A bit more than pan tilt head for BMMSC

I want one!

This looks amazing! Possibly the pan/tilt head we have all been waiting for?


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Thanks Aric and Marcus.

Some more information:

It is gimbal technology and though on video high speed movements are demonstrated, it provides very smooth panning (and also pitch and roll). Both panning speed and acceleration (how fast it starts and stop the movements) can be controlled accurately. Very slow speeds are possible.

The gimbal technology is useful even on fixed installation, because of its silence and smoothness, but also as it eliminates shakes on installation, if it is installed on flexig boom etc. even the trip-pod on the video is flexing under the high accelerations, but you see how presisely it stops on the programmed position.

Because it is gimbal technology, it is well suited also for moving platfoms like boat. Here a bit older video with a prototype. http://www.levitezer.com/blog/files/bdb ... d1-41.html

The LeVIteZer Control software provides full control of BMMSC over SDI and also full control of the gimbal. Preset parameters can be stored, this includes all parameters, focus, zoom, f-stop, colour corrections, gimbal position/speed/acceleration etc.

More about it here http://www.levitezer.com/blog/files/f0f ... c2-60.html

And I am happy to tell more and present the system if you come to Finland, LeViteZer is just 30 minutes from Helsinki airport and depending of case it is possible also that I come to demonstate it to you.

Hi Kim,
High speed is what I need... I'll reach out to you from your website. Love to make it to Finland but its too far away for me. Unless you have an old group B rally car we can go test out.

Yes Kim, I am interested also.
Cheers

Using it with a fluid video head type remote controller prototype. on this video also the gimbal was prototype.

Kim, what did you attach to the control fluid head to control the camera movements? This is a grand set up for some remote camera applications.
Cheers

It has encoders on both axis, provides very accurate and smooth control. 16 000 values on full rotation. It provides very innuative control.

Nice!

Dummy head, now all you need is a dummy zoom rocker and a focus ring. Joysticks and knobs are for suckers.

The fluid head is indeed excelent way to control the gimbal and zoom rocker and good focus would compliment that nicely. Also zoom motor for manual zoom lenses is needed at least and remote control for it. It is all comming, but will take some time. For remaining of 2017 the focus is to make the LeVIteZer 360 Pro gimbal and Control software available on larger quantities.

We do not necessary wan to do all that by ourselfs so if there is companies listening with good follow focus systems etc. we would be happy to make those work with LeViteZer 360 Pro gimbal, controled over Ethernet.

This is the bag for the gimbal

Extremely interested in this... even a couple of them

Kim looking good! I am also interested, got any idea of a ballpark cost yet?
Cheers

The basic gimbal is available now very limited quantities. It is great to be used with 360 video cameras as it is, and currently being tested by 360 video producers

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The over Ethernet control and control software will be available for testers at start of next year.

Pricing I do not want to publish at this time as we are selling the first units directly and at start of the year via resellers, probably a bit higher price than now. For pricing and availability and also if you want to be a tester, please contact kim.janson@levitezer.com

The latest Micro Camera firmware updated added also PTZ support ower SDI. Something we will be testing briefly. The Arduino SDI shield seems to support that also.

Anyone know, is any of the ATEM Switcher etc able to provide control for Pan and Tilt?

Not yet. But will be in some future update..

Kim, i just can’t wait to see if the price is in my range of tolerance . I got a couple of avionics ptz cameras in my setup that I can’t bare any more.
For PTZ I think the only atem that has control is the studio pro but not sure it is implemented yet cos’ the atem range needs a firmware update that hasn’t come yet. It seems that with the 1 or 2me panel, ptz is control is available but haven’t seen anybody using it. Anyway, I may be wrong, but I think this is some kind of gadget as in production, I can’t see where I would I have time to produce, give orders to cameramen and manage the ptz devices at the same time. To me an external control panel for ptz is always required.


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I agree. We used PTZ cameras for live event (meetings) coverage on a live cable TV feed, and had to have a separate PTZ camera controller and operator, as the tech editor on the vision mixer (ATEM) was busy switching Camera feeds and putting up graphic keys. You can only have one person do so much.
Cheers

We are still thinking how it should all be. The LeViteZer Controll aplication can controll both camera and gimbal. It is possible also to run multible instances of that, i.e. one person could be controlling gimbal, other the clours etc.

Everything works over Ethernet, and now that BMMSC supports PTZ control via expansion port we will be looking also into that. That makes control possible without Ethernet, via SDI, but currently it offer only very basic Pan and Tilt control. Over Ethernet we have full control of the gimbal speed, acceleration and angle and also more detailed control is possible.

