wir eless ash trigger a nd wireless re mote control. While

it triggers both portable  ashes a nd studio

strobe lig hts, it also supports r emote

c ont r ol f e a tu r e s w ith s e le c t e d  a s h m o d el s.

7.1

Flash & Studio Strobes

7.1.1 Cactus RF60

With the built-in Cactus V6 module, the Cactus RF60 can b e remotely com mand ed and

trigger ed by V6 T X (see Section 16.1.1).

7.1.2 Flash M odels w ith a Pre- insta lled Prof i le in the Cac tus V6

The Cactus V6 ca n remotely control the

fol low i n g p o r t abl e  a sh m o d e l s:

FLASH SYSTEM FLASH MO DEL

CANON CACTUS AF45C, AF50C;

NIKON CACTUS A F45N, A F50N;

PENTA X CACTUS AF45P, A F50P;

* prof iles workin g with different versions of the

m od e l (e.g ., 58 0E X I I a n d 580 E X)

7.1.3 Flash Models with Analogue TTL Mode

The Cactus V6 ca n learn the prof iles of

other ash models that come with a n analogue

TTL mode, i.e., the TTL o perated an alogue

q u en c h s ig n als . If y our  a s h e s c o m e w it h a

TTL mo de that does not have a n initial

b ef o r e TT L (e .g ., E -TT L o r E - TTL I I f r o m

CANON 320EX, 420EX, 430EX*, 430EZ, 540EZ, 580EX*, 600EX-RT; GO DO X V 860 C; ME TZ 36A F-5, 44A F-1, 50 AF-1, 52A F-1, 58AF-1, 58AF-2; NISSIN Di866 MAR K II, MG8000;

PHOTTIX MIT ROS;

SIGMA EF-500 DG SUPER; YONGNU O YN568EX*;

METZ 36AF-5, 44AF-1, 50AF-1, 58AF-2; NIKON SB-24, SB-28, SB-600, SB-700, SB-800, SB-900, SB-910; NISSIN Di700, Di866; SIGMA EF-530 DG SUPER;

METZ 36AF-5, 44AF-1, 50AF-1, 58AF-2; PENTAX A F 360FGZ, AF 540FGZ;

Canon, i-TTL or i-TTL BL from Nikon, or

P-TTL from Penta x), their  ash prof iles ma y

be learn ed and re motely controlled by the Cactus V6.

7.1.4 Other Flash Models and Studio Strobes

The Cactus V6 triggers all other ash models

via the hot shoe, and studio strobes with the PC sync m ale port, 3.5mm or 6.35mm por t

v ia o p tio n a l c a bl e s (s e e S ec t io n 19). T h i s includes high trigger voltage portable ash

models, and all stro be models with a trigger voltage of 300V or under. The Cactus V6 does not provide re mote power control of these

 a s he s a n d s tr o b e s.

Cau tion:

Flashes or strobes with reversed polarity conne ctors DO NOT WORK with the Cactus V6.

7.2

Cameras

The Cactus V6 works w ith practically all

camer as that come with either (1) a stan dard ISO h o t s h oe, o r (2) a f e m a le s y n c p o r t

connection.

To use the V6 as a wireless shutter release, specif ic shutter cables are req uired. For the list of optional accessories, see Sec tio n 19.

7.3

Flash Triggers

7.3.1 C actus V 5 and LV5

The Cactus V6 is com patible with the Wireless Flash Tra nsceiver V5 and Laser Trigger LV5. See Section 16.2 for deta ils.

7.3.2 Other Flash Triggers

The Cactus V6 is NOT co mpatible with any

other ash trigger model, includin g the

Cactus V2, Cactus V2s, and Cactus V4.

8. TTL Pass-through

The V6 tran sceiver comes with a multi-system shoe that supports TTL pass-through.

While the V6 does not transmit TTL sig nal wirelessly, it is designe d to pass TTL

signal from camera to ash via the transmitter (TX) and vice versa.

The multi-system shoe supports TTL pass-throu gh of Canon, Fu jif ilm, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, and Pentax syste ms.

Make sure that ca mera and ash unit belong

to the same TTL system.

Wit h T T L p a ss - throu g h, t h e T T L  a she s behave as th ey would when dir ectly conne cted to the camera hot shoe. The V6

will work a s a wireless ash commander while s upp o r tin g a ll t h e a uto m a tic f e at u r e s (e. g., automatic ash output via TTL m etering,

AF assist light, second cu rtain sync, hig h speed sy nc/FP shutter) provided by the TTL

ash system.

To enable TTL pass-throug h in the V6 TX,

press and hold for 2 seconds. The LCD will show the T TL pass-throu gh indicator at the left bottom corner where the chan nel indicator used to be.

In TTL pa ss-throug h mode, the V6 TX cannot control the p ower level of the  ash attached.

To disable the TTL p ass-throug h mode, press and hold for 2 seconds. The T TL passthrou gh indicator will be replaced by the chan nel indicator on the LCD.

9.1

Installing the Batteries

9.2

Attaching to and Detaching from th e Camera

9. Getting Started

Open the battery door by pushi ng it backwa rd. Flip open the latch and i nsert two AA batteries using the correct polarities. Then close the battery door by pushin g it to th e f ro nt.

UNLOCK

To mount the V6 on a camera’s hot shoe mount:

1. Turn the lock lever of the V6 to the left

t o u n l oc k t h e m u lt i- sys t e m s hoe ( m a le ).

2. Slide the V6 into the ca mera’s hot shoe.

LOCK

3. Turn the lock lever of the V6 to the right to lock the multi-syste m shoe

(m a l e).

4. Whe n detaching the V6 from the ca mera’s hot shoe, turn the lock lever to the left

t o u n l oc k t h e m u lt i- sys t e m s hoe ( m a le ). Otherwise, the multi-system shoe (male)

may be damaged.

Note: A t ta c h y o u r a s h t o the V 6 a s y ou

would to the ca mera’s hot sho e. If your ash

is not locked secur ely on the Multi-System

S hoe ( fe m a l e), t r y h a lf -l ock i n g t h e a s h a n d

retracting it slightly from the Multi-System Shoe until the locking pin hits the pinhole.

T h en loc k y o u r  ash f u l l y t o t he V6 .

9.3

Buttons and Dial

The V6 control pa nel is equipped w ith a Menu button , an OK button , and a selection di al for quick access to different functions and the conf iguration me nu.

The selection dial has a built-in pu sh-in button that serves as a quick OK button. You

may conf ig ure how the dial works to suit

y our w o r k i n g h a bi t. (s e e S e cti o n s 15.1 -

15 .3).

Major functions of the V6 listed below ar e easily accessible by the buttons a nd dial.

Group Control (see Section 9.6)

Function Mode LC D Key

Select a grou p

(e. g., g r o u p A)

for adju sting

para meters (power

level / zoom)

Deselect a gro up

(e. g., g r o u p A)

Tur n on / off

a g r ou p (e .g .,

gr ou p A)

Test f irin g a

g r ou p ( e.g .,

gr ou p A)

Group EV Offset in absolute pow er

m o de ( e.g ., to

gr ou p A)

Chan ge the RX to anoth er grou p

(e. g., t o g r o up A )

* H ol d = Pr e s s a nd ho ld th e bu t to n fo r 2 s e c on d s,

th en r ele ase.

