Brant S. Fagan SOC

Alec-- I'm interested. Drop me an email direct and we can work out the details. Thanks!

Big fan of large black BBQ covers! Mine is a deal from Amazon and cost about $45. plus shipping. Covers the WHOLE cart including the stand tied to the front nose supported by a wooden front box AND the fully built sled with camera riding on my custom bracket between the handles.

Peter, you may not know this but there are Low Head Socket Cap Screws available in 3/8-16 thread in either 1/4" or 1/2" thread length from several suppliers. Yes, I know the 1/2" is too long for most film camera bodies and some digital applications as well, BUT you can take them down to 3/8" thread length on a lathe and then just dress the threads with die and coat them with a 'special sauce.' I do 'em in batches, too!

So I'm still interested and would like to know your asking price, please. Thanks!

Well, in spite of your tire kickers, I'm still interested in making a deal for your Single Channel system.

Simon--I have arm post material in stock. What length would you like as I custom cut these items? I take it this is the standard 5/8" diameter arm post, yes?

Sounds great, Paul! Keep us posted as this develops.

Sent you a PM. You can reply at brant <at> brantsfagan <dot> com.

The CAE jumper is a super supple neoprene jacket that's custom built and is nothing like those yellow jacketed parts Peter speaks of. My CAE jumpers have always been gentle enough that I was happy even without using the TriAx to CoAx adapters.

Try contacting Carmen Abato Enterprises at 714-895-1887 and ask them to make you a 6' Steadicam Triax Jumper; this is the best one out there and no Engineer has ever refused me and pulled that "Approved" thing with me since getting my hands on two of these! Worth every penny. Last time I asked, they cost around $750. plus shipping but please don't quote me on that.

Twenty-three years. Dry. Works best also because the oil film inside the bearing attracts and collects particulate matter which leads to wear and tear. Whatever benefits, however minute, might be achieved by some small amount of a lube, are far outweighed by the drag of fluid in cold temperatures and the collection of solids inside the bearing. Just my .02 from my 23.

I have used the Boland 8.4 HD Daybright for the past six years and absolutely love the product: performance and support have been exemplary. Highly recommend the product and the company.

Why not try thrust washers with a .625" (5/8") bore? I have stacks of them in my AKS and keep a bunch on each post in my arm post bag on the stand.

Or use that Baldwin sauce...

Like the rest of our global family of filmmakers, I mourn the loss of life tragically taken from us all without reason other than greed combined with ignorance for the true value of human life, whether Above- or Below the Line, of which there is no distinction from my reference point. Let's remember that fear and physics was what got all these folks in trouble, seven hurt, one airlifted out, and one killed. Too bad that, despite the years of experience, fear of reprisal kept folks quiet and allowed them to make a series of bad choices that led to the unfolding tragedy; this is the same methodology that causes most aircraft accidents, i.e. it's not one thing that brings down the house of cards but rather a series of several mistakes which lead to irreversible disaster.

So, instead of finger pointing, let's raise our hands as one Camera Department and Never Forget that safety starts with the raising of a hand and voice to say 'No.' Enough is enough.

We can save lives by working together, safely!

You guys are attacking the same problem that GB faced back in the day--different masses and their CG locations--this is why the gimbal has to move up and down to accomodate the differing CG locations. You can overcome the height differential with torque settings on the stepper motor that drives the 'cage' along the arc of travel but there will still be some inertial rate disparity due to the CG location relative to the top stage and gimbal to camera CG distance. Perhaps the arc rails are different based on known camera dimensions...along with rental rates and hourly fees!

You're right, those pictures do blow! I hope the cart is bigger than indicated by the photos!

Eric-- Why do you bother responding to anything listed as under 'Steadi-Newbies?'

I walked away as well. It's called scale for a reason. Coincidently, scale is the rough and undesired material (read slag) that forms on metals after the production process. Have some respect for yourself and your hard earned skill set. Oh, remember it's called a weekly rate because it's spread over a week. When they try to prorate your 3-day weekly rate, remind them to divide it by 3 NOT 5 to get the day rate; I have that spelled out for the cheap seats in my Deal Memo, Stand tall, call out 'Set' with confidence, and keep that set of muscles holding back the wind.

Why would you open up your trusted workflow to a power source made so far away that true customer support is actually impossible? A/B gear has NEVER let me down whether on a simple domestic job or on a feature around globe even in the mountains of Ethiopia. Save some money? Maybe. But that one time the gear crashes, especially a digital camera/recorder system (read computer with a lens port) that is totally power dependent? Not worth it.

While there are many ways to make this work, the simplest one is to take a piece of lumber, say 2"x12," and about 6'-8' long, weigh it down with sandbags, and mount a high-hat to the outboard end so the Rig clears the rear bumper, and you're ready to go! I'll post some pics later when I return to the home computer.

Start by securing the camera and supporting both ends. This is the likely culprit. Beyond that, there could be some issues you may need to address on your sled.

TJ--The camera and Codex will run on a single Dionic90HC! Don't try and run them on 24 since the camera is a 12 volt camera! The 24 vdc is just for the accessories! Done it for years that way. I route power to the camera through the Anton/Bauer plate on the rear of the camera with a custom cable I made by cutting the battery contacts from a dead battery and making up a cable from the upper J-box that provides 12vdc. The Codex seems to prefer 12 rather than 24vdc power. Hit me off Forum for a photo of the setup if you need to.

Please send me a copy to brant@brantsfagan.com. Thanks!

In brief, MDR-1s did have torque settings and will not work with HU-2s. The second generation (HU-2) hand unit will not work with a MDR-1 unless it (HU-2) has been "dumbed down" to the older MDR-1 standards. Yes, the MDR-2 can be made compatible with the HU-3 by swapping a board out from the old standard (G-3) and replacing with the G-4 board which deals with frequency choices made by the system in the 2.4Ghz bandwidth. Both -1 and -2 systems can do superb work in many situations and were state of the art for many years. Cost drops do not equal a lack of functionality or serviceability.