Quick question — does anyone know if the PRO camera plate made for the D-Box II Top Stage will fit or work properly with the original D-Box (pre-II) top stage?

Trying to figure out if they share the same dovetail dimensions and locking mechanism, or if the newer plate only fits the updated D-Box II version.

Appreciate any insight from those who’ve tried mixing the two or have specs on hand.

Thanks,
Daniel

I'm trying to find a solution to mount a Starlite monitor on the Arri Artemis Top stage and use it as a low mode monitor, and can't find any rods with an M4 thread. Anyone with the Artemis sled that can point me into the right direction of where to look or already have a solution to recommend? 

Thank you!

We started with my sled. Pro Cinema HD. DBIII. Gen 3 Battery. 2" XCS Post. XCS Gimbal. XCS Monitor Bracket. 4 second drop time. 

We then tested the gimbal and the battery rack with an Ultimate top stage (pro mount bottom, xcs bayonet mount top) and weight plate. The sled would seek it's original balanced position after each tilt test so we ruled out the gimbal and the battery rack (although there is a great deal of flex in the AB mounts since it's held on by one thumb screw and two banana plugs). Doing the same test as we did initially with my sled at the same drop time did not yield any irregularities.

We measured the conical pins in my top J box mount and found one was out of tolerance, though not terribly (the right rear suggesting that might be the culprit). Trying Greg's XCS/Pro mount with four pins was better. When tilted back the sled did a better job of finding its initial position, but when tilting forward the sled would still seek a position way out of balance. We also discovered that the mount he made took some extra machining to fit my J box. Based on the specifications he used to design it, it seems not all J boxes are made equally. For reference, it has S/N 093 stamped on the side.

We also tested the flex from the camera plate on the weight cage and found that at its worse, there was 56 thousandths of an inch in flex. Not the worst he's seen from Pro, but not the best. While 56 thousandths is not something you can necessarily see, it is by all means not great. By the end of it all, it seems that the issue might lie somewhere in the mating of the donkey box to the junction box. That flex seems to be what causes the sled to not seek its original static balance. One expects some flex as there are a number of components that are stressed when you put 30+ lbs of weight on something that has such a small footprint holding it all together to the post. What we saw was the flex when tilted would not release when returned upright, essentially sticking and then the sled finding itself out of balance.

I'm planning to send the Junction Box and Donkey Box off to Pro to be serviced in the coming weeks, but am curious how many other people have experienced this? When Pro redesigned and released the Cine Live J Box, did they make it more robust or has the problem persisted?

Overall, this isn't meant to lambast. I love my sled and all its quirks. It has served me well and I know it will continue to do so. It's just frustrating.

I'm looking for the plastic housing for a zephyr. I need to add some wiring to my Scout and I'd like to have it all internal instead of

a bistro box mounted outside of the stage. Anyone out there got one laying around? LOL I'm waiting to hear back from Tiffen, so

I thought I'd put out some feelers. Thanks.

For anyone thinking of running new cable through the post, the disassembly of the top stage is not that hard. I recommend taking pictures during the process.

The one thing that really holds this thing together are 2, 1.5mm pressure pins. These are on the knobs for adjustment. They are quite fragile, so taking them out is a pita...

Keep in mind that there is locktite on all the bolts so a little pressure is needed. Do not lose the nylon washers!! They are made with exact thickness for this stage.

And always use locktite when you put it back together.

I was preparing for a shoot today when I realized that the top stage of my Zephyr had a lot of vibration that you could feel and hear while shaking the rig.

After a bit of investigation, I realized that the play was in the side to side adjustment and after opening the top stage, I noticed 2 allen screws that would tighten it.

Now there is less movement, but I'm not sure it's completely gone. Could it come from anywhere else in the top stage? is there any other spot to check?

Thanks.

Thanks!

Can anyone confirm if an older style XCS LT sliding baseplate is compatible with a PRO DB3?

Thanks,

Mark Karavite, SOC

I recently found some vibration on my efp top stage. I think it comes from the front five screws that belong to the clamp edge.

All the screws seem to be very tight and i'm afraid that they broke if I try harder.

How could I solve this issue? Do I have to take the top stage off the post to solve that?

Thanks

Pedro

I'm guessing if it can be done it would be done by Optical Support?

Cheers,

Brad.

I have one problem: I bought a new Betz topstage for my Cinelive, it came with 4 screws, they are fitting but go into the upper electronic just for three turns, I'd need a bit longer screw set, but I can't find which size the they are!! Can you help me please?

The screws that came with Betz topstage are 1" long

David Hable is a genius at modifications. He's performed several design and modifications for me.

Betz Top Stage

My link

http://www.betz-tools.com/acc_stage.php

OR

Pro Donkey Box III

My link

http://progpi.com/product/components/1/

I've read around on the forum, but there's no recent mention of either. Any advantages of one over the other or any potential vibration issues?

I'm aware of Tiffen's motorized stage and XCS's upper camera platform, but I'm not in a position to buy an entirely new rig.

Thanks in advance!

Best,

Billy Green