Intuitive Aerial newton, NEWTON S2 User Manual

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NEWTON

USER MANUAL 0.9.1

INTUITIVE AERIAL AB

2016-11-10

NEWTON i

USER MANUAL

CONTENTS

1 Introduction 1

1.1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

1.2 Warnings and reservations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

1.3 Physical layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

2 Operation 6

2.1 Unboxing and assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

2.2 Attaching camera and balancing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

2.3 Starting and connecting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

2.4 Tuning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

2.5 User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

2.6 Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

3 Maintenance 13

3.1 Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

3.2 Firmware update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

3.3 Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

4 Troubleshooting 15

A Connectors and pin-outs 16

A.1 Pan-box connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

A.2 Cradle connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

B Technical specifications 18

C Revisions 20

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1 Introduction

1.1 OVERVIEW

The Newton remote head is a fully electronically stabilized, three axis with free pan made for broadcast and film production from cranes, wires, rails and vehicles.

The Newton is designed to be paired with the Dominion remote controller. Connection between them can be either wireless or wired and the Dominion provides full control of all the functions of the Newton.

1.2 WARNINGS AND RESERVATIONS

WARNING

Before connecting or turning on the Newton remote head read this manual

carefully.

WARNING

Do not power or charge the Newton controller with anything but external

power supplies delivered and approved by Intuitive Aerial for use with

Newton. Doing so can permanently damage or destroy your Newton.

Newton accepts external power between 12 volt and 26 volt. Powering it

with more than that can permanently damage it.

WARNING

Make sure that the camera and any other equipment is properly secured

before turning on the Newton.

WARNING

The Newton is rain protected but it is not water proof, so do not expose it

to direct spraying water or submersion into water.

WARNING

To get the best possible range, always extend the antennas vertically when

using and make sure they have a free line of sight to the controller.

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WARNING

Performing any disassembly, modification or service not explicitly outlined

in this manual will void any warranties on the system.

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1.3 PHYSICAL LAYOUT

Figure 1.1: Newton overview 1

Table 1.1: Overview Descriptions

Item Description

1,3 Battery 2 Attachment points 4 Battery clamp 5 Side-to-side lock clamp 6 Cradle connectors 7 Pan balance adjustment screw 8 Pan-box connectors

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Figure 1.2: Newton overview 2

Table 1.2: Overview Descriptions

Item Description

9,13 Antennas 10 UI buttons 11 Display 12 Power switch 14 Vertical adjustment screw 15 Cradle connectors 16 Vertical lock clamp 17 Cradle release clamp 18 Cradle 19 Camera dovetail 20 Horizontal adjustment screw 21 Front-back lock clamp 22 Top-mount attachment 23 Pan balance lock clamp

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Figure 1.3: Newton pan-box connectors

Figure 1.4: Newton cradle connectors

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2 Operation

2.1 UNBOXING AND ASSEMBLY

When delivered the Newton is packed into a hard case with form fitting foam. The top layer has spaces for auxiliaries and cables while the Newton itself is placed in the second layer. It is recommended to use the hard case for storage and transport to reduce the risk of any damage to the head.

Unbox the Newton by pulling it straight up out of the foam and place it on a stable base or directly attach it to the place it will be used, such as crane arm or rail system. Make sure it is securely attached. The remote head has one detachable part, the camera cradle (point 18) and dovetail (point 19), that is removed when packing it into the hard case. Reattach it by engaging the cradle release clamp and then sliding it straight down all the way until it is attached.

2.2 ATTACHING CAMERA AND BALANCING

2.2.1 ATTACHING CAMERA

Figure 2.1: Attaching camera

To attach the camera to the camera slider dovetail, do

1. Remove the dovetail from the cradle:

1.1 Release the front-back lock clamp (point 21)

1.2 Pull down the adjustment pin

2. Attach the camera to the dovetail with two or more screws

3. Reattach the dovetail to the cradle:

3.1 Pull down the adjustment pin

3.2 Slide the dovetail into the base, position it at approximate front-back balance.

3.3 Lock the front-back lock clamp (point 21)

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If using a long lens it is recommended to mount a forward lens support on rods; 15mm rods for lens support or focus/iris/zoom motors can be attached to the dovetail base. After attaching the camera, attach any auxilary devices such as focus/iris/zoom systems, interface dongles and cabling. Make sure everything is tightly attached and cannot move or vibrate and strap together all cables tightly with cable straps or Velcro.

