Micro Gimbal for GH4, BMPCC, A7s - $699 USD

maxotics said:
My 2-cents is your balancing procedure is overly focused on getting the x-axis of the pitch's balance (balance of FRONT part to BACK part of camera). As soon as you get a ball-park balance, with the camera on the plate, you could flip the Nebula over to its back (or hold it that way) and work on the y-axis of the pitch's balance (that is, the distribution of the camera's TOP part with it's BOTTOM part). Next, with the ROLL, you don't work on getting it perfect. The magnets and wires may pull it slightly to left or right, so you need to move it back and forth back and forth until you feel you have it perfect. So yes, I don't think your unit is 100% balanced because you adjust more than you test. Bottom line, after each adjustment, go through each "balance" test slowly, until you know you're not being thrown off by the magnet's pull, or some other effect. Hope this helps.

The heavier the lens, the more critical it is to balance it perfectly and that takes time.
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thanks for the invaluable info Maxotics i rebalanced the unit move the baseplate where the YAW is forward some, but still cannot get a hold that stays on 45* on the Pitch, Roll Axis seems to be very stable when leaning left to right. the pitch might never be able to balance properly.
 
Erik Naso said:
You could pre-balance the camera with different lenses and save them with the PID software. Thats if the lenses are really different like a pancake versus a zoom. Then you have 3 presets on the Nebula 4000 for each lens. Make sure to save the default settings first.
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Hello Erik yes that's a good idea, once the settings are finalized i will share my profiles for future use.
 
vx1kOrnot said:
thanks for the invaluable info Maxotics i rebalanced the unit move the baseplate where the YAW is forward some, but still cannot get a hold that stays on 45* on the Pitch, Roll Axis seems to be very stable when leaning left to right. the pitch might never be able to balance properly.
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A problem I find with similar lenses when you move the camera mount screw back it gets close, or into, the larger hole meant to remove the screw (so you can put it in a different slot). When that happens, it's hard to get a firm, steady grip on the camera, and it slips some, making balancing precarious. Others have mounted quick-release plates to deal with that, and other issues. I hope to get mine soon. So they may be a solution for you (though PLEASE, I don't know yet myself). For me, I just want it so it make removing/mounting the camera faster

http://www.amazon.com/ePhotoInc-Por...424269858&sr=1-15&keywords=camera+plate+mount
 
well - i've had the nebula for 2 weeks or so - watched all the vids on balancing and software.
i'm using the bmpc.
Finally dove into the software today.
I'm mac based.
damn thing just won't connect to the software.
i know some folks had this issue.
and for my setup I really need to get into the software.
:(
ps - to be more specific when pairing with bluetooth it initially says connected then it trips to 'not connected'
anyone have this problem?
thanks
 
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kevin baggott said:
I'm mac based.
damn thing just won't connect to the software.
i know some folks had this issue.
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The problem you're having probably has nothing to do with the Nebula or the software. In order for the software (or any software) to talk to a serial device (which is how the Nebula's computer will present itself) it must mimic a simple serial connection over USB. Once you get your MAC to talk through its USB device as an old-school serial port you will be good. So if you know any Mac geeks who might know about such things see if you can get them to guide your through it.

Yes, it is IRONIC that a "Universal Serial Bus" is anything but universal and can't talk in the simpleton language of its ancestors! :badputer:
 
Hmmmm. I feel like the old man in the woody allen film where his wife asks him while he's on the toilet "Murray why is there so much evil in the world?" And he replies - "How do I know - I don't even know how to work the can opener!"
Thanks maxotics - i will look into that.
best
k
 
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maxotics said:
A problem I find with similar lenses when you move the camera mount screw back it gets close, or into, the larger hole meant to remove the screw (so you can put it in a different slot). When that happens, it's hard to get a firm, steady grip on the camera, and it slips some, making balancing precarious. Others have mounted quick-release plates to deal with that, and other issues. I hope to get mine soon. So they may be a solution for you (though PLEASE, I don't know yet myself). For me, I just want it so it make removing/mounting the camera faster

http://www.amazon.com/ePhotoInc-Por...424269858&sr=1-15&keywords=camera+plate+mount
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Ah nice, i found this QR plate in my local shop its around 100g in weight, does it look like a good option for the n4000, will try it out.
 
