MRMC SFH-50 User manual

Quick Start Guide
Document version: SFH50-QSG-20150811
Part number: MRMC-1166-00
SFH-50 HEAD

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SFH-50 Quick Start Guide
Document version: SFH50-QSG-20150811
Part number: MRMC-1166-00
© 2015 Mark Roberts Motion Control Ltd. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, or translated
by any means — graphical, electronic, or mechanical — including
photocopying, recording, taping, or storage in an information retrieval
system, without the express written permission of Mark Roberts Motion
Control.
Although every care has been taken to ensure that the information in this
document is accurate and up to date, Mark Roberts Motion Control
continuously strives to improve their products and may make changes to
the hardware, firmware, and software described in this document. Mark
Roberts Motion Control therefore cannot be held responsible for any
error or omission in this document.
All product names mentioned herein are the trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective owners.
Contact information
Mark Roberts Motion Control Ltd.
Unit 3, South East Studios
Blindley Heath
Surrey
RH7 6JP
United Kingdom
Telephone: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail] (sales and general enquiries)
supp[email protected]m (customer support)
Web: www.mrmoco.com
www.mrmocorentals.com

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Contents
Chapter 1 Quick Start..................................................................... 1
Safety........................................................................................1
Overview .................................................................................1
Setting up the hardware ........................................................2
Connecting the cables ...........................................................9
Quad-box example, for an SFH-50 head with
stepper motors...............................................................9
Ulti-box example, for an SFH-50 head with
servo motors................................................................11
Your first session ..................................................................12
Subsequent sessions.............................................................15
Appendix 1 Troubleshooting........................................................... 16
Typical symptoms, causes, and actions .............................16
Working with Local Area Networks ..................................17
Introduction to LAN addresses ................................17
Managing LAN addresses with Flair........................19
Appendix 2 SFH-50 Panel ............................................................... 23
Introduction to SFH-50 connections ................................23
Interface boxes ............................................................23
Notes on head-controller communication
methods........................................................................23
Quad-box and Octo-box connector summary ................24
Quad-box and Octo-box connector pin-out
information...........................................................................26
Stepper motor connector...........................................26
Power 18-36 Volts connector ....................................26
Serial RS232 connector ..............................................26
Trigger connector .......................................................27
Data In connector.......................................................27
Data Out connector....................................................27
Ulti-box connector summary.............................................28
Ulti-box connector pin-out information ..........................30
Servo motor connector ..............................................30
Program serial connector ..........................................30
Power connector .........................................................31
Camera Accessory connector....................................31
Data In connector.......................................................32

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Appendix 3 Specifications............................................................... 33

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Chapter 1 Quick Start
Safety
•Do not use around flammable gas. All electrical equipment can
generate sparks that can ignite flammable gas.
•The head has powerful motors that can pinch, so take care not to get
your hands trapped in the head or cabling.
•Keep the equipment dry, and do not use with wet hands.
•Keep cables tidy. Use cable ties to keep them out of harm’s way. If
you have a head with slip rings then make use of them; avoid
running any cables between the base and the rotating head or
camera.
Overview
Thank you for using the SFH-50 robotic camera head from Mark Roberts
Motion Control (MRMC). The SFH-50 head is designed for reliable
day-in, day-out use in professional studio and Outside Broadcast
environments
You can use the Ethernet connection on the SFH-50 head to connect
directly or remotely to any MRMC controller, such as the Large Flat Panel
(LFP), MSA-20 Handwheels, Mini MSA, or a PC running Flair Motion
Control Software.