Main screen, when the grou p is not selected

Main screen, when the grou p is selected

Main screen,

when the grou p is not selected

Main screen

Main screen, in ab solute power mo de

Main screen

Hold*

Adjusting Power Level a nd Zoom (see Sections

12.1 an d 16.1)

Function Mode LCD Key

Adjust p ower level of all group s

Adjust p ower level of a single gr oup

(e. g., g r o u p A)

Adjust p ower level

of t h e Ma s te r  a sh

Quick power adju stment

Z oo m (C a ct u s) m o d e (ne eds

conf ig uration in menu beforehand)

N av i g a ti n g t h e M enu ( se e S e c ti o n 9.7)

Function Mode LCD Key

Enter the men u

Browse through menu items a nd optio ns

Choose a m enu item or op tion

Leave the me nu Menu

TX / RX

Main screen

Hold , then

TTL Pa ss-through / Flash L ock (see

Sections 8 and 10.1)

Function Mode LCD Key

Enter / leave TTL pass-through mode

Unlock the slave

ash

Main screen

D ia l L o c k (s e e S ect io n 15 .2)

Function Mode LCD Key

Lock the dia l

Temp orarily unlock the d ial

Unlock the dial Main screen,

Main screen, when the dial is un locked

Main screen, when the dial

is locke d

when the dial is locke d

Fir m w a r e (s e e S e ct ion 1 8. 2)

Function

Check f irmw are versio n

Firmw are update mode

Mode

Hold + and swit ch on to TX or RX m ode

OFF

Hold and switch on to TX or RX mo de

Key

Hold

9.4

Choosing the Operating Mode

The Cactus V6 is a wir eless transceiver that is capable of transmitti ng and r eceiving radio signals. Set the V6 transceivers to

the corr ect mode (transmitter to “TX”, receiver to “R X”) by sliding the mode switch

to the corre ct position. This will automatically pow er on the transceivers.

9.5

Setting the Channel

The Cactus V6 tra nsceivers commu nicate with each other via ra dio frequency. T here are 16 chan nels available. Always make sure that all of your V6 tran sceivers are set to the same channel:

1. To set both TX a nd RX to the sa me chan nel, press . The L CD will show <CH A N N E L > a n d t he d ef a u lt c h a n n e l number. P ress an d turn the selection dial to the preferr ed chan nel number. Press to set other menu items or press

to exit.

2. The selected ch annel nu mber will be displayed on the LCD screen.

9.6

Setting and Selecting the Group

The gr oup function in the V6 ca n assign R Xs into Group A, B, C, or D, a nd allows you to

choose which group(s) to f ire from the TX

u nit.

1. All V6 transceivers must be set to the same channel.

2. Assign R X units to Groups A, B, C, or D by pressing one of the group buttons. Each RX can only be assigned to ONE gr oup. The LED of the selected g roup will tur n on.

3. Com mand the T X to f ir e any combination of groups by pr essing the gr oup

button(s). You ca n f ire a ny combination

of A, B, C, and D g roups. The LED of the

a ct iv a t e d g r o u p(s ) w i ll t u r n o n.

4. To cha nge the pow er level of a specif ic grou p, press and hold an activated group button. Quickly pressin g the group button agai n will de-select the group.

5. Pressing the group button(s) of activated

grou ps again on th e V6 TX will turn off

t he g r o u p (s). T h e V6 R X u n it s t h at h a v e b e en s e t t o the o f f g r o u p(s ) w i ll n o t

f i re.

6. T he V6 will memorize the g roup selection

in both TX a nd RX when it is switched of f. Next time you switch on the V6 it

will start up w ith the saved setting.

9.7

Navigating the Menu

There a re a number of conf ig urable menu options in the V6.

To chan ge a menu option:

1. Press to bring up the f irst m enu ite m.

2. Dial right or left to scroll throu gh each me nu it em.

3. Press or push-in button once to access a menu item.

4. Dial right or left to scroll throu gh each option of a menu item.

5. Press or push-in button once to select the option. The conf iguration of the menu item will ch ange i mmediately.

6. Press to leave and go back to the main screen, or dial rig ht or left to the next item in the sequence.

Menu item Option

CHANNEL 1-16 √ √

OPT ICAL SLAV E OFF

REL AY OFF

DELAY OFF

Lo POWER OFF

POWER M ODE RELATIVE

EV STEP 1/10

FLASH SETUP SKIP

COPY FLASH

SETUP CHOOSE PROFILE MANUAL

GROUP SEQU ENCE OFF

SUB-MENU PRESS OK TO SE T √ √

S1 FIRST FLASH

S 2 M A IN F L A SH

SET

ABSOLUT E

1/3 1/2

COPY PROFILE START LEARNING

SKIP START

CANON NIKON PENTA X LEARNED*

A-B-C-D AB-CD

Applicable modes

TX RX

√ √

√

√ √

√

*when availa ble

√

The following conf iguration items ar e

grouped under the “sub-m enu”.

Sub-menu item Option

L CD B A CK L IG H T OFF

SLEEP OFF

DIAL DIREC TION CLOCKWISE

SWAP CONTROL QUICK POWER A DJ

WORKING RANGE LONG

FACTORY RESET NO

5 SECS 15 S EC S STAY ON

15 M IN S 60 MINS

ANTI-CLOCKWISE

ZOOM (CACTUS)

SHORT

YES

10. Flash Proﬁle: Choosing,

Learning, and Copying

The V6 transceiver com mands ashes to f ir e at a particular output via ash prof iles.

There a re three w ays to obtain the correct

ash prof iles:

1. Choose fr om the pre-installed ash

prof iles i n the V6.

2. L earn a custom ash prof ile using the V6.

3. Copy the learned prof iles from a nother V6.

10.1

Choosing the Flash Proﬁle from th e V6

Choose the appropriate ash prof ile from the

pre-installed prof ile list for each V6 RX

y ou w i l l u se w it h y o u r  a s h.

1. Switch on the V6 in R X mode.

2. Press , a nd then tur n the selection dial to <CHOOSE PROFILE>. Press .

3. Turn the selection dial until the LCD

s how s y o u r  a s h s y st e m (e .g ., <CA N O N >).

Press .

4. Turn the selection dial until the LCD

s how s y o u r  a s h m o d el (e.g ., <58 0 EX* >).

Press .

5. Connect the ash unit to the V6. Switch y our  a s h t o T T L m o de a n d y our  a s h w i ll

be read y for remote control. The chosen

ash prof ile will be applied until you choose another ash prof ile.

In case you wish to f ir e and control a n

on-cam era master ash via the V6 TX, follow

steps 2-4 above in TX m ode to choose the

appropriate ash prof ile for the master a sh.

Note:

Once the ash prof ile has taken control of t he  a s h , it m a y loc k u p t he c ont r ol p a n e l of s o m e N iko n  a s h m o d el s. I f y o u w i sh t o a d ju s t t he s et tin g o n y o u r  a s h w h ile

conne cted to the V6, you may un lock the

ash temporarily.

In RX mo de, press and hold

2 s eco n d s. T h e L C D s cr e e n w i ll s h o w <FL A S H U N L O CK E D > i n st a n t ly. T h e a s h w ill b e

locked again upon subse quent triggering.

In TX mode, press a nd hold 2 seconds, which activates the TTL pa ssthrou gh mode. This will a lso unlock the

a sh.

for

10.2

Learning a Custo m Flash Proﬁle

If y o u r  a s h m o de l s a r e n ot i n c lu d e d i n

the pre-installed prof ile list but support

A n a lo g u e T T L , u s e t he V6 t o l e a r n the  a s h prof iles. Make sure that you r ashes are eligible for the V6  ash prof ile lear ning prog r a m (s e e S ect io n 7.1 .3).

1. Switch on one of your V6s in RX mode.

2. S et up your ash on the V6 multi-system shoe (female). Position the V6 together w it h y o u r  a s h f aci n g a w h it e, m a t te

surface at a distance of 1 meter in a dark environment.

