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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Pimp my Red (Rocket) cart...

Evin Grant

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So I've had the Red cart for two years now and it's served me very well as a Jr. camera platform that I can easily stow in my SUV. Lately though I have been getting constant requests for RED Rocket systems on set, weather it be for transcoding or just to have a color accurate system to preview looks. The later is what was requested for the network TV show I'm about to start (can't tell details yet, don't ask) so I decided to pimp my cart...

Sorry for the crappy iPhone pic, I'll try to get some better pics once it's on stage.
Pimpin.jpg


Ok, so here's the deal, my friend John at 8 Ball Grip custom built the lid and the tower case for me according to my specs. I need to give a big shout to Brook Willard here for blazing the trail with his super cart. Both pieces are made of aluminum to match the cart and add rigidity/heat dissipation. The tower is mounted into the case on rubber shock absorbers and also has covers that screw on the front and back for shipping. The lid is designed to slip into the posts holes at the corners of the cart so the only modification actually done to the cart is a small connection for the 80lb shock that keeps the lid up.

Performance...
You'll notice form the photo there is only a tower and a UPS on the bottom, that is because with the introduction of 2TB drives it's now possible to have an 8TB (6TB useable) RAID 5 array inside the Macpro (2008) tower. This RAID using an ATTO 348 card delivers 350MB/s+, plenty of speed for writing 2k DPXs or multiple download streams.

Accuracy...
The lid contains two monitors, a 24" HP Dreamcolor and a 19" HP POS monitor mounted vertically for the GUI. The Dreamcolor and POS are connected to the computer via regular DVI for standard downloading and other normal operations, but when color accurate 10bit playback or look creation is required the dreamcolor can be switched to the HDMI input and fed a signal from a RED Rocket or other HD card through an AJA HI5 3G HD-SDI converter. Since both are HDMI 1.3 compliant you get a true 10bit image from your system. AFAIK this is the most color accurate system capable of being installed on a cart. If you swap the rocket for an AJA or BM HD card or add a PCI Expansion chassis you can also use this system with 3CP.

John and I are thinking of selling the lid and tower case and when my TV show is finished I may even do some custom system builds, if there is any interest. The lid and Mac pro tower case will probably be about the same price as the Red cart. Bear in mind that six 1/4" holes need to be drilled into the Macpro tower to mount the shock absorbers.

PM me if you think you might be interested in any of this stuff,
E.
 
Last edited:
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I think the lid is a pretty cool idea. How is it to break down at the end of the night, if not going on the camera truck?

Unhook the shock, disconnect the cables and lift off the lid. I recommend having a second person help when removing it but it's possible to do by yourself if your careful and strong. After the lid is off remove the top shelf of the red cart, then the tower case and break down as normal. John and I will eventually be making a protective cover for the monitors so the lid can be safely transported on it's own, possibly even on the cart it's self, we'll see.
 
Me likey!

Couple suggestions:

Glue some black fabric to the back of your lid. Or if you want to be cool, find some black carpet tiles and glue them.. That metal glare behind the monitors could be an issue at some point.

I'm not thrilled with the keyboard and stuff being IN the top of the table.. Could be tough to work with.. A fold out keboard / mouse tray would be sweet here.

Just some thoughts.
 
Hello,

Sweet setup!

Was curious about the ATTO card. I went to their site and couldn't find any mention of that model. Is that the correct model number? How does it plug into the existing internal infrastructure? Do the existing sata cables that go to the tray mounts reach to the adapter?

Thanks!

ATF
 
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Hello,

Sweet setup!

Was curious about the ATTO card. I went to their site and couldn't find any mention of that model. Is that the correct model number? How does it plug into the existing internal infrastructure? Do the existing sata cables that go to the tray mounts reach to the adapter?

Thanks!

ATF

Sorry, I transposed the numbers it's an ATTO 348 card. The early 2008 Macpro towers are particularly well suited to this upgrade because the 4 internal drives all connect to the mother board via an iPass connection which is the same as a SAS connection. All you need a is a $70 adapter/extension cable from Maxx Upgrades and you can run the drives right into the card's internal connection. Jeff Kilgroe helped tremendously with this part.
 
fold out shades for sides and top would be sweet.
 
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On the carts I've seen, the duve shades always get ripped and destroyed. I figure a 4x4 floppy on a stand will do in most instances and when I really need it dark I have one of these...
VBbacklot.jpg

http://www.villageblackout.com/
 
I love the Village Blackout and plan on getting one as soon as I can afford it. Something else always has a way of being more important, but if I get hired on a feature film this summer then I'll buy one for sure.
 
Evin, are you shooting and using this cart or is this something you provide your DITs and Digital Loaders?
 
try this one out...

try this one out...

i have a modified tr-04 with two custom shelves and a custom tent made from gripology & recylced duv...complete with a/c...

jarred came out last week and loved it!!!

dino
 

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