Tiffen Steadicam Steadimate User manual

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P/N: LIT-816790
Rev. A!

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Steadimate Operator's Manual
Rev. A
P/N: LIT-816790
Steadicam®and SteadimateTM are trademarks of The Tiffen Company.
Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
All specifications stated within this manual are subject to change without notice.

© 2016 The Tiffen Company. Written by E. Barthelman.

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Table of Contents
A word from Garrett Brown 2
The Steadimate System 4
Steadimate components 5
Setting Up
Preparing the Steadimate 6
Installing the Steadimate 9
Balancing
Upright or Inverted Mode? 10
Balancing Upright Mode 12
Balancing Inverted Mode 18
The Vest
Vest components 26
Fitting the Vest 27
The Arm
Arm components 28
Connecting the Arm and Vest 29
Steadimate Operating
Lifting the system 30
Adjusting the Arm 31
Check your threads 32
Operating modes, tips and tricks 34
Accessories 38
Maintenance and Cleaning 39
Contact Tiffen 41
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A word from Garrett Brown
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The Steadimate System
Motorized Gimbal
DJI Ronin and Ronin-M
Freefly Movi M5, M10 and M15
The Vest
Adjustable to fit most operators
Provides connection to the Arm
The Arm
Supports the Steadimate System
Isolates camera from operator
The Steadimate
Links The Arm to motorized gimbal
Allows fingertip control
The Steadicam Steadimate is the link between motorized gimbals and the traditional
Steadicam Arm and Vest. Together, the Steadimate System provides additional stabilization
and neutrally balanced tilting which result in smoother shots and less work for the operator.
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Steadimate Components
Hand Grip
Tilt Balance Knob
Balance Weights
Fine tune counterbalance
Standard ¼”-20 threads
Post Clamp
Tools-free lock
Set position of tilt axis
Handlebar Clamp Locks
Secures Steadimate to handlebar
Post Scale
Laser-etched
Post Block
Connection point for the Steadicam Arm
Various Arm Post sizes available
Integrated tilt hinge
Handlebar Clamp
Attaches Steadimate to handlebar of
your motorized gimbal
Tilt Balance Lock Screw
4mm Allen key included for tightening
Clamp Inserts
25mm and 30mm inserts included
Balance Pin
Install on top of tuning stand
Verify system balance
Tilt Balance Mechanism
Adjusts tilt alignment precisely
The Post
Balance Nut
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Setting Up
Prepare the Steadimate:
Loosen the Handlebar Clamp Locks
and Tilt Balance Lock Screw.
Center the Balance Nut within the Tilt Balance
Mechanism by turning the Tilt Balance Knob.
This gives us the maximum range of
adjustability in either direction.
You may need to turn the Knob in either
direction, depending on how the Steadimate
was stored.
Take a moment to confirm that the Clamp
Inserts are correctly sized for your motorized
Gimbal. They’re sized to fit either 25mm or
30mm handlebars.
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Prepare the Steadimate
Loosen the Post Clamp and slide it all the way
up until it reaches the 0 position and then
retighten the Post Clamp.
Caution:Only adjust the Post Block position
while the system is on the tuning stand. Never
loosen the Post Clamp while balancing or while
the Steadimate is mounted on the Arm.
Install two Balance Weights at the bottom of
the Steadimate Post.
The weights can be used for fine tuning the
top-to-bottom or tilt CG of the Steadimate
later. Great when adding or removing small
accessories or swapping lenses.
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Setting Up
Is your motorized gimbal dialed in?
Proper setup of your motorized gimbal is critical to accurately balancing the Steadimate
System. Refer to the manual from your motorized gimbal manufacturer for directions on
proper tuning. Test handheld in single operator mode before going any further.
With the motorized gimbal resting on the
tuning stand, remove the right side handle.
Note: If you prefer operating a Steadicam in
Goofy Mode, you may choose to remove the
left handle and install the Steadimate on the
left side, instead.
Add ALL required accessories and build
a compact setup without loose
components. We’ll be balancing the
entire Steadimate System, not just the
camera.
Keep heavy accessories, like batteries,
close to the Steadimate Handlebar
clamp so the weight is well supported.
Caution: placing excessive weight far
from the Steadimate Handlebar Clamp
could over-stress the carbon fiber tube.
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Installing the Steadimate
From the profile, visually align the Steadimate
with the central axis of the pan motor. The
Stedimate should be parallel to the vertical
surfaces of the motorized gimbal when
everything is centered.
Just get it close, we’ll be using the Tilt Balance
Adjuster to fine tune this in the Balancing
alancing section soon.
Slide the Steadimate onto the handlebar in
place of the handle.
Note: For optimum performance and safer
operation, keep the space between the
Handlebar Clamp and the base of the pan
motor as narrow as your build will allow.
Tighten the Handlebar Clamp Locks by hand
and securely tighten the Tilt Balance Lock
Screw with the included 4mm Allen key.
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Balancing
Upright or Inverted Mode?
With the motorized gimbal powered,
place the Post Block on the Balance Pin
so the Steadimate System is free to
move and not contact anything.
Keep a hand on the Steadimate grip
and observe its balance behavior.
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Balancing the Steadimate system for the first time requires patience and attention to
detail, just as you experience while setting up a motorized gimbal or traditional Steadicam for
the first time. Read through the process and take your time.
Note: always balance the Steadimate with the motorized gimbal powered on and performing
properly.
