Betso WTCS-1 Wireless Timecode Slate

Built light and tough, the Betso WTCS-1 wireless slate shares timecode with other Betso devices over RF and lights its writing area for easy reading.

Its RF transceiver also sends status between Betso devices on the same network. A transmitting unit keeps every receiving unit continuously jammed, and each device shows the status of the others. The range is up to 500 m in line of sight, and frequency hopping keeps the link solid where the RF is crowded. A receiving slate that loses the signal keeps generating synced timecode.

The WTCS-1 reads, jams, or generates every SMPTE format from 23.976 to 30 fps, drop and non-drop frame, and their double rates up to 60 fps. A 0.2 ppm temperature-compensated crystal oscillator, calibrated at the factory against GPS, holds sync through the temperature swings of a long day.

The 1 in high graphical LED display has an anti-glare surface and ten brightness settings, or it can set its brightness from an ambient light sensor. The writing area has its own backlight in three steps, and a replaceable protector sheet keeps it clean. Wi-Fi links the slate to the MovieSlate 8 app on iOS, which sends timecode, user bits, and more than 60 credit fields to the display.

The body is CNC-milled, anodized aluminum with wooden clapper arms. Six AA batteries (alkaline, lithium, NiMH, or NiCd) run it for up to 100 hours at the lowest display brightness, and it also runs on 6 to 15 V DC. A built-in backup battery keeps timecode running for about 3 hours while the AAs are changed.

Features

• RF timecode and status network with a range of up to 500 m
• All SMPTE formats from 23.976 to 30 fps, plus double rates to 60 fps
• 0.2 ppm TCXO with GPS factory calibration
• 1 in graphical LED display with an anti-glare surface
• Backlit writing area with a replaceable protector
• MovieSlate 8 sync over Wi-Fi
• Cross jamming between frame rates and timecode offset
• Up to 100 hours on six AA batteries