A20-MINI Compact Transmitter User Guide
Table of Contents 3 Welcome to the A20-MINI 4 Panel Views 6 Power 7 Introduction to SD-Remote 8 SD-Remote Overview 10 Device List 10 Pairing an A20-MINI with SD-Remote 10 Adding an A20-MINI to the TX List 11 TX View 11 TX List 12 Controlling an A20-MINI from SD-Remote 12 Turning A20-MINI On from SD-Remote 12 Naming the A20-MINI 13 Setting Frequency 13 Setting RF Power 13 Tuning A20-MINI and the Audio Ltd A10-RX 13 Adjusting Audio of the A20-MINI Signal from the A10-RX 13 Recording WAV Files on A2
Welcome to the A20-MINI The Sound Devices A20-MINI wireless microphone transmitter builds upon the heritage and technology of the phenomenal-sounding Audio Ltd A10-TX transmitter. The A20-MINI offers the following features: • 470 MHz to 694 MHz UHF tuning range simplifes purchasing and makes operation far more flexible than before. RF power can be selected between 2, 10, 20, and 40 mW. • Powers from AAA batteries (3) or Sony NP-BX1 rechargeable Li-Ion battery.
LEFT LEFT FRONT RIG Panel Views Top Power LED Antenna Connector USB-C Port Charge/Pair/ TOP Record LED Bottom Lavalier Microphone Input Power LED Indicates the state of battery life. • Green = Good • Yellow = Marginal • Red = Low • Blue = Service mode for loading firmware Antenna Connector SMA connector. Attach antenna with a length specific to the frequency in use. Using the wrong length of antenna reduces RF range.
D No Batteries SCALE 1 : 1 Panel Views Battery Door TOP Battery Compartment TOP TOP Button 3 AAA SCA TOP 18.20 1 D LEFT Front LEFT FRONT FrontRIGHT FRONT FRONT (Door Open) Battery Door Access to the battery compartment and button. Battery Compartment Accepts either 3x AAA Lithium batteries, or one rechargeable Sony NP-BX1 Li-Ion battery. Sound Devices recommends using BOTTOM BOTTOM Energizer Ultimate AAA batteries for BOTTOM best performance.
Power The A20-MINI powers via 3x AAA Energizer Ultimate or one Sony NP-BX1 Li-Ion battery. Powering from AAA or Sony NP-BX1 Li-Ion To power the A20-MINI using AAA batteries or Sony NP-BX1 Li-Ion: 1. Open the A20-MINI battery door. 2. Insert three AAA batteries or one Sony NP-BX1 Li-Ion into the battery compartment taking care to place the batteries in the correct polar orientation. 3. Press and release the button to power the A20-MINI on. 4. Close the A20-MINI battery door. 5.
Introduction to SD-Remote SD-Remote is a mobile device application for Android/iOS phones and tablets designed to pair with the A20-MINI. To keep the size, weight, and power consumption of the A20-MINI to a minimum, all settings of parameters and functions are performed using the SD-Remote mobile device application. A mobile device connects via Bluetooth LE to the A20-MINI. SD-Remote offers control and display of all A20-MINI parameters. This includes the following: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
SD-Remote Overview Recorder/ Wireless Tab Active Transmitter Phone Navigation Bar Recorder/Wireless Tab Active Transmitter Tablet TX List TX View Navigation Bar TX List TX View Files View Settings View Recorder and Wireless Tabs Active tab is highlighted in blue. The Wireless tab is shown as the active tab in the example image and is described in this guide. TX View Displays the active transmitter’s audio activity, battery life, and timecode values.
Navigation Bar Icons on the navigation bar indicate the various views of the SD-Remote Wireless Tab. Touch an icon to display the corresponding view. Icon Description Device List The Device List is where you pair A20MINI over Bluetooth to SD-Remote. See Device List for more details. TX View Displays the active transmitter’s audio activity, battery life, and timecode values. Allows control of transmitter’s power, RF setup, record and stop. See TX View for more details.
Device List Pair A20-MINI over Bluetooth to SD-Remote on the Device List. The Device List displays all transmitters within range that are in Pairing mode and any A20-MINI that has been previously paired to the mobile device. Icon Status No devices connected. Establishing connection. Active connection. Pairing an A20-MINI with SD-Remote With the A20-MINI off, open the battery door then press and hold the multi-function button for five seconds. The Bluetooth LED flashes blue rapidly while in Pairing mode.
TX View The TX View contains the TX List and a view of the active transmitter’s audio activity, battery life, and timecode values, and allows control of transmitter’s power, RF setup, record and stop. Touch the TX icon in the Navigation Bar to display the TX View. TX List The TX List is displayed on the left-hand side of the TX View. This scrollable list displays all transmitters added to the TX List and a high-level view of a transmitter’s status.
Active A20-MINI in the TX View The active A20-MINI in the TX View is indicated by the indent on the right-hand side of the TX List. Touch any transmitter in the TX List to make it the active transmitter. Audio Signal Presence/Mic Mute The Mic icon varies in intensity when audio signal is present. Touch the Mic icon to mute the microphone. To prevent accidental muting, a confirmation dialog popup appears asking to confirm the change. When muted, no audio is present in the recordings or transmitted.
