MRMC MIMIC HRNDWHEELS User manual

Mimic
Handwheels
Quick Start Guide
QSG Product Code: MRMC-2258-00
Product covered: MRMC-1083-00

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Mimic Handwheels Quick Start Guide
QSG Product Code: MRMC-2258-00
Product covered: MRMC-1083-00
© 2020 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) 
[email protected] (customer support)
Web: www.mrmoco.com 
www.mrmocorentals.com

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Contents
Contents........................................................................iii
Chapter 1 Quick start ..................................................................... 1
Safety........................................................................................1
Overview ................................................................................. 1
Connecting the cables ...........................................................2
Connecting the Handwheels ......................................2
Powering up............................................................................2
Mimic Handwheels controls ................................................3
Using the control direction switches..........................3
Using the Scaling Switches ..........................................4
Using a FIZ pot ............................................................. 4
Chapter 2 Setting up the Mimic Handwheels unit as a mimic
device in Flair ................................................................ 6
System configuration and startup........................................ 6
Appendix 1 Troubleshooting ............................................................ 9
Typical symptoms, causes, and actions ............................... 9
.........................................................................................9
Appendix 2 Back panel.................................................................... 10
Connector Pinouts summary .............................................10
Auxiliary connectors for Focus, and Zoom ............10
Root Connector ..........................................................10
Appendix 3 Specifications............................................................... 12

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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.
Heads have powerful motors that can pinch, so take care not to
get your hands trapped in the head or cabling.
Keep the equipment dry. The system has not been made
weatherproof. 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 Mimic Handwheels controller from Mark
Roberts Motion Control (MRMC). You can use the Mimic Handwheels
unit as an integrated addition to a computerised camera installation
running Flair Motion Control Software. The Mimic Handwheels unit is a
robust controller designed for day-in, day-out use in professional studio
and outside broadcast environments.
The Handwheels give you smooth, precise, real-time control over your
choice of four axes. The axes can be a combination of head controls (pan,
tilt, roll, etc.) and camera controls (typically zoom). The Mimic
Handwheels is connected to a larger system that is using Flair motion
control software running on a Windows PC to use the Handwheels as a
mimic device to move the rig.
The controller includes the following features:
Lens axis control – to give absolute position control when
required
Standard axis control – to give relative position control when
required
Control scaling – to allow fine adjustment or a fast response

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Serial lens control – Both Canon and Fujinon digital lenses can
be controlled.
Connecting the cables
Connecting the Handwheels
Auxiliary focus
input Auxiliary zoom
input
Powering up
There’s no need to power the handwheels separately. The device is
powered when the RT-14 that the Handwheels are plugged into is
powered.

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Mimic Handwheels controls
On the Mimic Handwheels, two of the handwheels are typically assigned
to the Pan and Tilt head axes, and the third handwheel is typically
assigned to Roll or Zoom, although you can change the assignments in
Flair if you want.
The meanings of the lights on the Mimic Handwheels controller are as
follows:
POWER - The power is on.
ENABLE - Indicates that this named axis on the head or
camera (for example Pan, Tilt, Roll, Focus, or Zoom) is now
connected to its corresponding control in the controller.
You can control a maximum of four axes using one Mimic
Handwheels, which is connected to the Mimic1 port in RT-14.
The Mimic2 port also allows for four mimic inputs should you
want to connect another set of Mimic Handwheels to mimic
additional four axis on the rig.
Using the control direction switches
The Mimic Handwheels unit has three direction control switches across
the bottom. Which controls are affected depends on how the Root Mimic
Axes are assigned in Flair. They are typically assigned to left wheel, front
wheel and right wheel.
Handwheel SCALE
controls: Stepped
coarse adjustment
switches (x1, x2, x4)
Handwheel DIRECTION
controls (FWD, OFF, REV)
Wheel 1
Wheel 2
Wheel 3

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The switch settings interact with Flair axis settings as follows:
FWD (Forward) - The control will operate using the direction
that you have set Flair.
OFF - The control will be inactive.
REV (Reverse) - The control will operate in the opposite sense
to whatever direction you have set in Flair.
Using the Scaling Switches
SCALE switches on the Mimic Handwheels control the general speed of
the axis movement when using the wheels. SCALE switches allow for
normal axis control (1x), twice as fast (2x) or four times as fast (4x).
Using a FIZ pot
If you plug a FIZ pot (Focus-Iris-Zoom) into the handwheels, you
identify it by the name of the connector that you attached it to, for
example Zoom. You assign it to an axis by using the Flair Show Mimic
feature.
If your FIZ pot moves the axis in the wrong direction then you need to
first make sure the associated lens axis moves in the correct direction
relative to its axis values in Flair Axis Setup dialog box, then adjust the
direction setting of the FIZ pot control for that axis.
A FIZ pot differs from the controls on your Mimic Handwheels, in that a
FIZ pot has hard stops that limit its rotation range to about 355°. This has
several consequences, described below.
You might reach the FIZ pot hard stop before you reach the soft limit of
its assigned axis. If this happens you can do the following:
Note
The mode that Wheels would be used in is usually Encoder Pos,
whereas the Focus Pot would be used in Encoder Pos, Encoder Vel or
Encoder Pot. Any Zoom controller would be used in Speedboat
mode.

