JimBartell

Well, my website is gone but don't worry I'm still here. My site was originally hosted at my ISP provider until they stopped offering free hosting. Then I found a place offering free hosting but they went belly up and took my website with them (without bothering to tell me). At this point I do so little business there's no real reason to find someplace else to host it. So if you try to go there and can't be assured I am still here to do repairs and sell any spare parts you might need. My e-mail hasn't changed: jim@bartechengineering.com. Later, Jim Bartell BarTech Engineering

I am switching the BarTech business number from the old standard, 562-987-9159, to a Google Voice number. The new number is 562-283-4805. I got tired of paying $70/month for a number that gets mostly robo-calls. The old number will be disconnected shortly. And, yes. I am still open for business! Jim Bartell, Owner BarTech Engineering

Thanks everyone. They say the internet is the only thing man ever created that he doesn't understand. I'll chalk it up to that. Jim

A customer just informed me that he was unable to view my website: http://www.bartechengineering.com/ . I have no trouble and I'm wondering if something is wrong. If you've got a sec please click on my link and e-mail me (jim@bartechengineering.com) a brief note describing if you see my website or not.. Best regards, Jim Bartell

I was doing the on-line LA times crossword puzzle today and clue 35-down was "Stabilizer for movie shooters". When you start showing up in crossword puzzles you've officially made it.

The BarTech Utility Zoom (BUZ) is back! I discontinued the BUZ in 2015 when I ran out of machined housings. As I was cleaning out my storage unit I found a whole box of them I had forgotten about so I am putting it back into production. For those of you unfamiliar with the BUZ it is a module that interfaces video zoom controllers, such as a Libec or VariZoom, with either zoom motors or focus motors. It performs the same function as a Preston Microforce at a fraction of the price. It is of particular use for Steadicam operators who want to control their own zoom. You can read more about it at my website: BarTech Website Jim Bartell

You will have to contact PLC for the answer to that. This offer is only for the single channel V2-1 and the focus handset. Jim

Apparently saying the units were $800 each was unclear. It is $800 for the handset and $800 for the receiver so $1600 for the pair. I hope this helps. Jim

2018 is coming to a close and you may be looking for a way to get a write-off on your taxes and/or just get some gear to provide back-up if your main system goes down. Even if you just are starting out and you don't want to buy a cheap knock-off with no customer support, this is your chance for a better alternative. We have recently been approached by several people interested in a group buy but without wishing to pay the extra fees associated with a group buying website. This includes a couple of schools and Camera Community Libraries as well that are looking for a reliable, simple to use system with high performance. So we are offering a group buy of the BFD handset and the V2-1 digital receiver for $800 each! That's is a savings of over $1100 over the standard price for the pair. This system is compatible with most digital motors, including Preston, Heden, Red and RedRock. It has all the features you need, such as auto or manual calibration and adjustable torque while still being the easiest system you use. So if you want to get in on this offer e-mail me at jim@bartechengineering.com and get on the list. If we sell out our inventory we will do another run at the same price. Jim Bartell

I don't know how I missed this when it was posted. All BFD handsets will work with either analog or digital receivers. However, a very small minority (<5%) of older units that are still running obsolete software may need an update. The upgrade is $45 for the new CPU chip.

I've got a WRC-3 (not 4, 3) handset and receiver you are welcome to. This was one of the first wireless follow focus ever made. Jim Bartell

Sold out! Thanks everybody. I thought I was going to take these things to my grave. Jim

Since Don Wetzel passed away last year there is no longer anyone making analog motors. This leaves me stuck with a bin full of analog receivers I can't sell. I used to sell these for over $1000 each. Now is your chance to pick one up for $350! It is the ultimate backup for your analog system since more than 90% of BFD repairs are due to failures in the receiver. Buy one of these and you will never have to worry about your BFD failing on set. These are complete analog receivers, brand new housing and all! Get them while you can! Jim Bartell jim@bartechengineering.com

Sure. It is just 3 parts: 1. A Lemo 2-pin socket, type B, size 0 (EGG.0B.302) or equivalent 2. A 1.2K, 1/4 watt resistor 3. A dual bidirectional red/green LED Solder one end of the resistor to the socket pin 1. Solder the other end of the resistor to the anode of the green LED (which is the cathode of the red LED). Solder the cathode of the green LED (which is the anode of the red LED) to pin 2 of the socket. Plug the cable being tested into power (12 or 24 VDC) and the 2-pin Lemo plug end into the socket of the tester. The LED will light up green for BFD cables, red for Teradek cables and neither for a broken cable. Jim Bartell

Is anyone planning to go to the Radiant Images Open House this Saturday, 1/13? I'm planning to drag my ass up from Long Beach (gotta get out of my garage!) and was curious if anyone else would be there. Jim Bartell

As most of you are probably aware the BFD and Teradek units use the exact same power connector but they are wired with polarity reversed from each other. And if you use the wrong cable the BFD analog receiver (not the digital) and the Teradek units get damaged. Today I sold a BFD to someone who had a bunch of cables and wanted to know how to tell them apart BEFORE she plugged them into the units and risked damage. My first thought was to recommend getting a voltmeter but trying to get probes on the pins is difficult and risks shorting out the cable. I have a simple cable tester I use but it isn't something you can just buy. Then I had a brainstorm: You DO have a cable tester already: It is your BFD handset! Just remove the 9V battery and plug the power cable into the POWER IN jack on the base of the unit. If it turns on your cable is good for use with the BFD. If it doesn't it is either broken or reverse polarity. Unlike the receiver the handset has reverse polarity protection so you won't risk damaging the handset. It's that simple. But you MUST REMOVE THE 9V BATTERY FIRST. It won't damage the handset or the battery if you don't but it will power the handset even if the cable is bad so it can give a false positive. I hope this helps you out in the field. Spread the word! Jim Bartell