FLASH

V6 RX

WHITE SURFACE

3. Press and then tu rn the selection dial to <FLASH SETUP>. Press .

4. Turn the selection dial to <START

LEAR NING>. Press a ga in.

5. Choose the correct ash system.

Press .

6. T he LCD screen will show <SET FLASH TO T T L M OD E >, w it h t h e o pt ion < G O > b ei n g

selected.

7. Set your  ash to the TTL mode and the

maxi mum zoom level. Press .

8. T he V6 will test f ire the ash twice an d determi ne whether the ash is eligible for t h e  a sh lea r n i n g p r o g r a m. I f t h e  a s h i s n ot e l i g ib l e, t h e L C D s cr e e n w i ll show <FLASH LEAR NING NOT SUPPORTED>.

Ti ps: There is a chance that the distance

b et w e e n t h e  a s h an d t h e r e ec t iv e s u rfa c e

is too short or to o long. Relocate the

ash as specif ied in step 2. Also make s u r e t h at y o u h ave c h o s en t he c o r r e ct  a s h

system in step 5.

9. If the ash is eligible for the learni ng

progr am, the LCD screen w ill show <SET

MAX GN> and the default number 45. Turn

the selection dial until the LCD screen

shows the maxi mum g uide number (in meters) of your  ash. Press .

10. The LCD screen will then show <SET

M A N UAL 1/ 2> w it h a h i g h li g h t e d o pt i on <GO>. S w it c h y o u r  a s h to M a n u al m o de

at 1/2 power and press . The V6 will

trigger your ash a few times as it le a r n s , wh i le s h o w i n g <L E A R N I N G 1/2 > o n

the LCD scree n.

11. Once the program h as f i nished lear ning 1/2 power, the LCD will then s how <SET

M A N UAL 1/ 4>. T h e p r o ced u r e w i l l r e p eat

until the program has f inished learning to 1/128 power.

12. If your  ash does not support a particular p ower level, turn the dial to <SKIP> and then press . T he program will skip learning that power level and go to the nex t level. The mor e power levels that have been lea rned, the more accurate the lea rned prof ile will be.

13. Once the V6 has f inishe d f iring the ash i n the s t e p < SE T M A N U A L 1/1 28 >, t h e L C D s cr e e n w i ll s h o w <BA C K T O T T L M O DE >. C h a n g e t h e  a s h m o d e to T T L a n d pres s

. The V6 will then f ine tune differe nt

power levels and f ir e t h e  a s h ma n y times for approx imately 2-3 minutes.

14. When th e learnin g is f in ished, the LCD

s cr e e n w i ll s h o w <FL A S H P ROF I L E N A M E>.

Enter a prof ile name with 1-6 letters or numbers. Please enter a unique prof ile nam e that has not been u sed in other custom prof iles. Turn the selection dial to choose f rom A-Z and 0-9 and pr ess for every cha racter selected.

15. Then the L CD screen will show <PROFILE SAVED>. T he ash prof ile lear ning is com pleted.

To choose the saved ash prof ile fro m the

prof ile list, see Section 10.1. All custom

prof iles will be stored under the ash s yst e m <LE A R N E D > i n t he < C H O OS E P R OFI L E >

me nu.

E ach V 6 c a n s av e u p t o 15 c u st o m  a s h prof iles from the lea rning progra m. The

deviations of the light output f rom the theoretical values sh ould be less than

0.2 E V.

No te s:

1. Not all ash prof iles can be lear ned by

the V6 even thou gh they mig ht fulf ill the requirements provided in S e ct i o n 7. 1.3 .

2. Always install fresh batteries to the

ash when sta rting the ash prof ile

lea rn ing.

10.3

Copying Custom Flash Proﬁles

Once you have f inis hed learni ng a num ber of

ash prof iles with one V6, you may co py all the custom ash pr of iles to other V6 units.

1. Set all the V6 units to the same cha nnel.

2. Pick out the V6 source unit containin g

all the lea rned  ash prof iles that you

wish to copy to other V6 units. Switch it on in TX mode. Press , an d turn the selection dial until the LCD shows <COPY

FLASH SETUP>. Press , a nd turn the selection dial to <START>. Press

again. The LCD screen will the n show

<SE T R X T O C O PY P R O FI L E > w it h a n o p ti o n <G O >.

3. S witch on the V6 destination unit(s) in

RX mode. Press , and turn the

s el e ct i o n d ial t o < F L AS H S E T U P>. P r ess

a n d t u r n the d i a l t o <C OP Y P R OF I L E >.

Press . The LCD screen will sh ow

<WAITING FOR TX>.

4. On the V6 sou rce unit, press to

conf ir m <GO>.

5. T he V6 units will start copying the ash

pr of iles.

6. W hen the ash prof iles are all copied

to the V6 destination units, the source

V6 u n it w i ll s h o w < FI N I SHED S E N D ING >

while the destination V6 units will show

<F I N ISH E D C O PYI N G > o n t he L C D s cree n . Yo u

may then leave th e menu.

Note:

If identical ash prof iles are found i n

both the sour ce V6 and destination V6, they will not be copied. For non-identical prof iles th at come with the sam e prof ile name, they will still be copied but the last letter of the newly added prof ile names will be m odif ied.

11. Flash Triggering

To command the ash units in different

grou ps to f ir e:

1. Set the V6 transceivers to the correct

mode (transmitter to “TX”, receiver to “RX”). This will auto matically power on the transceivers (see Section 9.4).

2. Set both TX a nd RX to the sa me chan nel

(s e e S e ct io n 9.5).

3. Assign RX unit(s) to A, B, C, or D gr oup a n d a ct iv a t e t he g r o u p(s ) o n the T X (se e

S e ct i o n 9.6 ).

4. Connect the V6 RX to porta ble ashes or

studio str obes.

5. On the TX, press com pletely. The status LED of both TX an d RX should blink in green simultaneously. The portable

ashes or studio strobes will f ir e at the

same time.

6. Test f ire a par ticular group by pr essing the gro up button and com pletely a nd simultaneously.

7. Attach the TX to the ca mera’s hot shoe. If your camera does not have a hot shoe, conne ct the TX to the camera using an

o pt i ona l P C s y n c c abl e (C A- 20 0).

8. Press the cam era’s shutter release

b ut t o n. T h e  a s hes o n t h e R X s w il l f i r e

wirelessly and in sync.

Ti ps: The V6 tran sceiver can trigger

p ort a b le  a s h e s w it h or w it h o ut r e m o t e

power control. If you wish to wir elessly trigger the slave ashes w ithout controlling their p ower levels, choose

t he < M A N U A L > a s h s y st e m i n t he <CH O O S E PROFILE> menu.

12. Remote Manual Power

Control

Apart fro m ash triggering, the V6 can also command the manual power of your ash. O n each RX, ch oose the appropriate a sh prof ile for e a c h a s h t o b e c o n n ec t e d. T h e V 6 T X w il l t h e n b e a bl e t o c o m m a n d t h e  a s h t o

f ire fro m 1/128 to 1/1 full power. V6 offers two power def initions for users to co mma nd

the ashes’ power in the most convenient

w ay.

To remotely control the power of yo ur ash

u nit s:

1. Connect the ash units to the V6.

2. S witch on the ash units in TTL mode.

Then switch on the V6 in RX mode.

3. C h o o se t he c o r r e ct  a s h p r of ile for e ach V6.

12.1

Relative Power

Similar to a co mmon ash display, the V6 TX

indicates the power level of the remote ashes in proportion to full power in relative power mode, i.e., 1/1 for full power, 1/2 for half power, etc. Upon switching on the V6 in TX mode, the LCD will

show the relative power levels of all activated groups.