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1. Press and hold the Disable button on
the FIZ pot, which disables the FIZ pot
output.
2. Rotate the FIZ pot back to centre
(without affecting the axis).
3. Release the button and rotate the FIZ
pot again in the original direction to continue moving the axis
where you left off.
You can repeat this procedure as necessary until you get to the soft axis
limit.
Disable
button

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Chapter 2 Setting up the Mimic
Handwheels unit as a mimic device in Flair
Once you plugged the Mimic Handwheels to RT-14, you can start
controlling the axis using the Handwheels via the Flair Motion Control
Software. You can still use the DIRECTION and SCALE switches on the
Mimic Handwheels, and you can use the Zoom/Roll switch to toggle the
control for the third mimic axis between the third handwheel and
whatever device is plugged into the ZOOM port, such as a Zoom
controller or FIZ pot.
System configuration and startup
You can add up to two mimic devices in Flair using RT-14 called the RIC
Mimic, or Root Mimic devices. Each Root mimic device has four mimic
control axes allocated to it in Flair as Rt Mimic Axis1, Rt Mimic Axis2 etc.
A Focus Pot would normally be plugged into the Focus socket on the
back and would appear on the Test Screen as Ric Axis 4.
The procedure below tells you how to configure Flair to recognise the
Mimic Handwheels.
1. Make sure the relevant cables are attached as described in the
previous section.
2. Edit the file C:\Flair\Flairx\Flair.ini. This file is a text file
that you can edit with any text editor such as Notepad, either
directly or by using the Flair menu option Help >View .ini File.
You need to add or edit some lines in the file similar to the following
lines.
*RICMimic: True 
This allows you to use the Root Mimic inputs.
Remember to save the file after you have edited it.
3. With the Windows PC running but with Flair not running, attach
the power cables the head, and the RT-14 unit.
4. When the RT-14 unit has finished starting up, start Flair by
double-clicking on the Flair icon on the Windows Desktop.
At this point, ignore any Flair error messages and Mimic
Handwheels LED lights.

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5. Check that Flair is receiving data from the encoders in the Mimic-
Handwheels by using Flair menu option Setups >Test M imic
Inputs and making sure that the relevant Root mimic axes numbers
change when you move the handwheels:
– Typically the left wheel is assigned to Pan axis on the
head and appears as Ric Axis 1.
– Typically, the middle wheel is assigned to Tilt axis on the
head and appears as Ric Axis 2.
– If a Zoom controller is plugged into the ZOOM port and
the ROLL/ZOOM switch is in the ZOOM position, then
this will appear as Ric Axis 3. If the ROLL/ZOOM switch
is on the ROLL position, then the right wheel can be
assigned to Roll axis and appears as Ric Axis 3.
– If a FIZ pot or Zoom controller is plugged into the
FOCUS port at the rear, then this will appears as Ric Axis
4.
6. In the Flair window, click Show Mimic. The additional Root Mimic
options appear below each rig axis.
7. In the Controller drop-down, specify which Root Mimic axis you
want to control this axis, for example to assign Pan to Wheel 1,
select the Controller as Rt Mimic 1, or RIC Mimic 1:

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(The mimic axis numbers are the same ones listed earlier in the
Setups >Test Mi mic Inputs pop-up.) Note that after you assigned
the Root Mimic Axes the axes names appear in the Controlling
column in the Test Mimic Inputs dialog box.
8. Specify the other Mimic Settings that you want to use for this
control.
9. Specify Live for the axes that you have assigned the handwheels to,
then Apply. After you have tested the mimic operation you can use
other settings; see the Flair manual for details.
Moving a handwheel should now move the associated axis and change the
axis position numbers on the Flair screen.

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Appendix 1 Troubleshooting
Typical symptoms, causes, and actions
Symptoms or message Cause and/or action
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.
When you set soft limits, you must set the
MAX limit to the higher (or more positive) axis
value, and set the MIN limit to the lower (or
more negative) value.
Check the scaling of the axis on the Mimic
Handwheels. If the axis is moving too fast, then
lower the scaling and vice versa if it is going
too slow.
Can’t set limits, or the
head oscillates when
you set a limit.
The head moves too
slowly or too quickly.

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Appendix 2 Back panel
Connector Pinouts summary
Auxiliary connectors for Focus, and Zoom
The pin assignments for these connectors are identical.
1. A+
2. B+
3. N/C
4. N/C
5. +5V
6. A–
7. B–
8. N/C
9. GND
Root Connector
Root is a (25-way D-type Female) connector.
1. A1+
2. B1+
3. A2+
4. B2+
5. A3+
6. B3+
7. A4+
8. B4+
9. Mimic GPO 1 (Open collector) LED
10. Mimic GPO 2 (Open collector) LED
11. Mimic GPO 3 (Open collector) LED
12. Mimic GPO 4 (Open collector) LED
13. +12V
14. A1–
15. B1–
16. A2–
17. B2–
18. A3–
19. B3–
20. A4–
6
1
5
9
113
14 25

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21. B4–
22. +5V
23. GND
24. GND
25. GND

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Appendix 3 Specifications
Weight: Unit with stainless steel handwheels: 10.2 Kg
Unit with aluminium handwheels: 6.2 Kg
Temperature range: 0-45 °C (32-113 °F)
Humidity tolerance: 0% to 85% relative humidity, non-condensing

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Notes

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Notes

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Notes

Mark Roberts Motion Control Ltd.
Unit 3, South East Studios, Blindley Heath, Surrey RH7 6JP
United Kingdom
Telephone: [phone]
[e-mail]
www.mrmoco.com