Hugo_Langer

It's really good to be back. Thanks guys for the kind words. Here are some photos of the new arms currently in production.

Hi everyone, THE FUTURE Recently we sold the last of our assembled Silver Spring arms. We are currently manufacturing a new batch of 50 arms that will become available within 6 to 9 weeks. There will be a substantial discount on our current price for those customers who order a new arm prior to 15th September 2008. Unfortunately there must be a price rise with the new arms caused by the increased costs we are all experiencing. At the moment we have one demo Steadyrig ?Silver Spring? arm available to fly, this arm is currently in the United States. We will attach some photos here of the ?work in progress? of the new batch of arms (after we trim them down). THE PAST I would like to take this opportunity to thank those of you who showed me consideration during the last 18 months when I had some personal matters that took me away from the business for a while. I was still here for the most urgent of sales and support issues, but for the most part the business was idling. For those of you who were not aware, last year my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer?s Disease which progressed quickly and she required full time care up until her death from cancer. A considerable amount of my time was needed during her treatment, and then after her passing, to finalise her personal matters. I have also had to devote my time to my wife Elizabeth who was diagnosed with breast cancer late last year. Elizabeth has had surgery and has now completed her chemo and radiation treatments. All of the doctors involved in her treatment are very happy with her progress and for now it is back to a ?normal? life. This means that Steadyrig is now operating fully and we will be here to answer all your questions and attend to all your needs. Thank you again for all your interest, patience and support in the past. Regards, Hugo.

Hi guys. We'd like to thank everyone for their interest and support during our "Out with the Old" on eBay. We've heard from a lot of old mates in the last few weeks. It was a lot of work but we hope everyone is happy with their purchases, now that we have finally shipped everything out. Our final wave of about 30 items has begun - expect to see more items over the next few days. Please go here to see what we have already listed Steadyrig Sale Items on Ebay Good luck to all. Kind regards, Hugo Langer Rig Engineering Australia P/L Melbourne, Australia www.steadyrig.com admin@steadyrig.com

Hi guys. We'd like to thank everyone for their interest and support during our "out with the old" on eBay. We've heard from a lot of mates in the last few weeks. It was a lot of work but we hope everyone is happy with their purchases now that we have finally shipped everything. Our final wave of about 30 or so items goes up on Thursday, May 17th at 6:00 pm Pacific time, on eBay.com (USA). Good luck to all. Kind regards, Hugo Langer Rig Engineering Australia P/L Melbourne, Australia

Hi Everyone, Our "Out with the Old" has commenced a couple of days ago. We will add another 5 items each day until everything for sale is up on eBay. Regards, Hugo Langer Rig Engineering Australia P/L Melbourne, Australia www.steadyrig.com admin@steadyrig.com

Hi Everyone. A final update on the progress of our upcoming clearance on eBay. Given the large quanitity of equipment we have to sell, we are planning to spread the start date of the auctions across many days. So, the first items will be posted in the evening of March 22, Los Angeles time. We will put new equipment up for sale every day thereafter until it is all posted. Each auction will last for 10 days. BTW, it will be on eBay.com, not eBay.com.au. Regards, Hugo Langer Rig Engineering Australia P/L Melbourne, Australia admin@steadyrig.com

Sorry for the delay guys, this whole Ebay process has been more labour intensive than I expected. Also, we keep finding more things to sell. Because of the quantity of stuff, we plan to post the items on Ebay in several waves. I will keep you advised right here as the listing deadline approaches. Kind regards, Hugo Langer Rig Engineering Australia P/L Designers & manufacturers of the Steadyrig Silver Spring Arm Melbourne, Australia admin@steadyrig.com www.steadyrig.com

Over the Christmas break and in the month of January I have been preparing equipment for sale. The process took longer than I expected and I came to realize that we had gathered more equipment than I thought over the past decade. I have decided rather than putting it up for sale on various forums, I will put it all on eBay. I have photographed most of the equipment and have a few more items to go. The sale will cover traded-in equipment, excess stock, prototype pieces, stock being sold due to design changes, components machined to slightly incorrect tolerances, and redundant parts. Some equipment will be suitable for established operators, some for newcomers, and some for home built people. Some of the items that will be for sale include: -Flycam arm -Flycam vest -Glidecam rig, complete -enlarged grip -standard arm post -5/8"-Master arm posts -old Model II base -centre posts -gimbal wrench -gimbal -dove tail plates -bearings -screws -arm bumpers -clamps -aircraft pins -BFD bracket -Preston brackets and more I'll give you all a heads-up a few days before I start putting things up on eBay. Kind regards, Hugo Langer Rig Engineering Australia P/L Designers & manufacturers of the Steadyrig Silver Spring Arm Melbourne, Australia admin@steadyrig.com www.steadyrig.com

