FAQ

Why do MultiMAX units use miniphone connectors rather than the "industry standard" PC / locking PC / household / etc.?

There are several connectors common to the photo industry, but there is no specific industry standard. The PC is close to an industry standard, but it is not the same from brand to brand and is not included in all equipment. There are three primary reasons why miniphone connections are used:

a. Reliability - the PC connector is a notoriously weak connector. The MultiMAX is designed for ultimate reliability and there is no easy or cost effective way to improve the PC connection. Even with improvements there is still the high probability that it will never be as reliable as a miniphone connection
b. Safety - the household connection used in many flash connections can be mistakenly plugged into a standard household outlet causing a very unsafe situation. By not using this connector the likelihood of this type of accident is greatly reduced
c. Availability - if you desire to make your own cords or if a miniphone plug is damaged or destroyed then it is very easy to find the miniphone connector. The miniphone standard connector is a universal connector and can be found in many sources

Why does my flash or remote camera trigger as I plug it into or unplug it from the MultiMAX?

The miniphone jacks used for the PORTs on a MultiMAX are a standard type of jack that can short as the connection is made or broken. If you do not want your device to trigger when plugging into or unplugging from a unit then power off the device before making or breaking connections. In general, all equipment including the MultiMAX should be turned off when making or breaking connections.

Why does my flash or remote camera trigger when I turn off the unit?

The MultiMAX circuitry triggers when powering off. If you do not want your device to trigger when the unit is powered off, power off the flash or remote camera first.

Why won't my units trigger when I have them right next to each other?

The MultiMAX is designed to operate at long range. Units may not trigger normally at an extremely short range of a few inches or less. Antennas touching each other is not recommended. Move the units several inches or a few feet apart and try again.

Why does confirmation operate erratically?

The most common cause of erratic confirmation is having multiple RECEIVE units set to the same channel and zone. Confirmation is designed to work with only one RECEIVE unit per zone.

Why is flash confirmation not working?

Flash confirmation requires the optional flash confirmation cable. If this cable is in use, reposition the sensor to better "see" the flash. Read the instruction manual that came with the cable for more information.

How do I make sure the flash confirmation cable is detecting the correct flash and not detecting another flash unit?

Flash confirmation takes place at an extremely precise moment after trigger (0.00015 seconds). The likelihood of detecting a flash not triggered by the MultiMAX system is virtually zero. It is possible, however, for one flash triggered by a RECEIVE unit to be sensed by another RECEIVE unit. To verify that a unit is not seeing another unit's flash perform these steps.

a. Remove power from the Zone A flash device. Leave Zone A selected on the TRANSIT unit and leave the Zone A RECEIVE unit turned on with flash confirmation cable attached
b. Trigger Zone A and Zone B. Only the Zone B flash should trigger
c. If Zone A detects the flash from Zone B, re-aim Zone A's flash confirmation cable. If it does not detect a flash then it is aimed properly

I stopped using a flash confirmation cable but confirmation is still reporting a flash Synch confirmation error. How do I correct this problem? 

Once a TRANSMIT or RECEIVE reports flash confirmation for a zone, it will continue to look for flash Synch every trigger. Power off the TRANSMIT and RECEIVE units, then power back on to clear this issue.

Can I attach more than one flash to a RECEIVE unit?

Yes. PORT 1 and PORT 2 are isolated from each other, however PORT 1 and the hot shoe are electrically tied together. If you attach two flash devices to a TRANSMIT unit in the hot shoe of a camera, the camera will be protected from the voltage of the device in PORT 2, but NOT from the device in PORT 1. Read the Connections section for more information.

Can I attach a camera and a flash to the same Receive unit?

Yes, but the flash device will not automatically fire in Synch with the camera.

What is Rear Curtain Synch?

Normal photographic flash Synchronization happens at the beginning of the exposure. For long exposures with flash, the image recorded at the beginning of the exposure will be brightly flash lit while ambient light continues to record subject motion for the remainder of the exposure. This can result in unnatural looking movement in the image as light streaks created by the subject moving through ambient light will appear to originate from the subject rather than trail behind.

Rear Curtain Synch, or second curtain Synchronization, is the name for a special effect where the flash is triggered near the end of the exposure, just before the shutter closes. In this instance the ambient light on the moving subject is collected first and the bright flash lit moment happens at the end of the exposure making for more natural-looking movement in the image. This process gets its name from focal plane shutter cameras that generally have two shutters or curtains: the first (front) curtain opens and exposes the film, then the second (rear) curtain closes at the end of the exposure. In leaf shutters there is no second or rear curtain and very few focal plane cameras provide a rear curtain Synch output (if they do, then they almost invariably will not work with slow flash devices or radio remotes).

Using the delay modes in the MultiMAX enables any photographer with virtually any camera and flash combination to achieve the Rear Curtain Synchh effect. Delays can be used to place the flash at the end of the exposure, the beginning of the exposure, or anywhere in between for maximum creativity.

What is Intervalometer?