I bought a couple of plates, the really nice one, with rulers, is a bit heavy. But it seems to work fine with the BMPCC and definitely allows me to push the camera back a bit (but not a lot). Waiting on the $10 one. When I get that, will let you know.

MACBOOK PROBLEM!

For Kevin I've tried to get my Nebula connected to my wife's Macbook (I can connect fine on my PC). I've followed all the instructions and can't get a connection. From what I've Googled, if I type "ls /dev/cu*" in Terminal I should see all connections but I never see the USB one to the Nebula. I've installed both the FTDI and SILABs drivers. Created the lock directory.

CAN SOMEONE who talks to their Nebula 4000 through their mac write down their instructions. Even if you don't remember fully, anything might be the key. In the Linux world, I read you need to run SimpleBGC as an admin, is there a way to do that with a Mac (I'm sure there is, I just don't know the trick and I can't seem to get to the folder through Terminal to sudo it).

Also loaded Arduino's software to see if that saw the FTDI port. It did not.

Anyway, CALLING ALL MAC EXPERTS!
 
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Curious if anyone is using the black magic pocket and the panny 12-35 - if so what pid settings are you using?
Most appreciated.
 
Good Nebula 4000 Settings for A7S and 10-18 Lens

Good Nebula 4000 Settings for A7S and 10-18 Lens

So I had a bit of time to play around a bit more with this device over the weekend and have a few tips for folks using a similar set up to mine.

I'm using an A7s with the Sony F4 10-18 lens. I take the eyepiece off the view finder and I've got a filter and the lens hood on the lens.

The ROLL has markings from 1 to 10. I set the role to two ticks to the right of 3.

The PITCH has markings from 1 to 10 as well. I set the top of bracket to exactly 2.

There's no real perfect way to set the YAW with this configuration. So I set it with the middle screw position which gets me closer than the other two positions after experimenting. This means the bottom of the cage is not flush with the housing but indented a bit.

I then find if I use the middle screen position on the sled and pretty much mount the back of the camera flush with the edge of the sled that I'm pretty close. I can balance the camera fairly quickly.

I've found I can get okay results with P1 in this configuration.

Now if you want to use custom profiles here is my advice.

First, SAVE all the profiles that came with your Nebula. As many have noticed, some motors seem to be inverted on some units and not others. On my mine none of the motors are inverted. It's important to know if you have motors that are inverted or not. Your default settings or an AUTO motor configuration using SimpleBGC should be able to tell you this.

This way when you try out settings from others you can quickly tell if their Nebula had inverted motors where yours might not. I've successfully loaded setting from Ken Asano and Dan Chung and noted their units have inverted motors where mine do not. (All this comes from all the hard work those guys have done and David Dugdale in his detailed review of the Nebula).

I need to get out and shoot something more interesting than my office but with the above configuration I'm getting very good results with the Ken Asano settings (And I think his footage is generally the smoothest I've seen).

It's also helpful to watch some of the videos so you understand what the Power and PID settings do. I've tried to create a few of my own custom profiles but I've yet to get better results than I've had with Ken Asano's settings.

I know this thread had quieted down but hopefully this information is useful to somebody.
 
Mine went back for repair and came back in the same condition (camera gyrates wildly). Once it decided to halfway work for a few minutes, that was it. Have asked for a refund but they are non responsive. I'm waiting until the end of the Chinese holiday before assuming anything.
 
I did a couple of very quick and dirty videos on the Nebula 4000. If you're just stuck on balancing you may want to only watch the second part. This is straight from camera, sorry I don't have time to make it concise, but it seems many are struggling and something would be better than nothing.


