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Pan Tilt Thumb Knob

Discussion in 'MōVI M10' started by Eric Ulbrich, Dec 4, 2013.

  1. I get it. I know these items will help. I'm not disagreeing with anyone on that and this has nothing to do with Freefly. I wasn't putting it or anything else on some existing "list of accessories to develop" as an afterthought or have them be a low priority. I'm banging my head up against the wall here for not articulating my point earlier. I wanted expose the bigger picture when it comes to being a shooter, editor, DP, or whatever and getting that shot you want, whether you use a VHS-C camcorder on a stack of rocks or a Red camera on a stabilizer rig. I also edit, that doesn't mean that because someone creates a fancy plug-in for Adobe Premiere and it is not yet available for Final Cut Pro X, that I'm going to let it ruin the already existing experience/skills I have as an editor, stop editing projects, and email Apple once a day until they develop their own version of the plug-in. I'm not saying anyone here on the forum is doing that with the Joystick Thumb control subject. I just think that a lot of people don't realize the time it it takes to design and make devices for the world of film/video production. I get passionate about my video projects and come up with ideas for gadgets all the time, I just don't think it is fair to call a product incomplete or non-functional, on any scale, because it is missing some small controller that was made by someone else first and wasn't attached when I pulled my rig out of the box for the first time. Use your skills and imagination and make the client happy with the gear you have and can afford. Sometimes no amount of gadgets will help. I see shooters relying to much on technology and it becomes a crutch. Yet on the other hand, gadgets can also help with transferring the image and shot you have in your head to the big screen much easier, and that, as we all know, is a good thing.

    Hope that clears things up and I promise no more Star Trek/MoVI combo jokes.
     
    Eric Ulbrich likes this.
  2. Wolf Schiebel

    Wolf Schiebel Active Member

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    I will start some tests on this next week.
    I have some very tiny spektrum transmitter boards from former projects and will bring it together with thumb joystick and two pots for pan/tilt speeds and a 3-way switch in a small housing.

    Will post results and pictures as soon i have them.


    Cheers Wolf
     
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  3. Mark Pugh

    Mark Pugh New Member

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    Looking forward to it, Wolf. Any chance you'd be putting the switch in a position that you could get to during a shot?
    And possibly a push switch that would operate like a clutch to go into either joystick or majestic mode? Wouldn't a two-way switch be enough? there's already a kill switch on the MoVI.
    Also how are you planning on pairing the board with the movi? Progamming it via an SD card taken from the Spektrum you usually use with the MoVI?
     
  4. Austin Glass

    Austin Glass Active Member

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    It sounds like he's making something that will spoof the DX7s wirelessly. Is that right, Wolf?
     
  5. Wolf Schiebel

    Wolf Schiebel Active Member

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    Hi Mark, the tx board needs to be paired with the MōVI win app. Either i have to assign the channels with the software , too, or i might be able to hardwire the pots to the DX-7 corresponding channels… May be 2-channel button is enough, but i don´t like the idea to miss the motor-off switch… where did you find it on the MōVI, except on the DX-7?

    Austin, not spoof, the protocol of my tx board is identical to the DX-7, so it´s just a matter of assigning/ hardwiring the channels...

    I will start my tests on wednesday, shooting the next two days...


    Best,

    Wolf
     
  6. Alan Amor

    Alan Amor New Member

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  7. Eric Ulbrich

    Eric Ulbrich Member

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    Love the inventiveness wolf. If you can make one work count me in for a pre-order!

    Seems I stirred up quite a mess here with this post. My apologies. from now on ill keep my ideas to myself here...
     
  8. Augusto Alves da Silva

    Augusto Alves da Silva Active Member

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    I

    I have that thumb control on another stabilizer but it is too confusing. Operator can´t properly do both things at the same time. I much prever majestic mode
     
  9. Wolf Schiebel

    Wolf Schiebel Active Member

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    Hi everybody,

    i finally managed to get the first experimental prototype up and running.

