Jerry Holway

FYI, if you buy an M1 or M2 gimbal, it's easy to modify it for the post diameter of 1.75 inch or less (1.58, 1.50...). If it's a different gimbal to be modified for the Volt, many (expensive) parts have to be modified to fit the Volt bits to the gimbal. It's not just fitting to a different diameter post.

Peter was having trouble with the video, so I'm giving it a try... Garrett_3_Section_Arm_April_18_2012_720.mov

For the full story - with pictures - download the attached PDF. This is just the beginning: Just a little personal note about Tiffen’s 3rd arm segment, which Garrett Brown, I, and others at Tiffen developed. Back in the mid-90’s, Garrett tried putting together three working arm sections to extend the boom range of the arm (at that time a 3A arm was used). It worked, but the arm sections did not behave well as we boomed up and down; each section seemed to have a mind of its own. That three section arm occupied a lot of space, mounted as it was from the vest’s socket block. It was also cumbersome to add or remove the third arm section from the arm. It was fun to play with, but the dream was abandoned until the summer of 2010, when the new Exovest was being developed. This prototype vest enabled us to mount a 3rd arm section to the back of the vest (more about that later). History of Steadicam's 3rd arm.pdf

Contact Tiffen International in the UK. I know the Hofmann's in Denmark and Sweden are planning another workshop but because of Covid-19, it's not going to happen soon. Pretty much the same scheduling delay worldwide.

A possible culprit is the cable from the brain to the motors. Must be plugged it to get power to the brain (!) and data lines must all be good.

3D printed Volt encoder ring protector for sale Volt encoder ring protector.pdf

As you saw on Facebook, it's a custom part... not commercially available.

Kelly- read Lisa's note carefully, especially the first paragraph. Try a vest first. What works for anyone else might not work so well for you. Try each one you can on. Have you taken a workshop? If not, I'd suggest you hold off on all purchases until you do. Buying used gear leaves you generally with no warranty other than what the seller offers, but top-rated gear usually works fine and most sellers in this community of operators are reliable and trustworthy about their gear.

Alan and all - still improving the parts and making new ones - see the new pdf - 3D printed items for sale sm.docx

Justin- What town in Texas? It is a huge state, but there are Steadicam operators around who might be able to help you. The sled seems like it is more than useless, and if you can't balance it because of the cheap gimbal, you can easily learn bad habits. Take a Bronze or silver workshop as soon as you can (and it is safe to do so...) - it's the least expensive thing you will ever pay for in the Steadicam world... Best of luck.

The rear screw... are we talking about a screw on the the lever for extending the rods? or what? I can make a design for a 3D printed cap/protector - made of the same soft material used for protecting smart phones or the aircraft pin in our Steadicam arms. If anyone is interested... Jerry

Sort of a bump... I've expanded the number of accessories (staying at home creates time to noodle on things)... see the new PDF file 3D printed items for sale.pdf

Aaron - With a sled neutrally balanced, the slightest imbalance will cause the sled to tilt or roll. If you are tilted up or down and the Volt is engaged, the Volt will try to level the rig, but it can only attempt to do so with motors not connected to the pan axis. The net result is that the sled pans. To more perfectly balance your sled, engage the Volt in regular mode, tilt to 30 degrees or more and set the trim to this angle. If the sled pans, tweak the side to side balance to stop the sled from panning.

Connor - take a workshop that fits your schedule. Same folks teach the 5 day SOA (Philly and now SanDiego for the first time) workshops and the Tiffen workshops (LA/SanDiego and Atlanta). All are great and worth it.

Electronics for Volt are built inside the stage, but they are only built in if you order the Volt system. The electronics can be added after the initial purchase if so desired. The payload limit is not based on the gimbal - it's the same gimbal for both, but with different inserts. The M2 post size is a tad smaller (1.58 inch diameter vs. 1.75 fo the M1).Therefore the M1 is a bit stiffer especially when fully extended, and especially when extended with the 3 post option. Attachment to the stage is identical in both sleds and interchangeable. The M1 stage is also beefier than the M2's, although I doubt you would ever see the difference in your shots (my 2 cents).