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Element technica steadicam balance compensator prototype test!

Pedro Guimaraes

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Great news!

The guys over at Element Technica called me to test fly the Neutron Rig with the Scarlets and the new balance compensator today.

I was anxious to test out the compensator unit since it's the first design to execute some ideas I always though would work better than what P+S and Pace are doing.

This compensator unit will attach to the rear of any element technica rig (neutron, pulsar, atom) and allows the stereographer to change IO and convergence during a shot and not upset the balance on your steadicam!

IMG_2108.jpg



Kudos to Element for listening and coming up with a working prototype that works better than I had imagined! Certainly better than any other rig out there! Watch the video and see for yourself.

Due to precise calibration of the counterweight during the initialization of the system it maintains balance during convergence and during IO changes.

The unit is still a prototype so there are wires hanging out the design is not finalized. We are using the battery as a counter weight and also to possibly power the top camera and access.

The idea of a unit that goes on the back is perfect since we need weight there anyway to counterbalance the front heaviness of the rig.

IMG_2112.jpg



The test was a complete success! I was amazed there there was virtually no movement at all! I flew the rig while he changed IO+conv. and I can hear the motors and feel something thru my gimbal but little to no movement tilting the camera. There is little torque effect when initiating the movement. They might soften the motor curve a bit to help with that. So there are a few tweaks to be made and improve performance even more.

well see for yourself....watch the video.

Notice....my rig was balanced and on the balance post the whole entire time.

vimeo
http://vimeo.com/19028313

youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywlJgvyKCJs
 
Um, is that the interchangeable lens Scarlet? I don't think I've ever seen the mini primes outside of CG models. That camera is TINY!

yes it's a tiny and probably is coming at NAB!!!???

LINK>>>
 
Gotta love that. Super slick and dosnt look like it adds too much to the final weight. Good on Ya ET.
 
Compensator update from ET

Compensator update from ET

Yeah, we're pretty excited about the performance we were able to get right from the start. The unit in the photos has since been anodized and the rest of the lightweight enclosure has been installed. All the connectors and LEDs are bulkhead mounted.
We have a handful like this which we'll use to figure out minimum travel required for different batteries with different steadicam setups.

When we're done the unit itself should be just under 2 pounds. The compensation weight will be 1 or 2 batteries (either V-Lock or Gold Mnt) depending on your preference and it will be able to mount pretty much anywhere on the steadicam.

Stand by ;-)

Stephen Pizzo
 
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