Very informative comments but, as a frustrated ACL owner, I must give credit where credit's due: I've tested Tony's fix for the flicker problem which is so common on s16 ACLs and it definitely works. (It seems to be something to do with the pilotone circuitry that causes a tiny flash on every other frame, which I think is what Tony was getting at – not the bloop light.)
I previously sent my camera to two expert techs to have this flicker problem fixed (including Les Bosher, who did the original s16 conversion) and none of the stuff they tried worked. I'd pretty much given up on the camera because the flicker was ruining everything I shot and it seemed unfixable, so figured I had nothing to lose by opening it up and having a go myself. Turns out it took about five minutes to repair and, as you're only removing the base to unplug the connector, it's not as risky as opening up the main camera body - not something I'd want to tackle myself either. I've tested the camera thoroughly and it now works perfectly. (I know another ACL owner who has also had success with this fix so I know it's not a fluke.)
Irrespective of the other issues raised here, the flicker fix is extremely useful and I'm very glad it's been posted - I wish I'd known it a lot sooner.
