Hi Jason, thanks for the pics. That's similar to what I have been planning. May I ask you a few questions? What made you go with the collins clamp for the base station? I was rather thinking about the micro mount. Seems like you cut the freefly lemo cable because of the reverse polarity problem, right? I was rather thinking to solder a jst adapter, or even a jst y-cable to run the FF from the MoVI battery.
Hi Wolfgang- I went with the collins clamp because it was the first thing I came across- looking at the Micro mount I believe it would work just as well, maybe even better and I may swap mine out at some point. As far as the cable goes- I ordered the lemo cable from Freefly and when I received it the cable wrap was frayed- not the wires themselves, just the covering, so I taped it up until they send a replacement. There is no polarity problem when using the freefly battery and cable to power the Follow Focus. Let me know if you have any other questions!
Hi Jason, thanks a big lot for your reply. I thought I read about the polarity somewhere and was just looking it up. It was Teradek, not Redrock Micro - sorry for the confusion. I do indeed have another question ;-). Do you know your stiffness settings with/without the FF? I currently have very low values without it and am wondering if it will drastically increase with the added weight. I´m thinking about attaching some more weight to the camera just for the stiffness.
Wolfgang- I have only balanced and set up with the full rig. My settings are all relatively low- lower 20's and less. Hope that helps.
Thanks Jason, yes that helps! I´m below 10 with some settings, but hope to get higher up once I have the weight of the FF installed.
Jason: I'm coming at this from the world of copters and gimbals (e.g. MōVI/MR). Yours seems like a pretty good set up. Could you help my by identifying the follow focus unit's manufacturer and model? The rest of the equipment (e.g. Secraft, SmallHD), I'm familiar with. Thanks Andy
Hi Jason nice setup!! You have a Monitor an a Paralinx in the handle? if you do, what you are using to power it? Also I see that you use the Lockport 5M3 how much weight does the Lockport adds to the rig?
Andy, that´s a Redrock Micro. I ordered the boneyard bundle last week. They say it´s the lightest available, so perfect for flying. I´ll forward you an email from RRM.
Hi Ariel- the redrock wireless follow focus transmitter is being powered via the mini usb port on the Small HD Dp4. My DP4 is being powered by canon 5d batteries. Not sure of the exact weight of the LockPort but it adds very minimal weight, just a few ounces.
Andy, here are some links to the Redrock Wireless Follow Focus unit and the mounting accessories I use. Follow Focus Bundle (you will need to purchase the cable pack unless you prefer to make your own, and a lens gear pack unless you are using cinema lenses) http://store.redrockmicro.com/Catalog/microRemote-Bundles/Remote-wireless-focus-bundle The Gimbal Rail Clamp (top mounting rail clamp) http://store.redrockmicro.com/Catalog/Gimbal-rig-gear/Gimbal-Rail-Clamp-for-Remote-Focus collins clamp for mounting base station http://store.redrockmicro.com/Catalog/New-Products/Collins-Clamp or this http://store.redrockmicro.com/Catalog/microClamps/microMount 6" Carbon Rods (may need to be longer depending on size of lens used) http://store.redrockmicro.com/Catalog/microSupportRods/6InchCarbonFiberRods Let me know if you have any more questions.
Jason thanks for the info!! I just curious about the range of the Paralinx with the DP4 power option! in this thread: http://forum.freeflysystems.com/index.php?threads/power-solutions-m10.2385/#post-29353 is a explanation of the problem! here's a summary: In your setup did you notice any signal degradation? Thanks for the info!! ariel
Ariel- we have mainly been practicing with the Movi and have not really tested the range. We have probably been no further than 50 feet from it but have noticed no signal drops or degradation. We will be testing it more soon. I'll let you know!
Hi Andy. I'm sure theres been threads on this subject before, but I'm buggered if I can find what I need to know. So I thought I'd ask you as I believe you'll have an answer for me. Is there any reason why I can't power my SmallHD monitors with Lopi's? I'll be using a DP4 on the M10 and an AC7 LED for pan and tilt, with an AC7 OLED for focus. Do you feel they ok for the purpose?? And if so, what cable is required between monitor and battery?? I'm sure I read where others are powering monitors with Lipo's, but when I asked the question of FF support about they have the necessary cable, they responded by saying they don't recommend powering monitors with Lipo's for safety reasons. Any suggestions. Cheers Garry
No reason at all, but I would be sure to put a LiPo low-voltage alarm on the balance lead of the LiPo otherwise you might inadvertently over-discharge it and that is a Bad Thing. That's a slightly harder question to answer because it depends entirely on the connectors you choose to use on the LiPo. I'd probably start with the monitors -- find the appropriate cable with the right monitor connector on the end and then make a choice for the connector you want on the LiPo and the other end of the monitor cables. Folks in the copter world tend to worry about weight, so you could use a so-called JST connector (two pin, polarized) for the DP4 on the MōVI. I presume the AC7 would be remote and not on the MōVI, right? If that's the case, weight might be less of an issue. Personally for the remote stuff, I tend to use a Hotbox with XLR-4's, but that's kind of heavy and bulky. (See http://www.remoteaudio.com/hotbox_v2/) Errrr.....that's the first I've heard about it. There's nothing technologically "risky" about using LiPo's provided (a) you have a fuse in circuit (they can deliver a lot of current in a short space of time so act as great fire-starters), and (b) you have a low voltage monitor so you don't over-discharge them. [/quote] Hope that helps. Andy.
Hope that helps. Andy.[/quote] Andy thank you heaps for the response. I was initially pretty unsure about using Lipo's at all, but after reading a lot about them, and other batteries, realised that when treated with the correct amount of care they're fine. Yes you're right, neither of the AC7's monitors are on the Movi, so weight isn't an issue. I'll wait till we actually get the monitors, they're currently ordered so I'm waiting for them, then work from their plugs backwards to the Lipo's. Cheers and thanks again. Garry
Hi Andy, could you say more about this "fuse in circuit" ? What's the cleanest way to do that ? After exploring different options, I think I will go with : - DP4 on the Movi, HDMI in from camera via slim HDMI cable, HDMI out from Movi to Paralinx Arrow attached on the side of the monitor. A FF Lipo attached under the handle powering the DP4, with the D-TAP adapter cable. The Paralinx will be powered either by the monitor USB out (it works but I'm afraid the monitor doesn't provide enough power for optimal range), or by using a D-TAP splitter to power it through their cables. I display the voltage on the monitor to make sure I don't over discharge the Lipo, but I will probably get a few Lipo alarms / checkers to make sure nothing bad happens here. Would just like to know about the "fuse" thing.
Hi Jason could you let me know the weight of the motor unit on the micro redrock want to compare with bb thanks
I use an in-line automotive fuse. http://www.amazon.com/Parts-Express-In-line-Fuse-Holder/dp/B0002KR8EE I put it as the first thing connected to the LiPo battery so that it blow before anything else does. (Oh....and carry a couple of spare fuses! ) Do you mean the HDMI pass-through on the SD4? I'd go with the D-Tap splitter. No point in not getting the max. range. There are some silent alarms out there too -- they just flash a bright LED and you can plug them into the balance connector. Andy.