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MRMC Robotic Pod -1464-03 Quick Start Manual

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Robotic Pod
Quick Start Guide
Product code: MRMC-1464-03
CRANES AND RIGS | BROADCAST | HEADS & DSLR | PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY | RENTALS

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Summary of Contents for MRMC Robotic Pod MRMC-1464-03

  • Page 1 Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Product code: MRMC-1464-03 CRANES AND RIGS | BROADCAST | HEADS & DSLR | PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY | RENTALS...
  • Page 2 Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Product code: MRMC-1464-03 Last modified on: 2 February 2021 © 2021 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...

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Contents Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Chapter 1 Quick Start..............1 Important safety instructions ..........1 Power and connections ..........1 General care..............1 Location .................2 Intellectual property .............2 Overview .................3 Mounting positions..............3 Setting up the hardware ............3 Connecting the cables ............11 Chapter 2 Setting up the Robotic Pod System using MHC..
  • Page 4 Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Appendix 1 Troubleshooting............34 Typical symptoms, causes, and actions ......34 Appendix 2 FTP Setup in MHC ............37 Setting FTP in MHC for a Nikon D5 camera....37 Setting up FTP server and client on a PC ......41 Appendix 3 Pod connectors ............

  • Page 5: Chapter 1 Quick Start

    Chapter 1 Quick Start Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Important safety instructions To ensure the best from the product, please read this manual carefully. Keep it in a safe place for future reference. To reduce the risk of electric shock, do not remove the cover from the unit.

  • Page 6: Location

    Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide  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.

  • Page 7: Overview

    Overview Thank you for using the Robotic Pod camera head from Mark Roberts Motion Control (MRMC). The Robotic Pod is designed for reliable day-in, day-out use in professional studio and Outside Broadcast environments. The versatility of the Robotic Pod makes it suitable for live action, stills, and time-lapse applications.
  • Page 8 Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Ensure the nuts on the clamps are tight and the arm cannot twist on the scaffolding plate. Note Ensure the mounting bar can take the weight without stress and that the space on the bar is free to allow full movement of the pod when panning without hitting any obstacles.
  • Page 9 Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Nuts PTA underslung PTA overslung If the head is going to be used for target tracking, then ensure that the PTA is perfectly levelled to the ground using a spirit level.
  • Page 10 Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Attach the safety cable around the bar, through at least one eyelet, and through the pan safety hole (near the connector socket). Remove any excess slack by making extra loops around the bar. Then join with a carabiner and screw the carabiner shut. Wind any excess Eyelet cable around...
  • Page 11 Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Attach the roll ring to the arm by sliding the roll wedge into the side plate and ensure the safety catch locks into place —preventing the roll ring to be detached again. Then tighten the two captive screws to firmly secure the roll.
  • Page 12 Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Attach the pod to the roll ring by sliding the pod front into the roll ring from rear. Note the Pod has a wedge on its bottom that will slide into a plate on the roll ring. As you mount the Pod, you can use the roll ring to help support the weight of the Pod.
  • Page 13 Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Attach the safety cable between the Pod handle and the roll safety hole. Ensure you do not tie it around the roll ring. Wind up any excess cable by looping further through the holes. Screw close the carabiner.
  • Page 14 Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Once the Robotic Pod is fully constructed, test the movement of the unit by hand before connecting to power. Ensure that full movement of all axes is possible and there are no obstructions.

  • Page 15: Connecting The Cables

    Attach the power cables ensuring each connector is fully secured into the socket and that the cable or connector is not caught in any moving part. Break-out box PC running MHC Software From Mains 100-240V 447-63Hz 1.6A Max USB joystick, such as an XBox joystick or MRMC Joystick Controller...
  • Page 16 The maximum recommended length of the cable is 5m. Optionally, connect the USB port on the PC to a joystick, such as an Xbox joystick or a MRMC Joystick Controller. This device gives you a precise and real-time control of the camera direction and functions.
  • Page 17 Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Notes...
  • Page 18 Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Notes...

  • Page 19: Chapter 2 Setting Up The Robotic Pod System Using Mhc

    Chapter 2 Setting up the Robotic Pod Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide System using MHC To control and use the Pods, you need to connect them to the network that has the PC running the MHC server software. You can choose to assign the Pods to specific users using MHC server.
  • Page 20 Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Observe that the connected Pod appears as white or green icons light-grey tabs to show that it is connected over the network. Clicking/tapping the Pod icon enables the Pod and changes the icon to green showing it is selected for control from the Main page. Observe that the disconnected Pods appear as red icons.

