Nikon Motor Drive F-36 - another User manual

F iring-Rate
Adjusting Knob             ReleaseButton/S-C R ing





              E x posure-Setting R ing   F rame Cou nter

CONTENTS

Attaching the Motor Drive
Loading the Camera
   Unloading
Controlsof the Motor Drive
  FrameCounter
  S-CRing
   Firing-RateAdjusting Knob
Power Sourcesfor the Motor Drive
   StandardBattery Pack
   CordlessBattery Pack
   ExternalPower Sources
Operationof the Motor Drive
   SingleShots
   ContinuousShooting
  On-Cameraand On-PackControl Interaction
RemoteControl of the Motor Drive                                                                                 t 7
   With StandardBattery Pack
   With CordlessBattery Pack
   Using Relay Box
SimultaneousFiring of More Than One Camera                             20
  Time Delay
Accessories                                                         22

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FOREWORD


            An accessoryto your Nikon F, the F-36 Motor
              Drive opens new vistas of photographic op-
                portunities. Attached as a substitute for the
             Nikon F's standard camera back, this device
             advancesthe film and fires your camera auto-
               matically.
            The motor  drive may be operated either
             manually or by remote control using cables,
              timers or radio triggeringequipment. iou can
              adjust it to take single exposuresor bursts of
              sequentialexposures-asmany as four frames
              per second.
            To get maximum benefit from the F-36, read
             these instructions carefully and refer to them
              o{t9n  until  you  are thoroughly acquainted
               with the motor drive.

The motor drive is attachedto your Nikon
F  in  the same manner as the regular
camera back. Remove the standardback
and replaceit with the motor drive. Lock
the drive in place by turning the lock to
the "close" position.
Note: EachNikon F must be factorymodified
to accommodatethe F-36 Motor Drive.Once
modifications are made, the drive unit can be
used interchangeablywith the standard camera
back. Contact your Nikon dealer,distributor or
the manufacturerfor details.





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Your motorized Nikon F uses standard   UNLOADING
    20- or 36-exposurefilm loads. Loading      Follow normal Nikon F unloading pro-
    proceduresare identical to those for the      ceduresdescribedin the Nikon F instruc-
    regularNikon F. Removethe camerafrom        tion manual. Set the A-R ring to R, un-
    the motor drive and insert the cartridge.      fold the rewind crank and turn it in the
   Make sure the film perforations are fully        direction indicatedby the arrow.
   engagedby the sprockets. For loading
     details, see your Nikon F  instruction
    booklet.

     Note: Use of Nikon  reloadable film cassettes is
    recommended.  Friction  from  the  felt  trap  of
    commercial film cartridges slows passageof film
     causing strain on your motor  drive and shorten-
     ing battery  life.


?
 :iI1 . .

FRAMECOUNTER                                to operate, possibly tearing the perforations or pull-
The frame counteron the back of the motor      ing the film  off the cartridge core. This makes film
                                                        rewinding impossible.drive is subtractive-it indicatesthe number
of remaining unexposed frames. When the   S-CRING
frame counter reacheszero, the motor drive    The S-C ring, which surrounds the release                                                                          635"automatically stops. This enablesyou to set    button, is used to set the camera for                                                   36C"                                                (single-shot)or     (continuous firing) pat-a predeterminednumber of exposuresfor
bursts-or continuousfiring. To set the count-    terns. Simply turn the milled ring until the
er to a desirednumber,depressand turn the    black dot appearsbesidethe setting you de-
milled exposure-settingring next to the frame     sire. To avoid accidental firing, set the S-C
counter in the direction indicatedby the ar-    ring on "L"  (lock) when not anticipatingim-
row until the desirednumber appearsoppo-   mediateuse of the camera.
site the white triangularindex marking.Dur-   FIRING.RATEADJUSTINGKNOB
ing normal use,the counter is set to the num-    This knob controls the rate of continuousse-                                                                               3'U'ber of exposuresin the loadedcartridge.        quential firing. Its settingsare    (low speed),                                                                   'sM2"Note: Your  standard Nikon  F frame counter on    "M I "  (mediurn speed I ),      (medium                                                  33H"                                                                  (high speed).top of the camera will  function  normally, showing    speed2) and
the number of exposed frames.  If you use the mo-
tordrive  gounter to control sequence duration, the
number of remaining frames can be determined by
checking the frame counter on top of the camera.
Caution:   If  you overestimate the number  of  re-
maining exposures, the motor  drive  will continue

