Notes for the new ACL user

[Gregg MacPherson]

Last updated....27/08/23

A work in progress that I can edit if you offer material, additions or corrections. No final order or structure yet. Useful links or pics/videos welcome.  We may later include notes on gate cleaning etc that are generic to all the 16mm cameras with snap on mags....

Recommended that new ACL users see all the ACL links available in the pinned topics. 

Download the French Made ACL Manual, (it's ACL 1.5 I think)

TOOLS
Any screwdrivers for cameras need to be reasonable quality and need to fit well. Burrs on slotted screw heads are bad. Do not open the camera body unless you are a trained camera tech. If you have some precision, skills and patience there may be things you can do yourself on the camera or accessories.

POWER SUPPLY
There should be a separate section on batteries. A "12 V" NiCad/NiMhi battery with 10 cells will be about 14V fully charged. A Li-Ion V lock battery of "14.8V" will be 16.8V fully charged, so will need a regulator.

Andre at AZ Spectrum gave the maximum voltage as 15.6V. At over12V the orange sync light on the motor will flash briefly on starting, indicating Xtal speed is reached. At less than 12V the light pulses for longer on starting, and if you don't get Xtal speed the light stays on (flat battery or mechanical/electrical problem). I never run the camera for long with the sync light on, I was told that the low V is bad for the electronics.

The wiring of the connectors can be seen in some diagrams......The XLR4 connections are common with other cameras (pin 1 neg, pin 4 pos). see Erkan Umut's site  https://sayyes2analog.wordpress.com/2015/01/23/eclair-acl/  

Reverse polarity is bad. ACL I has no fuse so is really vulnerable. I think the fuse on the ACL II may give some protection (someone who knows for sure please say), but just never let it happen.

You need a reliable multimeter to check your battery voltages, power cables, etc. There are some cheap tiny little V meters that some people may have put on each battery. Threads on the forum about that.

ON/OFF SWITCHES ACL II
There's a switch at the front of the camera base and a switch at the RH rear on the mount module for the RH handgrip. And a stop/start button on the anatomical handgrip.

With the anatomical handgrip plugged in, front switch is on (green light shows), rear switch is off (hope I got that right), use handgrip button for start/stop. With the handgrip unplugged you can still start/stop the camera, but I don't think the mirror parking will work. 

With the handgrip unplugged, you would have rear switch on and stop/start with the front witch.

If you have custom handle designs then you would make a cable to connect to the new start/stop button location.

For specs on the 2 pin Lemo connector see Erkan Umut's site.

For circuit diags for handgrip module and camera base of ACL 1.5 see  manual page 35,  The 9 pin Canon connections for the module on the 1.5 may be the same as on the ACL II. Someone who knows please say...

 

MOUNTING THE MOTOR
I've just realised that the manual covers this reasonably well on page 30. Read that first.
Mounting the motor can be done in the field but it is not an operation to do quickly or carelessly or repetitiously. The 9 pin Canon connector is damageable. Alignment of the drive pins and 9 pin connector is critical, but mounting is fine with care and skill. 

Get in the habit of positioning the mirror in the parked position (centred over the gate) before removing the motor. The little screw on the inching knob should be next to the mirror icon. The pins for the motor drive coupling will be almost vertical. When mounting the motor the drive coupling pins need to be aligned with the holes in the rubber coupling.

Before removing a motor one can put some paper tape to save the inching knob position, hence drive pins position. If you are mounting a different motor or if the camera movement has been rotated without the motor then line up the drive pins by eye (rotate the inch knob).

Set the camera securely level on its side and hold the motor above its final position. Gently lower the drive pins and 9 pin canon connector into place simultaneously, keeping the motor level. There should be no resistance, no force required.

Tighten the three motor mounting screws evenly. The torque just feels like a little nip with your finger tips. If you can find the torque spec somewhere, let others know.

The motor screws are a little unusually shaped in the slot. Probably designed to fit small coins. You can reduce wear on them by grinding a cheap screwdriver. Tip 7x1.5mm. Grind an arc at the tip, about r=15mm.

The Visual Products S16 ACLs have a dot on the rear of the shutter that is just appearing in frame as the mirror is centred.  Can someone tell me if that dot is peculiar to their S16 shutter, or do all ACLs have it...

MOUNTING THE VIEWFINDER
While moving the VF towards the camera the threaded ring is rotated at the same time. Be delicate. If any force  seems needed you are doing something wrong and may do harm.

MOUNTING THE LENS PORT ADAPTER.
Like the VF, you sort of move it towards the camera while gently rotating the threaded ring. The pin needs to align with the slot. The flange(s) on camera and adapter need to be kept parallel. Be delicate.

LOADING MAGAZINES
Read page 21 in the manual. Watching a demonstration or good video may be more useful. Search Youtube for "loading Eclair ACL magazine"...example...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmUTIcOx-fM

Additional notes below may be useful.

