Manual

Make sure to have read the Quick Start section, before proceeding.

While shooting

During the capture of your timelapse, you should only operate the timer carefully not to shake the camera.

There are a couple of options while shooting:

  • Rotate the knob: this will change the display mode between 3 modes in a cyclic way:
    • Full display mode
    • minimal display, where only number of images and (if you defined a total amount of images) the time left is being displayed.
    • no display – in this mode only a single pixel for each camera port to indicate the triggering. This mode is especially useful, when shooting at night to avoid any light emission from the timer.
  • Long press will ask you if you want to cancel the shooting.
  • Click will bring up the shooting-menu:

The Shooting Menu

  • Pause
    will pause the current timelapse shooting after a confirmation.
  • Ramp interval
    will allow you to gradually change the interval while shooting (more details).
  • Change No. Shots
    allows you to change the number of shots even while shooting, should you expect that you would like to extend or shorten a recording while it’s running.
  • Flashlight
    will allow you to use the OLED-display to illuminate your foreground while shooting (more details).
  • A long press gets you back to the shooting screen without interrupting your shooting.

Interval Ramping

Interval Ramping sometimes also called interval fairing allows you to gradually change the interval setting over the time. For example, this allows you to shoot a sunset transition with a short interval and then smoothly increase the interval during dusk in order to capture the stars and milky way with a longer interval. The result in the final clip will be a rather slow sunset, then a smooth acceleration during dusk and perfect movement of the milkyway, which is not too slow and which you could capture with sufficiently long exposure times also. Please note that the LRT Pro Timer does only interval ramping, it is not a “Ramper” that controls exposure, iso, aperture of your camera as you’d need for the so called “Holy Grail Shooting”. For this you can easily use an app called qDslrDashboard. You can find more details about this here.

Setting an interval ramping

While shooting in any mode, just click the button to go to the shooting menu:

 

  1. Select Ramp Interval
  2. Dial in the time which should be used for the transition of the current interval to the target interval.
  3. Now select the target interval:

 

After committing the new interval with a click, the LRT PRO Timer will start gradually ramping the interval and indicate this with a small asterisk (*) next to the interval on the top right of the display:

Cancelling the interval ramping

While interval ramping takes place (the *-indicator is visible), a long press will stop the interval ramping and continue shooting with the interval that is currently set.

The modes

In the main menu you can select different modes by rotating the knob.

Timelapse (M)

Timelapse (M) is certainly the most used mode. Captures Timelapse while the camera is in M-Mode, I’ve explained this in the Quickstart section.

TL/Astro (B)

Allows you to capture timelapse with long Bulb-exposures. This mode should only be used for timelapses with exposure times longer than 30 secs, which cannot be defined directly in the camera in M-Mode.

Single/Bulb

Allows you to trigger single exposures. Either in M-Mode or in Bulb Mode.

For M-Mode single exposure triggering, normally the timer will just briefly trigger the camera (0.2 secs trigger), you’ll set the exposure time in the camera in M-Mode. This is the preferred way to do it, for all exposures shorter than 30 seconds.

If you need longer exposure times, you can dial them in, the display will then switch to “Bulb Exposure”:

A single click will release the camera, long press as always goes back.

You can also control the exposure time manually. To do so, choose Open End as “Bulb Exposure Time” – you’ll find that option between Single Exposure and 2 Secs Bulb Exposure.

If you choose Open End, you’ll be able to start a bulb exposure with one short click and end it with another short click.

While exposing, the time, that you have already exposed, will be counted up.

Timed TL

Allows you to define a start date and time for when the shooting should begin, otherwise this mode works like Timelapse (M) / TL/Astro (B).

Periodic TL

This mode has been introduced with firmware update 22. It allows you to select the time period of the day during which the timer will shoot periodically.

For example you could choose to shoot from 08am to 6pm each day.

Custom TL

This is the most flexible mode for advanced users. It combines the features of all other modes (except Periodic TL) and allows the most flexible settings.

While all other modes will increase the step size with higher values, Custom TL allows you to freely chose the Interval and Exposure Time in steps of 0.1 seconds throughout the full range.

To set the custom time values, you can use a long click to go to the left and a short click to go to the right to change hours, minutes, seconds and 1/10th Seconds individually. The value that you are changing will appear bold and it will also be described at the bottom.

