Owner`s manual

13
• With one hand rmly holding the
camera or the center post, open
the gimbal clamp. Remember to
always keep the post horizontal
when the gimbal clamp is
loosened!
• Grasp the center post and carefully
slide the post in the gimbal. Use
your thumb to push against the
gimbal. Find the place where the
sled is balanced on the gimbal
like a seesaw on a fulcrum. Then
slide the post through the gimbal
about 1/2” (12mm) towards the
battery. This will place the sled’s
c.g. 1/2” (12mm) below the gimbal
yoke bearings, and the sled will be
slightly bottom heavy.
• Close the gimbal clamp.
WARNING: If you open
the gimbal clamp when
the center post is
vertical, the whole sled
will drop rapidly and
damage your sled.
We will ne-tune top to bottom balance
after we get close to fore-aft and side to
side balance. We may need to ne-tune
the balance in one axis after we balance
in another axis. The object is to get as
close as possible to the best balance for
the shot.
Look at the sled from the side. If the sled is tipped up or down:
• Hold the center post vertical.
• Move the camera forward or
backward by turning the fore-aft
knob until the camera is level. You
can use a bubble level to help you
nd vertical.
Now we are ready to ne-tune the top-to-bottom balance by using the
“drop time” test
• Make sure the dovetail locking knob is tight.
• It’s good to have an assistant hold the stand.
• Rotate the sled to horizontal.
• Let go of the center post.
• Count how many seconds it takes the center post to fall through vertical.
If the rig has a drop time of less than two seconds it is too bottom heavy. You need to
move the sled’s c.g. upwards, closer to the gimbal. If the drop time is more than three
seconds, move the sled’s c.g. lower, further from the gimbal:
• With the rig horizontal, open the clamp and slide the centerpost through the
gimbal about 1/8” (3mm) in the proper direction.
• Close the gimbal clamp.
• Re-do the drop test. Keep making small adjustments until the sled has a 2
to 3 second drop time.
• Recheck the fore-aft and side to side balance by looking at the sled. Trim
with the fore-aft and side to side knobs as necessary.
Note: A drop time of 1 to 4 seconds might be best for a
particular shot. You will eventually determine what works
best for you for average shooting, and what works best
for you for each shot. But let’s start with a 2 to 3 second
drop time.
fore-aft
adjustment
knob
side to side
adjustment
knob
Fine tune the side to side balance:
• Look at the sled from the front or rear.
Adjust the side to side knob on the stage
until the center post is vertical. Again, you
can use a bubble level to help you nd
vertical.
balance point of
the gimbal
First we position the gimbal, which acts
as a pivot point, just a bit above the
center of gravity on the center post, and
here’s how we do that:
• Rotate the center post to horizontal.
Hold it securely.