! NOTICE !

It is highly recommended to always use a top mount on the camera, or a full cage solution that gives the same function. The extra rigidity such a

solution gives is very important for optimal stabilization.

2.2.2 EXTERNAL CONNECTORS

Newton has a number of connectors, both on the pan box base and on the camera cradle. A few of these provide direct pass-through functionality such as the two HD-SDI/BNC connectors and the pass-through ethernet1, while others are part of the control interface.

The control Ethernet connection on the pan box is used for connecting by Ethernet cable to the Dominion controller.

The IACAN connectors, both the one on the pan box and on the camera cradle, are both used for firmware upgrades and to connect camera/lens interface dongles.

Finally the power connections; the power in on the pan box is used to power the Newton. The power out on the pan box is an unregulated output from either the batteries or the external power in, whichever provides a higher voltage. The cradle power output is a regulated 15V output. To protect the internal wiring of the Newton is has a limited output power, it is limited to 67 watt when running on 12 volts, 84 watt when running on 15 volt and 105 watt when running on 20 volts or higher.

2.2.3 BALANCING

In order to use the Newton the head must be properly balanced. First and foremost the balance must be done so that the motor can stabilize the payload, too much offset in one axis can make it impossible to steer and stabilize that particular axis. The more meticulously balanced to head is the better the stabilization will work especially in highly dynamic environments.

Before you start the process of balancing the Newton you need to make sure that everything that’s needed is mounted to the head as the addition accessories will affect the balance. Remember to loosen any top mounts and similar before trying to balance the camera and to re-tighten them when done.

Can either be used for Ethernet or another signaling protocol with the right cable adapters

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Figure 2.2: Balancing

Front-back balance

The first step is to adjust the front-back balance. Start by releasing the front-back lock clamp (point

21) and then push the adjustment pin button and move the camera package to the fixed position where the balance is the best. Release the pin and then use the adjustment knob (point 20) on the side of the cradle to do the last fine adjustments.

Some camera/lens setups that are long and front-heavy may need counterweights or a special camera cage in order to be able to balance it properly.

Vertical Balance

Rotate the tilt axis 90° forward or backwards. Release the lock (point 16) and adjust the vertical slider (point 14) until good balance is achieved. To test the front-back and vertical balance, rotate the camera around the tilt axis to different angles and check if it stays in same angle. If not, make further adjustments of balance.

Roll Balance

The roll balance is adjusted with the same knob (point 20) that was used for doing fine adjustments in tilt. Make sure the front-back lock (point 21) is closed and loosen up the horizontal slider side-to-side lock (point 5).

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Pan Balance

The pan balance can be adjusted by turning the knob (point 7) on the back of the spine. Start by loosening the pan lock (point 23), if the head is standing the spine will start to move sideways so its important to prevent the head from tipping to the side. It’s recommended to have one person holding the head while another do the pan adjustment to mitigate this risk.

By tipping the base of the head slightly to its side it should not move if the head is balanced. If the back of the head moves to the opposite side it is back heavy and the knob should be turned clockwise. If the moves to the other side the head is front heavy and the knob should be turned counter clockwise.

2.3 STARTING AND CONNECTING

Before turning on the Newton make sure everything is securely attached and that the system is balanced as per the previous section. Also make sure batteries are properly attached or external power-in is connected.