All ideas are much welcome and we will provide the gimbal for few testers at the start of the year to get better understanding how it all should work ad what the gimbal technology will make possible. As it is gimbal it does not need to be a static installation...

Following with great interest…

Working hard to get the first production units ready.

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First units ready to ship

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In addition to the above mentioned LeViteZer Control SW there will be also normal joystick type controller. This is a prototype that has been dropped to hard floor couple of times, hence some paint missing, but other than that it has taken that well.

The end of the 2017 has been very busy for LeViteZer due couple of custom projects. At start of the 2018 we will focus again to the LeViteZer 360 Pro gimbal making it widely available and providing the LeVIteZer Control software to use it as a very advanced pan/tilt head. There is many waiting for it to be available, than you for your patience.

I Wish you all Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2018

Introduction and how to setup the LeViteZer 360 Pro gimbal


Basic functionality

This is the LeViteZer Control SW color correction user interface

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And there is also many other controls, all supported by the camera that we can control over SDI. This is the video settings control screen

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And gimbal control when using LeViteZer protocol over Ethernet. The LeViteZer protocol will be public.

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All parameters can be saved and recalled, including full gimbal control, that is much better than normal Pan/tilt control. Angles can be controlled very precisely and also how fast it moves to next angle (from 0.0001 to more than 360 Degrees/second.) and also how fast it accelerates, making the starts and stops of the movement smooth if wanted, or snappy. And yes, as it is a gimbal, roll can be also controlled.

Today we did also first tests with the PTZ control over SDI that BMD now provides and it works good, though is much more limited than using the full gimbal control over Ethernet, but the advantage is that everything is controlled over SDI.

Also waiting to see price and availability.

This is the LeViteZer Control SW color correction user interface

colors.jpg

And there is also many other controls, all supported by the camera that we can control over SDI. This is the video settings control screen

video.jpg

And gimbal control when using LeViteZer protocol over Ethernet. The LeViteZer protocol will be public.

gimbal.jpg

All parameters can be saved and recalled, including full gimbal control, that is much better than normal Pan/tilt control. Angles can be controlled very precisely and also how fast it moves to next angle (from 0.0001 to more than 360 Degrees/second.) and also how fast it accelerates, making the starts and stops of the movement smooth if wanted, or snappy. And yes, as it is a gimbal, roll can be also controlled.

Today we did also first tests with the PTZ control over SDI that BMD now provides and it works good, though is much more limited than using the full gimbal control over Ethernet, but the advantage is that everything is controlled over SDI.

Cool. You're too deep and need to slow down and explain this to the cave people like me. Does your software talk to the cameras via a custom Arduino shield or is an Atem still required?

This is the prototype of the controller. It connects over SDI to the camera and via Ethernet to the Controller software. It has connection for the gimbal and two accessories, like physical joystick, follow focus system, distance measurement system etc. The V-lock battery powers the hole system. This adapter is currently installed on a tri-pod.

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Many gimbals and cameras can be on the same network. many instances of the Controller software can be running, or just one and the user can select the camera/gimbal he is controlling.

The Controller software is already running pretty good, we are still doing some improvements and additioal features, but it is ready for the testers. The bodle neck is to get few more Controller units build to send them for the testers. At this time they are hand build prototypes. The LeViteZer 360 Pro gimbal is already a product.

We are looking also using ATEM for the same task and just tested the VISCA protocol the BMMSC expansion port now provides for controlling Pan/Tilt heads. That makes possible to controll everything over SDI, no Ethernet needed. This adapter makes the LeViteZer 360 Pro gimbal compitable also for 3rd party systems/SW that can control the Pan/tilt head over SDI.

Some custom gimbal projects have slowed us a bit down on this development. The first testers will have the system during January.

Currently testing the LeViteZer 360 Pro with a camera vest.

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And the second prototype of Ethernet SDI interfacing unit. This unit provides full control of the camera and lens over SDI and very accurate control of the gimbal using LeViteZer Control SW. These units will shortly be available for first testers.

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The battery plate is optional, the unit can be also powered with a power adapter. It provides power for the camera and gimbal.

Ps. We have not chosen all the testers for this setup yet. There will be all together 6 units we send for testers during the spring. Face to face meeting is required, LeViteZer is located 30 minutes form Helsinki airport, Finland. I will likely be at NAB, so one possibility to meet. We are looking for professions, that will provide feedback and support making the gimbal known. LeViteZer provides the gimbal for the test period and helps to set it up. If you are interested, please contact via email: kim.janson@levitezer.com

Going next to the gimbal

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Video or it never happend

This is to be tested first, with the zoom servo

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and the 120-300 f2.8 will get the same, maybe focus servo too.

