Table of Contents
CTRL.5
The CTRL.5 sets a new standard for wireless FIZ (Focus, Iris, Zoom) lens-control handsets, featuring a 5-inch SmallHD ultra-bright touchscreen powered by CTRL.OS—an evolution of SmallHD’s PageOS designed specifically for lens control. It allows you to view critical lens data overlays while pulling focus without looking away from the video feed. Lenses can be calibrated to pre-marked focus rings, and configurations are easily accessible via the touchscreen or any of the eleven programmable function buttons. The hand unit offers numerous mounting points for accessories and is fully compatible with the Teradek RT Lens Control Ecosystem.
Pin-Out Connections
Status LEDs
- OFF - Unit is powered off
- WHITE - Booting
- ORANGE - Not connected
- GREEN - Connected
- RED - Camera is recording
CTRL.5 Home Screen
The CTRL.5 Home Screen displays the iris, zoom, focus scales, current value, Markers, Limits, and Menu buttons.
| 1: Marker Buttons | 9: Focus Position Indicator | 16: Hyperfocal Indicator |
| 2: Iris Scale | 10: Depth of Field Indicator | 17: Focus Distance |
| 3: Iris Marker | 11: Menu Button | 18: Iris Value |
| 4: Iris Position Indicator | 12: Lock Inputs | 19: DIST (Distance) value |
| 5: Limits Buttons | 13: RF Connection Indicator | 20: Rangefinder Readout Indicator |
| 6: Focus Scale Adjustment | 14: RF Channel | 21: Zoom Speed |
| 7: Focus Scale | 15: Battery Percentage Indicator | 22: Focal Length |
| 8: Focus Marker |
HOME SCREEN OPERATION NOTES
- Focus and Iris markers can be added at the current position using buttons 1 and 14. When a marker is enabled it can be removed by moving to the marker position and pressing either the Iris or Focus marker button again. See the Markers section for more details.
- When a zoom lens map is enabled, tapping the iris or zoom value in the center of the screen switches the left onscreen scale between iris and zoom.
- You can cycle through different Focus scale options using the Focus Scale button (7). Long pressing the Focus Scale button allows you to adjust the scale using a slider. Additionally, the scale can be adjusted using a pinch-to-zoom gesture.
CTRL.5 Menu Settings
Lens Maps
CTRL.5 includes built-in lens mapping, enabling users to automatically calibrate a manufacturer’s lenses to pre-marked focus rings with a single button press. Once a lens map is configured, the calibrated values appear on the CTRL.5 controller’s home screen. Lens mapping is a standard feature of the CTRL.5. For more detailed instructions on how to create a lens map, visit the Lens Mapping and Lens Data Overlay section of this guide.
Settings
Page Views - Home Screen Configuration
FOCUS
- Show Current Value - Enable/Disable the display of the current Focus position on the home screen
- Show Focus Meter - Enable/Disable the display of the Focus Meter on the home screen
- Meter Scaling Slider - Adjust the scale of the Focus Meter
DEPTH OF FIELD (Focus Meter must be enabled)
The depth-of-field indicator on the focus scale shows the distance range between the closest and farthest objects that appear in focus according to the Lens Map's focus, iris, and/or zoom settings.
- Show on Focus Meter - Enable/Disable Depth of Field indicator
- Meter Color - Change the color of the Depth of Field meter
- Circle of Confusion slider - Adjust the size of the Circle of Confusion (CoC) indicator
IRIS
- Show Current Value - Enable/Disable the display of the current aperture position on the home screen
- Show Meter - Enable/Disable the display of the Iris Meter on the home screen
ZOOM
- Show Current Value - Enable/Disable the display of the current zoom position on the home screen
- Show Meter - Enable/Disable the display of the Zoom Meter on the home screen. NOTE: This option is hidden if a lens map without zoom is enabled
Controls
User Buttons (A to D)
Assign specific functions to the physical buttons on the controller.
- Assigned Functions
- None
- Start/Stop Rec
- Goto Devices
- Goto Settings
- Goto Lens Maps
- Display Brightness
- TOF Autofocus Toggle
- Lens Ring
- Camera
- Screen Capture
Inputs
Assign a specific control element to the Focus, Iris, Zoom, and Zoom Speed axes, and recalibrate the controller's knob or slider.
- Control Elements
- Knob
- Slider
- Wheel
- Rocker
- Off
- Snap to Input
Snap to Input defines how CTRL.5 responds when a physical control moves beyond a configured Focus or Iris limit. When enabled, if the knob or slider moves past the end of a limit (while the motor remains constrained by that limit), the motor "snaps" to the cursor position as soon as the limit is disabled. This immediately realigns the motor with the physical input. When disabled, CTRL.5 requires the physical control to "pick up" the motor position. After disabling the limit, you must move the knob or slider back to the end of the limit before the control affects the motor.