The first part is basic concepts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boT9cQRRC6E
 
maxotics said:
I did a couple of very quick and dirty videos on the Nebula 4000. If you're just stuck on balancing you may want to only watch the second part. This is straight from camera, sorry I don't have time to make it concise, but it seems many are struggling and something would be better than nothing.


The first part is basic concepts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boT9cQRRC6E
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Thanks for sharing your insight and experience!

I am using an a7s with the pancake 16mm. When I adjust the pan balance I can only slide the sled back 2 holes before the rear cable catches. When i do the 45 degree tilt from side to side the pan sticks a little bit better but it's not perfect. Any ideas on how to balance out the pan on an a7s with the 16mm e-mount pancake? Thank you!
 
vladwolodarsky said:
Thanks for sharing your insight and experience!

I am using an a7s with the pancake 16mm. When I adjust the pan balance I can only slide the sled back 2 holes before the rear cable catches. When i do the 45 degree tilt from side to side the pan sticks a little bit better but it's not perfect. Any ideas on how to balance out the pan on an a7s with the 16mm e-mount pancake? Thank you!
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When I first got the Nebula I added weights to the sled so I could get the YAW perfectly balanced. That drove FilmPower bonkers :violent5: I assume when you say "pan", that's what you mean. The weights worked but they were a pain to adjust. Then it hit me that my goal wasn't to get perfect stabilization on all Axis. What I want is good stabilization with the camera's pitch and roll. For the YAW I only need the camera to stay relatively straight, or to gently follow if I pan. I believe the YAW motor is plenty powerful to do that; that is,the yaw doesn't need to be perfectly balanced because the pitch and roll do most of the work, or bear most of the weight. So I now believe the reason there are only 3 positions for the sled is the manufacturer came to that same conclusion--close enough is good enough for the YAW balance.

So my question is, allowing that your A7S isn't holding a 45-degree position when you tilt the yaw 45 degrees, have you had any real world problems getting the camera stabilized the way you want? If not, I'd just ignore the YAW balance issue with the pancake. Unless you have to tilt the handle a lot, I believe YAW motors can deal with it and it isn't worth the bother of adding weights to compensate.

Let me know if I misunderstand your question.
 
Hey Max
Great video.
Hope you do some more :)
Maybe something on the software?
Anyway - whatever you do - I'll be looking forward to them.
 
kevin baggott said:
Hey Max
Great video.
Hope you do some more :)
Maybe something on the software?
Anyway - whatever you do - I'll be looking forward to them.
Click to expand...

Thanks Kevin! I watched a lot of SimpleBGC's videos, read up on the science of PIDs, experimented a bit, and feel like I really know...nothing still! My understand is P is for Power, how much energy the gimbal will expend trying to get to a position. D is how hard it will try to keep it's position, and I the time it takes between each effort to adjust P and/or D. Again, feel very lost in the PID configuration stuff.

1. Is increasing/decreasing P the same as increasing/decreasing the Power.
2. If the camera is shaking a bit, what procedure should one follow to calibrate? Is the P too high and it's overshooting? Is the D too low and it's not locking into position. How can you figure out which is which? What effects mean what?

If someone here knows and can write their strategies for setting these I'd LOVE to know. No offense to anyone, but much of what I see seems like a lot of trial-and-error guess work. There must be someone who has some procedures. For now, I'm just sticking with the stock profiles and working on balance and physically holding it. I feel there's a lot I can do to improve that.
 
I'm sure when you say you watched a bunch of vids on SimpleBGC - you came across this one.
I had been watching bits and pieces of it over the last couple of weeks - but finally sat and watched the whole thing today.

'1. Is increasing/decreasing P the same as increasing/decreasing the Power.
2. If the camera is shaking a bit, what procedure should one follow to calibrate? Is the P too high and it's overshooting? Is the D too low and it's not locking into position. How can you figure out which is which? What effects mean what?'

He talks about the above. It's not something I feel comfortable articulating at this point though in trying to synopsize.

Now that I got the software working I actually enjoyed his video :)

 
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