Note that the sma ll single digit indicates the incre ment between ma jor power levels.

12.1.1 Single Group Power Adjustment

There a re two ways to a djust the power level of a pa rticular slave group.

1. Press a nd hold the grou p button until the power level of the chosen g roup is high lighted on the LCD. Tur n the selection dial to the desired p ower level. Press shortly the gr oup button to leave the group selection.

2. Short cut: Press a nd hold the group button and tu rn the selection dial simultane ously. Once the adjustment is f inished, release the g roup button.

You may also ad just the power level of the

master  ash that you have mounted on the V6

T X m ulti- sy s t e m s ho e (fe m a l e).

1. Make sure that the TT L pass-throug h mode

h a s n ot b e en a c tiv ate d (se e S e c ti o n 8).

2. Press a nd turn th e selection dial simultane ously to chan ge the power level

of the master ash.

12.1.2 Multi-Group Power Adjustment

To adjust the power level of ALL active grou ps, simply turn the selection dial left or right to the desired power level.

Note: T he power level of the master ash is

not affected by the multi-gr oup adjustment.

12.1.3 Quick Power Adjustment Mode

By turning the dial left or rig ht one

“click,” the power level of the chosen

grou ps will increase or de crease by one step. The EV step in the V6 factor y setting is 1/3 EV. T he EV step can be co nf ig ured to

1/ 2, 1 /3, o r 1/ 10 i n t h e <EV S T E P > me n u (s e e

S e ct i o n 12 .3).

If you wish to quickly ch ange the p ower level using a lar ger interval, use the quick power ad justment mode.

1. In the ma in screen of the V6 in TX mo de, press once to enter the quick power adju stment m ode.

2. In this mo de, each click of the dial will increase or decrease the power level for 1EV to and from the orig inal value respectively. For exa mple, if the power

le v e l of a g r o u p w a s 1/1 6 +3 , o n e cli c k

of the selection dial will increase the

power level to 1/8 +3 or decrea se it to 1/ 32 +3 .

3. Once you have f inished the quick cha nge, press once again to leave the q uick power ad justment mode. Each click of the dial ther eafter will increa se or decrease the power level in accordance with the setting you have ma de in the <EV

S TEP > m e n u.

12.2

Absolute Power

If you want to coordinate the lig ht output

of multiple ashes with different maxi mum

power outputs, the reg ular power r atios such

a s “1 /4 ” o r “1 /8” m a y n ot b e as h e lp f u l. T h e output of one powerful ash m odel at “1/8”

can be hi gher tha n that of another, weaker

 a s h m o d el a t “1 /4.” F or t h i s r eas o n , th e V6 offers an “absolute power” mo de in wh ich EV

numbers can be used to specify an absolute light inten sity, independent of the ma ximu m

power output of a ash model.

The power levels in guide number have been rescaled to the absolute power schem e in EV as belo w:

ABSOLUTE LIG HT

INTENSIT Y IN EV

17 58.0 64.4 6 9.0 73 .9

16 41.0 4 5.5 48.8 52.3

15 29.0 32.2 3 4.5 3 6.9

14 20 .5 22 .7 24.4 26.1

13 14.5 16.1 17. 2 18 .5

12 10.3 11.4 1 2.2 13.0

11 7.2 8.0 8.6 9.2

10 5.1 5 .7 6.1 6.6

9 3.6 4.0 4.3 4.6

8 2.6 2.8 3.0 3.2

7 1.8 2.0 2.1 2.3

6 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6

G UI D E NU M B ER S (I N M E T ER S)

+0.0 + 0.3 +0 .5 + 0.7

When setting u p the absolute power mo de, the

V6 TX will collect the ash prof iles being

selected by the RX u nits in the same ch annel and rescale them to the unif ied lig ht intensity scale. The following example shows how the mo del-specif ic relative power scales are tra nslated into the absolute power sc ale.

R EL A T IV E L IG H T I N TE N SI T Y S CA L E

ABSOLUTE LIG HT

INTE NSITY SCALE IN EV

17 GN58

16 1/2 GN41

15 GN29 1 /4 1/2

14 1/2 1/8 GN21 1/4

13 1/4 1/16 1/2 1/8

12 1/8 1/32 1 /4 1/16

11 1/16 1/64 1/8 1/32

10 1/32 1/128 1/16 1/6 4

9 1/64 1/32 1/1 28

8 1/128 1/64

7 1/128

O F 4 F L AS H ES W IT H D IF F E RE N T F U L L

POWER GU IDE NUMBER S

FLASH AFLASH BFLASH CFLASH

W h e n y o u s et a l l  a s h es t o 1 1 E V (s e e italicized section in the above table) in

absolute power mode, all ashes will e mit

the sam e intensity of light notwithstanding the differences in their own relative power sc ale. For instance, at 11 EV, Flash A is

f iring the a mount of light e qual to its 1/16 power, while Flash C is f iring eq ual to its 1/8 power.

To chan ge the V6 system to the a bsolute power mo de:

1. Switch on the remote V6 in RX mo de.

Choose the corr ect ash prof iles for

each of the V6 RXs.

2. Switch on the V6 that you w ould like to be the com mander in TX mode. Make su re that it is on the same channel as the RX units. Press . Turn the selection dial

to <POWER MODE> and press . Tu rn the s el e ct i o n d ial t o < A B SOL U T E (S E T U P)> a n d

press to co nf ir m.

3. T he V6 TX w ill then collect the  ash prof iles f rom the V6 RX u nits and set up the absolute power level sche me. Once the set up is f inished, the LCD display will return to the main screen again a nd show

the absolute light intensity of the four gr ou ps.

4. Adjust the po wer level as you do in

relative power mode (see Section 12.1).

Each f igu re before decimal place represe nts 1 EV and the sm aller f ig ure thereafter 1/10 EV.

5. Set all the activated groups to the sam e power level. Test f ir e the slaves and determi ne whether they pro duce the same

ash output.

6. If the initial set up is not accur ate enoug h, you may offset the absolute power scale of each group. Press an y grou p button and simultaneously to get into the offset mode for that group. F or e x a m p le , if t h e  a s h o ut p u t of grou p A is slightly stronger than the other grou ps at the same absolute power levels, press and simultaneously. The LCD screen will show <GROUP A

O FF S E T >. T u r n the s e lec tio n d i a l lef t o r

right to a djust the power scale fr om -1EV

to 1EV. Press to r eturn to the m ain scr een.

Note: The absolute power set up will not be

saved upon switching off the V6 TX. The V6 TX will restar t in relative power mode.

12.3

EV Step

The control pa nel of the V6 TX offers three EV step options: 1/10 EV, 1/3 EV, a nd 1/2 EV. The conf ig uration applies to both relative and absolute power modes.

To adjust the EV step, switch on the V6 in TX mode a nd press . Turn th e selection dial

to <EV STEP>. Press a nd turn the dial to t he d e s ired i n c r e m e nt l e vel (1 /1 0, 1 /3 , o r

1/2). Press to conf ir m.

No te s:

1. The selected E V step will be memorized upon switchin g off and will be applied when switchin g on agai n.

2. In the q uick power adjustment mode

(s e e S e ct io n 1 2.1.3), t h e c o nf i g u r e d E V

step will be replace d by the 1EV step ch an g es.

12.4

Lo Power

At the Lo Power level, the relative power

output of a ash trigg ered by the V6 is

roug hly equa l to 1/256. The difference between 1/128 and 1/256 power outputs may be hardly detected by ash meter, but the extrem ely short f iring du ration helps freeze faster-than-lightning moments an d is ideal for high-speed photography.