Opinions may vary on good practice. I normally had 13 perfs visible when I pulled film  out of the pressure plate. A quick check is that you can pull the film to the edge of the casting (then close the guide shoe).  The loops are important enough that a separate section on that is below...

My drawing in red looks like the film is about to crease, but that's just my drawing. The pulling force is fairly light and with your finger tips at the film edges it won't crease. (drawing taken from ACL 1.5 manual page 21, mine in red))

If inexperienced with loading or with ACL it may be good to get tutored in person. 

SETTING THE LOOPS
First, the length of film that can be pulled from the mag throat must be correct (13 frames).

The loops should be set (IMO) so that the lower loop is a little bigger than the upper one. This is only meaningful if the initial claw engagement is controlled. Observe where the claw is with the mirror parked. Shift the film over the pressure pad a little so that a perf will be just below the claw, then adjust the loops with the drive sprocket inching knob.

After mounting the mag to camera.... using the motor inching knob, move the claw down to engage the perf. You will hear it click in. Then run a few frames.

When learning the camera, or when loading a fresh mag and feeling unsure of your loop sizes, you can run with the take up door off for a second or two. When learning the camera or testing the mags using clean scrap film, run with the take up door off whenever it's useful.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/52z215f3mzl6rcmczsy6f/ECU-mag-loops.mp4?rlkey=0yi0l5izy6tu3i8su7bid154x&dl=0

 

MOUNTING THE MAGAZINE
See ACL 1.5 manual page 23...

Ideally, set the loops as described above, with the perf just below the claw position.
After mounting the mag, inch the claw down to engage the perf. You will hear a tiny click.

Always inch the camera half a frame or more to ensure that both the claw and the magazine drive coupler are engaged.

If before mounting the mag the relation of the claw and perf is random then the loops can shift by up to one perf as the claw engages. This is not serious but will often affect camera noise. Also, sometimes when the mag is mounted, the mag drive coupling does not immediately engage. You then hear it engage (loud click) as you inch. This changes the loop size, so I would normally pull the mag, reset the loops and re-mount.

A question I wonder about is, what is the best position for the mirror/shutter when changing mags. The ACL shutter is very close to the film plane and is damageable. Be very aware of this, don't get bumped when you have the nose of your "rocket" syringe cleaning near the gate. Even so, I think it's better to have the shutter there, closing the gate to keep contaminants out of the camera body.

 

RUBBER EYECUP AND EYEPATCHES

The eyecup is important as it positions the eye in the right place immediately. And the eyecup/patch seal out the light, which otherwise can leak onto your frame. Keep your eye socket pressed on the eyecup whenever running.

The original Kinoptik rubber eyecup I didn't like much, but it's hard to find good eyecups that fit. My ACL I had a new SR one I am fairly sure. The big Kinoptik eyepiece has a 32mm diameter in the recess where the rubber fits. If someone knows this dimension for the orientable Angenieux please let us know....

Sources of eye cups...

- Calkovsky Camera  (may be out of stock)

- Asherphoto in Israel...eBay..https://www.ebay.com/itm/256333899511?hash=item3baeb0e6f7:g:wRgAAOSwIuNhkNwa  The hole ID=28mm and it easily stretches onto a 32mm tube, but that's all I could check..

- DU-All Camera have some very similar looking eye cups that may have a bigger hole ID.

If anyone has a good source of eyecups for the various ACL VF,  and the eyepatches that fit, let us know...

THE AZ SPECTRUM VIDEO assist
See their website for all the versions. My notes are for the SD taps I have had.
http://www.az-spectrum.com/acl_vid.html

It's an SD tap, horizontal resolution 420 TV lines. Check if PAL/NTSC (most monitors may take PAL/NTSC).

If you are used to shooting digital, the flickering, low res output from an SD video tap may be disappointing. It's not for focussing or checking the lighting. It's an aid for framing, basic composition, very useful on a steadicam or a jib arm/crane etc. If the director is a good visualizer he will be standing near the lens axis with a good mental picture of the frame, and with a useful proximity to all the people involved.

The best approach for a monitor is to find a used pro SD onboard monitor like a 5" Transvideo Rainbow SB (superbright). They can be cheap. Has BNC to BNC for the video connection. Has XLR4 power connection so you could run it off your second camera battery socket.

There are some cheap chinese monitors but you may need a little converter box.

FITING THE AZ SPECTRUM VIDEO ASSIST
These video assists (VA) are normally installed by AZ Spectrum and remain on the camera. They obviously have longer screws and there may be a spacer affecting the optics. The VF optics may also be adjusted when the VA is first installed. I found that removing the VA put the VF diopter adjustment out of range.

It may be safer to remove the VA if shipping the camera body in a carton. The mounting screws/threads may be vulnerable. If the camera body at the VF mount does not have steel thread inserts, be careful with the aluminum threads. Using the short arm of the allen key, tighten the screws with a finger tip pinch. 