It's the end of the year--out with the old! In the month of January we will be putting up for sale a number of items that we have accumulated over the last decade. Some are secondhand pieces of equipment, others are items manufactured by us. It is a mix of components that are now redundant due to design changes, excess stock and some shopsoiled stock. Some of it will be goodies for mainstream operators and some things will be of interest to homebuilt stabilizer people. Please note that this will not be a bargain basement clearance. This is only a notice. In January we will be placing ads in the Classifieds section of Steadicam Forum and after that, whatever is left over will be going on ebay. Happy holidays, everybody! Regards, Hugo Rig Engineering Australia P/L

Hi Everybody. We'd like to thank Grayson for his kind words and let everyone know what has been happening. Hugo's mother was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer. Obviously, we have been preoccupied lately and since there are only two of us, time has been short. As a result, we have not been able to respond to queries as quickly as we, or you, would like. We apologise for that. We had to make priorities and concluding business with customers who had their money down on the table is taking first precedence. We are now in catch-up mode and we hope to be on top of everything pretty quickly. However, we do ask that people keep in mind the extra demands being made on us. We may be a bit slower than usual for a while but we are still here. Kind regards, Hugo Langer Rig Engineering Australia P/L

Norbert von der Heidt is currently in Toronto with his new Steadyrig Silver Spring arm. He is happy to demo it if you are interested in flying one of our arms. He will also be at the stabilizer op meeting that Matt Sanderson has organised at a Toronto pub near you! Date and venue TBA. Contact Norbert on (416) 742-5598 or at kewarrakid.gmail.com or contact Matt at maxphotog@gmail.com.

Here are some images from the 2006 Commonwealth Games from Australia. regards, Rig Engineering Australia Pty Ltd www.steadyrig.com

Yes, James is right they were very long days at the Commonwealth games. Andy Stankovich (Vital Image) in collaboration with Hugo (Steadyrig) with a total of 5 rigs which included backups, incorporated Dale Henderson, Glenn Steer, Sean Perry and Garry Janson. We covered the opening ceremony, closing ceremony, track & field, marathon, mountain bike events and all the swimming events. Some images are attached in a new posting in the operating sections entitled Comm Games, as images unfortunately can't be posted in the general discussion section of the forum. regards, Rig Engineering Australia Pty Ltd www.steadyrig.com

Hi Johan, Thankyou for your post. We will have a demo in Europe at some stage after it has made its way around the USA. We have had enquiries from some of your neighbours so it would be good to have one being shown in Scandinavia. THanks. I will put you on the list and keep you informed of its whereabouts. Kind Regards, Dean.

Hi Alec, Thaks for your post. I remember our conversations from way back when we first started this project and have designed many topstages since then. Unfortunately, it proved to be more difficult and time consuming than first expected and just another few weeks became a few months which became over a year - it has also been a very expensive process making one offs and we didn't always have the R&D funds available immediately after each new design. Anyway, we are happy to say that we are at the beta testing stage which is a good step forward and the best way to know whether it literally does the job or not. I will ad you to the beta test list and let you know when it comes your way. I hope you 'lick' it. Also are you aware that this thread was continued under the sleds section where I have a lot more information and heaps of photos? ...Also are you aware that we have a demo Silver Spring Arm in NYC at the moment? We will be shipping it around the country too. Best regards, Dean Merlo www.steadyrig.com admin@steadyrig.com

Hi Jamie, How are you? Thanks for your enquiry. I remember our discussions from way back when we started this project some years ago. We have been persisting with this unit since then quietly working in the background having built many concept models over that time. It's good to hear from you again! In answer to your question regarding price, we are still in the process of organising our costing. We are currently waiting for quotes from several precision engineering firms so it will be a little while until I can give you an answer on price. The price will also depend on the feedback we receive, if we get the thumbs up from operators beta testing the unit we will be able to give you an idea sooner than if we receive instructions to make some adjustments or changes which will need to be re-quoted. In either case when we have a better idea of price I will make a posting or email a progress bulletin to everyone in the beta test group. I should mention that we would sincerely like to be competitive in price to the leading brand/s in the marketplace. Best Regards, Dean A. Merlo www.steadyrig.com