To enable Lo Power:

1. Switch on the V6 in TX mode and pr ess .

T u r n t he s e l ec t io n d i a l to < Lo P OW ER >

and press . Tu rn the selection dial to <ON> and press .

2. Once the L o Power is enabled, the Lo

Power will be shown as <Lo> at one step

below 1/128 power in th e relative power mode, or one step below the lowest power of each group in the absolute power mo de.

3. To disable the Lo Po wer output, follow step 1 to enter the Lo Power menu. Turn t he s e lec t io n d i a l t o <OF F > a n d press .

13.1

Basic Setup

13. Camera Shutter Release

Note:

This fu nction requires th e use of a separately purchased shutter release cable for connection betwee n the transceiver an d camera. This cable is NOT included in the V6 transceiver package.

A minimum of two Cactus V6 transceivers is required to operate Cactus V6 as a wireless shutter release.

1. Connect the V6 RX to you r camera u sing an appropriate shutter release cable.

2. Set both the V6 TX a nd RX to the sa me chan nel. On the V6 TX, activate the grou p assigne d to the V6 RX.

3. Half-press on the TX to test the auto focus. The status LED on both the TX and R X will turn OR ANGE to indicate auto focus. Press c omplet ely on th e TX for shutter release. The status LE D on both tran sceivers will turn GREE N to indicate shutter release.

13.2

Bulb Mode

1. Set the ca mera to Bulb.

2. Press co mpletely and hold o n the V6 TX. The status LED on the V6 TX and V6 RX will turn g reen at f irst and go off after approxi mately 2 seconds. The LC D display

w il l s h o w <B U L B M O DE O N>.

3. Release on the V6 TX. The ca mera’s shutter is now in a continu ous open state.

4. To close the ca mera’s shutter, press com pletely a nd release on the V6 TX again. The green status L ED on both the TX and R X will blink simultane ously.

13.3

Relay Mode: Camera Shutter + Flash

The relay mode in the V6 is an e conomic solution for coordinating the wireless

shutter release with ash trigger systems.

With relay capability, you need only 3 transceivers to wirelessly control both the

camer a and a ash unit at one time.

1. Make sure that all the V6 un its are set to the same chan nel.

2. Set the V6 that you would like to use as the ha ndheld rem ote as TX, then all others as RX.

3. Mou nt one of the V6 RXs onto the ca mera’s hot shoe, and also connect the V6 RX to the cam era’s shutter releas e port with an appr opriate shutter release cable

(optional). Con nect the other V6 RXs to t he  a s h u n its .

4. On the on-camera V6 RX, press . Turn

the selection dial to <RELAY>. Pr ess . T u r n t he s e l ec t io n d i a l to < ON>. P r e s s

to conf irm a nd then press to

return to the main screen. The relay

m o de i n dic a to r < R E L- C > w i ll a p p e a r o n

the main scr een.

5. In the ha ndheld V6 TX un it, press .

T u r n t he s e l ec t io n d i a l to <R EL A Y >. P r es s

a n d t u r n the d i a l t o <O N>. P r e s s ,

then press to retur n to the main screen. The r elay mode ind icator REL will replace the ch annel in dicator.

6. By pressin g on the T X, both the

camer a and ash units will be trigger ed

and sy nc with each other. In addition, you will also be a ble to control the power level of the ashes with your V6 T X.

7. To exit the Relay mo de in both TX and RX units, press a nd turn the selection

dial to <RELAY>. Press and turn the selection dial to <OFF>. Press and

then press to retur n to the main scr een.

14.1

Optical Trigger

14. Advanced Operations

The optical trigger can act as an alternative trigger me chanism th an the radio signal. For instance, it is very

u sef u l t o cap t u r e pre-  a s h si g n a l s t h at a r e being emitted earlier than the ash sync. Setting the pre-ash trigger ed optical trigger with the dela y timer (see Section

14. 2) c a n s et t h e e x act t i me for t h e  a s h t o

start f iri ng.

Two optical trig ger modes, S1 and S2, are available for selection:

S1: Triggeri ng on the f irst pre- ash, or on the mai n ash if there is no pre-ash. S2: Ignorin g pre-ashes and triggerin g on t he m a i n  a s h.

1. Switch on the V6 in TX or RX mode, press

, and turn the selection dial to

<OPTICAL SLAVE>. Press .

2. Tur n the selection dial to S1 or S2 and press .

3. The main screen in the V6 RX will show

the status of the optical trigger (see

S e ct i o n 6.2 ).

14.2

Delay Timer

Every V6 is eq uipped with a delay timer th at is conf igu rable in either the TX or RX mode.

The delay tim er delays the trigg er response for the time period set. If you wish to f ire

the ash a bit later than the f irst cu rtain

sync to create a different light effect

(e. g., t o a c h ie v e a s e co n d c u r t ain s y n c), s e t

an appr opriate delay time fr om

1 m il l i se c o n d t o 10 se c o nd s ( 9,9 99m s).

1. Switch on the V6 in TX or RX mode, press

, and turn the selection dial to

<DELAY>. Press .

2. Turn the dial to <SET> a nd press .

Tur n the dial to set each dig it and press

to conf irm a nd move to a nother digit.

3. The main screen in the V6 RX will show the status of the delay tim er (see S e ct i o n 6.2 ).

14.3

Group Sequence

There m ay be some situations in which you would like to f ire the slave g roups in a very shor t sequence:

• Post-production of high dy namic ra nge

(HDR) photos: In burst mode, photo-

graphers can take two pictures of the same scene with contrasted  ash power levels very quickly. The resulting pictures can be ver y hand y in the

post-production of H DR photos.

• Evaluating the individual contribution

of the slave groups: Taki ng a series of

pictures in burst mode will allow you to review the contribution of each slave group individually.

• Sp e e d u p t h e  a s h c ycl e: When you need

to f ire a series of ashes at high power le v e ls, a ssi g n t w o or m o r e  a s h es t o

different gro ups and ad just them to the same p ower level. Alternately f iring the

 a s he s w i ll let t h e cap a c it o r s r e c harg e

durin g the longer inter val, ensurin g enoug h charg e for the next high power output.

The V6 offers two group sequence m odes for selection:

A-B-C- D: The f ir st trigger in a series will f ire group A, then group B, and so on. The f ifth trigger will f ire group A a nd start the cycle again. An other series will restart at group A w hen there is no trig gering event in 2 seconds.

AB-CD: The f irst trigg er in a series will f ire group A and B together, then group C and D. The thir d trigger will f ire group A and B, and sta rt the cycle again. Another series will restart at group AB when there is no trigg ering event in 2 seconds.

1. Switch on the V6 in TX mode. Press , and turn the selection dial to <GROUP SEQUENCE>. Press .

2. Tur n the selection dial to A-B-C-D or ABCD and pr ess .

3. Depen ding on the g roup sequence mode you set, one or two cursors w ill point to the gro up alphabets on the main screen,

indicating w hich group(s) will be f ired

next.

15. Personalizing the V6

You may conf ig ure a num ber of personalize d

o pt i ons i n t h e S U B-M E N U o f the V 6 (e x c ep t

Section 15.2) to suit your needs. Press

a n d tur n t he s el e ct i on d ial t o < S U B-M E N U >,

then press . Tur n the selection dial again will scroll throug h all the personalized options.

15.1

Selection Dial Direction

15.2

Selection Dial Lock

I n <DI A L DI R E C T IO N >, the s e lec tio n d i a l of

the V6 can be co nf ig ured to o perate in a

<CLOCKWISE> or <ANTI-CLOCKWISE> direction.