  • Page 21: Changing System Configuration And Network Settings

    Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Note The focus and zoom axes must be homed individually. If an error occurs after homing, do the following: In the > Robot > Axes tab, check that the Status of the axis is ON in the grey box. If it is not, click the ENABLE button to turn it on.
  • Page 22 Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Note At any time, if you need to restart MHC, perform the following steps: Close the MHC Client and the MHC Server windows. Double-click or tap the MHC Server desktop icon to launch it. Double-click or tap the MHC Client icon to launch it. The MHC Client can be launched on the same or a different computer present on the same network.

  • Page 23: Network Setup

    Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Network setup Manual Pod Automatic Pod Settings Log out addition addition Heads on the network Heads not on the network Note You can click the Settings ( ) button to display the Settings menu. The tabs in the menu are: ...

  • Page 24: Adding Pods

    Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide  Green: The Pod is connected and ready to operate.  Grey: The Pod with the IP address is not connected with the system’s network or is not powered up. Adding Pods Click the FIND button to automatically find the connected Pod(s).

  • Page 25: Adding The Type Of Pod

    Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Adding the Type of Pod It is important to choose the Type of head as Pod in MHC before entering the robot IP address because once it is connected MHC will try to change it to whatever it currently set to. Ensure that you choose the correct head because if you chose the wrong one, the Pod either won’t work as expected or won’t work at all.

  • Page 26: Editing Network Settings On The Pod

    Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Editing network settings on the Pod On the NETWORK SETUP page, only the disconnected (grey) Pod’s IP address is editable. Only when the Pod is connected, can the network settings be changed on it. Select a robot that is connected (green) and click in the IP ADDRESS box.

  • Page 27: Setting Up Video Feed From The Camera

    Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Note You must be logged in as Administrator to change network settings on the Pod. Setting up video feed from the camera Live SDI video stream from the camera can be sent to MHC via an HDMI video encoder which converts SDI input into an IP stream that is web managed and can be viewed over LAN or public Internet.

  • Page 28: Adding Users

    Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Adding users On the User page, two types of users can be added: Engineer and Operator. Operator type users have the controls to operate the heads whereas the Engineer type users have additional controls to edit robot and lens settings and also some tools to troubleshoot if an issue occurs.

  • Page 29: Testing Head Connectivity

    Guide. Triggering the camera Your Pod could have been configured by MRMC with the D5 camera either in Stills mode or Video mode depending on your preferences. If the D5 is set to Stills mode, triggering the camera either using the on-screen controls (if available on the MHC skin) or using the external joystick will capture a still photo.

  • Page 30: Tools Tab

    Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Tools tab The TOOLS tab allows resetting of the head and exporting and importing MHC settings. EXPORT ROBOT SETTINGS Use this button to store all the settings in MHC to an XML file which you can import later.
  • Page 31 Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Clicking the button will open a dialog box, enter the name of the XML file. Click Save.

  • Page 32: Import Robot Settings

    Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide IMPORT ROBOT SETTINGS Use this button to import MHC settings from an XML file. RESER ROBOT Clicking Reset Robot resets the axes (Hex) board in the head. Use this option when the camera has crashed/frozen or a power cycle is required. RESET CAMERA Clicking Reset Camera resets the Nikon camera as-though you power-cycled it.

  • Page 33: Power Up (Pod Only)

    Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide POWER UP (Pod only) Powers up the Robotic Pod. CHANGE NETWORK QUALITY Clicking/tapping this option gives you a message with instructions on how to change the resolution of the imagery from the REP camera. You might need to do this if your bandwidth is limited and you want to reduce the traffic on the network.
  • Page 34 Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Note that heater can be switched on and remain on when the fan is switched on. Once the fan or heater is turned on, the icon is blue. The heater can remain on for a maximum of 5 minutes, after which it will be switched off automatically.

  • Page 35: Subsequent Sessions

    Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Notes Robotic Pod Subsequent sessions After you have initially set up the system for your pod head 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.
  • Page 36 Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Notes...
  • Page 37 Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Notes...

  • Page 38: Appendix 1 Troubleshooting

    Pod head in MHC. head did not light up. If you have connected more than one Pod heads, connected the MRMC system to another local network, or moved the Pod head between networks, check that correct addresses have been entered in MHC.
  • Page 39 Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Notes...
  • Page 40 Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide...