- Recalibrate Knob
- The knob is pre-calibrated from the factory but can be recalibrated if needed. Follow the on-screen prompt to recalibrate the knob.
- Recalibrate Slider
- The slider is pre-calibrated from the factory but can be recalibrated if needed. Follow the on-screen prompt to recalibrate the knob.
Flip Axis
Reverse the direction of the motor gear for each axis (Focus, Iris, Zoom, and Zoom Speed).
Lens
The Lens Menu contains lens map configurations and lens ring options.
- LENS RING
- Lens Ring - Select the appropriate lens ring size.
- Min Mark Behavior - Select whether the knob stops at the first mark of the lens ring (Min Stop), or if it continues past the first mark of the lens map (Natural)
- LENS MAP
- Behavior - Extend or maintain current lensmap limits
- Units - Select how units are displayed for the lensmap
- Metric
- Imperial
- Auto
- Match Map
- Match Ring
Camera
Select the type of camera the receiver is attached to. Specific cables for the different camera connections are available for purchase.
- Record Trigger - Select how recording is triggered.
- WiFi - Wireless
- Wired - Ethernet
- Wired Camera - Select the type of camera connected via MDR:
- RED RCP - RED DSMC, DSMC2 (all models)
- ARRI - Arri Alexa (all models)
- Sony - Sony VENICE, Sony FS7, Sony F55
- PH Flex - Phantom 4K Flex (RUN/STOP MODE)
- PH Flex BS - Phantom 4K Flex (BURST- used to trigger in loop mode)
- Panavision DXL - Panavision DXL
- RED Epic - EPIC (Run/Stop)
- RED RS - RED (Run/Stop)
- LANC - Camera with LANC support
- Hold Low - Cameras that record while the trigger is “held low.”
- Network Camera
- Connect/Disconnect tab - Tap to connect or disconnect your wireless camera
- Open Camera Dashboard tab - Tap the Camera Dashboard to control the camera's parameters from the controller.
- Camera Brand - Select the camera brand connected via WiFi:
- RED
- Arri
- Sony
- Camera Protocol - Select the correct protocol that corresponds to your camera
- RED - Select RCP2 for newer DSMC3 cameras (Komodo, V-Raptor, etc.), or DSMC2 for older cameras.
- Sony - Select FX6, Burano, or VENICE
- Arri - Not applicable
- Camera IP - Displays the connected camera's IP address
- Password - Create a unique password to access the camera
Dist
Use the DIST menu to configure a TOF.1 Rangefinder.
- Autofocus - Enable or disable Autofocus on the TOF.1
- Offset - Adjust the offset value according to the distance measured between the camera’s film plane and the subject (see CALIBRATE TOF.1)
- Autofocus Speed - Adjust the Autofocus speed (Slow, Medium, or Fast)
LEDs
Adjust the knob's backlight and status LEDs.
- POINTER LED
- Pointer LED Brightness - Adjust the intensity of the knob pointer's LED
- Pointer LED Color - Change the color of the knob pointer's LED
- BACKLIGHT LED
- Backlight LED Brightness - Adjust the brightness of the knob's backlight
- Status LED Brightness - Adjust the intensity of the Status LED
Network
Wi-Fi
- Wi-Fi Mode (Default: Access Point)
- Disabled: Wi-fi is disabled on the CTRL.5
- Access Point (AP): CTRL.5 acts as its dual-band access point, allowing you to connect your device directly to CTRL.5's AP network for configuration, and for bonding multiple iOS/Android cellular devices for increased bandwidth.
- Client: Allows CTRL.5 to connect . Client Mode is typically used for normal wi-fi operating and connecting to your local router.
- Access Point (AP) Mode Options:
- Access Point Name - Name of broadcasted SSID (network name)
- Security Mode (Default - None)
- None - No Security
- WPA - Basic Security
- WPA2 - Highest Security
- WPA/WPA2 - Compatible Security
- Region - Conforms access point to the regional requirements to match country laws
- United States
- Europe
- Japan
- China
- South Korea
- Access Point Channel (Default - Auto (5GHZ or 2.4GHZ range)
- Select a specific channel or Range for the Wi-fi. This list is limited to country-specific channels
- Reset WiFi Settings - Reset your WiFi settings
- Client Mode Options:
- Connect Saved Networks. (default: Enabled) - When enabled, CTRL.5 will automatically connect to any available saved network. Disabling this will only allow CTRL.5 to connect to the currently configured network name, which may be desirable when choosing a network when multiple known networks are available.
- IP Mode -
- Dynamic (DHCP): CTRL.5 requests an IP address and configuration from the network’s DHCP server when set to DHCP.
- Static: When set to Static, you must manually configure the IP address, subnet mask, gateway, domain, and DNS server to connect to the network.