To increa se the power level in the main screen, for exa mple, you would have to turn the selection dial to the left in the clockwise setting, or tur n it to the right

in the anti(counter)-clockwise setting.

To prevent u nintended tu rning of the selection dial and its conseq uence of affecting the power levels, the dial ca n be locked in the main screen of the TX mo de:

1. To lock the selection dial, press and hold the selection dial or for

2 seconds. The LCD will show at the left upper corner.

2. To tem porarily unlock the selection dial, press the selection dial or once. Alternatively, press a nd hold any grou p button to select a group for pow er level adjustment. The LCD w ill show to indicate the temporary unlock status. The dial w ill be locked again when no button or dial is presse d or turned i n 2 s eco nd s.

3. To per manently un lock the selection dial, press and hold the selection dial or for 2 seconds.

Note: The short-cut for adjusting the p ower

level of a single group by pressing a group button and tu rning the dial simultane ously

(s e e S e ct io n 1 2.1.1) w i l l b e u n a ffe c ted .

15.3

Swap Control

In the mai n screen of the V6 TX, pressing or the push-in selection dial once will chan ge it to one of the following modes:

• Quick Power Adjustment Mode <QUICK POWER

ADJ>: expan ding the power adjustment to 1 E V ste p (se e S e c ti o n 12.1 .3).

• Zoom (Cactus) M ode <ZOOM (CACTUS)>:

controlling the zo om level of the Cactus

R F60 (s e e S e cti o n 16.1. 1).

This ca n be conf igured in <SWAP CONTROL>.

15.4

LCD Backlight Timer

15.5

Sleep Timer

The LCD ba cklight of the V6 will turn on whenever , , the selection dial or any of the group buttons has been pr essed or turne d. In order to conser ve energy, there is a timer setting that automatically

t u r ns of f t h e bac k l ig ht . In < LCD B A CKLI G H T>, c hoo s e f r o m < OF F >, < 5 SEC S >, <15 SEC S > o r <STAY ON>.

To conser ve energy w hen you forget to switch off the V6 after use, the sleep timer will switch the V6 to the sleep mode after a

specif ied period. In <SLEEP>, choose from <OF F >, < 15 M INS > o r <6 0 M I NS>.

To wake up th e V6 from the sleep mo de, press any button or turn the selection dial once. Local trig gering via a hot shoe or x-sync port also awakens the V6.

Note: Wireless trig gering w ill not wake up

the V6 RX un its remotely.

15.6

Working Range

15.7

Factory Reset

The worki ng distance of the V6 can b e customize d to suit your shooting p urpose.

In <WORKING RANGE>, choose <SHORT> when you

need to place the V6 TX units very close to

t he R X u n it s (e. g., w h e n s h o ot i n g m a cr o), o r c hoo s e < L ON G > f or n o r m a l s h ot s. W h il e t h e <SHORT> option will reduce the ma ximu m

effective distance of the V6 by approxi mately 70%, it will eliminate the interference caused by placing the V6 TX a nd RX un its in close proxi mity.

To retrieve to the orig inal ma nufacturing setting of the V6 and eras e all the custom

ash prof iles, use Factory Reset. In the <FACTORY RESET> sub-menu, press a nd t u r n t h e d ial t o < Y ES>. T h e s c r een w i l l s ho w <CONFIRM?>. Press to conf ir m.

Note: Factor y Reset will erase AL L custom

ash prof iles you have saved in the V6.

16. Working with Cactus Gear

The V6 tran sceiver is compatible with the Cactus Wireless Flash RF60, Wireless Flash Trigger V5, and Laser Trigger LV5.

LV5 SENSOR

CAMERA

LV5 EMITTER

RF60

16.1

RF60

16.1.1 R F60 as Slav e

RF60

CAMERA

With the built-in Cactus V6 module, the Cactus RF60 can b e remotely com mand ed and trigger ed by the V6 TX.

Note:

The Cactus V6 ca n specify up to 1/10 EV step and co mmu nicate it with the RF60; however, the RF60 will only display th e nearest 1/3 E V step.

To control the power level of the RF60 Slave:

1. Set the V6 and the RF60 to the sam e ch a nn el.

2. Activate the group assig ned to the RF60 Slave on the V6 TX.

3. Adjust the po wer level of each group as you would with the V6 RX.

To control the zoo m level of the RF60 Slave:

1. Conf igure the swap co ntrol to Zoom

(C a ct u s) m o d e (s e e S e ct io n 15.3).

2. In the main screen of the V6 TX, press

once. The zoom levels of the activated

grou ps will be shown on the screen.

3. Adjust the zoom level of each group as

you would to adjust the power level (see

Section 12.1). T he zoom control supports both single g roup and m ulti-g roup adju stments.

Note: The zoom level set in the V6 TX will

N O T c o nt r ol t he z o o m l e ve l s of t h e  a s hes o n

the V6 RX.

You may also combine the RF60 with other V6-

c o m pa t ib l e TT L  a s h es t o f o r m a r e m ot e  a s h

control system. For exa mple, assign a RF60

to gr oup A, a Canon 580EX II (with a V6 RX) to gr oup B, and a Nikon SB-900 (with another

V6 RX) to group C. The V6 TX w ill be able to trigger them all and set their p ower levels in either relative or absolute power mode.

16.1.2 RF60 as Ma ster

RF60 MASTER

RF60 SLAVE

CAMERA

You may assig n the RF60 as master on the camer a’s hot shoe and let it trigger a nd command other RF60 Slave a nd V6 RX units. While the RF60 Master can control the po wer and zoom levels of the RF60 Slave, zoom control is not suppor ted when worki ng with the V6 RX un its.

16.2

V5 and LV5

The Cactus V6 tra nsceiver can work in pair s with the Cactus V5 or LV5 for wireless trigger ing without group control. They all

share the same 2.4GHz, 16-cha nnel platform.

Since the V5 and LV5 do not support g roups and remote power control, the V6 TX will trigger a ll V5s, independent of which gr oup it considers active. Similarly, both V5 and LV5 will trigger a ny V6 RX, independent of which group the V6 RX has be en assigned to.

17. LED Signal Guide

STATUS INDICATOR ON TX INDICATOR ON R X

Flash trigg ering Green

Shutter triggeri ng Green

Half-press auto focusi ng

Power le vel com ma nd r eceiv ed

Bulb mode activatio n

Bulb mode deac tivation

Low battery R ed ( ev er y 3 s e co n ds )

Firmwa re update mode

Orange

N/A Ora nge

Gr e e n (fo r 2 s ec o nd s)

Green

R ed ( ev er y 0 .5 s ec o nd )

18. USB Connection

The V6 tran sceiver comes with a mini-USB port that ser ves two purp oses: providing extern al USB power an d for f ir mware updates

18.1

External USB Power

18.2

Checking and Updating Firmware

Apart f rom AA batteries, the Cactus V6 can also be powered by a 5V DC, 500~1,000mA extern al USB power device. Check with the specif ications of your USB p ower device to determi ne the compatibility with the V6 transceiver.

Note: Ex ternal USB Power cannot cha rge the

recha rgeable batteries inside the V6 battery co mpa rt me nt.

Cactus will release new f ir mware for the V6 from time to time. Get your V6 updated via the USB connection.

To check the f ir mware version of the V6,

press and hold and , then switch on the V6 in TX or RX m ode at the sam e time. The LCD display will sh ow the f irmwar e version installed in the unit. Release the buttons,

the LCD display will return to the main screen aft er 3 seconds.

To perform a f i rmw are u pdate w hen available:

1. Switch off the V6 and re move the batterie s inside.

2. Connect it with a computer via the Cactus

m i ni- US B c a ble M U -1 (o p ti o n a l).