Hi Eric, Thanks so much for your enthusiasm and faith in our product. We would love to start our production run tomorrow and start circulating them ASAP too. We have seen so many products released that work perfectly 'in theory' and are designed in good faith to suit the majority of operators then when released into the marketplace and used in practical situations simple things that were easily overlooked bring the product down and dissapoint the purchaser. The final stage of our product development process is to just hold on that little bit longer and make sure we have 'got it right' before our first production run. The extra 20% we put in now could make you 80% happier when you receive your brand new unit. We have the Topstage back here at the moment and are attending to the first area in need of attention then it will be put back into circulation. We will keep you in the loop. Best Regards, Dean. Good afternoon John, Thanks for your request. I have added you to our beta tester database and will slot you in or put you in touch with beta testers according to your location. I am working on the itinerary and will email you over the next week or so when it has some structure to it. Regards, Dean. Hi Stephen, We have a prototype in Sydney and should be able to arrange that for you. Please send me an email admin@steadyrig.com and we can discuss finer details. Thanks. Regards, Dean A. Merlo

Here's the rest of the set... Left to right... Pic 2 Base Pic 3 LHS Pic 4 Aft Pic 5 Latch Trigger Depressed by Dovetail Plate Pic 6 Lever in Clamped Position Pic 7 Thumb Operated Release Trigger Pic 8 Thumb Operated Release Trigger Activated Pic 9 Latch Trigger Disengaged Pic 10 Lever Releases to Coarse Adjustment Position Pic 11 Pull Lever Open Pic 12 Lever Locks Itself Open Pic 13 Adjustment Wedge & Safety Screw Pic 14 Adjustment Wedge & Safety Screw Thread Pic 15 Adjusts to Suit all Common Dovetail Plates Pic 16 Flexless Bushes Pic 17 Bush Closeup Pic 18 Robust Button Head Socket Screw Pic 19 Moisture Resistant Pic 20 Moisture Resistant

Attached is a set of photos of the Steadyrig 'Instant Release' Topstage TM. We hope you find it aesthetically pleasing as well as functional. Regards, Dean. Pic 1 Top Down View