Tilt the camera down and note the angle at which the Steadimate comes to rest. Then tilt up to
see what the “balance window” angle is between the two resting points.
Also check to see if the Steadimate will stay parked vertical when the camera is exactly level.
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Upright or Inverted?
If the Steadimate remains upright, within 0-45˚ of vertical, you’ll be balancing in Upright Mode.
Most setups will be upright, just like operating a traditional motorized gimbal.
Flip to the next page to start Upright Mode Balancing.
If the Steadimate is between 45˚ and horizontal, confirm that the Post Clamp is set at
number 0 and try adding 2 more Balance Weights. You may also remove or change your
accessories to lighten the system.
If the changes you make achieve an upright Steadimate, then go on to the next page.
However, if the Steadimate is still more than 45˚ from vertical, you’ll balance in Inverted Mode,
starting on page 18.
If the Steadimate is truly inverting, where the Handlebar is below the Post Block, then you
must balance in Inverted Mode.
This is most common when using heavy monitors with light weight motorized gimbals or when
larger accessories are placed high on the top handlebar.
Jump to page 18 for Inverted Mode balancing.
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Center the Steadimate:
With the rig on the Balance Pin, hold the Steadimate
handle vertical and loosen your grip to test whether it
will remain vertical on its own, or if it tries to tilt fore
or aft. Usually, the Steadimate will tilt one way or the
other.
Your motorized gimbal is still powered on, right?
The Steadimate has two adjustments which we use to balance the Steadimate system; the
Tilt Balance Knob and the Post Clamp. The Tilt Balance adjustment enables us to precisely
center the Steadimate with the motorized gimbal along the vertical axis. And by adjusting the
location of the Post Clamp on the Post, we can place the center of gravity of the motorized
gimbal just below the tilt axis of the Post Block. The goal is to make the system tilt and pan
with fingertip control. Let’s get started!
Balancing
While still on the Balance Pin, hold the
Steadimate handle vertical and loosen the two
Handlebar Clamp Locks.
Note: DO NOT loosen the Tilt Balance Lock
Screw. It will act as a safety and works with
the Tilt Balance Mechanism in the next step.
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Now re-tighten the Clamp Locks.
Note: It should not be necessary to loosen the
Tilt Balance Lock Screw unless your initial
alignment was way off.
Always return the System to the tuning stand
before loosening the Tilt Balance Lock Screw
to realign the Steadimate on the handlebar.
Turn the Tilt Balance Knob in either direction
until the handle stays vertical. The direction
you turn depends on which side the
Steadimate is tilting.
You’ll be able to feel the weight on the grip
getting lighter when you turn the correct
direction.
When you’re close, try letting go completely to
make sure the Steadimate remains perfectly
vertical.
Upright Mode: Centering
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Balancing
The next step is where the magic happens. By moving the Post Block down the Post, we can
adjust where the system’s center of gravity is located relative to the Steadimate pivot. We
use a simple method of guess and check to find that sweet spot. The lighter we can make the
tilt axis, the less work you have to do tilting and the better isolated the camera will be from
the operator’s walking motion. If you’re a Steadicam Operator, this is equivalent to setting
your Drop Time.
Set the balance:
Try tilting the Steadimate to aim the camera lens toward the sky. Does it tilt with fingertip
control, or is it heavy?
Note: we’ll be testing the balance of the system on the Balance Pin, but doing adjustments on
the tuning stand. Then repeat until it’s perfect.
If your Steadimate System is light to the touch and comes to rest within a 45˚ tilt window,
congratulations! You’re ready to rock the new Steadimate.
Most of the time, however, you’ll need to adjust the Post Block height to find that perfect setup.
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Upright Mode: Balancing
If the tilt behavior is heavy, that means your system is too bottom heavy.
But instead of removing the weights, which you can use later for fine tuning, we’ll move the
pivot point down the Post.
Dock the Steadimate System on the tuning stand.
Loosen the Post Clamp and slide the Post
Block one number down the Post scale and re-
tighten the Post Clamp.
With more Steadimate experience, you’ll gain
a sense for how far to move the Post Clamp.
Until then, let’s move one increment at a time.
Return the Steadimate to the Balance Pin and
test tilt the system.
Find the resting points for tilting up and down
and make sure they are within the 45˚ tilt
window.
Repeat the last two steps until the tilting effort
is very light. You’re looking for fingertip
control.
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The closer your balance is to perfect, the more
sensitive the Tilt Balance becomes.
Check that the system can remain vertical
with a light touch. Is it tilting slightly again?
If necessary, go back and re-center the
Steadimate using the Tilt Balance Knob as
previously described in this manual.
If you lower the Post Clamp too far, you’ll find the tilt window increasing beyond the ideal 45˚
included angle or going horizontal.
Simply revert back to the previous Post Scale setting that worked well.
Balancing
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After repeating these steps a few times, you’ll
have found that ideal balance which reduces
tilt and panning effort and also further isolates
your camera.
Now skip on ahead to page 26 to learn about
the Vest and Arm.
With the Post Block height set correctly, you
can later add or remove weights when
accessories, lens swaps or personal preference
require small, quick changes to the CG of the
system.
Upright Mode: Balancing
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