3. Press a nd hold , then switch on the V6 in TX or RX m ode at the same time.

4. The V6 is now i n f ir mware update mode. The status LED blin ks in red r apidly. T he f irmwa re update pro gram will then recog nize the connected V6 and start the up gr ad e.

Note: Fir mware u pdates will erase A LL

custom  ash prof iles you have save d in the

V6.

Pleas e visit w w w.ca ctu s-i mag e.co m/ v6.h tm l for more i nformation.

Firmw are updates only work on Microsoft Windows platform. Mac OS is not supported.

19. Optional Accessories

1. Wireless Flash RF60

2. Laser Trigger LV5

3. Shutter Release Cables

(Cactus Shutter Cables are available

for most camera models by Canon, Leica, Minolta, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax, Samsung, and Sony. Please visit our website for compatible models.)

4. Sync Cables and Adapters

- PC Sync Ca ble CA-200

- 3.5m m Plug Cable w/6.35mm Plug adapter CA-360

5. USB to min i USB cable MU-1

6. Lanyard CL-1

20. Troubleshooting

Before readi ng this section, ensure that the Cactus V6 transceiver have be en set up

c or r e c tl y (f o ll o w i n g the i n s tr uc t io n i n

Section 8-14 of this ma nual). If the pro blem persists after cond ucting the troubleshootin g steps, contact your seller directly for fur ther assistance.

1. Wrong Flash Power Fired

LCD DISPLAY POSSIBLE CAUSE SOLU TION

RX di splays wron g power levels

RX di splays corr ect powe r levels

More tha n one TXs are contr olling the

 as h p o w er o f

the RXs

1. The chosen

ash prof ile

does not match

t he  a s h mo d el

2. T h e a s h is i n

a wron g operation mode

(e. g., M m o d e)

3. A wrong E V offse t has been set in the absolute power mo de

- Always use ON E TX only in a set up

- Set all transceivers to another channel

Choose th e correct

ash prof ile or

learn a ne w one

Check an d set the

 as h t o t he T T L

mode

Check an d reset the EV offset of the gro up concerne d

2. Flash Prof ile Lea rnin g Fails

LCD DISPLAY POSSIBLE CAUSE S OLUT ION

LCD shows error messages

during ash

lear ning

1. T h e a s h

model is not supported

2. T h e a s h is

3. The distance between the wall an d the V6 is too close or too far

4. The ambient light around the scene is too pr ominent or un stable

Check Section

7.1.3 for the co mpa tibilit y of

 as h m o d el s fo r ash prof ile

lear ning

Replace the batterie s of the

ash

- Position the V6

a n d t he  a s h facing a white wall at a dist anc e of 1 meter

- Use a light stand or tripo d to f ix the po sition of the V6

Try performing

t he  a s h le ar n i n g

in an enclose d space with low an d stable ambie nt light

3. Flash Misf ire (Unexpected Flash Firing)

LED B LINKS? POSSIBLE CAUSE SOL UTION

TX: N o RX: No

TX: N o RX: Yes

(Gr ee n)

Poor hot shoe condition

1. B ack g ro un d radio interference

2. TX and RX transceivers are placed t oo close to each other

3. O ptic al Trigger has been switched on and trig gered by unexpected am bient lig ht

- Adjust tightness of hot shoe conta ct

- Clean the hot sho e contacts of the V6 with a clean cloth

- Set both transceivers to another channel

- Chan ge setup location a s interference ma y come fr om other equipment in the surroundin g area

Choose <SHORT> in

the workin g range sub-menu

Switched off the optical tri gger, as it may not work in th at environment

4. Slow Synchr onization (Delayed Flash)

LED B LINKS? POSSIBLE CAUSE SOL UTION

TX: Ye s

(Gr ee n)

RX: Yes

(Gr ee n)

TX or RX: Yes (R e d ev er y 3 s ec on d s)

1. Shutter speed is faster tha n th e c a me ra’s x-sy nc limitation

2. Delay timer has bee n set

3. Insuff icient battery power

Adjust t he camera’s shutter speed to t he maximum supported x-sync speed

Tur n off the delay timer or adjust the delay timer to a correct sy nc tim e

Replac e batteries and r etry

5. Flash Not Triggered/Shutter Not Released

LED B LINKS? POSSIBLE CAUSE SO LUTIO N

TX: N o RX: No

1. Poor battery conta ct or ins uff icien t battery on TX

2. Poor hot shoe condition

Replac e batteries on TX an d retry

- Adjust tightness of hot shoe conta ct

- Clean the hot sho e contacts of the V6 with a clean cloth

LED B LINKS? POSSIBLE CAUSE SO LUTIO N

TX: Ye s

(Gr ee n)

RX: No

1. Poor battery conta ct or battery out of power on R X

2. Channel a nd gro up mism atch

3. B ack gr ou nd radio interference

4. Beyond 100m effe ctive range

5. TX and RX transceivers are placed t oo close to each other

Replace the batterie s in the RX an d retry

Ensu re both transceivers are set to the sa me chan nel and the grou p assigned to the RX ha s been activated on the TX

- Set both transceivers to another channel

- Chan ge setup location a s interference ma y come fr om other equipment in the surroundin g area

Make su re TX and RX transceivers are placed w ithin

10 0 m (32 8 ft) o f

each other

Choose <SHORT> in

the workin g range sub-menu

LED B LINKS? POSSIBLE CAUSE SO LUTIO N

TX: Ye s

(Gr ee n)

RX: Yes

(Gr ee n)

1. Poor hot shoe conta ct

2. Flash used is not c omp atible with the V6

3. Poor cable connection

4. Wrong cable

is u se d (o n l y

when the V6 is used as a Wirele ss Shutter Release)

- Adjust tightness of hot shoe conta ct

- Clean the hot sho e contacts of the V6 with a clean cloth

Check that the  as h u s e d i s co mpa tible w ith t he V 6 (s e e Section 7.1)

- Check the cable connection

- Chan ge the cable

Ensur e that an appropr iate shutter release cable is used

21. Notices

Notic es for Custo mers in th e U.S.A .

F ed e r al C om m u ni c at io n s C o m m is s io n (F C C)

Radio Fr equency Interfere nce Statements.

This eq uipment has b een tested an d found to comply with the li mits for a Class B digital device, pursua nt to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These li mits are designe d to provide rea sonable protection agai nst harm ful interferenc e in a residential insta llation. This equipme nt generates, uses a nd can ra diate radio fre quency energ y and, if not installed a nd used in accorda nce with the instructions, may c ause har mful interferen ce to radio com munications.

H ow e v er, t h e re i s n o gu a r a nt e e t h at i n te r fe r e n ce

will not occur i n a particular in stallation.

If this equip ment does cause h armfu l interference t o radio or television reception, which can b e determine d by turni ng the equip ment off and on, the user is e ncourage d to try to correct the i nterference by one or m ore of the following measures:

Reorient or relocate th e receiving ante nna. Increas e the separation betwe en the equipm ent a nd r e ce iv er. Conne ct the equipment i nto an outlet on a circuit different fro m that to which the re ceiver is c onn ecte d. Consult the dea ler or an experien ced radio/TV techn ician for help.

H A RV E S T ON E L IM I T E D AN D T H E M A N UFA CT U R E R OF T H IS W IR E L E SS F L A S H T R ANSCEIVER IS N OT RESPO NSIBLE

FOR ANY R ADIO OR TV INTER FERENCE CAUSED BY

U NA U T H OR I ZE D M O DI F IC A TI O NS T O T H IS E Q U IP M E N T. SUCH MO DIFICATIONS COU LD VOID T HE USER AUTHOR ITY T O OP ER A T E TH E E Q UI P M E N T.