... This Post is continued from: General Discussion - Beta Testers Wanted Instant Release Top Stage - New Top Stage for Field Testing - Sep 23 2005, 12:32 AM Thankyou kindly for your interest in our Steadyrig Instant ReleaseTM Top Stage. Well, the Steadyrig Instant ReleaseTM Topstage certainly has been a long time coming! I have explored literally hundreds of design modifications to arrive at the final (or near final) design. Part of the reason this project has taken as long as it has is due to the very strict set of parameters that Hugo and I set for ourselves in order to make a topstage that would be considered a fine piece of practical equipment and something that would be a pleasure to own for many years to come. As you may already be aware, in order for Rig Engineering Australia to manufacture high quality products for our clients we engage the services of qualified precision machinists who also manufacture for the aircraft industry, medical, defense, etc. Their work is of the highest precision and quality. Due to the exorbitant expense of research and development when developing new products we use the services of standard machinists who are ideal for prototyping and experimenting but do not produce the high standard of work we demand for our customers. The Field Test Unit was constructed utilizing the services of these machinists. The IRTS is functioning extremely well in some areas but not performing as well as we know it can do in other areas. Due to this fact we have decided to ship the unit back to Australia for a few weeks while we make some minor adjustments in these areas (rather than going down the "If you could imagine..." path) and then we will send it straight back to you for the start of it's journey around the world! In the mean time, following is a list the parameters we set for ourselves as well as some additional features and benefits of the Steadyrig Instant Release TM Topstage: OPERATION: Rigidity: It became apparent, just before the release of our first model, that there was just one more important need we had to fulfill... the industries desire for rigidity. In bench testing this unit it seems that we have vastly improved the rigidity. At the moment we are told that IRTS feels more rigid than the D Box II. With some minor adjustments we envisage gaining further rigidity. (We hope to take the first steps to improve this when we make our adjustments over the next few weeks.) We are particularly looking forward to your feed back/recommendations in this area. Instant release (of dovetail plate): 'Quick Release' mechanisms on the market, at the time we commenced this project, just didn't cut the mustard! We set ourselves the task of designing something that was 'Instant' and came up with a design that would release the dovetail plate with a simple press of a button and a pull of a lever. In a single action you can press a brass button with your thumb while pulling a lever back until it locks into the full open position. Alternatively, you can just press the release button and the dovetail plate will be free for coarse adjustment but still safely captured by the latch. Re-clamping from this position is achieved by simply pressing the lever clicking it into its home position. Instant capture (of dovetail plate): As with the Instant Release, the same goes for the reverse action, the capture. We wanted a clamping mechanism that would 'instantly' lock the dovetail plate into position. We achieved this by creating a latching system that is sensitive to a dovetail plate being lowered onto it triggering the latch and securing the dovetail plate into its coarse adjustment position. At the same time the lever springs shut where it is safely locked into its 'near home' position needing only to be clicked all the way home by pressing it with your finger once you have coarsely adjusted your dovetail plate. Tools free operation: Both the Instant Release and Instant Capture arrangements do not require tools to operate. There is an initial fine tune that is required when first adjusting the IRTS to suit your dovetail plate which requires a 'T' wrench but once that procedure has been performed you can lock and release the dovetail plate as often as you like without using any tools. Coarse & Fine Adjustment: The IRTS can be adjusted quickly using both the coarse method; manually sliding it into its 'best feel' balance position and then finely adjusting it by turning the adjustment knobs. Convenience of Operation: By eliminating the need for tools during operation with the instant release and capture mechanisms and the benefit of side mounted controls on both sides you will find it convenient to use. Smoothness of Operation: By eliminating gears and intricate parts where possible and installing friction resistant materials where shafts and worm-drives rotate you will find the IRTS very smooth to adjust. Reliability: Because the unit is so simple and robust and constructed with few moving parts there is little that can go wrong with it. SPECIFICATIONS: Convenience of Installation: The topstage is, of course, designed to be modular. The mounting screw holes can be directly and easily accessed to secure the unit to your centerpost. Industry Standard: The generic mounting screw holes are located to fit all common standard centerposts. The instant release & capture mechanisms will work with all standard dovetail plates. Size: It was our aim to keep the size of the IRTS minimal and compact, preferably no larger than our major competitors. It's thickness proved to be the most challenging as the instant release design we had in mind as well as the side operation of the fore and aft, which needed a number of mechanisms to function correctly, both took up more space than we had allowed for ourselves. With plenty of patience and some lateral thinking we were able to keep the thickness minimal especially once we adopted the scissor action adjustment mechanism. Weight: With weight always being an obvious consideration for body mounted equipment we wanted to keep it under that of our major competitor's topstage. We eventually came up with a design that greatly reduced the weight of this unit. The new topstage open space design serves several purposes, one of which being weight reduction. The IRTS weighs 638 Grams. (22.5 Ounces.) MAINTENANCE, WEAR & TEAR: Maintenance Free: The IRTS is a well built, solid piece of equipment. With the following attributes incorporated into the design of the IRTS we envisage wear and tear and the necessity for maintenance will be minimal or nil. Moisture Resistance All components are made of corrosion resistant materials. These include; Aluminium, Brass, Stainless Steel & Delrin. It will not rust. If you get caught in the rain, or film near salt water, or exposed to extreme moisture you do not have to be concerned just rinse off contaminants and dry with a towel. Dust & Grit Resistance By eliminating gears and multi component bearings and grease and avoiding the use of any flat shearing surfaces in the design there is nowhere for heavy dust and grit to gather and cause damage. Accessibility for cleaning: One of the first things you will notice about the topstage is its open plan design. We have made this unit as open as possible so that it can be easily accessed for cleaning or polishing. If you wish to dust it out simply use a new paint brush or if it becomes unclean it can be washed off under a tap or by using a soft brush and squirter bottle. SECURITY: Additional Securing Screw: We have made use of the 3/8 UNC threaded 'mystery hole' located in the center of the four mounting screw holes on most common centerposts. We have positioned a matching 3/8th hole on the inner mounting carriage. We will provide a correctly fitting robust center screw to bolt your IRTS securely and firmly down onto your centerpost. Lever Lock: Once the lever springs into it's 'near home' position, the dovetail plate is captured and the lever cannot be accidentally caught on a jumper and opened as it is locked by a safety mechanism. The only way to unlock it again is to access the thumb button (which is safely tucked away under the latch block) while pulling the lever at the same time. Dovetail Plate Safety Screw: When using an XCS & PRO dovetail plate a safety screw can be wound out to prevent the plate from accidentally sliding out. ALL PARAMETERS MET? We believe we have a design that is capable of meeting our objectives but the real proof will be in the testing and your judgment. We look forward to your feedback. FIELD TEST UNIT NOT PERFECT When you receive the IRTS you may notice the following irregularities in both the machining finish as well as the need for some improvements in design. Please note that the finished production run IRTS will be of the same high quality as our existing products and all the issues below will be ironed out: - The dovetail retaining walls of the upper carriage will be raised a few mm to become flush with the height of the latch and adjustment wedges. - A last minute adjustment to the design was found necessary to allow adequate clearance from the junction box on those rigs that have the junction box at the very top. The Field Test Unit is supplied with a separate spacer. When used, this may cause some slight movement. The lower inner carriage will have this integrated into its design in the production run to eliminate the need for a spacer. - When rotating the adjustment knobs they may appear to be slightly bent, they are not bent but unfortunately bored out a little skew. They will, of course, be precisely centered in the finished product. - Delrin sleeves will be installed where the fore / aft worm drive contacts the carriage (It will be as smooth as the side to side adjustment.) - There are two grub screws located in front of the latch block. With the skills of our precision engineers and their high accuracy of their machining we plan to eliminate the need for these in the production run. - The dovetail plate supplied with the Field Testing Unit does not have holes for rails (Iris, Zoom, and Focus Control). These will be included in the final design. - When the unit is adjusted fully aft and the scissors are closest to a parallel position there is a tiny amount of play. This will be corrected when we insert a delrin sleeve in the centre of the worm drive. - At the moment we are told that IRTS feels more rigid than the D Box II but with some minor adjustments we envisage gaining further rigidity. (We hope to improve this when we make our adjustments over the next few weeks.) We look forward to your feedback. Kind Regards, Dean A. Merlo Rig Engineering Australia Pty Ltd www.steadyrig.com

