Monday, August 26, 2002
Pocket PC used in motion control
Posted by Jason Dunn in "NEWS" @ 09:39 AM
http://www.jacksonwoodburn.com/
I have to admit that I don't particularly grasp exactly what this is - perhaps a cinematographer reading this could explain it to me? Still, the basic premise is clear: the Pocket PC can be used in place of expensive, dedicated computing devices.
"London-based motion-control specialist Jackson Woodburn Controls has introduced the Revolver System, which turns an ordinary geared head into a motion-control system - all controlled from a standard Pocket PC. The system fits ArriHeads 1 and 2, Panahead, Worral, Moy and others. The servo system is quickly fitted in place of the geared head's hand wheels. Each hand wheel consists of a servomotor and its electronics, a small LCD display and two control push buttons. Another small box is mounted to the head and connects inline to the lens motor and its remote-focus unit, found in such systems as Preston, Scorpio and Arri, to control the lens functions.
Another box, the Communication Hub and Camera Simulator, communicates with the Compaq iPAQ Pocket PC that runs Windows CE 3.0. As with traditional motion control, camera moves can be remotely controlled and repeated, and key frames can be recorded using the iPAQ. A playlist of recordings can be read by the iPAQ for playback selection, and any move can be selected from the list. Individual moves can also be uploaded to the iPAQ for saving as a Windows format file for export to CGI systems."
Source: American Cinematographer Magazine, July 2002 Issue.
I have to admit that I don't particularly grasp exactly what this is - perhaps a cinematographer reading this could explain it to me? Still, the basic premise is clear: the Pocket PC can be used in place of expensive, dedicated computing devices.
"London-based motion-control specialist Jackson Woodburn Controls has introduced the Revolver System, which turns an ordinary geared head into a motion-control system - all controlled from a standard Pocket PC. The system fits ArriHeads 1 and 2, Panahead, Worral, Moy and others. The servo system is quickly fitted in place of the geared head's hand wheels. Each hand wheel consists of a servomotor and its electronics, a small LCD display and two control push buttons. Another small box is mounted to the head and connects inline to the lens motor and its remote-focus unit, found in such systems as Preston, Scorpio and Arri, to control the lens functions.
Another box, the Communication Hub and Camera Simulator, communicates with the Compaq iPAQ Pocket PC that runs Windows CE 3.0. As with traditional motion control, camera moves can be remotely controlled and repeated, and key frames can be recorded using the iPAQ. A playlist of recordings can be read by the iPAQ for playback selection, and any move can be selected from the list. Individual moves can also be uploaded to the iPAQ for saving as a Windows format file for export to CGI systems."
Source: American Cinematographer Magazine, July 2002 Issue.