First, I DO sell directly in the USA and most other places unless I have an official distributor there, such as Louis Puli in Australia. PLC is my official distributor in Canada and sells my handset along with the Digital Receiver they manufacture that I sell here in the USA. I think you will find our prices pretty much the same but if you live in the USA and order from Canada the shipping charges will be higher. I hope that clears everything up. Jim Bartell

Too bad. I liked Magnus. It's a pity the M28VP and the early HLC units are no longer supported. Do they service the M26P? It isn't mentioned on the web page. Jim Bartell

There's a new team at Heden? Are any of the old team left? Jim Bartell

Only analog. Sorry for the late reply. I was on vacation when this question was posted.

Thank you David and thanks to everyone for their kind words. I am glad so many of you enjoyed hearing Don's story. Jim

Huh. I couldn't see how. I guess I should have kept trying. Jim

Why can you edit the content of your posts but not the title? It penalizes poor typists such as myself. Or at least let us delete the post and start over.

It is with deep sadness that I have to announce that Don Wetzel, the designer and manufacturer of the M-One lens drive motor and Loon Audio boom poles, has passed away. He began to feel ill about four weeks ago and was soon too weak to work. When he finally saw a doctor they discovered he had a severe abdominal infection. He was rushed to the hospital and emergency surgery was performed to remove the infected tissue but the infection was too widespread and he passed away Monday morning. Before I continue let me assure everyone that this will have no effect on the delivery and support of any BarTech products. I have a large backlog (several years’ worth) of the parts Don made for me and I see no problems in continuing to manufacture my products with no drop in quality or delay in delivery. For those who have M-One motors and need service, contact Peter Hoare at Hocus Products (http://www.hocusproducts.com), as he has been doing M-One repairs for some time now and is working to acquire the supply of parts Don left behind to allow him to do all repairs. If you had already sent a motor to Don contact me as I am compiling a list of motors that should be in Don’s facility so the person handling Don’s estate can see to returning them to their rightful owners. Any information you may have, especially serial numbers, should be included in any e-mails you send me. I met Don in 1990 when I first started at Cinema Products. He was the VP of Engineering and my boss. He was the most talented mechanical designer I have ever met. He had little formal education in engineering and worked from an innate understanding of mechanical function. Don had a great sense of humor and a work ethic unlike any I have ever seen. He thought nothing of working 60 hours a week and frequently worked 100 hours a week. He was always happiest when working. In the 27 years I knew him he took one vacation. Other than work he loved cats, guns, and fast cars. He had, at one time, the fastest car in Montana, a state with the most lax speeding laws in the nation. I know there are many people who were justifiably unhappy with Don due to his poor customer service and long repair times in the last few years. I can assure you it bothered him tremendously. If you doubt this check the postings prior to 2011 and you will see nothing but praise for his prompt customer service. In 2010 his company had to downsize and it left him with no staff. Trying to do everything himself was nearly impossible so he relocated to Temecula in Southern California to work with another person who was going to take over a large segment of the work load. Unfortunately, after spending a tremendous amount of time and effort to relocate his entire manufacturing facility to Temecula, the other person backed out of the deal and left him high and dry. Since the only reason he had moved to California was to work with this person Don decided to move back to Montana. This was when everything began to go wrong. The effort to move back was even greater than the move down to California had been as he had to do it by himself and while under severe time restraints from his landlord. This totally exhausted him and he never fully recovered physically or emotionally. Numerous attempts to hire help always failed for one reason or another. Don attempted to simply work harder to get caught up but he was now in his mid 60’s and he simply couldn’t work that hard any more. He also began to develop some health problems, such as diabetes, that slowed him down even more. This began a downward spiral he never recovered from. He tried valiantly to meet all his obligations but things just got worse. Eventually his health problems caught up to him. All I can say is it he never ignored his customer’s needs because he didn’t care, but only because he could not put in enough hours to do everything that needed doing. Don was born and raised in central Texas. He learned his mechanical skills from his father who worked in aerospace and as an instructor teaching various manufacturing skills, such as machining and welding. Almost no one knows that Don was also an award-winning trumpet player. He believed this saved his life when he was drafted to serve in Viet Nam as he was able to get assigned to the Army marching band instead of being sent into the jungle to retrieve blown up armored vehicles, a job that, as a machinist, he was initially assigned to that had a very high mortality rate. After the Army he worked for various companies, most notably Xerox, working on the design of a x-ray mammogram machine. When Xerox cancelled this project Don went to work for Cinema Products in 1988. He left Cinema Products in 1995 to work as a consultant and later co-founded K-Tek, the boom pole manufacturer, in 1996. Some of his boom pole designs are still in production today. He parted ways with K-Tek in 2000 and started Palomar Engineering and designed the M-One lens drive motor. In 2005 he joined with Clay Bradley and started Kintla Corp. which consisted of Loon Audio, making boom poles, and Loon Video, making the M-One motor. He was still designing new boom poles up until his death. He was my best friend for almost 30 years and I will miss him terribly. I would appreciate it if someone could re-post this on the facebook Steadicam page as I do not have a facebook account. Jim Bartell

Many thanks to Brad Grimmett for selecting such an excellent location for the after-event get together. The food and beer were excellent and the layout suited a gathering like ours. I'm sure a good time was had by all!