- Wi-Fi Scan - Scans for Wi-fi Networks
- Saved Networks - Lists previously connected networks
- Add Network - Allows manually adding a network without scanning for Wi-fi networks
- Reset WiFi Settings - Reset your WiFi settings
Ethernet
- Wired 1
- IP Mode
- DHCP: CTRL.5 requests an IP address and configuration from the network’s DHCP server when set to DHCP.
- Static: In static, you may manually configure the IP address, subnet mask, domain, gateway, and DNS server to connect to the network.
- MTU - (default: 1500) Maximum Transmission Unit - the largest data packet the CTRL.5 creates and accepts
- Link Speed - Controls the Ethernet connection speed and duplex mode between the device and the network. Use Auto-Negotiate to allow the device and network to select the highest supported speed automatically. Choose 100/Full to force a 100 Mbps full-duplex link, or 1000/Full to force a 1 Gbps full-duplex link.
- IP Mode
System
RF
- RF Connection Status - Indicates whether a receiver is Connected to or Disconnected from the CTRL.5.
- RF Channel - Select a specific channel to pair the CTRL.5 with a receiver and avoid clashing with other devices. The default channel is 23.
- RF Power Level - Select the strength of the radio frequency (RF) signal used to communicate with connected devices.
- Low - When working close to the MDR
- Medium - General working power level for mid-distance operation
- EU max - European max distance RF configuration
- US Max - US-based max distance RF configuration
- RF Reset Button - Reset the RF settings to default
- Scan for receiver - Scans all RF channels and auto-connects to any discovered MDR units.
DISPLAY
- DISPLAY SETTINGS
- Brightness - Use the Brightness toggle switch to increase or decrease the display's brightness
- Dim Display After - Select a time between 30 seconds to 2 hours for the display to dim automatically.
- Turn Off Display after - Select a time between 30 seconds to 2 hours for the display to automatically turn off.
- Sleep Mode - Tap the Sleep Display tab to fully dim the display. Press any shortcut button to wake your device.
RESET
- CONTROLLER
- Factory Reset Controller -Performs a full factory reset of all CTRL.5 settings, including input axis selections, lens ring selection and lens mapping
- Reboot Controller - Force reboots the internal controller
FIRMWARE INFO (FW INFO)
The FW Info section displays the current firmware version and serial number of the CTRL.5
- Check for new FW - Press this tab to check if new firmware is available
PERFORM A FIRMWARE UPGRADE
- Download the firmware file from teradek.com. NOTE: DO NOT UNZIP!
- Go to Settings > Wi-Fi > Wireless Mode and select AP (Access Point).
- Open Access Point Settings and note the network name (e.g., CTRL.5-XXXX).
- Search the available Wi-Fi networks on your computer and connect to the CTRL.5-XXXX network.
- Open Chrome and Enter the IP address 172.16.1.1 in the address bar to open the CTRL.5 Web UI.
- Navigate to the Firmware section in the Web UI.
- Click Select File and choose the .zip file from your downloads folder.
- Click Install to start the firmware update process. The CTRL.5 will complete the update over Wi-Fi.
- Power cycle the controller to apply the new firmware.
Devices
The Devices menu lists all the devices, such as the receiver, motors, and rangefinder, connected to your CTRL.5. Connected devices' parameters can also be configured from the CTRL.5. Tap on any of the devices, then tap the Configure button below.
| CONFIGURABLE OPTIONS | ||||||
| RECEIVERS | MOTORS | |||||
| IN - 1/2 Mode | IN - 1/2 Axis | Axis | Responsiveness | Torque Level | ||
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FIZ LIMIT BUTTONS AND MARKERS
CTRL.5 Limits buttons allow you to set a limit range for the Focus, Iris, or Zoom controls. Setting limits restricts the motor from adjusting the lens past a set limit. Markers serve as reference points on the CTRL.5 interface. Markers are particularly useful in scenarios requiring repetitive movements or when specific lens positions need to be recalled swiftly and accurately.
LIMITS
- Move the slider, knob, or rocker to the high or low end of the desired limit.
- Hold the limit button for the corresponding axis (Focus, Iris, or Zoom).
- Continue holding the limit button, move the input to the opposite end of the desired limit, and then release the button to set the limit range.
4. Press the Clear Limits tab to remove the limit range.
5. To completely lock the motor, hold the limit button for 1 second, then release it without moving the corresponding input.
MARKERS
- Move the slider or knob to the desired position.
- To add a marker, press the + Iris Marker or + Focus Marker button to create a virtual marker at that position.
- To add additional markers, move the slider or knob to the next position and press the Marker button again. Repeat this process until you have mapped all your reference points.
- To reposition a marker, first align the focus or iris scale with the marker you want to move. Press and hold the + Marker button to "grab" the marker, then drag it to the desired location. Release the + Marker button to place the marker in its new position.
- To remove a marker, move the slider or knob to the position of a specific marker and press the Remove Marker button.
- To delete all markers, press and hold the Focus Marker or Iris Marker button for about 1 second until a prompt appears. Confirm the prompt to remove all markers.