 

BATTERIES

I'll let someone more learned give detail on the relative properties of the NiCad/NiMH/Li-Pol batteries, their charge/discharge behaviour. You can find good basic summaries on the web such as ..https://www.batteryuniverse.com/help/battery-chemistries  . On the plus side for NiCad is they have the best cold temp tolerance, and higher life cycles, though they won't achieve that if they are seldom used and poorly maintained..

I can say from experience that NiCad can be high maintenance and not a good type if you rarely use them. The charge memory is a common problem if charge/discharge cycles are not deep, and individual cells can loose charge and even have polarity reversal. I have fixed that by zapping individual cells with 12V.  I would rather switch to NiMH and get an inexpensive charger. It is also feasible to use V-lock Li-Pol batteries with a regulator.

A well maintained ACL with a charged "12V" NiCad/NiMH battery, measuring say 13.8V may use a bit over 1A at 24fps. If the battery is lower Ah capacity, like say 1.9Ah, then running 50fps or 75fps may cause a voltage drop to less than 12V. This depends some on the condition of the camera...the condition of the lubricants and clearance (and condition) of all the contact surfaces of the moving parts (ie the friction) .

With the voltage drop at high fps the amperage can be up to something like 5A and the system may not be viable. The lower the voltage the higher the amps go and the battery drains quickly. The sync light will come on with the later motors (Xtal at all speeds). The normal solution with NiCad/NiMH is to use higher capacity batteries, maybe 5Ah. With the V-lock Li-Pol batteries, one can use a regulator. There are even some V-lock mounts with inbuilt 12V, 5A regulators. I don't know who has tried this yet, but it looks really promising, and not too expensive. 

Regulated V-lock mount...$85 on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/HEDBOX-UNIX-12V-V-Lock-Adapter-BREAKWAY/dp/B07JYG96DW

2x95Wh V-lock Li-Ion batts with charger...$285.
https://www.dandolighting.com/products/two-95wh-sony-v-mount-lithium-ion-broadcast-battery-d-tap-connector-dual-d-tap-charger

If re-celling ACL on-board battery packs with sub-C NiMH cells there are 10 cell packs you can buy which I thought would fit. Edward P. Davee did this and had trouble fitting due to the cabling in the pack (I think), but they should fit....

The company or brand is TENERGY...
NiMH battery pack 4.2Ah ...$95
https://power.tenergy.com/at-tenergy-12v-4200mah-nimh-rechargeable-battery-pack-10s1p-50-4wh-30a-rate-tamiya-sbs-config/
 
NiMH charger ..$33
https://power.tenergy.com/tenergy-smart-universal-charger-for-nimh-nicd-battery-packs-6v-12v-ul/

 

CRADLE THE CAMERA TO CUSHION SUDDEN LOADS
Apart from the obvious avoiding of severe bumps, try to cradle the camera to soften sudden inertial loads, like when jumping off trucks etc. The tendency will be to hold the top handle and the loads on the top handle mount, lens mount and magazine lock can be high. If the mag lock spring is old, weak and the locking teeth (tongue) position isn't ideal then a mag can come off under the above type load cases. It is possible to improve the position of the locking teeth by shimming.... https://cinematography.com/index.php?/forums/topic/91664-english-acl-400-mags-facts-and-myths/  
(April 9 2022)

STRENGTH OF THE MOTOR MOUNT TO CAMERA BODY (screw connection).
The screws connecting the inner (small) motor mount bracket to the camera body are (I think) at the same spacing for all ACLs (someone please confirm). That engineering was for the small Thomson motor on ACL I. The ACL 1.5 and 2 have a bigger, heavier motor with a spacer bracket screwed to the original small bracket.

My opinion is that the four inner mounting screws to the body casting are a bit under-engineered for the bigger motors. but this will only be relevant if the rear of the motor electronics case gets a severe bump or the camera is dropped. If shipping the camera body in a carton it may be safer to remove the motor (tape the inching knob and cover the hole with the rubber drive coupler).

Edited December 12, 2023 by Gregg MacPherson
add/edit content

[Heikki Repo]

7 hours ago, Gregg MacPherson said:

Regulated V-lock mount...$85 on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/HEDBOX-UNIX-12V-V-Lock-Adapter-BREAKWAY/dp/B07JYG96DW

 

I have been thinking of buying this, but noticed then that there was this single star review:

"Ordered this twice, both times item was missing key part: "BREAKAWAY CABLE: 45cm lenght regulated DC 12V/5A/50W cable, with Flaying End""

Whoops...

If someone has a good V-mount adapter with 12V regulated output to recommend, please chime in!

[Gregg MacPherson]

I seem to remember the HEDBOX guys had also a version without regulator. Maybe someone is bungling in the sales or despatch dept, sending the wrong part. Was that the case or was it the mount with regulator but no cable..?

If one wants to install ones own 12V regulator they are cheap enough and available...

https://www.vikingkayaks.co.nz/shop/accessories/fpv+lithium+batteries+and+accessories/fpv+-+12v+5a+voltage+regulator+8377

(USD=1.69NZD)