With the control algorithms we have already tested we can make these lenses parfocal, and ofcourse provide the electrical zoom and better focus control if needed.



About the LeViteZer 360 Pro roadmap.

The gimbal it self is available at limited quantities, well suitable for 360 cameras that do not need external control.

First tester will start testing the LeViteZer Control software with over Ethernet control unit by the end of this month and few others will follow soon after. The control software/Ethernet control will be available during spring 2018.

We have currently a prototype for the PTZ head (gimbal) control over SDI, it is the box at the back of the camera on the above picture. It is currently tested with the Arduino SDI shield and works well. Soon to be tested with ATEM that now supports it. The desing of this SDI interfacing unit is being updated, we plan to have it available before summer.

There is many mechanical control unit prototypes, joysticks, the fluid Pan/Tilt control showed on the previous posts, handheld color control unit, lens servo on the above picture etc. and we are discussing with some other companies about integrating a distance measurement unit to the system. These we continue to dovelop, at this time they are offered as custom build solutions.

There has been some delays on this due some other projects that have taken pretty much all of our resources for time being. We are looking for investors to make possible hiring more people.

A few more gimbals soon available

We where today testing and making some LeVIteZer Control software demonstration videos, of them a bit later, but desided to test also the Sigma 120-300 f2.8 with speedbooster

Pretty smooth so far.. See some hard stops at the begin / end of movement.. But that is a bit difficult to get ramping up down smooth enough i guess.. I have my decent share of DC motor controller done so far.. And there is a point were the motors have enough torq to get moving.. Not to mention mass in movement..

This kind of mass and inertia sets sertain limits for the starts and stops. This lens only is 3.4 kg.

The system allows controlling also acceleration, so it is possible to make the starts and stops very smooth, but with the cost of how fast it accelerates to the wanted speed.

Also note, this was at 300 mm with speed booster on 2.8 crop sensor so less than 4 degree viewing angle.

So Kim, how much are the gimbals? Looking good!
Cheers

The price of the LeViteZer 360 Pro gimbal is 2750 euro VAT 0%, so around 3300 USD.

The Ethernet/SDI control box, joysticks/fluid head controlers etc. and VISCA control are still prototypes and only available for testers at this time

The Prototype of Ethernet /SDI control box

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It has power in, gimbal connection, and Aux port that has joystick connected in this picture. It also has the SDI connections, Ethernet and USB. Both Ethernet and USB can be used to connect the Control software that runs on Windows/Linux/macOS/Android.

Above was presented the first version of the VISCA control box for BMMSC, this is the next version, still a prototype, but at this time a nicer integration with the camera and some added features. Not sure if the final version will have the display, but testing at this time.

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It provides the power for the camera, interfacing with the camera, including the VISCA PTZ control over SDI via the camera, it has Aux port for follow focus and distance measurement etc. systems.

LeViteZer is not only callig for testers, but also companies interested to have their systems integrated with the LeViteZer system and investors to make this all possible.

Presenting the Control software

The LeViteZer Control interface documentation is available here https://github.com/LeViteZer-Oy/LeViteZer-Protocol

This is the interface we have between the gimbal/camera and LeViteZer control software. We fully support using the LeViteZer Control interface with your existing systems.

How would you like to have full control of BMMSC using your computer, tabled and in future also phone?

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It fully supports the above mentioned LeViteZer protocol, so you can integrate it also with your own aplication.

Or you can use the LeViteZer Control SW that curently runs on Windows, Mac, Linux and Adroid.

Planning to make a small run of this price will be 395 USD / 320 euro VAT 0% + shipping.

Let me know if you are interested.

Sounds interesting to me Kim, count me in.
Cheers

Download links for the LeViteZer Control software and users manual here viewtopic.php?f=4&t=73283&p=407728#p407728

Testing LeViteZer 360 Pro gimbal with Unreal engine, next step is merging the video and virtual environment.



It should take the Ursa mini well too

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Repetition test with the above camera, to test how accurately it goes to set position



The big advantage of a small camera system is that it allows fast movements, and also for micro studio camera we have full control over SDI.

The project got green light from Epic, and some funding. http://www.spanner.live

Congratulations Kim, good show!
Cheers

First tests today on the production environment with Twenty Studios. Fully synchronised Pan, tilt, roll, zoom, focus with the VR environment.

Very cool!