Setting Frequency The A20-MINI transmits on frequencies ranging from 470 MHz–694 MHz. The frequencies available are determined by your geographic location. See https://www.sounddevices.com for further information regarding the available frequencies and TV channel mapping in your area. Recording WAV Files The A20-MINI records 32-bit float RF64 WAV files at 48 kHz sampling rates. Recording of audio files is automatically done in 32-bit float so that setting gain too high or low is never a problem.
Files View The A20-MINI Files View is displayed in the center of the TX View on a tablet and is accessed by touching the SSD icon on a phone. Remaining space, remaining record time, and a list of recorded files on the SSD are displayed. Touch a file to view more information about the file. Icon Description File Info View The File Info View displays the filename, creation time and date, start timecode stamp, duration of recording, file size, and provides the option to delete the file.
Settings View The Settings View is displayed on the far right-hand side of the tablet view. On a phone touch the Settings (gear) icon in the Navigation Bar to display the Settings View. The Settings View allows control of less often changed parameters of the A20-MINI. It displays the version and serial number of the active A20-MINI and the SD-Remote version number. Privacy/Encryption When Privacy is on, the A20-MINI automatically generates and displays a four digit code.
Regulatory Displays compliance documentation for local government requirements. Update Firmware Searches the Sound Devices website for the latest firmware PRG and loads the new firmware on the A20-MINI. DTMF Tones Mode DTMF Tones mode is useful in the very unlikely event that Bluetooth cannot connect and you still need to change parameters of the A20-MINI. Using DTMF tones you can turn the transmitter on or off, change the frequency, start or stop recordings, and mute or unmute the microphone.
User Groups The User Groups feature allows for easy, intuitive naming of specific frequencies for each A20-MINI or Audio Ltd A10-TX transmitters used on set, and grouped together for faster tuning. The operator of an A10-RX receiver may then easily switch between transmitters by choosing alphanumeric names, such as “Jack” and “Diane”, instead of having to remember and manually tune to different, specific numerical frequencies.
File Transfer to a Computer The A20-MINI connects via USB-C to a computer as a mass storage device. Copy WAV and User Setup files from the A20MINI to the computer. Copy PRG and User Setup files from the computer to the A20-MINI. Files copied to the A20-MINI should be copied without folders to the root of the A20-MINI’s SSD. When file transfer is complete, eject the drive from the operating system and disconnect USB.
Mic2Wav II Sound Devices Mic2Wav II is a companion application for Mac and Windows. This application can be used to conform the 32-bit float WAV files recorded by the A20-MINI transmitters to a CSV Sound Report, combine monophonic files from multiple A20-MINI transmitters into a single polyphonic file, update A20-MINI firmware, create and manage User Groups, and more. Mic2Wav II is also a companion application for the Audio Ltd A10-TX and A10-RX.
Creating Shorter WAV Files Based on Timecode Range When a shorter WAV file is needed than the original recording, you can use the Timecode Range feature to create a shorter WAV file. The length and content of the processed file is based on the entered timecode start and stop times. 1. 2. 3. 4. Highlight the source file(s) from the Source window. Select the Timecode Range check box. Enter valid timecode start and end times. The values must fall within the range of the source file. Select Process.
• Save User Groups as ALUG files by navigating on a Mac to User Groups > Save As and on Windows to File > Save As. Enter the ALUG file name and select where the file should be saved. Click Save. When editing an ALUG that has already been saved, select Save to overwrite the existing file or Save As to save the ALUG as a new file. • Send User Group to TX/RX by clicking the Send to TX/RX. This sends the current ALUG file to any A20-MINI and A10-RX connected to the computer via USB or XL-PowerStation.
4 XL-PowerStation 4 3 2 3 2 The XL-PowerStation is an optional accessory for the A20-MINI offering battery charging, timecode jamming, and USB file transfer to and from a computer for up to eight A20-MINI transmitters. B Charging Bay B TA-4 10-18 Volt DC Input BNC LTC Input USB-C forFile Transfer A Charging Batteries with the XL-PowerStation Enabled charging bays are indicated by LEDs within each A charging bay.
Distributing Timecode to A20-MINI Transmitters The XL-PowerStation is equipped with a Timecode input via BNC. Connecting a valid LTC timecode source to the XL-PowerStation jams the frame rate and timecode value to all inserted A20-MINI transmitters. The A20-MINI bottom panel Timecode LED flashes blue on the 00 frame following a successful jam.
A20-MINI Specifications Specifications are subject to change without prior notice. For the latest information available on all Sound Devices products, visit our website: www.sounddevices.com.
Legal Notices Product specifications and features are subject to change without prior notification. Read and fully understand this manual before operation. Copyright© 2021 Sound Devices, LLC. All rights reserved. This product is subject to the terms and conditions of a software license agreement provided with the product, and may be used in accordance with the license agreement. This document is protected under copyright law.
FCC Interference Statement This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
Post Office Box 576 E7556 State Rd. 23 and 33 Reedsburg, Wisconsin 53959 USA support@sounddevices.com +1 608.524.0625 main +1 608.524.0655 fax 800.505.0625 toll free www.sounddevices.
