Digital Numeric Display; Thin Film (Tf) Drag; Pan And Tilt Brakes; Illuminated Level Bubble - Vinten Vector 430 Operator's Manual

Vector 430/430i pan & tilt head

Digital numeric display

The digital numeric display [3] located above the Perfect Balance knob [5] provides a simple
numeric reference for camera balance, available tilt angle and—for the Vector 430i only—slide
plate position. The unit comprises a single-row digital display and a push button [4] that
illuminates the LED display for 15 seconds.
Press the push button [4] once to display the setting of the counterbalance mechanism on a
scale of 0–100%. Pressing the push button [4] twice indicates the available angle of tilt at the
current balance setting and—for the Vector 430i pan & tilt head only—pressing it three times
displays the position of the slide plate (for information on calibrating the slide plate see page 27).
The batteries powering the electronic system are housed in a compartment located in the base
of the head.

Thin film (TF) drag

Both the pan and tilt mechanisms incorporate the Vinten thin film (TF) system to ensure smooth
movement of the camera about these axes and are fitted with adjustment knobs ([11], [12]) to
adjust the drag setting. The whip-pan facility is unaffected by the pan drag setting. Both drag
adjustment knobs are provided with scales that illuminate when the level bubble [9] is
illuminated.

Pan and tilt brakes

Friction brakes on each axis allow the head to be locked at any chosen position. The levers ([6],
[7]) for both brakes are located side-by-side on the right-hand side of the head. Pressing the
brake levers down and locking into position applies the brakes. The brake levers are clearly
labelled 'Pan' and 'Tilt'.

Illuminated level bubble

A level bubble [9], illuminated by pressing the illumination button [8] located underneath the
bubble, is fitted to the rear of the head. When the level bubble [9] is illuminated, the scales on
the pan and tilt drag adjustment knobs ([11], [12]) are also illuminated. The light extinguishes
after approximately 15 seconds.

Four-hole mounting base

The head is provided with a standard Vinten four-hole mounting base, which includes a Quickfix
mounting groove and provision for use of a Mitchell adaptor.

Pan bar

Pan bar mounting points ([10], [13]) are located at the rear of the head, on either side of the
camera mounting platform. A single telescopic pan bar is supplied and can be attached using a
pan bar clamp, with angular adjustment available on the mount serrations. A second pan bar
may be fitted.
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