Hello All, Due to the difficulties with posting photos under the "General Discussion" section I will continue this post under the SLEDS section using the same heading; "Beta Testers Wanted Instant Release Top Stage". See you there! Regards, Dean A. Merlo Rig Engineering Australia Pty Ltd www.steadyrig.com

Hello all, Thankyou so much for your interest in beta testing our new Topstage. We have had a great response both here and via emails. I will reply to each of you through the week. I think logistically the best way to do this is to gather everyone?s details over the next few weeks and then put together some sort of itinerary based on your location. This way some of you may like to take the opportunity to organize a get together for a social gathering and make an afternoon of it. If I publish a basic itinerary here perhaps we could all work with it and adjust it according to what works best for all. The Topstage's journey will commence in California as it has firstly been allocated to Ron Baldwin. In the mean time please feel free to send your details and we will endeavor to include your name on the list of beta testers. On a further note, some years ago when we commenced this project I had gathered a list of emails from operators who had requested a beta test of the Topstage when it is ready. Unfortunately, that data was lost when the server we were using at the time crashed. I did back up the data but have not been able to read it as we changed companies and now use a more reliable webmail server. My apologies to anyone who had emailed us at the time and if you would still like to Beta test the Topstage we will be only too happy to organize it for you. Photos available soon. Regards, Dean A. Merlo Rig Engineering Australia Pty Ltd Website: www.steadyrig.com Email: admin@steadyrig.com Phone: +61 3 9898 6298 Fax: +61 3 9898 6218

RIG ENGINEERING AUSTRALIA - INSTANT RELEASE TOPSTAGE TM Hello all, After extensive research and development Rig Engineering Australia Pty Ltd is excited to announce that we have finally finished the Top Stage we have been developing for some years. We have aptly named it the Instant Release Top Stage TM. We are seeking beta testers for field testing. If you would like to beta test our unit we would be happy to consider you. - Instant Release of Dovetail Plate - Instant Grasp of Dovetail Plate - Rigid - Corrosion Resistant - Maintenance Free - Fine & Coarse Adjustment - Dual Side Operation - Robust Securing Bolt in centre of 4 mounting screws - Easy Access for Cleaning - Dust & Grit resistant - Tools Free Operation - And more We will have photos available shortly. We look forward to your feedback. Rig Engineering Australia Pty Ltd www.steadyrig.com admin@steadyrig.com Phone: +61 3 9898 6298 Fax: +61 3 9898 6218

Try +61-2-9427-4444 or +61-2-9958 1611. Regards, Hugo Rig Engineering Australia Pty Ltd www.steadyrig.com admin@steadyrig.com +61-3-9898-6298

Hi Richard, To answer your question, over the last several months we have been working our butts off behind the scenes on some exciting new products and as a result decided to shed some our second hand arms quickly to fund these projects. As you could see we let them go for a fraction of their value and operators have had some really good bargains. We have fully funded our projects now and will be scaling down our sales on ebay (or increasing the reserve to meet more realistic prices). We have some beautifully reconditioned arms in stock and if you would like to make a purchase please contact us for a chat and I am sure we can find something in stock to suit your needs. Kind Regards, Dean A. Merlo Rig Engineering Australia Pty Ltd www.steadyrig.com admin@steadyrig.com +61 3 9898 6298