MK Controls Lightning Bug, Instruction Manual

Page: 4 / 21

Rev: June 27, 2013 Page 4 of 21
Introduction
The Lightning Bug™ – Engineered for your imagination.
The Lightning Bug™ is based upon the science of lightning. There are two
components of lightning; the bright white flash everyone wants to capture and
the unseen infrared light that always precedes it. The Lightning Bug™ uses a high-
speed photodiode sensor optimized to the infrared burst that occurs just before a
lightning strike. This infrared light comes from the vaporization of air and particles
in the air. The Lightning Bug™ acts as a lookout for your camera, watching for a
change in infrared light. When a significant change of infra-red light over a very
short period of time is detected, it trips the camera shutter to capture the
lightning bolt.
The Lightning Bug
™
can also be used to take photos of fireworks, cannon shots,
virtually anything that produces a fast-acting rise of light formed by a high-
temperature event.
The Lightning Bug
TM
exclusive sensitivity adjustment circuitry allows the
photographer to customize the unit’s operation to any shooting situation. This
gives the photographer full control over when to take the picture. If you only
wanted to capture the brightest and closest lightning bolts you would decrease
the sensitivity. If you wanted to capture lightning over the city or mountains from
a long distance, just increase the sensitivity. Only the Lightning Bug™ gives you
this level of control.
The Lightning Bug
TM
has, as standard, premium features not found in simpler
lightning detectors. The user can limit the number of possible exposures per
second to between 1 and 10. This feature allows you to capture repeated
lightning strikes successfully, up to the maximum frame rate of your camera.
When trying to capture weather events, your photography gear can get wet,
we’ve designed the Lightning Bug™ to withstand exposure to rain. The design
incorporates weather resistant soft touch buttons.