Originally the pelican case came with acrylic panels, which I had hand drilled to rough in the controls and switches. It wasn't very pretty with the finger prints and scratches. Decided to get the job done properly, designed the cut outs, graphics and had the panel screen printed and powder coated. A custom battery enclosure was also shaped with LED cut outs that will illuminate to check the battery level. The heat generated by the motor drivers was also considered in the form of perforations to allow for airflow. And finally the intentional large empty space under the red buttons will act as a space for the laptop to be sited and operated.
Been busy putting together a rugged and portable all-in-one "motion-control box". In addition, I've built a follow focus controller to go with it.
Some of the key features of the case include;
An Internal battery which powers the box, while also offering power to laptops when on location.
An internal power supply when powering the unit from the wall
Supports multiple camera triggering.
Supports a multitude of encoder inputs such as a follow focus, joysticks, or game-pads.
Supports 8 simultaneous motor outputs.
Case is waterproof, rugged and lightweight.
more to come.....
With the experience gained from making the "Block", the following project "Kino" soon followed. Using SolidWorks and Alias, my friend Michael Luzar and I built a working prototype.
When I first purchased the Kessler Crane Pocket Dolly, I came to realise that achieving a smooth and perfect film shot could be quite frustrating. Rather than purchasing an off-the-shelf motor and controller, I wanted to use this opportunity to experiment with SolidWorks and try my hand at manufacturing. The "block" shown here was what came to be the beginning of "Project Kinetica."
Having completed the "Kino" motion head, Michael and I decided to continue the project further and build a complete motion control rig. Below is the dolly, which is the base of the main structure and arm to follow. Currently this is under development, and can be followed in the blog section.