  • Page 41: Appendix 2 Ftp Setup In Mhc

    Appendix 2 FTP Setup in MHC Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Setting FTP in MHC for a Nikon D5 camera If you need to transfer the imagery on the Nikon D5 in the Pod to a computer designated as a FTP server, you can specify the FTP server settings for the Pod in MHC.
  • Page 42 Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide in the example below. Your Network Administrator will be able to provide the values in these fields. FTP settings example IP address of the Pod Subnet mask for your network (PC and Pod) Default gateway for the Pod IP address of the remote FTP server Username and password for...
  • Page 43 Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide The next table lists the typical scenarios and examples. It might be best to approach your Network Administrator for the correct values. Pod and FTP Pod and FTP Pod and FTP server on the server on a server on the same subnet/ different...
  • Page 44 Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Note Also, you can specify the name of the FTP server instead of the IP address. If you do this, ensure that you check DNS and specify the IP address of the DNS server in the box. DNS server to resolve name addresses (if required)

  • Page 45: Setting Up Ftp Server And Client On A Pc

    Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide the LiveView in MHC. The captured pictures would be transferred to the FTP server depending on the settings in the FTP server. Solid network icon Note: The network icon in the D5 display is flashing (not stable) when the connection is not setup properly.
  • Page 46 Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Start FileZilla Server using the Windows Start menu and then launch the FileZilla Server interface. Click Connect to start the FileZila server. To add a user to access the server, choose Edit > Users.
  • Page 47 Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Click Add and specify a name for the user. Check Password and specify a password that the user will use to access the server. Create a folder on the hard drive of the PC that hosts the FTP sever. Click the Shared Folders tab to specify a directory that the user access will be limited to.
  • Page 48 Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide 11. Check all the boxes to add full access rights for the user on all files and folders within the folder ‘photos’ . 12. Set this folder as home directory if not already selected. 13. Launch the FileZilla Client and login using the username and password and that you created earlier in the FileZilla Server.
  • Page 49 Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide 14. You should be connected to the Server now. Test the connection by creating a text file in the directory. 15. The Windows folder should have the text file in it now.
  • Page 50 Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Notes...

  • Page 51: Appendix 3 Pod Connectors

    Appendix 3 Pod connectors Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Connector pin-outs Panel mount connector Panel mount connector is the 22-way (female) connector of type EGG.3K.822.CLL1 on the POD and on the PTA. Ethernet 1 Ethernet 2 Ethernet 3 10.

  • Page 52: Panel Mount Connector

    Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Panel mount connector Panel mount connector is the 22-way (female) connector of type EGG.3K.822.CLL1 on the Pod base and in the power supply box. Ethernet 1 Ethernet 2 Ethernet 3 10. Ethernet 4 11. Ethernet 5 12.

  • Page 53: Mains In Connector

    Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Mains In connector Power input connector for the Pod head. It is a 3-Way (Male) C14 IEC connector. 240 Volts AC. Earth Live Neutral SDI Out Connector Connector for SDI Video signal from the camera. Video Out (HD or SD) Centre...
  • Page 54 Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Notes...

  • Page 55: Appendix 4 Specifications

    Appendix 4 Specifications Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide There are five types of robotic Pods based on the camera lens within. 24-120mm 24-70mm 70-200mm 80-400mm 200-500mm Size Total height 52cm-58cm Total width 58cm Operational space ~ 1.2m...
  • Page 56 Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Weight Robotic Pod Between 7-10kg depending upon the unit 24-120mm RP: 8.4kg 24-70mm RP: 70-200mm RP: 80-400mm RP: 9.7kg 200-500mm RP: 10.5kg 11.8kg Roll 4.71kg Connection cable 5m: 1.10kg (long) 10m: 2.10kg 15m: 3.10kg 20m: 4.10kg 30m: 6.10kg Connection cable 0.30kg...
  • Page 57 Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Power 24 Volts DC 10A requirements Temperature 0-45 °C (32-113 °F) range Humidity 0% to 85% relative tolerance humidity, non-condensing Maximum 135 ° a second speed Axes Pan (max 180° a second, infinite movement) Tilt (max 180° a second/340°...
  • Page 58 Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Stills Image sensor FX, CMOS, 35.9 mm x 23.9 mm Total pixels 21.33 million (20.8 million effective pixels) Frame advance rate 12 fps ISO sensitivity ISO 100 to 102400, with a Hi 5 setting of EV (ISO 3280000 equivalent) above ISO 102400...
  • Page 59 Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide...
  • Page 60 Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide...
  • Page 61 Robotic Pod Quick Start Guide Notes...
  • Page 62 Mark Roberts Motion Control Ltd. Unit 3, South East Studios, Blindley Heath, Surrey RH7 6JP United Kingdom Telephone: +44 (0) 1342 838000 info@mrmoco.com www.mrmoco.com...

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