Impact VC-500WLN-II Operating instructions

VC-500WLN-II

Digital Monolight

INSTRUCTIONS

Introduction

Thank you for choosing Impact.

This professional-grade studio lighting unit features a 500 Ws ash

tube and an integrated 25 W COB LED modeling light. The monolight

is constructed with a durable housing and boasts a lightning-fast

0.2 to 1.6-second recycle time, intelligent adaptive thermal control,

and CMOS chip circuitry.

The powerful Impact Digital Monolight has an integrated 2.4 GHz

multichannel wireless receiver. You can trigger the monolight from

a distance of 328 feet when it’s partnered with the VC-500WLXMT

transmitter (included with kits only, sold separately). Paired with

the unit’s integrated group functions, you can arrange and digitally

segment each of their remote devices as needed. Additionally,

the ash’s seven optical slave modes enable the device to

communicate with your on-camera master ashes, seamlessly

triggering up to ve preashes.

Box Contents

• Digital Monolight

• Reector

• AC cable

• Flash tube (installed)

• Spare fuse (in fuse bay)

• Protective cover

• User manual

• Digital Monolight (×3)

• Reector (×3)

• Air-cushioned light stand (×3)

• 40 in. umbrella—white with black

backing (×3)

• 24 × 36 in. softbox with

speed ring

• Wireless controller

• AC cable (×3)

• Flash tube (installed) (×3)

• Spare fuse (in fuse bay) (×3)

• Protective cover (×3)

• Kit case

• User manual

VC-500WLN-II

VC-500WL3KN-II

Precautions ⚠

• DANGER: high-voltage parts

inside.

• There are no serviceable parts

inside the unit. Only qualied

service engineers should access

the inside of the casing.

• If the ash tube becomes cracked

or damaged in any way, replace

immediately.

• Keep this product away from

water and any ammable gases

or liquids.

• Use only the correct,

recommended voltage.

• Avoid rapid, high-power ashing.

• Excessive heat shortens the life

span of ash tubes and internal

components.

• If the unit is not used for two

months, turn it on for 30 minutes,

and re the ash several times to

charge the capacitors.

• Always remove the protective cap

before plugging in or powering on

the unit.

• Never operate the ash with the

protective cap on.

• Make sure this product is

powered off when plugging it into

a power source.

• Turn off the power and unplug the

power cord from the unit and wall

when the monolight is not in use.

• Always attach the protective cap

when transporting the unit.

• Do not attempt to disassemble

or repair this product. There

are components inside that can

produce a hazardous electric

shock.

• Handle this product with care.

• Do not stare at the lights when

they are powered on.

• Clean this product with only a soft,

dry cloth.

• Always wear cotton gloves when

handling the ashtube.

• Keep this product away from

children.

• Make sure everything is secure

before proceeding.

• Make sure that this product

is intact and that there are no

missing parts before use.

• Do not block, cover, or restrict the

air vents when the unit is in use.

• All images are for illustrative

purposes only.

Overview

Front

1. Mount release

2. Modeling light

3. Flashtube

4. Reector

5. Umbrella hole

6. Umbrella mount

7. Tilt lock

8. 5/8 in. mount

9. Locking knob

10. Umbrella mount locking knob

11. Balance adjustment screw

12. Optical sensor

4 5

13 2

Back

1. LED screen

2. Power input jack

3. Fuse bay

4. 1/4 in. (6.35 mm) sync port

5. Power switch

6. Slave mode button

7. Audio button

8. Test button

9. Up and down buttons

10. Modeling light and power output

adjustment dial

Remote Guide (Kits Only)

Top

1. Up button

2. Down button

3. Test button

4. Group selector button

5. Group indicators

Side

6. Battery compartment cover

7. Hot-shoe mount

8. 3.5 mm sync port

Battery Compartment

9. Channel DIP switches

10. Battery clasp

11. Battery slot with CR2032 battery

installed

3 10 114 5

Control Panel Display Screen

1. Manual ash indicator

2. Overheating warning

3. Slave/Photocell on/off indicator

4. Wireless radio signal indicator

5. Modeling lamp mode indicator

6. Channel

7. Group

8. Flash recycle indicator

9. Audio indicator

10. Modeling lamp output power

11. Flash output power

6 7 8

Setup

Preparing for Use

The Impact Digital Monolight includes a preinstalled

ash tube. Be careful not to touch the ash tube

with your bare hands, since this could cause

damage to it. Use cotton gloves or a soft, dry cloth

when touching or handling the ash tube. See

Installation and Replacement Guide on page 23.

Remove the protective cap before plugging in or

powering on the unit. Push back the mount release,

turn the cap counterclockwise, and pull the cap

from the mount.

Attach the reector by aligning the lugs and making

sure the umbrella hole is on the bottom. Push back

the mount release, fully insert the reector, and turn

it clockwise. You’ll hear it click into place.