FCC ID: VAAWFTV6

MADE IN CHINA

This dev ice complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the followi ng

t wo c o n di ti o n s: (1 ) t hi s d e vi c e m a y no t c a us e h a r mf u l i n te r fe r e nc e, a n d (2) th is d e v ic e m u st

accept an y interference re ceived, including interference t hat may cause u ndesired operation.

R&TTE Declaration of Conformity (DOC)

W e, H a r ve s t On e L imi ted , 9D O n S hin g I nd u s tr i a l B u il d in g , 2-16 W o L iu H a n g R o ad , F o T a n, H o n g K on g , d e cl a r e u n de r o u r o w n

respo nsibility that the pro duct:

Cactus Wireless Flash T ransceiver V6

is in confor mity with the essential requi rements an d other relevant re quirem ents of

t he R & TT E D i r ec t iv e (199 9/ 5/ E C).

This pro duct, Cactus Wireless Flash Tran sceiver V6, is i n conformity with the provision s of EU Council Di re cti ve: 19 99/5/ EC.

The cross ed-out wheeled bin m eans that within the Eu ropean U nion the product must be disp osed separ ately at the end of the product cycle. Do not dispos e thisprod uct with other municipal waste.

NCC Warning Statement

Ar ticle 12 Without permission, a ny compa ny, f ir m or user shall not alter the f requency, increa se the power, or chang e the characteristics an d functions of the ori ginal desig n of the certif ied lower power f requency electric mach inery.

Ar ti cle 14 The application of low power fr equency electric machin eries shall not affect the nav igation safety nor interfere a leg al comm unication, if an interfer ence is found, the ser vice will be suspen ded until impro vement is made a nd the interference n o longer exists.

CCAE14LP1940T1

22. Warranty

The lim ited warra nty set forth below is given

b y H a r ve s t On e L i mi t ed i n t h e wo rl d wi th r e s pe c t

to the Cactus bra nd Wireless Flash Tr ansceiver purch ased with this limited w ar r a nt y.

Your Cactus Wireless Flas h Transceiver or other contents, when delivered to y ou in new condition in its origina l container, is warra nted agai nst defects in materials or wor kman ship as follows:

fo r a p e ri o d of o ne ( 1) y ear f r o m t h e d at e o f

origin al purcha se, defective parts or a defective Wireless Flash Tr ansceiver retur ned to our authorized d ealers, as applicable, and proven to be defective upon insp ection, will be repaire d with new or comp arable rebuilt par ts or exchan ged for a new Wireless Flash T ransceiver as d et e r m in e d b y Ha r v es t O n e Li m it e d or t he authorized dealers.

This lim ited warra nty shall only ap ply if the Wireless Flash Tr ansceiver is used in c onjunction

w it h co m p at ib l e c a m er a a n d  a sh e q u i pm e n t, a s t o w hi c h ite m s , H a r ve s t On e L i mi t ed , s ha l l h a ve n o

r es p on s ib il it y.

This lim ited warra nty covers all defects encount ered in nor mal use of the Wireless Flash Tran sceiver, a nd does not apply i n any of the fol low in g c as es:

(a ) L os s o f or d a m a ge t o t h e Wi rel es s F l as h

Tran sceiver due to abuse, misha ndling,

impro per packagi ng by you, alteration,

a cc id e n t, e le c tr i ca l c u r re n t  uc t u at io n s.

(b ) F ai l u re t o f ol l ow o pe r a ti n g, m a i n te n a n ce o r

environmental instructions prescribed in Cactus user’s manua l.

t ha n H a r v e st O n e L im i te d o r a ut h o ri z e d

dealers.

(d ) W it ho u t l im i ti n g t he fo r e g oi n g , w at e r da m a g e,

sand/corro sion damag e, battery lea kage, droppi ng the trans ceiver, scratche s, abrasions or d amage t o the body, or dama ge to the hot shoe or PC c ables, will be presume d to have resu lted from misu se, abuse or failure to operate the Wireless Flash Transceiver as set forth in the op erating instru ctions.

NO IMPLIE D WARRAN TY, INCLUDING A NY IMPLIED

WA R R A N T Y OF M E RC H A N T AB I L IT Y O R F IT N E S S F OR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, APPLIES TO THE WIRELESS FLASH

TRANSCEIV ER A F T ER T H E A P PL IC A B L E P ER I OD O F T H E EXPRESS L IMITED WARR ANTY STAT ED ABOVE, AN D NO

OTHER EXPRESS WAR RANT Y OR GUAR ANTY, EXCEPT AS

MENT IONED ABOVE, GIV EN BY ANY PERSO N OR ENTITY

W IT H R E S PE C T T O TH E W I RE L E S S F L AS H T R ANSCEIV ER S HA L L B I ND H A RV E S T ON E L IM I T E D. H A R VE S T O N E L IM I T E D S H AL L N O T B E LI A BL E F O R LO SS O F R E V EN U E S

OR PROFITS, INCONV ENIENCE, EXPENSE F OR SUBSTIT UTE EQUIPM ENT OR SERVICE, STORAGE

C HAR G E S, L O SS O R C OR R U P TI O N OF D AT A O R A N Y OT H E R

SPECIAL, INCIDEN TAL OR CONSEQUEN TIAL DAM AGES

CAUSED BY THE USE OR MISUSE OF, OR INABILIT Y TO USE, THE WIRELESS F LASH TR ANSCEIVER, REGA RDLESS O F T H E LE G AL T H E O RY O N W H IC H T H E C L AI M I S BA S ED , A N D EV E N IF H A R VES T O N E L I MI T E D HA S B EEN A D V IS E D O F T H E PO SS I BI L I TY O F S U CH D A M A GE S. I N N O E V E NT

S HA L L R E C OV E R Y OF A N Y KI N D AG AI N S T H A RVE S T O N E LIMITE D GREATE R IN A MOUNT THA N THE PURCH ASE PRICE OF THE CACTUS W IRELESS FLASH TRANSCEIVER S OL D B Y H A RV E S T ON E L I MI T E D OR I TS AU T H O RI Z E D DEALERS AND CAUSING T HE ALLEGED DA MAGE. WITHOU T L IM I T IN G T H E F OR E G O IN G, Y O U AS S U ME A L L R I SK A N D

LIABILITY F OR LOSS, DAMAGE OR INJU RY TO YOU AND

YOUR PROPE RTY AN D TO OTHER S AND THEIR PROPERT Y

ARISING OUT OF US E OR MISUSE OF, OR I NABILITY TO

USE, THE CACTUS WIRELE S S FL A SH T R ANSC EIVER NOT CAUSED DIRECTLY BY TH E NEGLIGENCE OF HARVEST ONE L IM I T E D. T H IS L I M IT E D W ARR A N T Y S H A LL N O T E X TE N D T O AN Y ON E O T H E R TH A N T H E OR IG I NA L P U R CH A S ER O F H A RV E S T ON E L IM I T E D, O R TH E P E RS O N F OR W H O M I T WA S P U R CH A S E D A S A G I FT , A N D ST AT E S Y OU R E X CL U -

SIVE REMEDY.

Corporate Oﬃce:

H A RV E S T ON E L IM I T E D 9D O N S HI N G I N D. B L DG ., 2- 16 W O L IU H A N G R OA D , F O T A N, H ON G K O NG

PLEASE CON TACT YOUR LOCAL DEA LER FOR CUS TOM ER S ERVIC E.

w w w.ca ct us -ima g e.com

Cactus DICFLAWFTV6 User manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual