Jr2 Transmitter Guide

Basic Operation:

Attach the Jr2 Transmitter to any camera having a standard hot shoe connector.

You may also attach the Jr2 Transmitter to the PC Sync or similar connector of your camera with the appropriate cable. In this case, connect the PC Sync port on the side of your camera to the 1/8″ sync port on the side of the Jr2 Transmitter. The Jr2 Transmitter can be triggered by your camera’s hot shoe or via the sync port on the side of the Jr2 Transmitter.

Turn the unit on and off by pressing the “P” button for two seconds.

The unit will sent a test trigger by tapping the P button. The P button will strobe momentarily to indicate proper operation.

Rotate the dial, click inward to select.

Controlling Groups:

Power levels are adjusted by rotating the adjustment dial. The adjustment is made to the highlighted group (or groups) with the frame around it. The button of the highlighted group or groups will illuminate white, so you can easily see from your normal shooting position which group or groups are highlighted for editing.

To index between groups, click the dial inward. The groups will be highlighted in the following repeating order:

Group 1, Group 2, Group 3, Group 4, All Groups, No Groups (Locked)

You can highlight all enabled groups at the same time. Adjustments are applied to all enabled groups. This allows you to easily adjust all lights by the same amount – especially helpful after changing your f/stop or ISO.

When the lock icon is highlighted, power levels cannot be adjusted by rotating the dial. This prevents accidental adjustment. When the lock is engaged, all enabled groups buttons will light green. None will light white as no groups are highlighted for adjustment when the lock is engaged.

Note that groups may still be toggled on and off by pressing the corresponding group button, even with the lock engaged.

To disengage lock, click the dial inward to index back to the first enabled group. The lock may also be disengaged by double-clicking a group button.

Double click any group button to immediately highlight that group for editing.

Enabling and disabling groups is easy. Just click the button for the desired group and it will toggle on and off. When toggling on, the power level will remain where it was when toggled off.

Groups may be enabled or disabled in any combination.

Note also, when clicking the dial inward to index between groups, the disabled groups will be skipped. This speeds selection by skipping unused groups. You will likely wish to disable groups you are not using for this reason.

Setting power levels has never been easier. Some users are confused by the fraction scale used on speedlights. The Jr2 uses a much simpler system.

Power levels are set between 9.0 at maximum to 0.0 at minimum. The increments are based on an EV f/stop scale. One full increment change on the display of your Jr2 Transmitter is equal to one f/stop change on your camera.

The 9.0 maximum level will always equal the maximum power possible from your light or flash. Some lights to do not have a range of 9 stops. In this case, these lights will reach their minimum level before the Jr2 Transmitter reaches 0.0 EV.

The SAVE functionality is useful for saving common setups in your studio, or for use is a “scratch pad” of sorts to save settings while on location.

The Jr2 Transmitter provides 4 memory locations for saving lighting setups. Each memory location can save a snapshot of the present settings, including which groups are enabled, which groups are highlighted for editing, and the power levels of each group.

To save your settings, simply press and hold the Group button corresponding to the slot you wish to save into. The existing settings in the save slot will be overwritten with the present settings. When you see the SAVE light blink and the location number (displayed just under the SAVE indicator) corresponding to the Group button pressed, then your settings have been saved.

Settings are retained even after removing batteries from the unit.

Press and hold the dial inward for 2 seconds to enter the recall mode. The SAVE indicator will begin to blink. Press the Group button corresponding to the memory slot you wish to recall for 2 seconds. The settings in this slot are recalled and the unit goes back into normal shooting mode.

This allows you to quickly restore previously saved settings and immediately resume shooting with your creative process uninterrupted.

You may preview the settings stored in each memory slot as follows.

When the Group button corresponding to a memory location is held, the display will temporarily display the settings stored in that memory location. You can quickly determine which slot has the settings you wish to recall by touching (for less than 2 seconds) each Group button.

You can also rotate the dial to index through the four SAVE memory locations. The contents of the memory location are shown on the display, but the settings are not actually recalled until the Group button corresponding to the desired memory location is held for 2 seconds.

You may exit the recall mode at any time without altering the present settings by tapping the P button. The unit will resume normal shooting mode.

Menu Operation:

Press and hold the dial inward for 2 seconds to enter the menu mode. In this mode you may recall settings from memory slots, enter Remote Triggering mode, and adjust settings.

Exit the Menu Mode at any time (except in Remote Triggering mode) by tapping the P button one time. The unit will resume normal shooting mode.