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Setting up the hardware
1. Mount the SFH-50 head onto your choice of support, such as a
heavy-duty tripod or metal plate. The head can be over-slung
(sitting on a tripod or platform) or under-slung (hanging from its
mount).
SFH-50 with Support Arm:
SFH-50 with Roll Ring:
Over-slung Under-slung
Over-slung Under-slung
Roll
Cable
Platform
180°

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2. Adjust the height of the camera platform relative to the head, so that
the camera lens will be at the same height as the Tilt axis (and
centred in the optional Roll Ring) when the camera is mounted later.
Do not adjust the platform height when a camera is mounted.
To adjust the height on an SFH-50 with a Support Arm, loosen the
five retaining bolts that hold the camera platform in place (one on
the Support Arm, then four on the main platform arm), turn the
two height adjustment bolts to achieve the platform height you
want, then re-tighten the five retaining bolts.
Hint
If your SFH-50 has a Roll Ring and you use under-slung
mounting, move the camera platform to the bottom
(lowermost) position by manually rotating the Roll Ring 180°.
Do not move the camera platform to the bottom by inverting
the Tilt, as doing this will twist the Roll motor cable that goes
through the Tilt axle.
Loosen
Loosen
Platform
Loosen this one first,
tighten last
Height adjustment bolts
Tilt axis
Support Arm
Platform

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To adjust the height on an SFH-50 with a Roll Ring, loosen the six
retaining bolts that hold the camera platform in place (four in the
rear, two in the front), turn the height adjustment bolt to achieve the
platform height you want, then re-tighten the six retaining bolts.
Loosen Loosen
Rear view:
Loosen Loosen
Height adjustment bolt
Front view:
Platform

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3. If you are using external Lens Control Motors (LCMs) that are
mounted on the head, bolt the mounting rods onto the head, then
mount the LCMs onto the rods in approximately the correct
position. You can fine-tune the position later.
SFH-50 with Support Arm:
Mounting
rods
LCM: Zoom
LCM: Focus

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SFH-50 with Roll Ring:
Mounting
rods
LCM: Zoom
LCM: Focus

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4. Place the camera on the platform, move the camera forward or
backward to balance the platform in Tilt, then insert the camera
mounting bolts under the platform and into the bottom of the
camera housing and tighten firmly.
SFH-50 with Support Arm:
SFH-50 with Roll Ring:

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You normally mount the camera with the lens pointing through the
Roll Ring, but you can mount it backwards (pointing away from the
ring) if you want.
5. If you are using head-mounted Lens Control Motors (LCMs), adjust
their position on the rods so that the LCM gears mesh firmly with
the lens gears.

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Connecting the cables
Quad-box example, for an SFH-50 head with stepper motors
24V 5A
#1 PAN
#2 TILT
#3 ROLL
ETHERNET
Rear
Front
Example:
MSA-20 Handwheels
POWER
18-36V
Attach the power cables last.
Quad-box
Quad-box
The head and
controller both use
the same type of
power supply brick.

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Hint
If you use a dedicated controller that has a POWER OUT socket, you
should not use this socket to power the head if you are using
Ethernet to connect the head to the controller. If you do so then
powering up the controller will simultaneously power up the head,
and in this case powering up two Ethernet devices at the same time
on the same network can cause communication problems between
them.

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Ulti-box example, for an SFH-50 head with servo motors
24V 5A
PAN
ETHERNET
Rear
Front
Example:
MSA-20 Handwheels
POWER
Attach the power cables last.
Ulti-box
Ulti-box
TILT
TILT
PAN
The head and
controller both use
the same type of
power supply brick.

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Your first session
Instructions for using the SFH-50 head with a specific controller, or with
Flair Motion Control Software running on a PC, are beyond the scope of
this manual. The first time you use the head you typically need to
perform the steps given below. Refer to the manual that came with your
controller or software for details.
1. Attach the power cables to the head and controller.
There is no power switch on the SFH-50 head; the power is
on whenever the 24-volt power supply is attached and live.
After you have attached the power cable, make sure the
relevant indicator on the head lights up.
Similarly, to turn off the head you simply remove the power cable.
All MRMC controllers and heads have robust electronics that are
designed to withstand the rigours of connection and disconnection
to live power cables.
2. Load the head.
The head does not retain any operating system when it is switched
off, so when you turn on the head you must load the head operating
system from the attached controller or PC.
For example to load the head from an LFP controller you press the
SELECT knob on the controller when prompted to do so. Different
head models and controller-head connection methods use different
operating systems, so be sure that the operating system that you load
from your controller is the correct one for your particular SFH-50
head model and connection method.
3. Set the control directions.
Hint
It is a good idea to attach the power cables last, after all the
other cables are in place.
It is also recommended that you power up the controller last,
after powering up the head if you are using Ethernet to connect
the head to the controller, as powering up two devices
simultaneously on the same Ethernet network can cause
communication problems.