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For operations under different circum-     To connectthe battery pack to the motor
stances,three power sourcesare available      drive, insert the camera-endplug of the
for the motor-drive unit. Dependingon      connectingcord into the motor-drivepow-
requirementsat hand, either the standard      er terminal, and insert the other plug into
battery pack, cordless battery pack or       the socket on top of the battery pack.
external power sourcesmay be employed.    On its cover, the battery pack carriesits
STANDARDBATTERYPACK        own releasebutton with the same three
                                              settingsas thoseof the motor drive,name-The battery pack is a separateunit, con-                   63C",                                                          ly, "S" ,"L" and    so that the on-packtaining eight C-type l.5V batteriesto pow-                                            controls may duplicatethose on the mo-er your motor drive. It is suppliedwith a                   365"                                                   tor drive. Thg        , "L",  "C" positionsshoulderstrap and a lm connectingcord.                                      can be set by rotating the releasebutton.To insertthe batteries,releasethe securing
clip and swing back the cover. Make sure
the positive and negative(+ and -)  termi-
nals are lined up in the manner illustrated
inside the battery pack.

Note: While ordinary zinc-carbonbatteries may      and selection of firing pattern of the mo-
be used, alkaline batteries are recommended       tor  drive. Check your cordlessbattery-
becauseof their long operating life- At tempera-                                        pack  instruction  booklet  for  furthertures below l4oF   (- 10oC), zinc-carbon bat-                                                  details.teries cease to function. Alkaline batteries re-
main functional down to -4oF (-20oC). Due
to variousfactors,it is difficult to assessbattery
life. However, as a rough guide and allowing for
intermittent usai one set of batteries should
bxposeabout 100 cassetteloadsof 36-exposure
films. A  20'percent voltage drop under load
indicates the necessity for immediate replace-
ment.

CORDLESSBATTERYPACK
An alternate power source is the cordless
battery pack which houseseight AA-type
 l.5V batteries.This unit fits the Nikon F,
making the camera, motor drive and pow'
 er supply one convenient, integrated unit.
There is no connecting cord to interfere
 with  operations. Like the standard bat-
 tery pack, it has its own releasebutton
 and SC switch for independent triggering
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EXTERNALPOWERSOURCES        follow the positive and negativepolarity
You may also operate your motor drive      markings.
with an external AC or DC power supply.
The sourcemust supply a current of 0.4A
-l2V  DC. The power must be stable-
high ripple voltagescan damagethe motor
drive  circuitry-and  under no  circum-
stancesshould the voltagerise above l6V.
When connecting the  external Power
source to the motor drive, be sure that
the positive and negative(+ and -)  termi-
nals in the connector of the connecting
cord are followed correctly.
For added convenience,a relay box is
availableas an accessoryto connect the
external power source with  the motor
drive. Attach the power sourceto the DC
terminals on one side of the relay box.
Then, using the  I m connectingcord sup-
plied with the relay box, link motor drive
terminal of the relay box to the power
terminal .of the motor drive. Be sure to

SI NGLE SHOTS
For single-shotoperations,turn the S-C
ring until the black indicator mark clicks
               665"and stops at the      setting. Then turn
                             66H"the firing-rate adjustingknob to the
settingto minimizevibration. You can use      terminated and the camera's mirror re-
any shutter speedfor single shots except      mainslocked in the up position.
66T"                  668"     time. However,at the     (bulb) set-     Even with  the motor  control  in place,
ting, the mirror of the camera must be      you retain manual control of the camera.
locked in the "up"  position (see Nikon      Regardlessof the motor drive or battery-
F instruction booklet) or the power sup-     pack control settitrBS,the film-advance
ply voltagemust be reducedto 9V.              lever still winds the film, the shutter may
Depressthe releasebutton on the motor      be releasedby the shutter-releasebutton
drive to make your exposure.As soon as      and the self-timerworks normally for sin-
the button is released,the motor drive       gle shots.
automatically winds the film and cocks        Note:  The  film-advance  lever should  not be
the shutter for the next exposure. Espe-      wound whea  the frame counter on the motor                                                              drive  is at tlrc "0"  setting.cially when using shutter speedsslower
than ll60 sec.,be sureto keep the button
depresseduntil the shutter completesthe
exposure.If the button is releasedtoo
quickly, your exposure is prematurely
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frame  because the  film   is advanced  with-    ON-CAMERAAND ON.PACK
out proper shutter synchronization.       CONTROLINTERACTION
 Note:  Single              shots may be fired  with  the S-C      The battery pack and motor  drive each          6sC"ring at the      position, but the finger must be                                          has its own release button and S-C ring.removed quickly  from  the release button  after
each exposure. This  is possible only  at shutter        In order that the camera may be operated
speedsin the range of  Il8  to 1/1000 sec.            by remote control, each set of controls
                                                              will override the other. For example, the
                                           "on-camera" control  is set to lock. If you
                                                   set the battery  control  for  either single
                                               shot or continuous firing, that setting will
                                               override the lock setting on the camera.
                                            With  the battery pack control on lock,
                                                the camera's setting of either continuous
                                                   or single shot will prevail. When both con-
                                                        trols are set on lock, neither the camera
                                               nor the battery pack release button can
                                                      trigger the motor drive.





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cable con-                                                                                                      of                                                                               the length                                                                   increasing                                             WhenWITH STANDARD BATTERY             Note:                                                                                  conductors                                                                                             of the                                                                       the colors                                                      match                                                      nections,
PACK                                                with those of the original cord.
From a distance,your motor drivemay       Caution: To prevent accidentalfiring when the
be triggered by  either a cable link  or a       on-pack control  is used, set the on-camera re-
timer  or by radio control. The simplest       leasecontrol for locking.
method  is the extension of the connect-                                   v:
ing cord between the motor drive and bat-
tery pack. To supplement the 1m connect-
ing cord, a 33-foot (10.n) extension cord
is available. Using the controls on the bat-
tery pack, the motor  drive may then be
operated from distancesof up to 33 feet.
 Ii you desire remote-control operation at
a greater distance, supplement the exten-
 sion cord by splicing a three-core cable of
any desired length into the original cord.
 For satisfactory operation, however, the
 resistance of the total length of each con-
 ductor must not exceed 3 ohms.



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WITH CORDLESSBATTERY        USING RELAY BOX
PACK                                          In the following cases,we recommend
The cordlessbatterypackmaybe usedin      you use the relay box with your motor
conjunction  with  a  variety  of  remote-       drive:
control devices,including a remote switch,              ( 1) For long-distanceremote-control
a timer or a wireless receiver. Use a length             requirements
of readily available two-core cable and a           (2) For  electric timer or  intervalo-
plug, zttach the remote-control socket            meter shots
located on the battery-pack side to the           (3) For wirelesscontrol
remote switch. This establishesa trigger          (4) For firing two or more cameras
circuit. For details, see Using Relay Box.            simultaneously
                                                    (5) For any other automaticcoupling
                                                         of shutterfire
                                   You may control your motor drive from
                                            the relay box, which has its own release
                                           button and S-C switch.At one end of the
                                              relay box are the motor drive, battery
     AC plug    @                          pack and DC power supply terminals; all
                                i                             are for  wiring the motor drive to the
                                      power sources.At the other end are the
                                            Rl  and R2 terminals for use in estab-
                                                 lishing triggercircuitsin conjunctionwith

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a remote switch,timer or wirelessreceiver.     intervalometer in the trigger circuit  in
To set up a remote-controlcircuit, wire       placeof the on-off switch.
the relay box to the motor drive using        Note: The accompanying  circuit  diagram may
the lm cords suppliedwith the relay box        be useful in establishing a remote control circuit
and battery pack (see illustration). Then        without the relay box.
establish a trigger circuit running from                S-C Swrtch   For singfe
the Rl and R2 terminalsusing a length of                                                                                      shooting
two-core cable and a simple press-action  @
contact switch. Closing the trigger circuit
with the switch has the same effect as                   o
pressingthe releasebutton.       @
Sincethe resistanceof ordinary two-core                                          I Push Button
cable(unlessits diameteris exceptionally
small)doesnot usuallyexceed 100 ohms,
remote-controloperation is possiblefor
distancesasgreatas two miles.
As a matter of convenience,however,for
long-distanceoperations,radio control is
recommendedwith the radio set to oper-
ate the relay trigger circuit. You may use
the motor drive to make time-lapse ex-
posuresby insertingan electric timer or

For simultaneousfiring of severalcameras,    among the switches,connectthe R I and
connect each cantera with a rnotor drive,     R2 terminalsof the relay boxes with a
power source and relay box. Then, in       singleswitch as shown in the illustrations.
order to establish simultaneous contact





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TIME DELAY                                (3) Minimum  interval obtainable using
    Here are the time delaysyou will encoun-         intervalometeror similar devicewith
      ter  in using various equipment arrange-       camera mirror locked in the up po-
    mentswith your motor drive:                        sition:          Over0.3 sec.
        (l)  Shutter-releasetime delay after clos-         With cameramirror operative:
         ing circuit connectedto Rl and R2                        Over0.4 sec.
         terminals                                 For maximum interval error, add to
       When the cameramirror is locked in          intervalometererror:10.02
         the up position:  0.04+0.01sec.
      When the camera mirror is coupled        Note: Even when  the  shutter  is released at a
          to the shutter:   0.0710.01sec.          speed of l/1000  sec., the total time required to                                                          complete  the exposure sequence is longer by
      (2) Synchronization error in simultane-      0.014 sec.This corresponds to the time required
        ous firing of a number of cameras:        for the camera's focal plane shutter curtain to
                         Within 0.02 sec.           travel across the full frame aperture.
 *


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COMPARTMENTCASE FB-7       PISTOLGRIPWITH
This case accommodatesthe camera, ffio-   MICROSWITCH
tor drive, cordless battery pack and any       This pistol grip especiallydesignedfor the
lens of focal length up to l35mm  f13.5.     motor  drive unit and battery-pack com-
There  is also space for  an additional       bination, provides comfortable support
camerawith or without motor drive, two         for  fuigertip  operation, eyen with  long
additional lensesup to 200mm fl4, spare      lenses. This gip  features a built-in micro-
batteries and filters. An accessorypouch       svitch trigger and SC switch for single or
holds six filters.                           sequenceshots.It clamps onto the camera
                                                or extra-length lens tripod sockets. The
                                                     pistol gfip comes equipped with a cord
                                                      for easy connection to the motor drive.





                                                                     Pistol Grip with
                                                             Microswitch


        Compartment
       Case FB-7
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PISTOLGRIPMODEL2           WIRELESSCONTROL
This grip also permits trigger-releaseoper-     With this unit, control of the cameraby
ation for the motorizedNikon E and cord-      radio, from distancesof up to 1000 ft
lessbattery-packcombinationthrough an      (300m), is possible.The unit consistsof a
accessorycoiled connecting cord.  At-      transmitter and a receiver,and is fully
tachesto the tripod socketon the camera      transistorized.It is poweredby eight pen-
or on long lenses.                                 light batteries,providingan operatinglife
                                                 of more than 20 hours in continuousop-
R EPEATING E LECTRON IC              eration.
SPEEDLIGHTUNIT
For shutter speedsbelow ll60 sec.,this
speciallydesignedNikon repeatingspeed-
light unit providescontinuous firing syn-
chronization,making possibleas many as
three sequentialflash exposurespersec-
ond.




                                                                                  WirelessControf                                                       ffi
              RepeatinUE lectronic
               Speedlight Un it                                           23