    All functions are implemented, as:

    - pan/tilt speed
    - mode switch
    - roll trim
    - pan/tilt joystick
    - pan/tilt trim
    - bind button
    - wireless
    - small and lightweight unit, thumbstick reachable from the Mōvi handgrip
    - no hardware/firmware changes of the MōVI needed, just one rc-parameter in the gui
    - needs a windows system to bind and re-bind the DX-7s/8 transmitter

    See a short video of the first test here:


    Now, before entering the next stage (as develop housing and pcb) i would like to get some feedback and would like to ask if there are people who might be interested in purchasing this. I think the most useful feature and use might be the possibility to do small tilt (headroom) corrections in single operator/majestic mode.

    Thanks,

    Wolf
     
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  10. Chris mierzwinski

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    Nice work Wolf! Definitely interested in this. Roll trim would be great. I see a lot of use for faster whip pans that are possible with remote control and slight tilt adjustments are also very useful.

    So I'm def behind the control. Not sure how you could implement this into a single control unit. Perhaps a switch between, pan, tilt and roll..?
    A simple p touch power solution and mounting.

    Keep working on it. I'm definitely interested.

     
  11. Wolf Schiebel

    Wolf Schiebel Active Member

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    Hi Chris,

    thanks. The control unit is a pan/tilt joystick similar to the Dx7 stick, just thumb-compatible;-)

    I could think of a simple push-button to change pan and roll funktions... But in this configuration the roll angle would be not stationary and will flip back to normal when releasing/centering the stick. Another option would be a pot like the RR micro thumbwheel, that would fix the roll angle when the cam is pointing forward.

    Wolf
     
  12. Jacob Schwarz

    Jacob Schwarz Member

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    Wolf i would buy on in a heart beat. I would be great if you could work with Freefly and allow for someone to still be in majestic mode and use the thumb control to make micro adjustments as needed.
     
  13. Wolf Schiebel

    Wolf Schiebel Active Member

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    That is already possible and very useful for the tilt axis, same as with the Dx7.
    I don't think it would be possible and useful for pan....since it would "counteract" the majestic pan control...

    Best,

    Wolf
     
  14. Jacob Schwarz

    Jacob Schwarz Member

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    The tilt is great. But when you settle in a spot for a sec and want to nail you composition being able to would be awesome.
     
  15. Eric Ulbrich

    Eric Ulbrich Member

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    Very cool wolf! Lemmie know when you have something ready. I'd love to test it!
     
  16. Thierry Navennec

    Thierry Navennec New Member

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    Hi Wolf,
    we are interested in purchasing it; a client would like this feature for a shoot in two weeks.
    We have a solid technical departement that could also help to delvelop the product.
    Call me if you're interested 514-933-5765
    You can visit our website: http://www.videomtl.com/
    Thank you,

    -Thierry
     
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  17. Phil Planta

    Phil Planta New Member

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  18. pedro faerstein

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  19. Wolf Schiebel

    Wolf Schiebel Active Member

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    Update: Since i´m in a feature-film shooting now until March 21st, i will continue working on the stick after that.

    So, i think i will be ready somewhat middle of april.

    Best,

    Wolf
     
  20. Martin McGuinness

    Martin McGuinness New Member

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    Interested! Much better than gaffing the DX 7 onto the Movi handles.
    Meanwhile I hope Chris H and the rest of the team at Freefly are in fact working full time on the "Vulcan mind meld follow focus control" he mentioned earlier in this thread, in jest. At the moment Freefly have at most 18 month jump on serious competition. Brushless gimbals will really come into their own in combination with "point of interest" tracking and auto focus interfaces. The touch screen focus and facial tracking tech on the next generation Canons and lenses, interfaced with gimbal software will be the real "Game Changer". If I can imagine it, for sure the competition has.
    "Vulcan mind meld follow focus control"? It's already a smart phone App. Hopefully this wasn't said in jest Chris, but is a hint from the lab?
     

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