Flyer flying Red Epic. Doodads needed for WFF

[kip ross]

Yes, I've searched a lot in the forum in the hopes of redundancy avoidance. That said-

 

I will be flying the Red Epic with Zeiss Super Speed primes on my not LE Flyer (15lb.max. rears it's ugly head, again.But weight isn't the concern, here.) I've been away from this for a while and need to galumph up that learning curve, again. Any assistance is most appreciated regarding the following:

 

I am hoping to see a picture of the needed hardware or a dope-proof reference to what I'll need to make mounting the Wireless Follow Focus gear on the rig/to my plate (mating MOTOR ROD SET to my plate or some improv derivation thereof.).

 

Thanks, as always for the great knowledge shared on this site. Also, I'll be your best friend for a mutually agreed upon duration of time for the sage advise that is -hopefully- forthcoming.

 

Cheers!

Edited April 5, 2012 by kip ross

[kip ross]

Hey Kip,

 

Do your research, you lazy bastard.

 

Respectfully,

 

Kip

[Mark Schlicher]

Kip,

 

You know the issues with weight and also, I assume, with power. If I were flying an Epic on my old Flyer rig I would probably try to get the camera configured with a handgrip and a boatload of those "20 minute" handgrip batteries. Or maybe the camera will be configured with an AB plate so you can fly a dionic on the back, which adds a couple of pounds but I think would be do-able. What you want to do is power the camera separately from the rig, so you are only running the follow focus and monitor off of the rig.

 

You can buy a bracket from Tiffen to mount 15mm rods to the front of your Flyer plate (the holes are there), or if you have a drill press and a Redrock Micro (or similar) 15mm rod clamp,

http://store.redrockmicro.com/Catalog/microClamps/microClamp

you can drill and tap new holes through the clamp to mount it to your plate (the existing mounting holes in the Redrock bracket don't line up).

 

Or there are some Epic baseplates that accommodate 15mm rods. Don't get talked into a 19mm Arri-style dovetail. Too heavy for Flyer.

 

Now you have a mount point for your motor. BFD should come with a rods bracket. Of course, you'll need a BFD power cable for the 2-pin Flyer power lemo. You'll have to get one made; no one is likely to have one. Make sure you get an extra-long one, since the Flyer's power connector is in the rear of the camera stage.

 

Another possibility might be to simply velcro the receiver to the side of the camera.

 

My overall advices is that you MUST INSIST on a prep, at least a couple of days ahead of time, with the exact camera configuration (all the bits and pieces) that will be available on shoot day. Otherwise there are at least 75 different ways to be hosed, especially in the Red world, where there is so little standardization of accessories and everybody has a different kit.

 

Hope that helps.

[Victor Lazaro]

Thanks Mark for your tips.

 

Why are you suggesting using the hand grip vs a AB on the bottom of the sled to power the whole rig (including the Epic/Scarlet?)

[Mark Schlicher]

1. Flyer first gen has only one power connection on topstage, so at the least you'd need to build a junction box or power splitter cable. Not sure but I think that the Flyer LE has the same power setup.

 

2. Voltage drop from startup surge from accessories such as Bartech receiver mean extra care must be taken to power up the Bartech before the camera (otherwise powering up the Bartech might cause the camera to shut down). Separating the camera power from the monitor/BFD power solves this. Handgrip batteries solve this problem while staying within the weight limits of the Flyer.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Mark

 

Thanks Mark for your tips.

 

Why are you suggesting using the hand grip vs a AB on the bottom of the sled to power the whole rig (including the Epic/Scarlet?)

[Victor Lazaro]

Gotcha.

I noticed this power drop on the Zephyr I use.

I solved it by always powering the bartceh first.

I did a shoot with the Side Handle and the tiny bricks were a pain in the *** but worked. Also you can plan on having the side handle and a single brick for backup in case of power failure (I usually do that on sticks as weight doesn't matter as much)

 

Do you have this same power drop issue on double or triple batteries systems?

[Matthew L. Perez]

I have a Flyer LE with a power distribution box with 2 anton bauer HC's and a v-lock to anton bauer plate. I have some potential RED jobs but I figure on a simple setup of the powering camera, Bartech, and Deciamator. with one red brick, and one HC. I figure that should be good for a while what do you think Mark? Of course I'd power the bartech and decimator first.

[Mark Schlicher]

Sounds like a workable plan. Brian Freesh is the Jedi Master of pushing the limits of the Flyer; I suggest hitting him up for his wisdom.

[calebspillyards]

Hey there, Just found this thread. I just bought a Flyer LE for our small build Epic, And I'm wondering the best way to power it from the steadicam. If i get the appropriate connection lemo from Flyer to the appropriate connection to Epic is the power distro already right? Powering from AB Dionic, or Dionic hc. Also, I found out today that the hdsdi out doesn't work with the stock monitor on the flyer LE. Is the best way to go just monitor replacement?

 

Thanks for the help. Im a Steadicam noob but eager to learn!

[Jarrett P. Morgan]

I would be tempted to replace the wiring in the flyer if you are powering the epic from the sled and a remote follow. That can get power hungry fast and the flyer isn't wired for that much current as evident by the prior posts about cameras shutting down.

You also may need to do a couple of modifications if you put an HD monitor on the bottom. I think I have read somewhere on here that the cabling can support HD (though don't quote me on that) if it is wired into some 75 ohm BNCs.

Another bet is to use a downconverter like a decimator 2 (http://www.decimator.com/Products/Decimator2/decimator2.html) to downconvert the HDSDI of the Epic to a CBVS (composite) signal for the monitor on the flyer.

 

 

Congrats on the purchase, and welcome to the forum!

[Victor Lazaro]

Your stock monitor on the flyer is a SD monitor (yello video plug) you need to downconvert the sdi signal (decimator) or buy a new monitor with HD sdi capabilities. As for power, you can try with the wiring but as said, the flyer is really borderling for the Epic. I use a Zephyr and I alrady find the limitations of that larger rig. Try to fly the camera with a small battery pack on it if you can. I will avoid you the issues of power and properly balance the camera on the rig.

[calebspillyards]

thanks for the responses guys! I was using ab Dionic HC's earlier and it was fine so Ill probably stick with that. I think we are going to go the Decimator route for now since a new monitor would mean different cables dangling around our having to route them through the flyer custom. Thanks!