Press and hold the dial inward for 2 seconds to enter Menu Mode. Tap the P button to exit the Menu Mode.

Index between all items in Menu mode by clicking the dial inward. The sequence proceeds as follows:

SAVE Recall Mode, Remote Trigger Mode, Channel Adjustment, Stop Increment Setting (between 1/3 stop and 1/10 stop modes), and EV/% toggle for each group.

Press and hold the dial inward for 2 seconds to enter Menu mode. Then click the dial inward 2 times to index to highlight CHAN, which will begin to blink.

Adjust the unit to the desired radio channel by rotating the dial. All RadioPopper units must be set to the same radio channel for proper operation.

Tap the P button one time to exit the Menu Mode and resume normal shooting mode.

Press and hold the dial inward for 2 seconds to enter Menu mode. Then click the dial inward 3 times to index to highlight STOPS, which will begin to blink.

Select between either 1/3 stop or 1/10 stop adjustments. When in 1/3 stop mode, each step of rotation of the dial will adjust the power level by 1/3 stop, and similarly in 1/10 stop increments when set to 1/10 setting.

When a group is set to % mode, when in 1/3 stop resolution the setting will be adjusted in 5% steps. In 1/10 stop resolution, the setting will be adjusted by 1% steps.

Tap the P button one time to exit the Menu Mode and resume normal shooting mode.

Each group may be independently set to a stop accurate EV scale, or a more approximated percentage % scale.

To control power levels on a JrX receiver (the older version receiver prior to the Jr2), it is required that you change any groups having JrX receivers from EV to % mode. The Jr2 Transmitter will not be stop-accurate in this % mode, though it does allow an approximation of power adjustment, thus allowing reverse compatibility with legacy JrX Receivers. For the benefit of stop-accurate controls of Alien Bees and shoe mount strobes, you will require a Jr2 Receiver. Turn all groups controlling the new Jr2 Receiver units to EV to restore stop-accurate controls. EV is the default setting.

The % scale represents the dial position of the old version JrX Transmitter units. You may be familiar with the three dials on the side of the older JrX unit. The percentage scale in % mode approximately represents the percentage of turn placed on the older dials.

Unless you are using the Jr2 Transmitter with an older style JrX Receiver unit (the one with the dip switches on the side), then it will be advisable to keep all groups in EV mode for greater accuracy of control.

It should be further noted that a new Jr2 Receiver can be used in the same group with older JrX Receivers, as long as that group is set to % mode on the Jr2 Transmitter. The newer style Jr2 Receiver in this mixed group will not be stop accurate, but will approximate the behavior of the other JrX Receiver units in the group.

Remote Trigger Mode:

Remote Triggering Mode

Setup:

To use remote camera triggering mode, the Jr2 Transmitter should be fitted to your camera’s hot shoe. Additionally, you must connect the appropriate remote shutter release cable between the cable release trigger port on the side of your camera and the 1/8″ jack on the side of your Jr2 Transmitter.

To Enter Remote Triggering Mode:

Press and hold the dial inward for 2 seconds to enter the menu mode. Then click the dial one additional time. The REMOTE symbol will begin to blink. Additionally, the P button will begin to blink green. The unit is now in Remote Trigger Mode and ready to be activated by another RadioPopper unit.

You may test trigger your camera and remote lights at this time by clicking the P button.

The green light of the P button will continue to blink as long as Remote Triggering Mode is active. This allows you to visually verify the unit is in Remote Triggering Mode at a distance.

Your Jr2 Transmitter will now listen on a radio channel that is one channel higher than the presently displayed CHAN number. (If your Jr2 Transmitter is set to radio channel 1, then it will listen for triggering instructions on radio channel 2). Use this “listen” channel to trigger the Jr2 Transmitter on your camera. Any RadioPopper unit that can trigger or send a test trigger on this “listen” channel will be able to cause the Jr2 on your camera to trigger the shutter of the camera.

If you wish to trigger lights synchronized with the shutter of the camera, set the receivers of the remote lights to the same radio channel displayed on your Jr2 Transmitter (Channel 1 in this case).

Using two different channels in this case is important. If all units were set to the same channel, then the radio command to operate the camera would also cause your lights to trigger at the same time. A few milliseconds later when the camera’s shutter moves open, your lights would already be discharged.

To Exit Remote Triggering Mode:

Click the dial inward one time to index past the Remote Trigger Mode. You may then click the P button one time to exit the menu mode and resume normal operation.