Proper glidecam weight

Charles Papert · March 4th, 2004, 01:50 AM

The best argument for sending cables through the center post is that it is clean cable management, and allows the rig to spin without the possibility of getting the cable entangled with the operating hand. As a mass, a video cable is not likely to influence the rig too much unless it is droopy enough to sway back and forth.

Until the early 90's, even the professional rigs had an external cable that ran power, video and various other signals from top to bottom. By the end of the decade, internally wired center posts became standard.

The best way to deal with external cables is to balance without them, especially when spin balancing, and then add them and fine tune the balance thereafter.

Casey Visco · March 4th, 2004, 08:52 PM

John--

My view is that if you're going to be doing any sort of serious operating with a V-series sled, none of which have any sort of pre-installed wiring, you should break out the drill press and modify it to accomodate whatever signals you need to run back and forth. They don't come pre-rigged in this way for a couple of reasons: 1) not everyone needs to run signal to the base for a monitor or battery (although they are few it seems), 2) for the rest of us, exactly what needs to be cabled can vary wildly from person to person and 3) leaving modifications up to the end user helps keep costs down, so we can sell them at a lower price point.

I'm sure there were other reasons for this as well. Regardless though, since we fully expect people to modify their sleds in this manner, it will not void the warranty, and therefore I personally encourage it.

Obviously for reasons of structural integrity, you'd want to drill a hole to accomodate your cabling only, and not the actual connectors, if this can be helped. For example, a simple hole for an RG56 cable shouldnt weaken stability at all.

Some people go pretty far with the modification and actually make break-out boxes, etc. This is a great idea. On my own sleds in the past, however, I've simply drilled a hole into the back side of the center post about a half inch to an inch from the weld where the post meets the bottom plate of the head assembly. On the base platform, I usually found it easier to drill straight up at the center of the post through the bottom of the base plate, so the cable could just be dropped straight down the center post and out the bottom.

Reattach your connectors, and you're done. Leave some slack for extending or contracting the center post. It should also be noted that when you drill the holes, you'll want to carefully deburr and smooth the opening. You dont want a raw-cut peice of aluminum slicing into your cable by accident!

Also, someone in this thread mentioned the 2000/4000 manual not talking about drop-time. I can only assume that the rig was purchased more than a year or two ago. We've had a much more comprehensive manual out on that particular product for a while now, which does talk about drop-time. And I *believe*, although its not really my department so I can't verify...that even the old manuals that came with the rig do discuss drop-time.

Ok, thats enough rambling from me for now...cheers...

March 4th, 2004, 01:50 AM	#16
Charles Papert Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 6,810	The best argument for sending cables through the center post is that it is clean cable management, and allows the rig to spin without the possibility of getting the cable entangled with the operating hand. As a mass, a video cable is not likely to influence the rig too much unless it is droopy enough to sway back and forth. Until the early 90's, even the professional rigs had an external cable that ran power, video and various other signals from top to bottom. By the end of the decade, internally wired center posts became standard. The best way to deal with external cables is to balance without them, especially when spin balancing, and then add them and fine tune the balance thereafter. __________________ Charles Papert www.charlespapert.com

March 4th, 2004, 08:52 PM	#17
Casey Visco Major Player Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 280	John-- My view is that if you're going to be doing any sort of serious operating with a V-series sled, none of which have any sort of pre-installed wiring, you should break out the drill press and modify it to accomodate whatever signals you need to run back and forth. They don't come pre-rigged in this way for a couple of reasons: 1) not everyone needs to run signal to the base for a monitor or battery (although they are few it seems), 2) for the rest of us, exactly what needs to be cabled can vary wildly from person to person and 3) leaving modifications up to the end user helps keep costs down, so we can sell them at a lower price point. I'm sure there were other reasons for this as well. Regardless though, since we fully expect people to modify their sleds in this manner, it will not void the warranty, and therefore I personally encourage it. Obviously for reasons of structural integrity, you'd want to drill a hole to accomodate your cabling only, and not the actual connectors, if this can be helped. For example, a simple hole for an RG56 cable shouldnt weaken stability at all. Some people go pretty far with the modification and actually make break-out boxes, etc. This is a great idea. On my own sleds in the past, however, I've simply drilled a hole into the back side of the center post about a half inch to an inch from the weld where the post meets the bottom plate of the head assembly. On the base platform, I usually found it easier to drill straight up at the center of the post through the bottom of the base plate, so the cable could just be dropped straight down the center post and out the bottom. Reattach your connectors, and you're done. Leave some slack for extending or contracting the center post. It should also be noted that when you drill the holes, you'll want to carefully deburr and smooth the opening. You dont want a raw-cut peice of aluminum slicing into your cable by accident! Also, someone in this thread mentioned the 2000/4000 manual not talking about drop-time. I can only assume that the rig was purchased more than a year or two ago. We've had a much more comprehensive manual out on that particular product for a while now, which does talk about drop-time. And I believe, although its not really my department so I can't verify...that even the old manuals that came with the rig do discuss drop-time. Ok, thats enough rambling from me for now...cheers... __________________ Casey Visco Glidecam Industries, Inc.