Mounting Accessories

5/8 in. mounting receiver

The Impact Digital Monolight has a standard 5/8 in.

receiver with tilt lock and tightening knob. Place the

light onto a stand with a standard 5/8 in. stud.

Turn the locking knob to secure. Turn the tilt lock

counterclockwise to adjust the tilt of the monolight.

Turn the knob clockwise to secure the monolight in

place.

Bowens mount

The Digital Monolight has a Bowens mount for light-modifying accessories.

This can be used with optional add-ons such as speed rings for softboxes. The

included umbrella lines up with the umbrella mount.

Always turn the monolight’s power off before attaching or removing accessories.

Insert the accessory into the Bowens mount and rotate clockwise until it clicks.

To remove it from the mount, hold down the mount release and rotate the

accessory counterclockwise.

Umbrella Mount

To mount an umbrella to the monolight, rst attach

the reector using the above instructions. Then run

the umbrella rod through the reector’s umbrella

hole and into the monolight’s umbrella mount.

Secure the umbrella by tightening the umbrella

locking knob.

Note: Umbrellas are included only with two- and

three-light kits. Umbrellas can be purchased

separately for the VC-500WLN-II.

Balance Adjustment

Sliding tracks on the bottom of the monolight let you adjust the light’s balance

point when large and heavy accessories are attached.

Use a Phillips screwdriver to loosen the slider

screw, as pictured. Do not completely remove the

screw.

Slide the monolight to the preferred balance point.

For example, for heavier accessories, slide the

monolight back on the tracks so the balance point is

closer to the front of the light. This will prevent the

monolight from tipping forward.

Tighten the screw until secure.

Connecting Your Camera to the Monolight

The Impact Digital Monolight has two triggering options.

Sync Cord (Optional Accessory)

The back of your monolight has a 1/4 in. (6.35 mm)

sync input, which is used for a wired connection

between your camera and the ash unit.

Plug a sync cable’s 1/4 in. connector into the

monolight and the PC connector into your camera.

Use an adapter (not included) if your camera does

not have a PC port.

Wireless

Note: The remote is included only with the three-light kit. The VC-500WLXMT

remote can be purchased separately.

The Impact Digital Monolight has an integrated 2.4 GHz multichannel wireless

receiver. Using the included transmitter, you can wirelessly trigger your ash

unit from up to 328 feet (100 m) away. Line-of-sight is not required for your

monolights to communicate with the transmitter.

For instructions on how to operate your monolights with the transmitter, refer to

the transmitter’s user manual or the instructions in this manual.

Note: You can attach your own wireless triggering system receiver to the Digital

Monolight via the sync port.

Powering the Monolight

The Impact VC-500WLN-II Monolight is designed to

operate with a 100–130 V, 50/60 Hz AC power. Before

powering your monolight, rst plug the AC cable into

the ash’s AC input, and then plug it into the

wall socket.

Press the power switch to turn the unit on. The

display will show the current ash power setting.

Note: The monolight saves all of the previous ash

and modeling light settings. All of these settings will be active when powering

on.

Important! Impact recommends charging the monolight’s capacitors for one

hour before its initial use, and after an extended period of inactivity (more than

two weeks). If the unit is left unused for an extended period of time, or if the unit

has been mostly used at low power, set the monolight output to full power and

leave it plugged in and switched on (with the modeling lamp off) for at least 30

minutes. This will help preserve the life of the capacitors.

Setting the Monolight’s Power Output

The Impact Digital Monolight’s ashtube has a

6-stop power range, represented by a 1–6 (f-stop)

numbered scale on the display. The adjustment knob

changes the monolight output value by 0.1 f-stop

increments.

To increase or decrease the power output of the

monolight, turn the adjustment dial. This will adjust

both the monolight and modeling lamp (unless the

modeling lamp is set to independent mode on or

off). For information on adjusting the modeling lamp

power output, refer to Setting the Modeling Light

Power Output below.

When decreasing the power of the ash, the power

output setting on the display will blink until the

capacitors release the accumulated energy (auto

power dump). To speed up the process, press the

TEST button to re the ash after the output has

been decreased.

Setting the Modeling Light Power Output

The VC-500WLN-II Monolight has an integrated LED modeling light.The modeling

light’s power output is represented on the display by a 1–6 numbered scale that

can be adjusted by 0.1 increments.

Operation

Setting Power

6.0 Full

5.0 1/2

4.0 1/4

3.0 1/8

2.0 1/16

1.0 1/32

Press the output adjustment dial repeatedly to cycle through the modeling light’s

three operating modes:

• In proportional mode, use the adjustment

dial to increase or decrease the ash power.

The modeling light brightness will increase or

decrease incrementally with the ash power.

• In free mode, use the and buttons to adjust

the modeling light brightness independently of

the ash output power. Each button press will

change the power output of the modeling light

by 0.1 increments. Press and hold the or

buttons to rapidly increase or decrease the

value.

• Off mode turns the modeling light off. No modeling light icons appear

onscreen.

The modeling light can be used as a recycle indicator. When the audio function

is deactivated (see Audio Button on page 18), the modeling light will turn off

when the ash is red, and it will turn on again to indicate that the capacitors

have recharged. When the audio function is active, the modeling light will not

turn off when the ash is red.

Slave and Preash Settings

The Impact Digital Monolight has seven optical

slave/preash modes.

Press the slave button to activate slave mode. The

slave indicator light appear on the display. Press it

again to turn it off.

To adjust the preash settings, press and hold the slave button for four seconds.

Use the and buttons to toggle between preash settings.

C0: Using your master ash, release

a test exposure. The monolight

will automatically memorize the

amount of preashes red.

C1: The monolight will ash when it

detects another ash.

C2: The monolight will trigger after

one preash.

C3: The monolight will trigger after

two preashes.

C4: The monolight will trigger after

three preashes.

C5: The monolight will trigger after

four preashes.

C6: The monolight will trigger after ve

preashes.

Once the preash is set, press and hold the Slave button for 4 seconds to return

to the main screen.

Setting Channels and Groups

The Impact Digital Monolight has an integrated 2.4 GHz multichannel radio

receiver. The three-light kit (VC-500WL3KN-II) includes a wireless radio

transmitter for remote triggering.

See page 20 for instructions on using the remote with your monolights.

To access the channel and groups pages, press and hold the Slave button for 4

seconds until the preash page appears. Press the slave button repeatedly to

cycle through preash, channel, and groups pages.

Once the channel and group are set, press and hold the Slave button for 4

seconds to return to the main screen.

Setting a Channel

Set your devices to the same channel to trigger them

all at the same time. This also aids in avoiding radio

interference from other devices in the area.

• Press the Slave button repeatedly to select the

channel or group screen.

• Use the or buttons to select a channel.

• Make sure the remote is set to the same channel. See Remote Instructions

on page 20.

Setting a Group

Groups are effective for independently adjusting

selected lights in a multi-ash setup. Setting lights

to groups let you set brightness of key, ll, and hair

lights individually.

• Press the Slave button repeatedly until the group

selection screen appears.

• Use the or buttons to select a group.

• Press and hold the Slave button for 4 seconds to return to the main screen.

Other Functions and Protective Features

Audio Button

When the audio icon is onscreen, the monolight will emit a beep to indicate that

the capacitors have recharged. To turn this function off, press the audio button.

The icon will turn off. Press the audio button again to reactivate the function.

Note: When the audio function is disabled, the modeling light will act as a

recycle indiactor. When the ash is red, the modeling light will turn off until the

capacitors have recharged, and then turn on again.

Overheating Protection

After a long shooting session at a high power output, the recycling time of

the ash will increase automatically until the ash cools to a safe level. Once

cooled, it will begin operating as usual.

Overvoltage and Overcurrent Protection

The ash is protected against unstable voltages. Overcurrent protection is useful

when using a power generator (gasoline or electric) to power the ash unit.

Error Codes

In the event of a malfunction, the display will show a blinking error code. In

addition, error codes E2 and E3 are accompanied by a beep warning.

E1: Temperature transducer problem. Turn the unit off immediately and contact

Impact customer service.

E2: This error code can appear after a long shooting session at high output or

rapid sequence. Turn off the ash unit and allow it to cool for 30 minutes.

E3: This error code will appear when the internal voltage of the ash is too high.

Turn off the power immediately. After approximately 5 minutes, turn the

ash back on. If the error is still displayed on the LED screen, turn off the

monolight and contact Impact customer service.

E4: This error code will display when the charge circuit is wrong. Turn the unit

off immediately and contact Impact customer service.

Remote Instructions

Impact’s VC-500WL3KN-II three-light kit comes with a

2.4 GHz transmitter that enables the user to control and

trigger the studio ash remotely. (The VC-500WLXMT

transmitter can be purchased separately.)

Mount the transmitter onto your camera’s hot shoe or

connect it using the included 3.5 mm to PC sync cord.

Adjusting Flashtube Power

Press the or button on the remote to adjust the

power output of the ashtube. Each push of the button

will adjust the output in 0.1 increments.

Set the modeling light to proportional mode (see page 15), and the buttons will

also adjust the modeling light power in 0.1 increments.

Operating the Modeling Light

To turn on the modeling light, press and hold the button for three seconds. The

modeling light will automatically set to Free mode.

If the modeling light is set to proportional mode, press and hold the button to

switch to free mode.

Once free mode is activated, immediately press the and buttons to adjust

the modeling light power in whole increments.

After three seconds of inactivity, the and buttons return to the function of

adjusting the ash output in 0.1 increments.

Impact VC-500WLN-II Operating instructions

Related papers

Other documents