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In your controller or software you need to specify the directions of
the focus, zoom and joystick/handwheel controls for your particular
head, lens gearing attachments, and preference. For example, some
people prefer the camera to point upward when the joystick is pulled
back, while others prefer the opposite logic whereby pushing
forward (“up”) on the joystick targets the camera upward in the
scene.
For example to set the control directions on an LFP controller you
use the menu option SET DIRECTION. On the Mini MSA controller
you can use the same menu option or use the FWD and REV
hardware switches.
4. Zero the axes.
At the beginning of each session, right after loading the head, you
need to zero the axes. This defines a base position at which all head
positions and lens settings are set to zero (0) in the controller or
software. All limits, lens controls, preset positions, and moves that
are stored in the controller or software are measured relative to this
base position. The zero points themselves are not stored in the head
or lens when the power is off, so you need to define them at the start
of each session, by zeroing the axes.
For example to zero the axes with external Lens Control Motors you
first set the focus to infinity (), zoom to wide-angle (zoomed out
all the way), iris/aperture to wide open. You then use the
controller’s procedure for zeroing the head. For example to zero the
axes with the LFP controller you either go into film mode and use
the menu option HOME AXES >ALL AXES, or you use the controls
to point the camera head in the direction that you want to use as the
zero position for the head axes and use the menu option DIRECT
ZERO ALL.

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5. Set the limits.
In order to prevent damage to cables and other equipment, you can
set limits to the range of physical travel of the head movement and
lens controls.
For example to set the limits in the LFP controller you use the menu
option SET SOFT LIMITS.
Hint
The homing facility on the SFH-50 head uses optical sensors
(with homing fins) on the Pan and Tilt axes. The optional Roll
facility uses a magnetic sensor. There are two magnets on the
Roll ring, so the Roll homing facility will work for both
over-slung and under-slung mount configurations. For either
configuration, note that the camera platform is not horizontal
in the Roll home position. This is intentional, as it makes the
homing procedure quick and directionally reliable when you
invoke the homing facility from a typical horizontal (or
near-horizontal) platform starting position, whether the camera
is over-slung or under-slung.
Hint
If your SFH-50 has a
Roll Ring, set a Tilt
limit within ±90° of a
horizontal platform in
order to avoid
damaging the Roll
motor cable which goes
through the hole in the
centre of the Tilt axle.
–90°
+90°
Roll motor
Roll motor
Tilt axle
cable

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Subsequent sessions
After you have initially set up the system for your particular camera lens
and preferences, subsequent sessions take less time to set up, especially if
you have not disconnected control cables or moved sites. For subsequent
sessions at the same site you typically need to do the following at the start
of every session.
1. Attach the power cables to the head and controller.
2. Load the head.
3. Zero the axes.
If you have moved sites you will need to connect the control cables before
the power cables, and then set new limits after you have zeroed the axes.

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Appendix 1 Troubleshooting
Typical symptoms, causes, and actions
Symptoms or message
on the controller
Cause and/or action
HEAD DID NOT
LOAD
The controller failed to load the operating
system into the head.
Check that all cables are connected, and all
devices have power.
Check the order in which the devices are
powering up. If two devices on the network try
to power up and initialise their Ethernet
connection at the same time, the devices can
conflict with each other on the network. Avoid
powering the head from the power output
socket on the controller, in order to avoid
powering them up simultaneously. Use an
independent power source for each, and power
up the controller after powering up the head.
If you have connected more than one head,
connected the MRMC system to another local
network, or moved the controller and head
between networks, check that correct LAN
addresses have been entered in the controller.
See Working with Local Area Networks on page
17.
HEAD NOT LOADED
LOAD FAIL
FAILED TO LOAD
HEAD
FAILED TO
INITIALIZE
ETHERNET
Controls move in the
wrong direction
Change the working direction of the controls
to your preference.
Limits are being
ignored or causing the
head to oscillate when
reached.
The axes have not been zeroed. You must do
this at the beginning of each session just after
you load the head.