Turn on the Newton using the power switch (point 12). When starting up the system will perform a calibration of the gyros to get the best possible performance. During this time the head should not be moved. During the calibration the display will show mode “IMU CALIB”. If the IMU calibration should fail, for example due to movement, the system will beep a number of times and show “IMU BIAS CALIB FAILED” at the bottom of the display. The head is still usable but can have excessive drift in all axes. To correct it, turn off the head and turn it on again to force another calibration.

The Newton is made to be controlled from the Dominion remote controller. For detailed information on how to establish connection between them, either wireless or wired, please see “Dominion User Guide”.

2.4 TUNING

When setting up the Newton, after attaching the camera and carefully balance it, the remote head needs to be tuned for the specific setup to get good stabilization and avoid vibrations. The tuning depends on on the mass distribution of the whole camera and lens package (including any other devices attached to it) so while general guidelines and rough values can be provided for a specific setup, it is still required that a full tuning is done after assembly.

Tuning is done through the user interface on the Dominion controller, in the settings menu, Re- mote tuning tab. For each axis there are three principal tuning parameters and one auxiliary parameter. The parameters are:

P Controls how strongly a disturbance or steering input is compensated. The main tuning parameter.

I Compensates for residual errors on longer movements.

D Dampens reaction to quick external disturbances.

Pos Gain Controls how quickly the head returns to correct position after a larger deviation.

The recommended procedure for tuning the Newton is as follows:

1. Make sure the remote head and camera is balanced and that nothing is loose or rattles

2. Set the P, I, and D for all axes to a low value. A good starting point is (4, 0.05, 0) for tilt, (3.5,

0.05, 0) for roll and (10, 0.05, 0) for pan

3. Doing one axis at a time, in the order tilt, roll, pan, tune:

3.1 Increase P until a high frequency oscillation begins, then back down to 80% of the value.

Use the controller and move the axis from endpoint to endpoint, if oscillations begin at any angle reduce the P value further

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3.2 Increase I until a low frequency oscillation begins, then back down to 80% of the value.

Again check if there is any angle that is more prone to oscillation and if so reduce the I further

3.3 Check that the head responds well to external disturbances by pressing lightly on the axis.

If the remote head is prone to oscillation when returning to the starting position, increasing D to about 5-10 should dampen it

4. After all axes are tuned, return and check so that there is no angle more prone to oscillation. If

so, repeat the entire process for all three axes.

2.5 USER INTERFACE

2.5.1 MAIN PAGE

The main page, shown after startup, provides feedback on all major functions.

Supply voltage Battery voltages

Mode indication

Communication interface

Controller

FIZC interfaces

Figure 2.3: Main page

The top row shows:

1. Supply voltage (either battery or external)

2. Battery voltage for battery 1 and 2

3. Currently active communication link

Under this is a mode indicator. On startup this will show which calibration step is currently exe-

cuting, and after that what mode has been activated from the remote control. Together with the mode

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indication is also an indication of any errors detected. If any error is shown, look at the troubleshooting guide in chapter 4.

The bottom row of the screen shows currently connected controller (such as the Dominion) and

which camera/lens (FIZC) interface dongles are currently connected and identified.

2.6 SETTINGS

In addition to the settings listed in the section for tuning (section 2.4), the Newton has a number of other settings. These can all be accessed from the Remote tune tab in the settings menu in the Dominion.

Table 2.1: Settings - Tuning

Setting Range Description

<Axis> P 0 – 25 See section 2.4 <Axis> I 0 – 5 <Axis> D 0 – 20 <Axis> POS GAIN 0 – 50 CONTROL FILTER 0.5 – 10 Controls smoothing of the control input. STOW ENCODER ENABLED

DISABLED

Controls the stow mode.

