PaulEdwards Posted November 29, 2005 Report Share Posted November 29, 2005 Was wondering if anyone out there has experienced this or has a good idea for a solution. I'm finding that I can no longer clamp my monitor arm securely enough around the Ultra's sled post. When doing radical dutching etc. the monitor wants to rotate around the post. I can't work out what's changed as it never used to be a problem. I've taken the thing apart and made sure both sides of the clamping mechanism are secure and the plastic ring is OK but it seems the only way to stop it from slipping is to clamp it shut and then tighten those two grub screws up another 1/2 turn, making it a non-tools-free-solution! Any pearls of wisdom gratefully received. Thanks. Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Mikko Wilson Posted November 29, 2005 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 29, 2005 Paul, have you checked that all the clamps are properly adjusted? Ultra Manual, page 16: http://www.steadicam.com/manuals/ultra/Pag...tsandclamps.pdf - Mikko Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulEdwards Posted November 30, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2005 Mikko, Thanks for your input but yes the clamps are adjusted OK and it seems that the only way I can get the monitor to stay put is to tighten those two grub screws still further once the clamp is shut. Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members joe mcnally Posted November 30, 2005 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 30, 2005 Hi Paul I know it may sound obvious but maybe there is a little contamination with grease or something slippery on the post. Have you tried cleaning the post area and inside the clamp ? I have found a little lubrication helps on the shoulder of the clasp, where the grub screws bite, makes it easier to close tighter without over stressing the locking mechanism. Good luck Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinThwaites Posted November 30, 2005 Report Share Posted November 30, 2005 Hi Paul A common cause for this is when the little catch that the lever engages with works loose. It is fixed by 2 screws from the inside of the clamp ring so means that you have to take the clamp off the post to fix it. Symptoms are that the clamp won't lock and that it sort of squidges into place instead of clicking to lock. No prob to adjust it here if you need it, if you do it yourself don't forget to loosen the two adjuster screws before reassembly to avoid cracking the ring itself. All, be VERY careful with the adjuster screws - they have course threads and should only be tightened a tiny bit at a time. Again the result of over enthusiasm is to crack the ring where the lever pivots. As an aside a little lube on the lever pivot pin does not go amiss, we have seen several rings cracked where the pivot pin has seized and strong hands have forced the lever open so causing the damage. Robin Thwaites OpTex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulEdwards Posted November 30, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2005 Thanks Joe and Robin for your input. I did think about the grease contamination possibility and cleaned the surfaces pretty well but the problem was still there. Also I made sure that those two screws which can work loose were nice and tight........but still no joy! Maybe I will drop the sled off with you Robin so that you guys can have a go. I love taking things apart and having a go myself but this has got me stumped! Thanks again. Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Marc Abernathy Posted January 15, 2006 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 15, 2006 would like to get an update to this. my masters lower post clamp may need some adjustment... the other night as i was balancing it and did my drop, the lower post slipped a few.. it was not a radical slip.. but i did eyeball it and see it physically slipping down a bit. ill try and see if i can make the tiny adjustments on the clamp but in the meantime would llike to see how this event turned out... paul? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikael Kern Posted January 17, 2006 Report Share Posted January 17, 2006 I was wondering if this is the same problem we had in Stockholm - 2005 Workshop - with 2 Ultra type sleds. Jerry Holway fixed one of the slippery gimbals, the other was beyond reach. As I remember the solution included a very thin piece of papertape applied to make the clamp diameter a fraction smaller... Jerry? Mikael Kern Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Jerry Holway Posted January 18, 2006 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 18, 2006 I was wondering if this is the same problem we had in Stockholm - 2005 Workshop - with 2 Ultra type sleds. Jerry Holway fixed one of the slippery gimbals, the other was beyond reach. As I remember the solution included a very thin piece of papertape applied to make the clamp diameter a fraction smaller... Jerry? Mikael Kern Mikael- Sorry I didn't see this thread earlier. I think Robin's suggestions are the first things to do, and one should do all of them. All of the post clamps are accessible on the Ultra without any real disassembly; remove batts, camera, monitor to make it easier, and lay the sled on a table or floor. Pull the posts beyond the "red line" revealing the internal cables, and the two little screws Robin mentions. You may have to rotate or remove the plastic liner to get at the two little screws. Tighten the screws hard, reassemble as per Robin's instructions, and test. If this in inadequate, i.e.,you've run out of room on the external adjustment, then as a last resort, add a very thin sheet of material on the exterior of the plastic. I used an adhesive backed label or name tag for this purpose, about .002 inches thick, carefully trimmed to the width of the plastic. This shim brings the exterior adjustments back into the middle of their range. AGAIN, follow Robin's instructions and loosen the adjustment screws before you make the first attempt to clamp the post, and tighten very slowly and carefully. BTW, Tiffen has completely re-designed post, gimbal and monitor clamps in production on the Clipper Two, which fix this problem and are really slick to use. Positive locking and un-locking, easy user adjustment of tension, no chance of lever catching on anything. Jerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulEdwards Posted January 19, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2006 Marc, Sorry I couldn't reply earlier....computer problems! And I thought Macs never went wrong! Your problem seems more drastic than mine and as such I'm sure it'll be solved by following Robin's advice. In the meantime, Jerry, I like the tape idea and I think I'll give that a go and see how it feels. Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.