Intervalometer, sometimes called Time Lapse Photography, is the function of taking several exposures with a set time gap between each one. An example would be taking a single photo every 30 minutes for 24 exposures (12 hours) total of a flower blooming. Another example could be taking a photo every 8 hours of a construction site to have a record of a build process. Intervalometer photos can be used as multiple exposures on a single frame for special effect photography, several exposures displayed in a static series to show progression, or stitched together and viewed like a movie.

Multipop and Intervalometer are virtually identical functions and can be used interchangeably. The only differences are times allowed and a level of precision. Read the sections for these functions and the Maximum and Minimum Settings section.

What is Multipop?

When photographing a stationary object you might want to increase depth of field by stopping down your camera. Proper exposure may require more light than your flash can produce with one flash burst. By triggering a flash multiple times within the same exposure it is possible to achieve a greater depth of field. Triggering a flash is sometimes called "popping" a flash, thus the term Multipop. Read the Multipop and Intervalometer sections for more info.

I have one RECEIVE unit attached to a flash and another attached to a remote camera. Why do I get dark frames when I trigger them at the same time from my TRANSMIT unit?

This is a lag time issue. Read Camera Equalization for more information. Basically, the flash is triggering before the camera's shutter is open. Read Relay Mode for a way to use two RECEIVE units to achieve remote camera flash Synch.

Why is there a hard black line in my images (35mm / focal plane shutter only)?

This is usually caused by the flash not being in Synch with the shutter. Make sure your camera is set to a shutter speed that allows X Synch. Some cameras may have difficulty working at their fastest X Synch speed with a radio slave device. There is a slight delay (1/2000) in flash Synch when using a MultiMAX that may be too much for a slow shutter camera. Use a lower shutter speed or try Fast Mode with a RECEIVE unit.

Why does my remote Hasselblad wind the film before the exposure is finished?

When triggering some Hasselblad cameras remotely the Contact Time in a RECEIVE unit must be set longer than the shutter speed being used. See the Time Conversion Charts for times. Using T mode on a Hasselblad motor drive may resolve this issue.

Why does my remote Hasselblad trigger twice, or continuously, when I only want it to trigger once?

This usually only occurs when triggering a Hasselblad remotely using PORT 1 while in Intervalometer or Multipop modes. If setting the contact time to a longer or shorter setting does not solve the problem then you may need a special motor drive cable. Contact technical support if you are experiencing this problem.

My INTERVAL, MULTIPOP, or LOAD COUNT number is behaving erratically or is extremely high (65316). How do I correct it?

If a unit is powered off while a dynamic numeric entry screen is displayed then a random number may accidentally get stored. Either set the number and return to the main screen or reset the unit to clear all numbers. See the Reset to Default Factory Settings sections for this procedure.

I want to trigger faster than 8 frames per second and my MultiMAX units will not keep up. What setting do I change?

Contact Time is the setting that most directly affects frame rate. A lower setting equals more frames per second.

Why can't I use Intervalometer or Multipop mode from the Transmitter? Wouldn't it be so much easier?

FCC regulations do not allow a device like the MultiMAX to automatically broadcast radio pulses. If you press the TEST button on a TRANSMIT unit once every second, that is different as you, the end user, are performing the triggering and the MultiMAX is not doing it in an automated fashion. As an end user you can do a lot of things that we cannot program the MultiMAX to perform automatically. If you press and hold the TEST button on a TRANSMIT unit for 10 seconds that is allowed. The MutliMAX automatically broadcasting a continuous 10 second contact time is not allowed.

As an end user you CAN do the following:

1. Attach PORT 1 or PORT 2 of a RECEIVE unit to PORT 1 of a TRANSMIT unit using a miniphone to miniphone cable.
2. Set the RECEIVE unit to perform an interval or long contact function as needed. As it makes contact it will cause the TRANSMIT unit to replicate the function via radio.

How can I get longer range?

First, follow the guidelines in Radio Performance. 

If you need to trigger from farther away than the 1600 foot range of the MultiMAX you need to use additional units. Follow these steps:

1. Set one pair of units (one RECEIVE, one TRANSMIT) to same channel and zone
2. Set a second pair of units to a different channel
3. Attach PORT 2 from first RECEIVE unit to PORT 1 of second TRANSMIT unit
4. Triggering first TRANSMIT unit will trigger second RECEIVE unit. Use additional pairs to further increase range.

Each pair increases the triggering delay by 1/2000 (0.0005) second in normal mode, 1/4000 (0.00025) second in Fast Mode. This means that flash Synch over great distances will require slower shutter speeds. Use the chart below for general distance calculations. The chart below assumes a 1/1000 (0.0010) flash duration, and F:8.0 for a leaf shutter. Slower shutter cameras or long duration flashes will not achieve these maximums. The MultiMAX does not imbue your camera with greater Synch speeds than it was designed for. If your camera can't Synch at the speeds in the table below, use the next lowest speed at which it can Synch. Read Camera Equalization to further understand precision timing issues.

Why isn't there a radio relay mode to just do this automatically?

The delay time to switch from RECEIVE to TRANSMIT is greater than the near instantaneous triggering you get using the pair system above. Long distance flash trigger timing is critical and there is no way to make an auto-switching unit faster then the pair system. As an example, the fastest shutter speed that could be achieved with a single auto-switching MultiMAX pair would be 1/125.

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