TILT MIN ANGLE −145° – 0° Adjust the min/max angle limit of the

axis TILT MAX ANGLE 0° – 145° ROLL MIN ANGLE −60° – 0° ROLL MAX ANGLE 0° – 60° TILT ANGLE CORR −5° – 5° Correct for IMU mounting deviation ROLL ANGLE CORR −5° – 5° PAN ANGLE CORR −5° – 5° PAN FOLLOW ENABLED

DISABLED

PAN FOLLOW STRENGTH 0 – 90 Controls how tightly the camera is fol-

lowing the base of the Newton

2.6.1 STOW ENCODER

There are two different ways that the Stow mode on the Newton can work. When STOW ENCODER setting is set to “DISABLED” the stabilization will be disabled and all motors turned off. When “ENABLED” the stabilization will remain in a basic mode and use encoders to hold the camera in a neutral position.

2.6.2 MAX/MIN ANGLES

These settings allow updating of the software limits for control.

The angles given for min/max angle is IMU/world angles, not angles of the joints of the head.

2.6.3 ANGLE CORRECTION

In some cases there might be a small deviation between what the camera sees as zero-angle and what the electronic control system considers zero-angle. In that case a small correction can be applied by adjusting the ANGLE CORR settings.

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2.6.4 PAN FOLLOW MODE

When follow mode is active the camera follows the base of the Newton. This can be useful for instance when Newton is mounted on a car, the camera will follow the rotation of the car. Follow mode can also be used to remove pan bias drift when the base of the Newton is not rotating, for instance when mounted on a straight rail system. The PAN FOLLOW STRENGTH option controls how tightly the camera follows the base.

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3 Maintenance

The Newton is a highly technical and very precise equipment with high requirements on exactness and internal tolerances. In addition it contains weather sealing. For this reason it is not recommended to ever disassemble the Newton or try to perform maintenance on any internal parts.

3.1 CLEANING

Clean the Newton externally using a soft, and if needed slight damp, cloth. If it is very dirty, use a mild detergent such as washing up soap.

WARNING

Do not use any cleaning agents containing alcohols, acids or other

corrosive chemicals. Using such cleaning agents might damage the coating

and/or the display surface.

3.2 FIRMWARE UPDATE

Firmware updates are distributed by Intuitive Aerial in a single ZIP archive that contains software for Newton, Dominion and the required updater application for Windows and OSX. Before updating please read the attached release notes for any specific information pertaining to that release. When upgrading the Newton, make sure to also update any FIZC dongles and the Dominion to a matching version.

To upgrade the Newton remote head, follow the procedure below:

1. Connect the USB/CAN dongle to the CAN port on the pan-box of the Newton

2. Start the upgrade application, named “firmware_gui.exe” on Windows or “firmware_gui.app”

on OSX.

3. Follow the instructions in the wizard. When asked for firmware file, select “newton_<ver-

sion>.zfw” in the firmware folder

4. When finished, restart the Newton

3.3 CALIBRATION

When delivered the Newton is factory calibrated. Normally this calibration will not need to be redone, however sometimes long usage, big cyclic changes in temperature or upgrades to new firmware will make a re-calibration necessary. The calibration options can be reached from the Remote service settings tab in the Dominion, which is part of the service mode

If unsure, do not perform any calibrations unless directed to by Intuitive Aerial support staff.

See the Dominion manual for detailed information

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3.3.1 ZERO ANGLE CALIBRATION

Zero angle calibration serves to record the neutral, zero angle, positions of the joints. This is needed both for the “STOW” mode but also for correct operation of the stabilization. To set the zero angle calibration:

1. Hang the Newton from a stable mounting point

2. Make sure both Newton and Dominion are turned on and connected

3. Activate “START ZERO ANGLE” in the Dominion

4. Position the Newton so that all angles are at their neutral zero position

5. Press “FINISH” on the Dominion

3.3.2 MOTOR ALIGNMENT

1. Place the Newton with the pan box down on a stable work surface or table. Do not attach any

camera.

2. Make sure both Newton and Dominion are turned on and connected

3. Activate “START ALIGN” in the Dominion

3.3.3 REALIGN IMU - EXPERIMENTAL FEATURE

If the Horizon of the Newton is off the IMU can be realigned. Note that the Newton should be kept still when doing this.

3.3.4 ZERO ROLL - EXPERIMENTAL FEATURE

Zero roll allows for manual correction of the horizon.