When switching from one screen to the next, the timer will preselect the most likely value you would like to change.

Custom TL also offers timed shooting, interval ramping etc. Those work exactly as described in the other sections.

Tools

In this menu you’ll find useful tools, currently the flashlight, more might come with future firmware updated.

The Flashlight

The Flashlight allows you to illuminate your foreground in very dark environments via the OLED display of the LRT PRO Timer.

It can also be accessed from the shooting menu while shooting.

To use the flashlight feature for foreground illumination, you should mount the LRT PRO Timer with the display to the front to the hot shoe of your camera.

Then, set up your timelapse shooting and while shooting, click to bring up the shooting menu, select flashlight.

You’ll see a rectangle, whose extension and therefore also luminosity can be change by turning the rotator:

 

Settings

Change some default settings, see below.

Status

Shows some status information about the device like the version number.

On the first status screen you will see the software version, the hardware version, the battery charge in percent, the status of the charging regulator, then run time since powering up and the status of the 2nd camera port.

On the second status screen you will see a graphical indication about the release ports and their current status according to your configuration in the settings (see below).

Settings

In the settings you can configure many details about the LRT Pro Timer. The defaults have been chosen to serve 95% of all users well. Normally you’d not need to change anything here but it would be good to quickly read through the options here so that you know them, just in case.

Date/Time

Allows you to set or correct the real time clock. See here on how to do this.

Release Time

This setting allows you to configure the time in milliseconds for which the release signal will be sent to your camera. The default is 200ms, which should be fine for most cameras. If your camera skips frames, try increasing this time bit by bit.

Autofocus time

The time in milliseconds that the autofocus will be triggered before releasing the camera. Most cameras need to have the focus signal send briefly before releasing the shutter. The default of 100ms should be fine.

DSLM Standby time / Wakeup Time

Mirrorless cameras tend to go to “sleep” mode after a couple of seconds, if this happens between intervals of a timelapse, the next shot might get missed. Here you can set the time that needs to pass after a release has been finished (interval + release time) for the camera to be woken up. By default this is set to 15 seconds. Usually the camera will be then woken up 1 sec. before the next shot gets triggered. If you are working with a DSLR only, you can also turn this off by dialing down below 5 secs, which will disable the camera wakeup.

Decoupling time

By default the LRT Pro Timer waits 2 seconds after you start a timelapse shooting before actually releasing the camera. This allows you to remove your hand and the camera to stabilize before the shooting starts. You can change or even turn off this time here.

Screensaver time

By default the LRT PRO Timer goes to screensaver mode after 1 minute when it’s not shooting. You can define this time here or even turn it off.

Video FPS

Here you can change the default value for the video fps (frames per second). This value will be used to calculate the estimated video runtime. Possible values are 24, 25, 30, 50, 60 fps.

Flip Screen / Screen orientation

With this option you can rotate the screen by 180°. This might be useful, when mounting the timer upside down on a tripod. The direction of the rotator will also get inverted.

Rotation Direction

Enables you to inverse the rotation direction of the knob.

Custom Resolution

This option allows you to increase the resolution of interval and exposure to 1/100 seconds in Custom TL Mode. Please note, that the LRT Pro Timer was not designed to deliver accurate timings in 1/100 of a second – this mode is for special purposes only. Normally you should leave this at the default of 1/10th of a second.

Second Port

Here you can configure the second camera port with these options:

  • on (camera) – default – will trigger the second port in parallel to the main camera port. This allows you to connect to cameras and trigger them in parallel.
  • off (save battery) – turns the second port off in order to save some battery, especially when doing long bulb releases, this might make a (small) difference.
  • motion trigger – configures the second port for triggering a motion controller. If you set this option, the second port will get triggered n seconds before an interval ends, where n by default is set to 2 seconds. This allows you to trigger the movement at the end of any interval, in order to not interfere with the camera exposure.

Motion Trigger

Enables you to configure, the amount of time that the motion trigger (see previous menu entry) will happen before the interval ends.

DSLM Permanent AF

Will turn on AF permanently for intervals shorter than 1 sec. Some mirrorless cameras like Canon seem to work faster with very short intervals when the AF is permanently on.

Hardware Version

Only set this to “2.0” if you are using an old LRT Pro Timer with the 2.0 hardware. Otherwise please leave it at Auto.

Calibrate Battery

Allows you to calibrate the battery display. Do this only if the charging symbol doesn’t stop after hours of charging or the battery symbol doesn’t show full after charging.

To Calibrate:

  1. Charge your LRT PRO Timer fully and wait one hour more. Best leave it charging overnight to be sure that the battery is really full.
  2. Remove the charger
  3. Power the Timer off and on again.
  4. Go to Settings / Calibrate Battery
  5. Click the button, then click it again to save the calibration.

Write settings

Updates the configuration on the internal flash. Normally this will happen automatically after committing each change to one of the settings, but you can force it here also, to save the default interval, ramping duration and number of shots.

Factory reset

Resets the configuration of the LRT PRO Timer to the factory values. This will not affect the firmware, only the settings stored in the flash memory.

Fine tuning the LRTimelapse Pro Timer to your camera

Normally, the default settings for Release Time, Autofocus Time and DSLM Standby Time in the LRTimelapse Pro Timer 2.5 should be fine for both DSLR and DSLM Cameras. Only change them, if you really need to and know what you are doing.

There are only two cases when you might want to change them:

  1. Your camera does not trigger accurately, that means, it loses shots during a timelapse.
    In that case you can try to increase the release time (slowly, in 50 ms steps) until the problem is solved. Just do sample shots of ca. 50 images with each setting, use short intervals of 2 secs.
    If that does not help, then go back to the beginning (set the original value for the release time) and increase the autofocus time bit by bit.
  2. You want to optimize the timer specifically for your camera to allow even shorter dark-times.
    Do it the other way around: reduce the AF time successively, and see if the camera still triggers reliably. Many cameras even work fine an AF time of 0.
    After finding the ideal AF-Time, you can reduce the release time. Again, do it step by step until the camera stops firing reliably.

Fine tune the DSLM Standby Time

If the dark-time between two shots is greater than the value set here, the camera will be woken up by an AF-signal 1 second before the next shutter release.

Please note: Only in Bulb mode the LRT Pro Timer knows how long the actual dark-time is, but not in M-mode (in M-mode, the shutter speed is set on the camera). Therefore, the DSLM standby time in M ​​mode refers to the interval, that means: if you set an interval greater than at DSLM standby time, the camera will be woken up 1 second before the next triggering. It only makes sense to change this time, if you need to have very short dark times for longer intervals than the DSLM Standby Time. That’s rather unusual.

Download The Menu Structure of the LRT PRO Timer 3

LRT-PRO-Timer-3.0-Menu-Structure.pdf

Exchange the Buffer Battery for the Real Time Clock (Error: “RTC Not Running”)

Every 3-4 Years you need to exchange the button cell battery that powers the real time clock.

If you get the message “RTC not running” or “RTC not initialized” on the LRTimelapse PRO Timer 2.5 or 3 you might need to replace the CR1220 button cell battery that powers the real time clock (RTC).

To exchange the button cell, you need to open the case and remove the circuit board:

(Click on the images to see bigger versions.)

  • Carefully push the cover which has the port openings out by gently pressing the two tabs on the side and pushing them in the direction of the arrows shown in the picture below. Now you can remove the cover.
  • For Version 2.5: carefully pull off the rotator button
    For Version 3: loosen the small hexagonal screw (2 mm Allen key) that holds the button, pull it off carefully.
  • Loosen the cap nut that holds the rotator shaft.
  • Now slowly pull out the Li-Ion battery from the open side, pulling gently (!) on the cable.
  • Now the circuit board can be pushed out. The easiest is to push on the Rotator-Axis on the opposite side to slide it out.
  • The button cell is on the bottom side of the circuit board. It’s a CR1220 cell, that you should get everywhere you can buy batteries.
  • Exchange the button cell (push the metal on the left side where you see the small arrow to get it out).

Now you can reassemble everything in reverse order, but please take care of these things:

  1. Fasten the cap nut that holds the rotator shaft only lightly with your hand, don’t use any tools. Fastening the nut with too much force might break the rotator.
  2. When mounting the Rotator-Knob, take care to not push it too close to the case before fastening the screw in order to leave a little room for it to be pressed. The screw needs to be aligned with the flat side of the shaft of the rotator.
  3. PT 2.5 only: Please put one layer of Teflon- or Silicon Tape around the axis in order to prevent the knob to slide too close to the housing, again, to leave a little room for it to get pressed.

 

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