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A better way to control 3 axis gimbal and Canon 5d

Discussion in '3 Axis Gimbal' started by Ben Moyes, May 16, 2013.

  1. Ben Moyes

    Ben Moyes New Member

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    Here's something new that I've been working on for a very long time.
    My aim was to build a bespoke controller for our gimbals & cameras that was superior to re-purposed RC gear.
    Something that any camera operator would feel comfortable with.

    http://www.dopcontrol.com

    Ben.
     
  2. Janne Hoglund

    Janne Hoglund Member

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  3. Matt Kearney

    Matt Kearney Member

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    Hi Guys,
    I have the first one of these Ben has finished and helped him with the testing.
    It's awesome!!!!
    Im a professional camera/steadicam/remote head operator, this unit is very professional and the features including ramping gives you a great feeling control like a baby cineflex!!
    Cant speak highly enough of the product and Ben's service!!!
    Any yes i did pay for it so this is NOT a paid advert!!
    Ben has put years of hard work into this and its well worth the wait!
    The only problem is im the pilot so i don't get to operate it!!!!!!
     
  4. Steve Maller

    Steve Maller UAV Grief Counselor

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    Congrats! It looks awesome.
     
  5. Andy Johnson-Laird

    Andy Johnson-Laird Administrator
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    I can see you're going to make some camera ops very happy with this product!

    Apologies in advance for the barrage of questions:

    If I understand the FAQ correctly, the DOPControl works with existing Radians, right? They stabilize and the DOPControl controls the slewing.

    Also as far as the gimbal control is concerned, is the joy stick proportional (that is it controls the position to which the gimbal moves) or a rate controller (which controls the direction in which the gimbal moves and the rate at which it moves)?

    For example if you move the joystick forward to half-way between center and fully forward, does the gimbal ramp up a tilt down motion, move to a given tilted down position and ramp down, or does keep tilting down until it limits out?

    How do you plan to handle warranty and repairs please?


    Thanks
    Andy
     
  6. Ben Moyes

    Ben Moyes New Member

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    Yes - exactly. Plugs straight into the radians just the same as a normal RC receiver.

    It can do both.

    The receiver can hold the position of the servos and the stick specifies the rate (ramping is applied at your desired level) This is not suitable for use with Radians.
    -or-
    The receiver outputs the postion as long as the stick is held there (ramping is applied to servo movements between positions). This is how a normal RC controller would work.

    The ramping function makes a nice smooth transition from one position to the other. It is applied to the stick values before they are applied to the servo position calculations.

    I'm working on a video explaining the different types of configurations and how the ramping works, and I'll post that here in the next day or two.

    These are made up by hand, I'm very careful that they are perfect before going out the door - warranty and repairs are by return to myself, but I fedex back, so turnaround is pretty quick, even though I'm in Australia.

    Ben
     
  7. Howard Dapp

    Howard Dapp Active Member

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    This is so neat! Amazed that something like this hasn't been produced already...long overdue. RC gimbal control with similar control to professional fullsize jibs
     
  8. Josh Lambeth

    Josh Lambeth Well-Known Member

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    Holy Crap thats awesome!!!!! I want one! Need to save some money... haha

    Josh
     
  9. Howard Dapp

    Howard Dapp Active Member

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    Curious if this will work with the alexnos bl gimbal controller? All features including ramping.
     
  10. Andy Johnson-Laird

    Andy Johnson-Laird Administrator
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    Thanks for the response, Ben.
    Currently shaking my bride's purse upside down to see how much cash there is..... ;)

    Andy.
     
  11. Andy Johnson-Laird

    Andy Johnson-Laird Administrator
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    I forgot to ask Ben, what cameras do you plan to control? Obviously the Canon DSLRs, but any others that you're pondering?

    Andy.
     
  12. Ben Moyes

    Ben Moyes New Member

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    Howard: It will work with the brushless gimbals, since the output from the receiver to the servos is the same as any normal receiver, and I provide a PPM connection, too, for more advanced setups such as the Radians. I'm looking forward to trying it on a 3 axis brushless of any description at this stage - they should, in theory, do smooth, slow slewing really well.

    Andy: I started with the Canons as that was where I was receiving the most requests, next I'll be adding iLink/LANC, and I should have something working with the REDs very soon. I'll add your vote to the tally - what camera are you hoping to control?
     
  13. Andy Johnson-Laird

    Andy Johnson-Laird Administrator
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    Hi Ben:
    I'm looking at either the C300 or the F5 (or maybe the F55).

    Thanks
    Andy.
     
  14. Kristian C

    Kristian C Member

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    Holy crap...a...maze...ing..... Now, where to get that $2.5k???
     
  15. Ben Moyes

    Ben Moyes New Member

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    Andy: Ok, those have LANC control, so I will have something on the table soon. Different cameras have different levels of control, but as a minimum stop/start, iris and zoom are supported.

    Kristian: I accept all major credit cards, ehehe :)

    Here's a demonstration of the ramping functionality.
    This was done with a FreeFly gimbal on the bench, which always looks shakier than when it is in the air, but you can see show much difference it makes when compared to raw joystick movements being sent through.

    http://vimeo.com/66777405
    Ben
     
  16. Scott Stemm

    Scott Stemm Member

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    Password for video?
     
  17. Ben Moyes

    Ben Moyes New Member

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    Ah! Sorry, try it now.
     
  18. Scott Stemm

    Scott Stemm Member

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    Working now thanks
     
  19. Sebastian Meredith

    Sebastian Meredith Active Member

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    Will it work on a Canon 7D?
     
  20. Ben Moyes

    Ben Moyes New Member

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    Yes, 7D is go!

    Ben
     

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