1. Go to roll velocity mode

2. Adjust the roll angle with the joystick until the horizon is correct, then press ZERO ROLL

3. Now turn 90 degrees in pan. Repeat step 2. and the horizon is corrected

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4 Troubleshooting

Problem Possible Cause(s) Solution(s)

Newton does not start up Batteries are empty Exchange to fully charged batteries

No external power connected

Connect external power supply to Newton

Dominion does not establish connection with Newton

Antennas are not mounted

Mount antennas

Dominion and Newton are not paired

Perform pairing procedure, see Dominion manual

There is a constant drift in pan, tilt or roll

Input calibration is not properly done

Immediate solution: Use deadband setting to compensate. See Dominion user manual or contact support for instruc-

tions on how to redo calibration There is a very small drift present in pan due to gyro bias

Activate the trim functionality to elimi-

nate drift manually, see Dominion man-

ual

Camera/lens interface dongle is not recognized by Dominion

Dongle has incompatible firmware

Update dongle firmware to same version

as Dominion

Communication link is not established between Newton and Dominion

See entry above

There is a small constant offset on either roll or tilt

IMU or cradle not perfectly orthogonal

Adjust the roll or tilt angle correction.

See section 2.6.3.

Display shows “IMU BIAS CALIB FAILED”

Newton was not still during startup. It might lead to reduced performance

Restart Newton, make sure not to disturb

the camera until display shows “STOW”

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A Connectors and pin-outs

The HD-SDI and the 8P8C/RJ45 pass-through connector provides a one-to-one connection between the pan-box and cradle.

The IA-CAN connector is proprietary to Intuitive Aerial equipment.

A.1 PAN-BOX CONNECTORS

A.1.1 POWER IN

Mating connector: LEMO EGJ.1B.304 Acceptable voltage: 12V – 26V

Figure A.1: Power in

Table A.1: Power in, pins

Pin number Description

1,2 Positive (+) 3,4 Negative (-)

A.1.2 POWER OUT

Mating connector: LEMO EGG.1B.304 Output voltage: Unregulated input / battery voltage Max current: 3.3A

2 3

Figure A.2: Power out

Table A.2: Power out, pins

Pin number Description

1,2 Negative (-) 3,4 Positive (+)

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A.2 CRADLE CONNECTORS

A.2.1 POWER OUT

Mating connector: LEMO EGG.1B.304 Output voltage: Regulated 15V Max current: up to 6.5A

2 3

Figure A.3: Power out

Table A.3: Power out, pins

Pin number Description Pin number Description

1,2 Negative (-) 3,4 Positive (+)

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B Technical speciﬁcations

Table B.1: Mechanical

Parameter

Min

Typ Max

Length

XX cm

Width

XX cm

Height

XX cm

Weight

XX kg

Without camera

Table B.2: Camera

Parameter

Min

Typ Max

Length

XX cm Width XX cm Height XX cm Weight XX kg

Length behind center-of-gravity

Table B.3: Power supply

Parameter

Min

Typ Max

Power input

Input voltage

12 V

24 V 26 V

Input current 16 A

Pan-box power out

Output voltage

12 V

24 V 26 V

Output current 3.3 A

Cradle power out

Output voltage

14.5V

15 V 15.5 V

Output current

6.5 A

Output power

105 W

Unregulated input/battery voltage

Depends on input/battery voltage

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Table B.4: Communication interface

Parameter

Min

Typ Max

n2420 Modem

Frequency

2400 MHz

2484 MHz Power Output 100 mW 1W Range 1 km

Ethernet

Speed 100 Mbit Cable length 50 m

Table B.5: Shipping/hard-case

Parameter

Min

Typ Max

Length 62 cm Width 55 cm Height 29 cm Weight

19 kg

Including two Watson batteries and charger

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C Revisions

Rev Date Changes

1 2016-08-01 Initial version

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Intuitive Aerial newton, NEWTON S2 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual